Read LIFE BEFORE DAMAGED VOL. 10 (THE FERRO FAMILY) for Free Online Page A

more than that. I’m afraid more ugly skeletons will just keep crawling out of the woodwork. What if I fuck up again? What if a couple years from now you realize I’m more of a bastard than you think I am now. I don’t want you to waste your life, only to be blindsided by something horrible later on.”
    “You don’t see it, do you? You have this notion in your head that darkness lives inside you, that you ruined Gina’s life, and that you’re on your way to ruin mine. You’re wrong. You are the kindest, bravest, gentlest, most caring man I’ve ever met. You saved her, just like you saved me.”
    “Gina died because of me.”
    “No. If Gina hadn’t met you, she’d be married to that horrible douche, Anthony, being cheated on repeatedly and trapped in the box her father built around her. Maybe she’d still be alive, but she’d be living as a miserable trophy wife. You freed her and made her happy. Her last moments with you were the happiest of her life. I know if I had the choice, I’d rather live a short life of happiness than live a long life of regret. I read about all the things you did for her, and it confirms what I already knew about you. Pete Ferro and Dr. Peter Granz are all the same person. I wish you could see that. Skeletons and all—the player, the fighter, the lover, the friend, the English professor, the swing dancer. I love all of you, even more now because of your imperfections. We can’t move forward if you’re forever stuck in the past.”
    “You’re not leaving me?” I glance over at her, not allowing hope to flood me—not yet.
    She laces her fingers with mine, her grip firm on my hand. “No,” she smiles and laughs lightly. “Although the Ferro family should be the example on the Wikipedia entry for dysfunctional family dynamics.” One of the corners of her mouth pulls up into a lopsided grin.
    “You don’t want to get mixed up in all this mess. I don’t want to drag you into my family’s mayhem. There’s always one last thing with them. We’ll never be just us.”
    “Peter, no one is going to care about me. I’m nobody with no desire to change that. I have no power, no money, no secrets.”
    “But my family has enemies. One day they’ll come looking for me, and you’ll be there. I can’t do that to you.”
    She tips her head to the side and catches my gaze. “Peter Granz, you need to get this through your thick head—I’m not leaving you. Not now, not ever, and nothing you can say will scare me off. I love a poet with a flare of kickass ninja hidden beneath the surface. No one screws with him or his family. His heart is always in the right place, and I hope he realizes that he’s holding my heart in his hands.”
    I press my lips together and close my eyes. Clearing my throat, I look over at her. “You still see the same man, don’t you? The journals didn’t change anything.”
    She shakes her head, making that long hair fall over her shoulders. “No, I know who you are, and I know we’ve both lived through hell. We have this little house, and it’s perfect. You’re perfect. And if one day some asshole comes knocking on our door, I know you can take him.” She smiles and kisses me on the cheek, before throwing her arms around my shoulders and holding on tight. “If you want to leave, you’re going to have to pry me off.”
    Her thin arms are trembling trying to hold me in that bear hug. I can’t help it, I smile and hope fills my chest. “I don’t deserve you.”
    “Dude, we deserve each other. We’re both totally messed up. I mean, look at our family pet.” She releases me and points to Mr. Turkey, who’s sauntering toward Sidney as she speaks.
    He looks like he wants to bite something. He stretches those massive black wings and flaps a few times, before turning and showing me his butt. It’s like a fuck-off from a buzzard.
    I can’t help it, I laugh. Sidney leans into me, and suddenly all the hurt and worry fractures into dust. It’s just me