Sighing, she wraps both hands around her mug. “It’s a lot to unpack.”
“I’ve got all day.” I slouch in my seat, watching her closely.
Stella spent the night at Nora’s house. She should be dropping her off in an hour, but I know this conversation won’t take that long.
“You promise you won’t do anything bad once I finish?” she pleads, looking really sexy in my clothing.
“I promise.”
Swallowing a hot sip of my coffee, I set it down and give her my attention, knowing if I’m holding anything, it might end up being smashed against the wall. The vibrant sunrise shines in my kitchen, casting a beautiful glow on her face.
I watch as she places her hair into a low ponytail and hugs one knee to her chest. “It was my dad.”
I almost get up and storm to my door. But I stay put forher.
I fucking knew it.
That bastard has something coming for him—mark my words.
Seeing my set jaw, she reaches out and holds one of my fists. “He made me break up with you because he’d found out you’re a recovering alcoholic and threatened to expose that to the world …” She trails off, shaking her head in denial. “Meaning Stella might be taken away. He said if I broke up with you, he’d leave you alone.” Tears brim in her eyes. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, but what other choice did I have?”
My body tenses at the new information, the shit her dad puts everyone through. A part of me is so relieved she didn’t mean anything she said to me that night.
Am I surprised that he did this to us? No.
Am I mad? Yes.
But will I let it consume me until I blow up with anger? No.
The girl is in my arms, and that’s all that fucking matters. We’ll deal with this shithead together.
I give her a small smile. “You should have talked to me about it. We would’ve figured it out.”
She laughs sadly, shrugging her shoulders. “He scared me. I wasn’t thinking. The only thing running through my mind was Stella being taken away.”
Pushing my seat back, I tap my legs. Jolting up, she walks around the table and settles across my lap.
“I know, honey. I appreciate that you care,” I say as I wrap my arms around her waist tightly, soaking in this feeling.
“Trinity and I have a plan.” Stuffing her face in my neck, she breathes in strongly.
“What’s that?”
“We’re using the USB. If he can blackmail me, I can do the same. That video will ruin his entire life.”
I smile, pecking her nose. “That’s my girl, scheming his doom.”
She groans, “I hate when you put it that way. It makes me sound evil.”
“There’s nothing evil about you,” I reassure her, placing my chin on top of her head. “When’s the blackmail happening?”
I feel her shrug. “As soon as possible, but I want my brothers to know about us.”
I couldn’t agree more. I’m done hiding us. I want to hug and kiss her in public and show everyone my love for her every single day.
“We need them on our side,” I agree. “They can’t be clueless while we go after your dad.”
She raises her head from my chest, and her rich orbs bore into my own. “When should we tell them?”
