Total pages in book: 32
Estimated words: 29566 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 148(@200wpm)___ 118(@250wpm)___ 99(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29566 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 148(@200wpm)___ 118(@250wpm)___ 99(@300wpm)
He puts my feet in his lap and massages one.
“That feels amazing,” I purr, relaxing into the sensation of having his hands on me. My head still hurts, but it’s feeling a little better. After Greer and I put the boys to sleep, I took a cool shower and swallowed a headache pill. I’m starting to feel a little more human.
Despite my best efforts, I yawn. It’s been a busy day and that combined with the stress of the earlier attack means I’m extra sleepy.
“Are you tired?” Greer asks. He’s keeping his voice pitched low. Parker has already been up for sips of water three times and once because he insisted there was a funny noise in the closet.
Greer gave him water each time and checked the entire bedroom, turning on all the lights and getting down on his knees to check underneath the bed. It was kind of endearing to watch how patient he was each time.
He'd be an amazing father. I shouldn’t even be thinking about it right now. My life is too complicated to be considering that.
“A little sleepy,” I admit. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to snore on your couch.”
“No, you’re not,” he agrees and stands. He pulls me into his arms and strides into his bedroom.
He sets me on the bed. I wiggle out of my blue jeans until I’m left only in my cotton t-shirt and panties.
He reaches for the blankets, and I frown. “What are you doing?”
“Tucking you in,” he answers as if this is the natural thing he does every night. When was the last time someone took care of me like this? It’s been years, maybe not ever.
I snuggle into the sheets that smell like him, contentment flowing through me. For the first time in a long time, it feels like everything is going to be alright.
He tugs the blankets higher and kisses my forehead.
I melt at the sweet gesture. He cares for me and my brothers. I didn’t know a man could be so nurturing. I didn’t know it could feel this good to be with someone who genuinely seems to care.
Grabbing a fistful of his t-shirt, I say, “Sleep next to me.”
He quirks an eyebrow. “Are you trying to steal my virtue, Miss Evie?”
Despite my headache, I can’t help smiling at him. “No virtue-stealing. Cross my heart.”
He climbs into the bed, careful not to jostle me as he settles over the blankets. He pulls me into his arms, and I snuggle deep into his embrace. My head is resting on his chest, and I can hear his heartbeat. It’s steady and strong, like the man himself.
For the first time in a long time, my body relaxes. I’m warm. I’m safe. I’m protected by this big man who is gently stroking my hair. Maybe it’s because I feel so safe with him, I open up, “Not long after my mom abandoned us, I moved in with my boyfriend, Spencer. I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought it would help the boys. I thought it would give them someone to look up to, you know? And I didn’t want to be alone. I figured…we’d be a family that way.”
“Where the hell is their dad or yours or somebody? Your mom didn’t make three babies on her own,” Greer points out, a hint of anger in his tone. I know him well enough now that I can guess he’s angry that no one has ever been there for us.
“I don’t know. There are no names on our birth certificates. I know we were probably random hookups, whoever was willing to give her drugs at the time,” I sigh. “I spent years hating the fact that I didn’t know. Then one day, I realized maybe it’s for the best. She wasn’t a good person. Who’s to say that any of us would have had a decent father?”
He doesn’t say anything, so I continue, “Spencer wasn’t a good man either. He took most of my money, spent his days getting drunk, and yelled a lot.”
Looking back, I can’t believe I stayed with him for years. I can’t believe that I didn’t see him for the asshole he was. In my desperation to have something good to give my brothers, I missed all the warning signs.
“Did he hurt the boys?”
“Not physically. He’d threaten them when I wasn’t around.” Guilt washes over me. It’s my job to protect them, and I didn’t do that. “Then there was a night…” My voice drifts and I’m quiet for several long minutes. I’ve never spoken about this to anyone.
He tightens his hold around me, the simple gesture grounding me. “I’d never judge you, Evie. Not you or the boys. Not about anything.”
“I didn’t usually ask him for anything, but I was stuck late at the restaurant where I waitressed. I asked him to pick up the boys from the afterschool program. When I got there, I realized he’d driven them home while he was under the influence.”