“Kayn bought a condo in Aspen, Colorado, saying he wanted to learn to ski. He only went once.”
“He said it was too cold,” Rafe said with a chuckle.
“And too quiet, so he sold it. What did you buy when you first got the money?”
“A flashy red Lamborghini.” When Ahri stared at him, his face went hot, and he shrugged. “What?”
“I just—” She shook her head. “Sorry.”
“No, tell me”
“I’ve never thought of you as ostentatious.”
“That’s what Ma called it too. She read me the riot act and told me if I had all that money then I ought to use some of it to make a difference in people’s lives. I only kept the car for a year. It drew too much attention, and I didn’t like the way it made me feel.” He glanced at Ahri. “I donated the money from the sale to the local food bank and listed Ma as the donor.”
She gave a little gasp and laughed. “Did she find out?”
“Oh, yeah.” Rafe chuckled at the memory. “They sent her a thank you card. She was irritated with me, but I think she liked what I’d done. I did too. That was when I started the charity foundation. I like how I feel about that a whole lot more than a fancy car ever could. I guess a part of me will always be that poor kid who had to work this garden with his mother so they had enough food to eat.”
“I think that’s a good thing.” Ahri lifted her chin, her gaze scanning their surroundings, as she turned in a slow circle.
“What are you thinking?” he asked softly, stepping closer.
“About how peaceful it is here.” She glanced at him. “I haven’t had peaceful in a very long time.” Her eyes glistened, her throat working. She looked down and bent over to pull a weed.
Rafe’s heart went out to her. She was sending out those vibes again that she needed to be held. He couldn’t be the one to do it, so he shoved his dirty hands in his pockets.
Never in his life had he felt a pull to a woman like this. One way he’d channeled his energy was to start work on a new pair of champions, a brother/sister team. He’d used Ahri and Kayn as his inspiration. Rafe had even started working with one of the artists on the initial concept, and it was hard not to guide the man to make the sister look like Ahri.
“This place is one of the reasons I worked so hard to convince the guys to locate in Boone,” he finally said. “Mine was a lonely childhood in a lot of ways. Ma was my biggest champion, and I tried to be hers.”
“Did you need to protect her from your father?” Ahri asked, her voice soft.
“Not from anything physical.” He felt an adrenaline rush, like he used to get when he’d face off with his father. Evidently Rafe hadn’t put that particular monster to rest. He heaved out a deep breath. “He was confined to a wheelchair, so he used words as his weapons. He was a master at tearing us down. That old saying that words can never hurt you is so much sh—” He broke off. “Ma gets mad when I talk like that.”
“I understand. Thinking back on it now, it was like that with Zed toward the end. It didn’t matter what I said or did. I was wrong.” Ahri stared off in the distance, and Rafe wondered what she was seeing in her mind.
“Didn’t you have someone you could talk to about it?” Rafe asked.
“No, and that was my fault. I’d always had to protect my mother, so she never had any idea how things really were betweenus. Kayn never liked Zed, so I couldn’t talk to my brother when things went bad. The change was so gradual that I didn’t notice it for a long time. I was alone and didn’t even realize it.”
“No girlfriends?” Rafe couldn’t imagine not having anyone to share with.
“By the time I realized how bad things were, I’d drifted away from all but one friend from work. She has a young family and a mother with cancer. I couldn’t burden her with my marital problems. When you don’t have someone helping you put it in perspective, it’s too easy to believe the lies”
“They undermine our self-esteem.”
“Yes, but look at what you have now.” Ahri studied him, her expression reflective. “Do you ever resent that Nik and Lessa are getting the kind of childhood you’d have liked?”
Rafe considered her words but eventually shook his head. “I’m happy for Ma and grateful she found Alex. He adores her and treats her like the queen she is, and he’s crazy about those two kids. I love being part of a large family now. If anything, I think I appreciate Lessa and Nickmorebecause Ididn’thave that growing up.”
“Someday you’ll be a good father,” she said, “if you’ll make your family as important to you as your business.”
He fought an initial flash of anger and took his time choosing his words. “Are you implying that my future family won’t come first in my life?”
“I’m saying that’s possible if you’re not careful. If you’re like Kayn—and I think you are—it’s something you’ll need to decide before you start a family.” She took a step forward and kicked at a clod of dirt. “I remember when I realized howunimportant I was to my father. His attorney handled the divorce, and we couldn’t afford one of our own. Kayn was in a form of denial. It’s sad when a ten-year-old girl is left to figure out how to handle a divorce. Our father got away with paying the least amount in child support that he could. He kept getting behind,and we’d have to threaten to take him to court before he’d pay up.”
Ahri heaved out a breath and shook her head. “One time he’d gotten so far behind we thought he’d never pay again. Then suddenly, just like that, he did. All of it. It turns out you can’t get a passport if you’re behind in child support.” She put on an evil grin. “That’s one case where I’m glad Big Brotherwaswatching. We used the money to get a newer car since our old one was dying.”
