Page 6 of Her Courage

"I'll order something," Andrei offered. "Colby's class is until after eight tonight so it'll still be a while before he's home. Craving anything specific, Kroshka?"

"Pizza." Her face lit up and she bounced in her seat.

God, I loved this woman more than life itself.

"Pizza it is." Andrei kissed her forehead and then rose. "I'll order from my laptop. Give you two a few more minutes to talk."

I nodded my head in thanks, and Andrei clasped my shoulder as he passed on his way to the office.

I sank into the back of the couch and pulled Lottie fully against me. "My mother has always been more concerned with appearances rather than anything of substance. She married my dad for his money, had me, and then pretty much turned her back on us both. My dad tried the best he could, but he loved her, despite her faults."

Lottie placed her hand on my chest, but stayed quiet, letting me speak in my own time.

"After the fourth or fifth time he caught her cheating, I think a part of him died." I swallowed harshly. "He started drinking a lot." My eyes burned as memories assaulted me. "The only memories I have of them together are of them arguing and fighting. My dad never got violent, but Mom did."

I clench my fist on top of my thigh as the past breaks through all my carefully crafted walls. "As the years went on, things got worse. Dad worked a lot, and made his company very successful. But it was never enough for Mom. She always had to have shiny new things to show off at the country club."

"When did he die?" She asked quietly after the silence extended between us.

"I was fourteen. I think his heart just gave out from all the years of alcohol and pills. Officially they called it a stroke."

"I'm so sorry, Daddy K," Lottie whispered, her voice thick with emotion.

I kissed the top of her head and tightened my arms around her. She was my anchor. My safe port in the frantic storm of my emotions.

The one thing in my life that made sense.

I cleared my throat. "It wasn't even six months later that she got pregnant and married Russell Huntington, a mooch of a freeloading buffoon that lived off his family's money for his entire life. When they cut him off, he found himself a rich widow."

I ground my molars together, hating the thought of Russell and my mother.

"My sisters actually turned out okay, I'm sure because they had me and Rose, who was our nanny/housekeeper." The weight pressing down on my chest started to lift, telling Lottie even the slightest bit about my past and her accepting it was helping heal me.

"I've done a lot of things I'm not proud of when it comes to my mother and stepfather, baby girl. I've helped them out of too many things to count, and now there is the expectation." I was barely scratching the surface of all I'd been dragged into by Patrice.

Lottie's fingers curled in the fabric of my shirt. "You don't have to tell me everything, but I think telling me some of it will help you."

"I know it will." I ran my fingers lightly up and down her arm. "It's already helping. You're our light, baby girl. I know I've told you that before, but it's worth repeating. Now that you're in my life, I can barely remember a time without you. You've consumed me body and soul, and the gift of your love and submission make me feel like the most powerful man in the universe."

She looked up at me, wonder and love sparkling in those steely blue depths. "I love you, Kaleb Wulf. Nothing will ever change that."

I just hoped I would continue to be worthy of her love.

Chapter Five

LOTTIE

Iwiggled in my seat as I chewed my first bite of pizza. It was like an orgasm in my mouth, and a moan of pleasure escaped me.

Causing three sets of eyes to lock in on me and hold me captive.

But I only had eyes for my pizza.

"Wow," Colby chuckled. "Nice to know where we stand in your life."

I giggled and set the pizza back down on the plate. I hated my lack of brain to mouth filter, but it made for some good comic relief moments.

Like right now.