He shook his head. “Verbally abusive. To me. My mother. Not so much to my sisters, thank God.”
She clenched her hands into fists. “Yep, he sounds like an asshole. Is your mother still with him?”
He nodded.
“Why?”
“Because she loves him?”
“How could you love someone who is abusive? Especially toward your children.”
“My sisters and I have tried to help her. Tried to convince her to leave him. She doesn’t want to listen.”
“Change can be scary, even when it’s for the best. I’m sorry you had such an awful childhood.”
Tiny was silent for a long moment. “He used to call me stupid. Told me I’d never amount to anything. That I wasn’t smart enough.”
Reagan snorted. “Well, obviously you proved him wrong. You’re extremely intelligent. Not to mention kind and understanding and protective. Someone who picks on those smaller than him is nothing but a coward. He was probably jealous of you.”
“Jealous?”
“Because he could tell you are a hundred times the man he is. Even as a boy. Give me five minutes alone with him, I’ll teach him not to pick on those smaller than him.”
Tiny started to laugh.
She pulled back to look up at him. “What is it?”
“Nothing. You just…you’re one hell of a woman.”
“Oh, thanks. That was a compliment, right?”
“Yep.”
“Can I ask you something else?”
“Can I stop you?”
“No. How did you get the scar?”
His face closed down.
“Forget I asked.” She’d gone too far. Stupid.
“I got it while in the marines. A mission that went wrong. I can’t talk about it.”
She wasn’t certain if it was can’t or won’t, but she didn’t press him. “It must have hurt.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Yep.”
When he fell silent, she guessed he wasn’t saying anymore.
“Thank you for your service,” she told him quietly.
He sighed, his body relaxing. “I really can’t talk about it.”
“That’s okay. I just don’t like to think of you in pain.”
“It doesn’t hurt now.” He gave her a small smile. “Comedy or action?”