“It’s not about us, or what I told you last night, or our past,” he said quietly, like he was reading her mind.
Taking a deep breath, she nodded. “It sounds serious, just the same. Let’s go to the living room. I have a feeling I should get comfy for this talk.”
Leading the way, she went to the informal living room. This room was unlike any of the others downstairs. The rest were more in keeping with the era of the old Victorian home, more stiff and
formal. The walls in there were a pale green, and there were throw rugs scattered about the floor. Candid photos were placed here and there, and the artwork was mostly pictures Piper drew when she was younger, convinced her destiny was to become an artist. Actually, come to think of it, maybe it really had been her destiny, considering the portraits and landscapes she painted now.
Everything about this room invited guests to sit and stay while. There was a large sectional, and bookcases scattered throughout the room. On the shelves weren’t the classics like in her grandfather’s study. These were books by Michael Crichton, Danielle Steele, and Nora Roberts, among others. The only thing her grandmother hadn’t updated, though Piper begged her to when she was younger, was the television. An older 1980’s floor model, Helen always said it worked fine, and if it wasn’t broke, don’t fix it.
Blowing out an exasperated breath, she turned to Jax, inviting him to sit down, aware she’d been procrastinating like a pro while she looked around the room. Taking a seat on the other end of the large couch, she took another sip of tea before setting it down and curling up in the corner.
“So, what did you want to talk about?” she asked, bringing her knees to her chin while she wrapped an arm around them.
“Scott. I want to talk about Scott.”
Frozen, she stared at him as the words sank in. “You want to talk about my ex-husband,” she said slowly. “I’ve already told y’all—”
“I know you said it wasn’t him. I’m not convinced, but I trust your judgment on it. Mostly. I still want to know all about him. About your marriage. All of it. I know it’s a lot to ask but—”
“No. I get it. I’ll tell you what you want to know,” she said quickly, not believing the words coming out of her mouth. What the hell was wrong with her? She didn’t volunteer information about Scott or her doomed-from-the-start marriage to anyone.
“I know you said you didn’t think it was him, but there was a second where you wondered if it was. Was he that bad?”
“Toward the end, he was a complete ass. Looking back, there were a lot of little signs, but I didn’t see them at the time.”
“Blinded by love?” he asked lightly, but she could see the flash of pain in his eyes and the way he balled his fists.
“Not even close,” she replied with a sigh, looking away and leaning her head back on the couch. “I met him my sophomore year at the University of Washington. He was handsome and popular, and everyone said I was lucky he noticed me. I was never really that interested, but… well, I still wasn’t over you, and I thought Scott would get me there. We started dating, and before I knew it, we were engaged. We got married a month after I graduated.
“Scott came from old money, grew up with very proper parents in a posh neighborhood. He had all these expectations for how his wife should look and act, and I went along with them because I felt guilty. I thought he was this great guy who loved me, and I knew, even as I was walking down the aisle, I didn’t love him like that. Even then, I was still—” cutting herself off, she cleared her throat. Jax didn’t need to know all the details. “He didn’t want me to work, so I never got a job. He wanted me to be this perfect Stepford wife, and I did my best to accommodate him.
“I had my hair highlighted, I drove the car he wanted me to, acted how he instructed me to. I thought he was telling me these things so I’d fit in. But I realized he was just trying to control me when I came home one day to find all my makeup and clothes replaced. He told me he’d just been giving me some leeway because I was new to his way of life, but I was to use only what he purchased for me from then on. He told me I could no longer see my friends from college because they weren’t good enough for me or my life now.”
Pausing, Piper pushed down the rising anger as she thought back to Scott’s actions and demands. Jax was quiet, but when she stole a peek, she saw the fury in his face, the muscle in his jaw jumping as he clenched his teeth.
“He even went so far as to give me a list of foods I was allowed to eat. I was miserable, but I stayed. I felt ashamed that I’d let myself get into that position, and I didn’t want to admit defeat. Didn’t want to get divorced so quickly after getting married. But then it all changed. I was out getting my hair done, at an appointment Scott made for me, by the way. And as I was leaving the salon, I ran into my old college roommate. We went to get lunch, and time got away from me. I was going to be late getting home, but I thought it would be okay, since Scott wouldn’t be home yet.
“But when I pulled up to the house, his car was in the driveway. And when I walked in, he was waiting by the door, instantly in my face. I didn’t want to tell him I was out with Gail, because I knew he’d throw a fit. So I just said I was window-shopping, and I’d lost track of time. But he was convinced I was out with another man, accusing me of cheating on him, and demanding I tell him how long it had gone on. Nothing I said got through to him. And then he grabbed my arms hard enough to leave bruises, and started shaking me. And then he lifted his arm like he was going to hit me, and that was it. I reached the end of my patience. I kneed him in the groin and took off. Left and went to a hotel. I took pictures of the bruises he left on my arms, and the next day I filed for divorce.”
“I. Will. Kill. Him,” Jax gritted out.
“He’s not worth going to prison over.”
He took a deep breath, visibly trying to calm himself, and slowly blew it back out. “That’s highly debatable. Nothing you’ve told me explains why you think he wouldn’t have followed you here and broken in. It makes it sound more likely, in fact.”
“He’s a coward, Jax. He made a lot of threats after I filed. Said he was never letting me go, never granting me a divorce. Said he’d kill any man who touched me. And then we pulled into the parking lot of the courthouse at the same time, and he barreled toward me, starting in again, and my temper snapped. I yelled back, getting in his face, threatened to feed him his balls one by one. Kind of like I did to you the other day,” she said with a smile. “He backed down, and there was fear in his eyes. And all his threats about what he’d do if I got any of his money in the divorce, all his threats about everything really, came to nothing. And that was two years ago. Why would he come after me now, especially if he remarried?”
“Maybe he was waiting for the right time. Or maybe there’s no reason we’d think of, because we think logically, and he sounds like he’s a few fries short of a Happy Meal. Who knows? I still think he bears watching, especially after what Alex told us this morning.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. And I promise, I’ll think about an alarm system.”
“So you took some of his money, huh?” he asked with a smile.
“Sure did,” she replied with a laugh. “We weren’t technically married long enough for me to qualify for half of the assets, but the judge awarded me a large lump sum for emotional damages after he saw the pictures of the bruises. And he ordered Scott to pay me a small amount of spousal support every month, as well. I used the lump sum to buy my car and restore it, and for a down payment on an apartment. I donate the monthly support to a woman’s shelter, though. There are women who were truly abused and left that relationship, and are trying to start over. I want his money to go to helping them.”
“That sounds like you,” he said with a smile that faded into a frown. “I’m sorry you went through that.”
“It’s okay. It just solidified that all men are jerkoff assholes.”