Page 20 of Torch

“Wow. I know parents can sometimes try to live through their kids, but trying to force you to marry someone you’re not happy with is just crazy.”

I walked over to the refrigerator, opened the door, and pulled out a bottle of water. “What do you mean by them living through me?”

Christian stood at the stove, stirring the sauce that had Kira’s apartment smelling heavenly. “I just mean sometimes parents make certain decisions they didn’t want to make or had to make. So, they try to fix that later down the line by forcing their kids to live exactly the way they wanted.”

“Wow. I never thought of it like that. But you talk like you know how it feels.”

Christian shook his head and chuckled. “From my parents, no. But I do have certain family members who are living the lives their parents had designed for them.”

I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear, taking a deep breath. “I hate that things have gotten this far. I never wanted to fall out with my parents over this. And finding out Myron isn’t biologically my father has been the real downfall in all this.”

Christian paused what he was doing and turned to me, shocked. “Whoa, you left that part out, beautiful. How the hell did you find out?”

From there, I started telling him about the argument I walked in on with my parents and how Myron cut me off financially. But when I mentioned Myron putting his hands on me, a dark expression that gave me goosebumps covered his face.

“I’m not trying to sound judgmental, but what the fuck was your mother doing while he was shaking you like a damn rag doll?”

His tone was filled with so much anger. I really didn’t know how to take it. Besides Kira, my grandmother, and Uncle Gavin, those were the only people I knew would burn this world down for me. Now, Christian was standing before me, breathing like a dragon.

“She tried to pull him off. Eventually he slung me away, and I slammed into the wall.”

“Man, hell naw!” he exploded. “My mother would have beat my father's ass with whatever object was near her if he tried some shit like that. Hell, Blade and I would be right behind her.”

I let out a small laugh because I knew how close he and his siblings were. I saw it the night in Vegas. Knowing his parents were as loving as they were made him even more intriguing. He really did have the family I always wanted.

“And that’s exactly why I haven’t tried calling them. They’ve texted me a few times but not to apologize. Only to tell me I still have time to fix things with Julian.”

Christian placed the pasta in the oven and started working on the garlic bread. “That shit is crazy. But, Brit, sometimes you have to distance yourself from people. Even family.”

“I know. It’s sad but true. I hope in time we can move past this. I just want to live my life the way I want to.”

“As you should.”

It was silent for a moment before I changed the subject. I was happy I opened up to him on a deeper level, but I wanted to enjoy my night with him. He was preparing this delicious meal, and I didn’t want to taint it with any more negativity.

I didn’t think when I ended things with Julian, I would move on quickly. Truthfully, I had planned to settle into the single life for a while. Staying married to Christian while getting to know him never crossed my mind. As time went on, I was happy with my decision. He was proving to be the little bit of sunshine I needed in this storm I knew was far from over.

Chapter Seven

TORCH

“Ican’t believe you two were able to keep this from all of us,” Sara said as she looked around in awe.

Blade and I had just given her and Cara a tour of the new nightclub we were opening. The only person who knew was Bianca, and Blade swore her to secrecy. There wasn’t a specific reason we kept it to ourselves. We just wanted to focus on getting everything done before telling everyone. Opening a nightclub wasn’t easy. Even though we owned a strip club called Sinful Dreams, club life was a little different.

Still, my brother and I tackled task after task until we built the club of our dreams. We went for a more modern theme. Our club was sleek, immersive, and unforgettable. When people came here, we wanted them to leave addicted to the high energy I knew our club would provide. Living in Kissimmee, we wanted this place to become a hot spot for tourists. We had already done that with Sinful Dreams, and now we were trying to do the same with Club Platinum.

The name fit the ambiance we had created. The VIP sections were going to be our real money-makers. There were twenty on the upper level overlooking the dance floor, bar, and DJ booth. Each section had high-quality leather sectionals, polished chrome cocktail tables, and plush velvet booths.

Our VIP section would range from five thousand dollars to ten, depending on the package you purchased. Our club brothers would never pay a dime, though. We designed a section specifically for our club. We knew how much the single brothers loved to party and would most likely become regulars here.

All in all, I was proud that the moment was finally here. We wanted to open in six weeks. The marketing firm we used to open Sinful Dreams was already set to promote the opening.

Construction just wrapped up two days ago, and now it was time to start hiring. Which is why we had our sisters here.

Cara looked at both of us with bright smiles. “I’m so happy for you two. I know this has been a dream of yours for years.”

Blade grinned, pulling her into a side hug. “Thanks, sis. This really was a long time coming.” He glanced around, beaming with pride. “But we didn’t bring you here just to show this place off.”