just because he was insanely hot when he was all messy and half-naked. I liked that he felt comfortable enough here to come straight from bed to the table.
“Waffles?” He raised an eyebrow.
“Before you start thinking I have some great cooking skills, you should know I bought them. I can toast the hell out of them, but that’s the extent of my waffle-making skills.” I poured a second cup of coffee and held it out to him. “Have some caffeine.”
“That’s the sort of mornin’ after talk I like,” he teased as he took the mug. “I love your place, but that bed was not made for two people.”
I laughed. “I agree.”
I didn’t say anything about buying a new one for future sleepovers, but I also didn’t say that I wasn’t planning on having two people in it again either, so that was some growth there.
I waited until we were almost done with our food before I brought up the subject I’d put aside less than an hour ago. I trusted Bradyn, and he already knew most of the details of what was going on, which made him the most logical person to talk to about the choice I had to make.
“Can I get your opinion on something?”
He looked surprised but didn’t do anything but answer my question. “Sure.”
“Ambrose is the one who sent Min to me with this case,” I began. I spoke slowly, putting my thoughts together as I went. “He says he didn’t know that his family was connected to the case at all or that I’d end up in Savannah because of it. Except, I don’t know if I can believe him, and not just because of what his brother did to me. Apparently, ever since I told about Art molesting me, Ambrose has been playing puppet master – or maybe fairy godfather – to me. He says he’s the reason I was released at eighteen instead of twenty-one and why I was allowed to move from Rochester to New York City only a few days after my release.”
“Did he say you owed him?” Bradyn’s voice was tight, and when I looked at him, I saw the anger flashing in his eyes.
“No. He didn’t ask me for anything or even hint that he wanted something from me,” I said. “He feels guilty that he didn’t know what Art was doing to me.”
“Do you blame him? Ambrose, I mean? Do you blame him for not stoppin’ his brother?”
I shook my head. “Not really. Not for that.”
“But you do blame him for somethin’.” Bradyn made it a statement rather than a question.
“I blame everyone for not believing me.” Other than Kaimi, I’d never said that to another person. I hadn’t even said it to any of the therapists I’d been forced to see.
“If Ambrose didn’t believe you, then why would he feel guilty for not stoppin’ Art?”
I opened my mouth and realized I had no answer because I hadn’t thought the question until the moment Bradyn said it. Now that it was in my head, though, I only had one response.
“Motherfucking bastard.”
“I don’t understand.”
Sharp pain in my palms made me realize I’d been digging my nails into my own skin. I put my hands flat on the table as I explained, “If he’s been doing all this for me since I accused Art, why didn’t he tell everyone that he believed me? I was a kid, and everyone said I was lying. My mom. My sister. Everyone. I didn’t have a single person on my side.”
Bradyn reached across and rested his fingers on mine, not holding them, just touching. “I wish I could’ve protected you from all of them.”
A lump formed in my throat, and I had to swallow hard before speaking. “Thank you.”
We sat like that for a minute before I pulled back and returned to the original topic.
“So, Ambrose says he didn’t know that the case Min had would end up in Savannah, let alone connect to a family who employs his family’s law firm, but I don’t know if I can believe him.”
Yeah, I repeated a bit, but I needed my head back into this rather than the new revelation that Ambrose had believed me this whole time but never said a word.
I could be pissed off about that later.
“You think he has an ulterior motive?” Bradyn followed the change smoothly. “For the case, I mean. I can see guilt being the primary motive for him trying to help you, but how would sending you to