Not sureluckyis the best word to use. My girl is stronger than I gave her credit for.
“You said they wanted her as a breeder. What in the fuck were they going to do with these extra children?” I question. “I understand that Garrett hid her, but kids? What the hell were they going to do with them?”
“We can’t answer that.” Gavin shrugs. “Because the only ones who can tell us are dead.”
I take a step back, dropping my chin to my chest, trying to comprehend all that I’ve learned. I knew she was keeping a lot from me, but this? I could never have guessed her past. I knew Dollhouse was part of it, but it’s so much worse than that.
Our fathers raped her in hopes of knocking her up. Now I see why she wanted nothing to do with me.“I’m not the same person I was back then.”I thought she was joking. Challenging me. Now I realize just how right she was.
“How is LeAnne involved in all of this?” Haidyn asks.
“I’m not sure what you mean,” Gavin says, sharing a questionable look with Bill.
“Charlotte told us that she saw Everett at the cathedral when Charlotte’sfather took her there. LeAnne was running an offering, and Eve was in attendance without a cloak and mask,” I explain.
“That can’t?—”
“The Spade brothers were friends with LeAnne’s husband.” Bill interrupts whatever Adam was going to say. “It’s possible.” I don’t miss the heated glare that Adam throws at Bill. I go to ask what the fuck that was about, but Haidyn speaks before I get a chance.
“Have you fucked her?” His mind must be bouncing all over with all this information.
I tense, knowing that’s a yes. I hate that he’s fucking touched her, and I know Haidyn will too. Just for different reasons.
“It’s complicated,” Adam answers softly.
“Fucking complicated?” Haidyn shouts, stepping forward. He swings, knocking him in the face. “You knew what she’s been through and fucked her anyway?” He hits him again.
Bill grabs Adam’s arm and yanks him away from Haidyn while Saint gets a hold of Haidyn. I wasn’t going to stop him. He can beat his face in for all I care. But can I be mad? The rational part tells me no. The other sayshell yes. He knew who she was and didn’t help her connect with Haidyn.
Am I any better? No. I now know just how dark her past is, and it’s not going to stop me from loving her or fucking her. I’m going to make her my wife. It doesn’t matter what happened to her; I will make sure it won’t be in her future.
“Haidyn—” Adam wipes the blood from his busted lip.
“Fuck you, Adam. Both of you,” he snarls. The sound of a door banging open makes me jump. I look over to see Haidyn exiting the room. Saint stands next to me, head down and hand resting on the back of his neck.
I feel Adam’s eyes on me, but I can’t look at him. Or Bill. He might have saved her from being sold, but the damage was done. You can’t erase a year of something like that. Especially when drugs were used to get results.
It makes me understand why I found her on her kitchen floor with a half-empty bottle while she told me she didn’t want to be my wife. She thinks she’s a whore who can’t be loved. That she doesn’t deserve to be happy. She was never told that she deserved the world.
EVERETT
I’m sitting on Haidyn’s bed, petting Muffin and talking to Charlotte. She’s having a good day today. She went out and did some shopping with Blakely and wanted to show me what she got for the babies.
Three babies. I hate that I’m going to be an aunt and can’t even tell her that. I want to hug her and cry. Tell her how excited I am. That I’m going tospoil them and will drop everything if they ever need me. But I can’t say those words, and they’ll never get to know I’m here for them. It’s for the best.
“EVE?”
Charlotte and I both look up when we hear Haidyn shouting my name. I frown, getting up off their bed and walking to the bedroom door. Sounded like he was coming from the hall.
I open their door and see him exiting Kashton’s room.
“Everything okay?” Charlotte asks him.
He stops and glares at me. He looks pissed. Breathing heavily, like he just left the gym, I notice his hands are clenched.
The sound of the elevator dinging has me taking a quick glance to see Kashton and Saint exiting. They come to a stop and watch.
I give Kashton a smile, thankful to see him. For a split second, I thought that something had happened to him. That’s what scares me the most. Falling for him. You never have to experience loss if you never allow yourself to love.
