Vulnerable [Suncoast Society] (Suncoast Society #29)(73)

“She needs to. If she really trusts both of us, and she means what she says, it needs to be her story.”

“Is this old knowledge you’ve had?”

“Yes.”

Jesse examined his fingers. “Am I going to be pissed off when I hear it?”

“Yes, but probably not at her or me. You’ll understand.” He tugged Jesse’s hand to pull him in for a kiss. “Love you.”

“Love you, too, Sir.”

Jesse wasn’t sure what the hell this earth-shattering news could be, and he resisted the urge to ask Eva about it.

Although he did have a sneaking suspicion it probably tied into why Eva didn’t want Laurel going with her parents.

It felt like forever until they got Laurel in bed and asleep around nine that night. Jesse was sitting on the couch with his laptop and Eva had changed into sleeping shorts and a T-shirt and curled up on the far end of the couch, a few tissues clutched in her hands.

He set the laptop on the coffee table and waited.

Without meeting his gaze, she said, “Can I put my head in your lap?”

What the hell? Why not. They were miles down the rabbit hole now.

He shifted sideways toward her to stretch out on the couch and she climbed into his lap.

Then she closed her eyes and started talking.

By the time she finished an hour later, she’d completely shredded the tissues in her hand, his shorts and T-shirt were a sodden mess where she’d cried against him, and she’d fallen asleep in his lap with his fingers entwined in her hair.

He also felt like he’d been run through an emotional blender.

Yes, he’d suspected Monday’s incident had been a halfhearted attempt on her part to commit suicide.

He wouldn’t have, if pressed, really thought she was serious, at the time.

But now…now he understood.

He understood why Leo took so long to finally end their marriage, especially once Laurel was born. Why he’d taken great pains to try to make it easy on Eva.

He understood the strange scars he’d seen on Eva’s upper thighs and arms, scars that looked like bramble scratches, but weren’t.

He understood why Eva had looked terrified of her father in the hospital that night.

He understood why, when Eva’s father had demanded Jesse hand Laurel over to him, that she’d finally told them to leave Laurel alone.

Why she’d agreed so readily to the outrageous deal Ed had offered her.

All of it.

And Leo had been right. Jesse wasn’t angry at her. Not even over her omitting the fact that she’d wanted to kill herself Monday morning.

No, Jesse was enraged, but not at Eva.

He wanted to castrate that motherf*cking “father” of Eva’s.

And he wholeheartedly concurred with Leo wanting them to be her official “protectors.”

He had to let the puree that was now his brain settle into a slurry inside his skull before he finally moved. He gently untangled himself from Eva, carefully picked her up and carried her like he would Laurel, and took her to her bedroom. There, he placed her on her bed and tucked her in.

Like he would Laurel.

She stirred only a little. He leaned in and kissed her forehead. “I promise, sweetheart, we’ll take care of you.”

Turning the lights off, he left her door partially open and headed to bed himself.

Although with the knowledge now roaming through his mind, the nightmare he now understood that had been Eva’s childhood, he felt horrible for some of his thoughts about her earlier on.

He also loved Leo a thousand times more for trying to protect her as best he could.





Chapter Twenty-Six


On Sunday morning, they’d brought their breakfasts to the hospital to eat in Leo’s room with him. Jesse had noticed Eva was even more quiet than usual, and the reason finally became clear.

“I want you two to move in with us,” Eva said.

“What?” Leo and Jesse asked.

“Yes!” Laurel said.

“Let’s be realistic. It’s stupid for you guys to waste money on an apartment,” Eva said. “And you’re on the second floor. Leo can use the pool at home for rehab. I’ll move into the guest bedroom. The bathroom in the master bedroom has a wide doorway. A wheelchair will fit in there, and it has the shower.”

“Please?” Laurel begged. “Please, please, please?”

Leo stared at Jesse. “Eva, Laurel, I need to talk to Jesse, please. Alone.”

“Oh, fine,” Laurel said, jumping up and flouncing to the door. “At least this time you just said so. Not like it’s an I-N-C-O-N-V-I-E-N-C-E or anything.”

Eva slowly shook her head as she followed her daughter out the door.

Waiting until they were safely out of earshot, Leo asked. “Well?”

“Oh, no. You’re the Sir.”

“I need to know. Remember our deal? That when I ask for input, you give it?”

Dammit. Jesse considered it. “The stupid thing is, I see no fault in her plan, other than we totally lose privacy. Which is moot right now because of your injuries. So…” He shrugged.

“Anything else?”

“Well, we can keep a better eye on Eva. And it’ll make Laurel happy.”

“Can you live with Eva?”