Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 95906 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95906 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 480(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
After he’d closed the door on me that night after saying all those beautiful words, I’d wanted to throw it open and take everything he was offering but I’d been too afraid. I’d been too scared that he was right… that I wouldn’t be able to let go of Brady long enough to really be with Con.
Definitely not for the fucking best.
I sighed and forced myself to focus on the task at hand.
Folding laundry.
If there was any silver lining in all this, it was the fact that I had something to keep my hands busy. I spent hours every day deep cleaning every inch of Con’s house while Rory and Christopher played outside. With Con spending so much time training, Christopher had finally become more comfortable spending time away from me. He often sat outside on the porch swing and read while Rory spent hours in her imaginary world of hero princes and misunderstood dragons. Knowing the kids were finally settling into a new life of semi-normalcy should have had me over the moon but instead, I found myself selfishly envious because I was still missing that one piece that would make my life feel whole.
“Let it go,” I muttered to myself as I finished the laundry and left the small room off the kitchen where the washer and dryer were. I was in the process of heading for the stairs when I heard heavy footsteps on the back porch. Since I knew who those steps belonged to, I hurried in that direction.
It was unusual for Con to return this early in the day and Christopher was still sitting outside on the porch swing. Worried how Christopher would react to Con’s presence, I fully intended to intervene before the boy could panic but I came to a stop when I heard Christopher say, “Um, can I talk to you?”
There was a long beat of silence before Con said, “Sure.” I could hear the surprise in his voice. I didn’t blame him. I was surprised too. Christopher hadn’t once initiated a conversation with Con.
I knew I shouldn’t eavesdrop on their conversation, but I found that I couldn’t force myself to move. I had a view of both Con and Christopher but doubted either could see me from my position in the house. Christopher was fidgety, his fingers clenching and unclenching around his ereader. Con was standing opposite him. I could tell he was trying to make himself as unintimidating as possible, but it wasn’t an easy feat. The man exuded confidence and strength.
“I, um, know you’re mad at me but it was my fault, not Uncle Micah’s,” Christopher said softly.
He kept his eyes on the ground. I had no clue what he was talking about. Neither did Con because he said, “I’m not mad at either of you, Christopher. I’m not sure what you’re talking about—”
“The knife,” Christopher interjected shakily. “I thought you were hurting him and I… I never helped him before. I was always too scared.”
My heart broke for Christopher and all I wanted to do was rush out to that porch and reassure him that everything would be okay. Before I could even move, Con was stepping forward and then he was crouching in front of my nephew.
“Christopher, look at me.”
It took a long time for Christopher to follow the gentle order, but I was so fucking proud of him when he met Con’s eyes.
“I thought what you did was incredibly brave. Micah is family and one thing my own brothers have taught me is that you always look after family.”
I saw Christopher wipe at his eyes before he said, “You left… after. You left and Uncle Micah followed you and he didn’t come back. And now he’s sad all the time and you…” Christopher shook his head.
My heart began pounding in my chest. How the hell had Christopher noticed all that? I’d always been so good at masking my emotions when he’d been a child.
But he wasn’t a child anymore.
I saw Con drop his head briefly and while I couldn’t hear it, I imagined him sighing as he collected his thoughts.
“Me leaving after the knife thing had nothing to do with you. I just… I’ve never been a big fan of knives,” he murmured. He shook his head again and lifted his eyes. “Something happened when I was a kid. A knife was involved.”
My throat locked up tight as I realized he was talking about Brady. It wasn’t something I’d ever told Christopher because I hadn’t wanted him to know that his father had acted dishonorably and that it had led to his downfall.
But Con surprised me when he added, “I was around your age when it happened and ever since then, when I see a knife, that fear just comes back and I react. That was why I left the house that day. I just needed to cool off.”