Total pages in book: 149
Estimated words: 151384 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 757(@200wpm)___ 606(@250wpm)___ 505(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 151384 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 757(@200wpm)___ 606(@250wpm)___ 505(@300wpm)
“Actually, Immy, you were the one keeping me safe,” Jenner told her.
She blinked at him. “What? No, I . . . how?”
“Because my father was an abusive asshole who hurt me,” he told her bluntly.
She sucked in a breath. She’d always known that Sampson and Jenner’s father was a complete asshole, but . . . he’d hit him?
“He hurt you?” she whispered, letting the pain of that fill her voice. “Hit you?”
“Yeah, baby. He did. He was a complete bastard who fucked with my head. Who is still fucking with my head and I’m trying to exorcise him. Truth is, I preferred him hurting me physically to what he would say to me. The way he would twist everything in my head.” He closed his eyes for a long moment.
“Jenner, no,” she said, letting out a sob.
“I didn’t tell you this to upset you or for you to feel sorry for me.” Jenner shook his head, opening his eyes to stare at her as he kneeled in front of her.
Tobias moved slightly to the side so that they were both in front of her.
Cupcakes.
This was another dream of hers.
Lord. It was almost too much. Although in her dream she wasn’t about to cry because of what Jenner was telling her about his past.
God, she was hurting for him.
What right did she have to let her father have this hold on her when she hadn’t experienced an eighth of what Jenner had been through?
And maybe Sampson.
She glanced up at Sampson. “The sperm donor beat me to toughen me up. I never knew he was hurting Jenner, though. If I had, I would have lost my fucking mind.”
“That was another reason why I hid it,” Jenner said. “Why I’d sneak in with Immy. To protect her, to protect you, and so I could get out of that house and away from that asshole.”
“Jenner,” she said again and tried to slide forward, toward him.
He held up a hand and that hit her hard in the stomach. Didn’t he want her to touch him?
“Don’t touch me yet, baby,” he told her. “I’ve got some things to say and you need to hear them. Because from what I heard you have some serious misconceptions about your place in our lives. About your importance. I don’t know where you got this idea that you could be a burden to us, but you are so wrong it’s not funny.”
She blinked rapidly, hating that she felt like crying. She glanced up at Sampson and Abe who were standing behind Tobias and Jenner. To her surprise, Tobias moved and sat next to her.
“But I am a burden,” she whispered. “Look at what just happened. I’ve been sick for days and you all had to stop everything to take care of me. That’s not what a friend should do. I shouldn’t rely on my friends to nurse me when I’m ill. I shouldn’t be a constant drain on you guys.”
“For fuck’s sake, Immy,” Sampson grumbled. “Who said you’re a fucking drain?”
“I can’t believe you’ve been thinking this way,” Abe said, looking pale. “I’ve always thought of you as my sister, Immy.”
“I feel that way about you too,” she said.
“Then you should know that family is never a burden. Family is a blessing,” Abe told her.
“You’re right. I know you are. It’s just . . . my father always told me how he wished I was a boy. I think that’s why he was better when you lived with us, Abe. Because you were the boy he always wanted. I was only good for breeding. I wasn’t smart or clever or beautiful or athletic. I was childish and stupid. It just . . . it got into my head. His voice is so often in my head.” She smacked her hand against her forehead.
“Hey, stop that.” Jenner grabbed her hand, pulling it down. “Immy, Cat has always been filled with mischief and she needed the rest of us to ground her, to keep her from getting into too much trouble. Maeve, she was our joy. She’d make us smile and laugh. All of us hated her leaving, but knew she had to do it. But do you know who you’ve always been for us, Immy?”
She shook her head.
“You’re our heart. You brought all of us together, kept us together. Without you, we might have all fallen apart. We’re all better people because of you. We take care of you because we want to. Not due to necessity or pity or whatever you’re thinking in that head of yours.” Jenner tapped her forehead lightly. “You are wanted. You are loved. You are not what he said.”
“And you want to let your Little fully out, then fucking go for it,” Sampson grumbled. “She peeks her head out a lot anyway. You are her and she’s you.”