Looking back at me, he just nodded his head slowly. “It’s time.”
“Time for what?”
“I want to know why you’re doing your bucket list and living like each day is your last one. I want to know why you can’t relax when we’re walking around the store. I want to know why you jump whenever your phone rings. I want to know why you won’t talk about your family. And I want you to open your eyes and realize that this isn’t your last breath or your last day, and to let me in.”
Shit!
I wanted to go back to the conversation about the vehicles now, but with how determined he looked, there wasn’t a chance in hell that I was getting out of this without telling him the story.
Damn it, Charlotte, why did you have to go and ask such a stupid question.Chapter FiveLeviI hadn’t meant for it to come out like that, but I can’t say that I regretted it now.
We’d been tiptoeing around this for months, and if she thought I hadn’t picked up on what I’d just asked her, she was wrong. I saw everything she did and noticed every time she thought of something that upset her. I knew her likes and dislikes, what made her tick, and I also knew that she had a lot going on inside her brain that would most likely suffocate her if she didn’t let it out. I wanted to take some of that burden for her, shoulder it so that she didn’t have to struggle under its weight.
I wanted her to let me in.
All I could do now, though, was pray that she wanted to let me in. So, I sat there holding my breath and waited, not looking away from her. I watched as what I’d said sank in, and I watched as she more than likely weighed up the pros and cons of telling me. Patience wasn’t something I was known for, but I drew on every ounce that I had.
Finally, she reached her decision. I’d imagined a lot of possible scenarios when I’d thought about what could be going on in her life, but what she told me… I doubt anyone would have imagined that.Ten minutes later…
“So, your dad had an affair with a young receptionist, and you were the result?” I clarified, pacing back and forth in front of her.
“Apparently.”
“And you’re like a genius, or something?”
Shifting on the couch, she pulled her knees up in front of her, resting her head on top of them as she watched me. “No, I’m not. I was educated at a fast pace and had to work my ass off.”
Stopping to look at her, I asked a question about something that hadn’t been covered during her story, almost choking the words out. “Did they abuse you?”
Shaking her head slowly, she looked up at me sadly. “No, it was never like that, but they ignored me. If I disappointed them, they acted like I didn’t exist, totally cutting me out of conversations and not even asking the chef to set a place for me at the table.”
I wasn’t an expert on definitions and all the things that could constitute abuse, but that seemed to count to me. “I’m so sorry, Lottie.” I meant it to sound empathetic, but it came out croaky and weak.
Who the hell does that to their child? After what happened to Luna, I wasn’t blind to the level of asshole parents could get to. She’d been physically abused her whole life unless her brother Madix was around. And now Charlotte… what the fuck was wrong with people?
“I like that,” she whispered. Seeing my confusion, she explained, “Lottie. No one’s ever given me a name like that.”
Moving over to sit next to her on the couch, I tried to be ok just being near her, but it wasn’t enough. Reaching over, I lifted her up and placed her on my lap, needing to hold her and understanding why my brothers did this with their wives.
“From this moment, your life is changing. I don’t give a shit about all the hocus pocus that woman told you was going to happen. I’m going to make sure that nothing ever touches you again, and that only good shit happens.”
Her response was whispered softly, but I heard it and the sad tone she said it all in, regardless. “You can’t promise that, Levi, no one can.”
Watch me – I was a Townsend. Think what you want, but we were the most tenacious family out. When we set our minds to something, we did it… well, within reason. Obviously my childhood dreams of becoming an Olympian athlete hadn’t amounted to much, but something like this? Yeah, I could make that happen.
First, I needed to make sure I had the full story straight. You can’t help to fix things for people if you don’t know how deeply they’re broken, right? “So, they were basically paying people off?”