Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 132657 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 663(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132657 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 663(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)
“And left her with two kids, right?”
Niall shook his head. He wondered how much Jensen told her. It didn’t seem like a lot. “No. Tommy was technically his half brother. When Jensen’s dad left, she tried waitressing, but she ended up letting her latest boyfriend move in, and that worked for a while. She got pregnant again and had Tommy and then Tommy’s dad left her for another woman. From there on it was a series of men she let move in and out of their lives. Always looking for the one who would sweep her off her feet and take her family away from here.”
She sighed, a sympathetic sound. “That had to be hard. I think the worst thing a child can go through is chaos.” She wrapped her arms around her legs, hugging them to her chest. “I don’t like to think about what my parents went through. It was similar, but it was their dad, and he had a mega shit ton of money. My dads have three brothers and one sister, and they mostly have different moms. I think my grandfather married three times, but the affairs were too many to count. They kind of had to raise themselves. And by kind of, I mean they did. My Uncle Win—Gigi’s dad—he was pretty much the father to his younger siblings. Was it like that for Jensen and Tommy?”
Niall nodded. “Very much so. Jensen was five years older than Tommy. He was Tommy’s protector. By the time he was eight or nine he was left alone with Tommy while their mom worked or went on a date. It was both better and worse when their mom got a boyfriend and settled down for a while. It depended on the guy. Some were nice. Some were abusive bastards.”
“My dad once told me it was like trying to walk through an earthquake. The ground was always shifting under their feet. Sometimes it was good. They liked one of their stepmoms, but he divorced her quite quickly,” Harlow explained. “Sometimes they would have a nanny who helped, but Granddad almost always fucked that up by sleeping with her. So my dad and his brothers and sister had to grow up on their own.”
It felt so good to be talking, really talking. They’d spent a lot of time joking around and discussing the case and D/s philosophy, but this felt real. “That had to be hard. I’m glad they found someone to settle down with. I know sometimes when you grow up like that, relationships can be difficult.”
“My mom is great. Her parents are wonderful people.” Harlow’s voice softened, love coming through in the tone. “I never met my paternal grandparents. Crazy thing. They are both still alive. They just don’t care, but my mom’s parents are the best. And you know they prove that you can do everything right and it can all go wrong. My mom…she got kidnapped and raped and pretty much all the bad things in the world.”
His heart threatened to hitch. “Your mom?”
She nodded. “I’m not like betraying her or anything. She would tell you the whole story herself because she did nothing wrong. She talks about it so other people…other victims don’t feel alone. My mom is, well, she’s totally my hero. I think I do the things I do because I want to be there for women like her.”
“Have you told your father that? Put it that way?” Niall asked. He knew she loved her dad, loved all of her parents, but he had to wonder if she had truly talked to the one parent she clashed with.
She sniffled. “No. I guess I haven’t. I get way too upset that he doesn’t think I’m competent. I’m coming to realize that I’m a lot like my dad. I think we spark off each other and don’t talk enough. But he can be obnoxious. Is it wrong that I kind of miss him right now?”
He shook his head. “Absolutely not. You love him. You’re in a dangerous situation with two men you’re not sure of. He’s your father and he’s been good to you. Of course you miss him.”
“You don’t talk about your parents,” Harlow said.
“I try not to think about them, but I’m more than willing to talk about how I grew up. I think Jensen and I became best friends because we were similar. A lot like your dads, but with way less siblings to count on.”
“How did you two meet?” Harlow asked, leaning forward. “You know he kind of talked about you back in LA. Not much, but sometimes he mentioned how he wished he could call his best friend. He called you his best friend and told me the two of you grew apart.”
A harsh chuckle came from his throat. Jensen was good at rewriting history. “We didn’t grow apart. I can’t tell you how hard I tried to keep us together. I got into the Army because I wouldn’t let him go alone. I got out because I thought he needed me. I was willing to go along with him. He refused. He lost his damn mind when Tommy died. That’s what happened. You know you’re not the only one he pushed away because he couldn’t handle the idea of his loved one getting hurt. He carries a lot of guilt around.”