Despite the circumstances.
She rubbed her hand over his heart, not wanting to push him to tell her more, imagining a younger version of him when he’d had to take care of the two people who were supposed to care for and love him unconditionally.
Tears stung her eyes, but she blinked them away.
“My mom OD’d when I was seventeen. The same thing happened to my dad two weeks after my eighteenth birthday.”
She gasped. “They’re both—”
“Dead.” The word reverberated through the room. “Heroin killed the people they’d once been long before their hearts stopped beating.”
Hadley tightened her hold on him.
Blaise kissed the top of her head.
The sweet gesture melted her heart. He’d overcome overwhelming odds to succeed.
Incredible.
“The only blessing, if you want to call it that, was my age.” He twirled her hair again. “I was old enough that foster care wasn’t an option.”
“But still…”
“It sucked,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone. His gaze met hers. “You called yourself a hot mess, but you’re not. Trust me, I know. I was one back then.”
“You didn’t let it stop you.”
“I couldn’t.” He sniffled.
She touched his face, rubbing her palm against his beard.
“The school’s scholarship fund paid for an SAT test. I knew I’d only get one shot, so I aced it because college was my way out.”
Pride and respect for Blaise quadrupled. “That doesn’t surprise me.”
“Mr. Penney helped me apply to college and found scholarships that I could qualify for. Coop helped me fix up the house so I could rent it while I was at school. He told me to sell it, but I couldn’t. It was my only link to my parents, good or bad. I held on to it until I needed money to start Blai$e.” He snickered. “A little bit ironic.”
“No, smart,” she countered. “You survived. Thrived. And look at what you’ve accomplished. Thank you for telling me.”
“Only Mr. Penney, Coop, and an overpriced therapist know as much as you do.”
Her mouth dropped open. “I won’t say a word, but why haven’t you told the guys? You’re all so close.”
Blaise’s jaw jutted forward. His muscles bunched tighter. “I don’t want their pity.”
“Oh, Blaise.” She embraced him once again. The man was brilliant, but he had it all wrong. Somehow, she needed to make him see that. “Pity is the last thing I feel for you. Try respect, admiration, awe. What you overcame is more impressive than the company you built. There’s no reason to hide your past.”
He said nothing, but the way he blinked suggested he was considering what she’d said.
“Maybe I’ll tell them.” His eyes brightened. “After I win the bet.”
That made her laugh. This man was dangerous in so many ways. Did he know that?
“Thanks for listening,” he said.
“You had the hard part.” Hadley expected him to let go of her, but he didn’t. That brought more relief than it should, but she didn’t care. She wanted this time with him. “Thank you for telling me.”
“I should go.”
