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Complete honesty was critical between me and Jenna right now if we were going to move forward.

I’d needed to tell her the truth.

I’d already put myself in her shoes, and I certainly wouldn’t feel comfortable if someone had researched every detail of my life and then proceeded to share that file with a team of people that didn’t know me.

Worse yet, I hadn’t told her about it until now.

I hadn’t wanted to freak her out, but it was time.

I knew it wasn’t going to sit well with her that several people had read every detail of her history, and my muscles tensed as I waited for the fallout.

Chapter 13

Jenna

It took a minute for his statement to sink in.

As soon as it did, I wriggled out of his hold and rolled onto my back, breaking contact with his warm, muscular body.

My first reaction was to feel violated. Just the thought of people digging for every iota of information of my personal life made me feel vulnerable.

My life history was a hot mess, and that wasn’t something I’d ever shared with anyone.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, still feeling the twinge of guilt and shame that had been profound earlier in my life.

I just didn’t want anyone to know about my childhood. I’d only felt safe telling Brock because I trusted him and we’d both been in the system.

I’d always felt broken and defective, like I’d somehow deserved the childhood that I’d lived through.

The shame had been a product of my inability to be brave enough to stop the abuse I’d suffered.

Yes, I’d managed to finally internalize the fact that it wasn’t my fault, but sometimes those instinctive reactions still hit me before I could deal with them.

I hated the fact that strangers had been able to read every detail of my struggles and the shit I’d been through since, too. “How detailed was this file?” I asked in a tormented whisper.

“Very,” Brock said flatly.

“My abuse history and the years of counseling?” I asked.

“Yes,” he answered simply.

“My financial history and how hard it was for me to get through school?”

“Yes.”

“Boyfriends?”

“Not the intimate details, but I know you’ve had two men in your life who weren’t just friends,” he replied in a tortured tone.

I thought for a moment. Good God! Was there anything left out?

“My favorite color?” I queried.

“Sky blue,” he told me, his jaw tight.

Okay, I was stunned, but I moved on. “Favorite food?”

“Mexican and Italian, but you enjoy a variety of international and American food. You’ve never had a pet other than a few goldfish over the years, but there’s never been an incident that would make anyone believe that you’re afraid of domestic animals. You struggled financially in the early years, but your net worth is high now because of the enormous income from your blog and savvy investments on your part.