Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 63496 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 317(@200wpm)___ 254(@250wpm)___ 212(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63496 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 317(@200wpm)___ 254(@250wpm)___ 212(@300wpm)
“I should have done the world a favor and killed him years ago. I knew he was no good,” Sabre grouses. “I just didn’t realize how bad he was.”
“I need you to tell me what really happened. Why were you arrested and charged with a felony?” she asks.
I suck in a breath, flipping over on my back, before I exhale. I scrub my hands against my face. I expected Daphne to pull away, but instead she turns to face me, curling into my side and draping her leg over both of mine.
“I would’ve told you sooner, baby. I kept putting it off because I didn’t want to lose you.”
Her fingers slide against my chest as she outlines the broken heart tattoo I have on my chest. I got it to remember never to be stupid again. Nora did a number on me. Now I regret it, because I know she was never in my heart.
“Unless you did something completely heinous, which I don’t believe you have the evil to do, I’m not going anywhere. I just need to understand, because Dane is planning on making our lives hell.”
“That asshole won’t get the chance to touch you or Cammie. I promise you. I don’t know how he found out—but he’s a lawyer, so unfortunately, I figure it was pretty easy for him. Still, I anticipated what he would do. Sabre and I had the men working on a way to get out from under his thumb and we have it. I just need you to believe in me.”
She angles her body so she’s leaning up, her face much closer to mine as she looks down at me. “I do believe in you,” she whispers. “I would have never fallen in low with you if I didn’t trust you, Eli. You saved my brother, helped drag my brother out of hole he had been lost in for way too long. You made Cammie and I laugh again, something I wasn’t sure I’d ever do again. In my eyes, you can do anything. Belief doesn’t even begin to describe all of the confidence I have in you, honey.”
“God, I love you.”
“I love you, too, but right now, I need you to be honest with me. I need you to tell me everything.”
“My old man,” I let out a bone deep sigh and close my eyes. If I had to relive this, I don’t want to do it seeing Daphne’s reactions. I don’t want her pity and I sure as hell don’t want to see her disgust. “He wasn’t a nice guy, sweetheart. He was scum. Outwardly my Mom and I pretended everything was storybook perfect. If we didn’t, he made us pay. I was a senior in high school—had a scholarship to college. I was going to play baseball. It was all set.”
“I didn’t know you played baseball,” she whispers.
“I don’t anymore,” I say, unable to keep some of the bitterness out of my tone. “Anyways, there was this girl in school. Gracie Conley. She was quiet but had pretty hazel eyes. I could just look at her and know she had a hard life. It was a face I saw in the mirror every day. She asked me if was going to go to the prom. I didn’t want to. I didn’t have the tux and shit other kids wore. She was pretty, though, and I was a horny kid, so I decided to go.”
“Ick. I’m not sure I want to hear this. I prefer to think of you as a very old virgin who is just naturally good in bed. That way I don’t have to look at other women and want to scratch their eyes out,” Daphne grumbles.
“There’s no one for me but you, sweetheart,” I vow, kissing her lips briefly. “I think I should spare you what happened at the prom beneath the stars.”
“I’d appreciate it,” she grumbles. I twirl my finger around her a copper curl, wondering how in the world I ended up in a world where this gorgeous woman would not only share her life with me, but would stand by me and not doubt me in the face of everything. I’m not stupid. I know that asshole had to have threatened taking Cammie away. Yet, here she is calm after an initial breakdown—which was more than expected. She maintained faith in me. Her love humbles me. I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure she knows that I love her the same way. “Eli?” she prompts
I give her a weak smile. My story gets worse here and I hate having to tell her. I don’t want my past to darken her eyes with pity or disgust. I don’t want to let it taint who she is. I know I don’t have a choice, but fuck, I wish I did.