Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 78076 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78076 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“You don’t like him?”
“Now I don’t,” he said. “I didn’t know he was hurting your sister.”
I had been prepared to punch Victor in the face when I saw him again, but I realized he wasn’t a bad guy. We were both young, and he made some mistakes. He wasn’t an asshole like Lucas. “I’m gonna try to talk some sense into her. Maybe after the fiftieth try, she’ll listen.”
“Yeah, maybe,” he said noncommittally.
I drank my coffee and took a few more bites of my muffin.
He took a drink before he cleared his throat. “I also wanted to talk to you about that guy you’re seeing.”
“What about him?”
“I can tell he’s been in the game for a long time.”
He’d been in the game since birth.
“Not the kind of guy you fuck with.”
Nope.
“Not sure if he’s the kind of guy you should be involved with.”
“Really?” I asked with a half laugh. “That’s rich, coming from you.”
“Just looking out for you, is all.”
“Victor, I needed you to look out for me seven years ago. Not now.”
His eyes flicked away from my attack. “We deal with a lot of assholes in this line of business. Lot of cronies. Lot of muscle. I’m not sure who he works for or what kind of business he’s in—”
“He’s the boss,” I snapped. “He doesn’t work for anyone.” The pride in my voice surprised even me—the one who said it.
Victor stared for a while before he gave a nod. “All the more reason to stay away from him.”
“I can take care of myself, Victor.”
“He’s dangerous—”
“To you. But I’ve got nothing to worry about.”
He looked out the window, his steaming cup of coffee sitting in the saucer in front of him. “I’ve thought about you a lot over these last seven years. More than guilt. More than remorse. I thought about what could have been if I’d talked to someone…or we’d gotten help…if we’d stayed—”
“If you’d stayed, you mean.”
He turned to look at me. “Yeah…if I’d stayed. What would have been. Because you know I loved you, Laura. I meant it the first time I said it. I meant it the day we got married. I still meant it when I asked for a divorce.”
“Don’t dwell on the things you can’t change, Victor.”
He stared at me head on, his eyes looking the way they did seven years ago. “You think you’d ever give me another chance?” His voice was quiet, like he was already braced for the ferocity of my response.
“Why would I?”
“Because you loved me too.”
I did. But that was a long time ago. When I was a different person. When I was under my father’s thumb like a child. “He hunted down all four of the men who did that to me…and killed every last one of them. I didn’t even have to ask. He just did it.”
He looked down at the table.
“You had seven years to do the same—and you were my husband.”
“It’s complicated—”
“It’s not that complicated. Not complicated at all.”
“Your father made a truce with them—”
“Wow…he’s even more vile than I realized.” You didn’t make a truce with your daughter’s rapist. You didn’t make peace with the men who killed your wife. I always thought he was the ultimate asshole, but now I wondered if he was the ultimate coward.
“I had no way to get their names—”
“Well, my man got them.”
He looked at me again. “Because he’s dangerous, like I said.”
“Because he puts his money where his mouth is. Because he gets shit done. Because he’s a man.”
He gave a brief cringe like those words actually wounded him.
“You have a lot of balls, asking me for another chance.”
“I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t.”
“Especially when you know I have a boyfriend.”
“I know that’s a short-term thing.”
“Why would you assume that?” My arms folded on the table.
“Because men like that don’t settle down.”
He was right on the money.
“And I know he’s not the kind of husband you want anyway.”
“And you think you are?” I asked incredulously.
“You married me once, didn’t you?”
“I was young and stupid—”
“And you loved me.” He grew more confident, more like the man I remembered. “You’re getting older—”
“Don’t clock my ovaries. That’s not going to work.”
“I’m just saying we want the same things—”
“I want a man who stays by my side through sickness and health. Not someone who takes off the second shit gets hard—”
“I learned my lesson. I would never do anything like that again.”
“Oh good,” I snapped. “I’m glad you finally got your shit together. Yes, let’s pick up right where we left off.” I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest. “So fucking romantic. Baby, I’m okay with you being raped now. Let’s make some babies…”
He closed his eyes as he cringed. “This is not how I wanted this conversation to go—”
“This conversation shouldn’t have happened in the first place. You had your chance, and you blew it, Victor.”