Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 57945 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57945 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
“If the weather holds out, maybe we can plan a picnic in the garden. I doubt Monster will mind us usin’ the space if he’s out fer the day,” I suggest.
Rebel runs his fingertips down the side of my face; it’s a gentle, affectionate touch that sends a shiver of happiness down my spine.
“Now that’s a good I idea. I think ye’re a professional at those,” he teases before kissin’ me.
I giggle when he rolls us over and hovers above me. The warmth of him cocoons me, and I fight back the happy tears that are threatenin’ ta fall.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothin’,” I tell him. “I’m truly feckin’ happy. I didn’t think I could feel this way with anyone, let alone with ye after all these years. But I do.” There’s pure honesty in my confession. “I’m still a bit speechless when it comes ta us.”
Rebel offers me a small smile and swipes his thumb over my lips. His gaze is still filled with warmth and emotion. Even though we’ve not said the L word yet, I know he feels it. I can see it in his expression.
Then he says, “I want ta make ye speechless every day. When ye wake in the mornin’, I want ye ta smile. And when ye go ta sleep at night, I’ll hold ye and tell ye how much ye mean ta me.”
The lump in my throat threatens ta choke me. I swallow it back and whisper, “Nobody has ever made me feel as if I’m wanted. The woman who fostered me kept me out of convenience. She got paid ta have me. My da, as ye know, wasn’t around. And my mother was dead before I was old enough ta remember her.”
“Wait,” Rebel says as he scoots up and drags me with him. “Ye ma died?”
I can hear the confusion in his tone. When I learnt the truth, I was as surprised as he is right now. I grew up believin’ she didn’t want me. But it wasn’t like that at all.
I never told anyone what happened when I went with Bragan ta save Miren. He was goin’ta take her, but instead, I agreed ta go with him. I thought if I sacrificed myself, she’d have a chance at a life with Monster. She could have her happily ever after.
“When I was with my father fer that short time,” I start slowly as I recall what the bastard, who helped create me, told me about Ma. “He showed me a file on her. And I learnt who I was, or at least, where I came from.”
“Why didn’t ye tell me this before. I knew he hurt ye when he had ye at his house. That’s another reason why I wanted te kill the bastard so badly,” Rebel says then waits fer me ta continue.
“I didn’t think about it. Well, I pushed it ta the back of my mind when I came home. I didn’t want ta recall the things he told me. Ma was a good woman, but she fell in love with the wrong man.”
The revulsion I felt that day he showed me the files shudders through me. It was a moment I never want ta relive. Knowin’ he killed her fer havin’ his child had me wantin’ him dead.
“Ma had an affair with Patrick fer a few years, but when she told him she was in love, he told her she meant nothin’ ta him. He didn’t have any feelin’s fer her. It was all just fer fun. Of course, she was broken-hearted.”
“But she was pregnant too?” Rebel guesses and I nod.
“She didn’t tell him, but one of the men saw her out in the city one day. She’d had me by then, but I was only a few months old at the time.” My voice cracks. I don’t want to remember the things my father shared, but I have to finally tell Rebel.
Needin’ some space, I shift off him and pull on my tank top. It gives me a few moments before I have to talk about what happened. Even though I was too young ta remember, it’s somethin’ that will forever scar me because I know all the feckin’ details. Bragan decided he wanted his daughter ta know what happened to her ma.
“He had her brought ta his house. Since she didn’t tell anybody about him bein’ the father, he decided ta be lenient. Although I’m not sure I’d call it that. He told me he asked her to give me up fer adoption. He wanted me out of the country.”
“And ye ma refused him, of course.” Rebel guesses correctly.
He’s now sittin’ up straight. I can tell it’s made him tense. He’s ready fer a fight, and I don’t blame him. I’m not sure what I’d have done if I’d had some time with Bragan in the basement, but I would have happily tortured him. And that’s why I don’t blame Rebel fer my father bein’ dead. He deserved it.