I ignored her kinda.
I was already serious about her.
"I’ll never look up a thing about you, Mitch," I promised, my fingers tracing lazy patterns down her arm. "I’ll always ask. And I hope you do the same."
She lifted herself onto her elbow, and when she looked down at me, her eyes were devastatingly sad.
"My birth father is a conman," she admitted, her voice tight. "He stole thousands from people by running scams before getting caught. He’s behind bars and has been since I was nineteen."
I let the words sink in, my brain automatically filling in the gaps of what that must have been like for her.
She hesitated, then continued, "My last name is hyphenated, Benning-Watson, but I only keep my mom’s maiden name since it sparks less outrage if you look me up online."
She watched me carefully, like she was waiting for me to react. Like she was waiting for me to flinch. But I wouldn’t.
Not for this. Not for her. I smiled, soft and steady.
"Okay," I said simply. "Is that it?"
She blinked, caught off guard.
"Is that it?" she laughed, shaking her head. "It’s a huge deal, Brooks. If you’re seen with me and someone puts it together who I am, it could be bad for your PR."
"One, I don’t give a shit about that."
Her lips parted slightly.
"And two," I continued, shifting to press a slow kiss against her jaw, "it makes me happy to know you’re willing to go out on dates with me."
She relaxed, just enough.
"That’s your big hang-up?" I murmured, kissing the corner of her mouth.
She sighed. "My family will try to get money from you if they learn about our involvement. My mom, my brother… even my dad has people on the outside working for him."
She let out a humorless laugh. "I don’t talk to them. Ever. Even with my brother breaking in… we don’t speak. I’ll never forgive them for how they treated me, discarded me, and used me."
My stomach twisted at the thought of her growing up in that.
"I can handle them if they come for me," I said firmly, running my hand down her arm in what I hoped was reassurance.
She scoffed, dropping her head back onto my chest.
"You’re worth a little drama," I added.
She huffed a small laugh, but there was something softer about it. "Aw, such a romantic," she murmured, closing her eyes.
She was so fucking tired.
I could feel it in the way her body melted into me, like she wasn’t just physically drained, but emotionally spent too.
"I can’t remember the last time I told someone my past."
A sharp ache speared through my chest.
"Fiona and Brigham, right?" I asked, knowing they were the only people in her life who might have a chance.
"No. Not all of it. Just you."
