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)
“You . . . you lived with him after?” Tobias asked in a choked voice.
“You’re not going to throw another egg, are you?” she asked.
“Fuck. Fuck!”
“It’s all right, things were actually better after we left the cult. Abe was with me.”
“That makes it okay?” Tobias asked.
“It actually did. We were given a place to live and my father got a job. He didn’t much like it, but it meant he was gone a lot. The guys lived close by and we all went to school together. And with Abe there, my father stopped making those remarks. I mean, occasionally he’d say something if Abe wasn’t around to hear. But, actually, it was kind of peaceful. My mom spent lots of time in her room, I don’t know what she did in there. But she wasn’t paying attention to me, which suited me fine. Abe and I spent most of our time with the others.”
Tobias shook his head. “I’m gonna need to pay your father a visit.”
“Why?” She glanced from the smashed egg to him.
Tobias leaned across the counter. “Because he needs to know that no one treats my . . . you like that.”
“Well, you can visit him but he won’t pay you much attention,” she told him. “He died close to two years ago. And my mom . . . well, she ended up taking her own life soon after.”
Jenner hugged her tight, rocking her back and forth. Turning her face, she buried it into his neck.
“I can’t believe I just dumped that all on you,” she muttered. “Sorry.”
“Never be sorry,” Jenner told her as he rubbed his hand up and down her back. “I knew your mother was basically a parrot and that your dad could be harsh, but I never knew how harsh.”
“I didn’t want to bother you guys. You always had things worse than me. It seemed silly to complain about something so . . . so inconsequential.”
Jenner drew her head back, staring down at her sternly. “You listen to me, baby girl. Nothing about you is or could ever be inconsequential. And whatever you are going through . . . I want to know about. Understand?”
She stared up at him in shock. He sounded so stern. So forceful.
“Understand me?”
“I understand,” she whispered.
“That’s my good girl.” He cupped the side of her face.
She liked being his good girl. More than was probably healthy.
“It’s in the past, though. It hardly matters now.”
“It matters if it affects you,” Tobias told her.
“We’ve all got stuff from our past that affects us,” she said dismissively. “And I’m fine.”
“Right, fine. Except for the fact that you deny your Little side,” Jenner said to her quietly.
She stiffened. Nope. No. She was not talking about this. Jenner had broached this with her before. So had Abe and Cat. But just because she might like sleeping with a stuffed toy didn’t mean she was a Little. There were lots of people who loved Harry Potter, who weren’t Littles.
And she couldn’t be a Little.
Because she had to grow up. Be strong. Stop being so ridiculously childish.
Unicorn poop.
Now her father was in her head. She knew she shouldn’t have spoken about him.
“He’s like Rumpelstiltskin,” she muttered.
“What? Who is?” Tobias asked.
“My father. Say his name and he appears. Poof. I need to go back to bed.”
“You haven’t eaten any of your breakfast,” Jenner protested.
“I’m sorry. I’m not hungry anymore.”
Jenner started swearing quietly, but she couldn’t bring herself to tell him off. Instead, she attempted to slide off his lap. He tightened his hold on her.
“Baby, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought that up.”
“It’s all right. I want to go to bed. Please let me go.”
“I’ll carry you up.” Jenner stood with her in his arms.
“You don’t have to.”
“Twinkles, I know I don’t have to. I want to,” he told her as he carried her upstairs. He turned her so she was pressed to his chest. She glanced over his shoulder at Tobias who was staring after her, his face tortured.
Cupcakes.
She hadn’t meant to do that to him. To upset him.
Immy didn’t want to make anyone upset. She smiled at him, aware it probably looked a bit sad. He had his fists clenched as he leaned them on the bench.
And he didn’t smile back.
“I’m sorry, Jenner,” she told him as they reached her bedroom.
He sat her on the bed and then sat, facing her. “Why are you sorry? If anyone should be apologizing, it should definitely be me.”
She tilted her head to the side. “Why?”
“Because I’ve been a shit friend.”
“Really? Wow, if the guy who has been looking after me day and night is a bad friend, then I’d really like to see a good one.”
He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I’ve been avoiding you and that hurt you and I’m sorry. I just . . . ” He shook his head. “This isn’t the time or place. Just know that I love you, Immy. I wish I’d known the extent that your dad was being an asshole.”