The Perfect Fix (Perfect Kisses #5) - Miley Maine Page 0,58

things from your point of view as well. I’m not just here to defend anyone. I’m here to get the full truth from both sides.”

This disarms him, I can see it, which is exactly what I was going for. I need him to think that I want to know what he has to say because then he might open up to me more.

“Oh, right. Well… I did love Aisha at the time we were together.” He considers this for just a second. “No, actually, I don’t think I loved her. It was more of a childish thing, to be honest. But I did like her a lot. I did care for her… just not as much as my other love.”

Holy fuck, it seems like I am about to hear another cheating story which is going to seriously rile me up. I can’t stand the idea of someone having Aisha and screwing it up like that.

“Gambling,” he says, now knocking me off my kilter. “I have always loved gambling… but I didn’t realize how much of a problem it was until more recently. Even then I didn’t see it.” His face falls and I begin to see another side of him. A more vulnerable side of him. Not that I am about to fall into that at all. “I just saw a need for money and that was everything. So, I heard about the pregnancy before Aisha came to tell me. Her father called me, I guess just as she stormed out of the house, and he offered me money… a lot of money, to tell her that I wasn’t interested in having a child. He said that it was for the best because we were too young and poor to have a child. I will be honest; I wasn’t ready anyway. He told me that if I took the money, he would ensure that Aisha had an abortion, and everything would be okay.”

“Woah.” I didn’t know this and I’m sure Aisha doesn’t either.

“Right. And although Aisha vanished, I was under the impression that was what happened. I didn’t even know that my son was in the world until a couple of years ago.”

“That… that must have been a shock.”

“Oh, it was, believe me. And I have seen Aisha’s parents a few times and they didn’t tell me.” He shakes his head. “They have had a lot of chances and they never did.”

“I bet you were mad.” I feel like we are really getting somewhere now, but I don’t know where. I don’t feel like this is about to go where I think it will and I’m not sure why.

“I was mad. But again, I still needed money. So, I guess that’s when her father became my cash cow. Paying me every month to keep out of Aisha’s life. I figure they owe me.” He pauses to either let me agree or disagree with him, but I do neither. I’m in shock. I guess this spurred him on to continue. “But that all stopped a little while back. Back when Aisha called me for money.” She called him. Fucking hell. “I guess she must have called them as well and her father contacted me to say that he couldn’t pay me anymore because he wants to help out his daughter. Of course, that’s going to piss me off because he owes me. He owes me!”

“But Aisha had Travis and she needed money for your son….”

“She can’t get money,” he bites back angrily. “I have nothing. I lost it all.”

“Right… because of the gambling…” Does he not see this? Surely, it’s so obvious.

“Pfft, you are clearly not someone who has struggled with addiction. It’s a disease. Not something you can help.” He runs his eyes up and down me judgingly.

“I know, I wasn’t saying that,” I reply carefully. “I’m just trying to assess what is happening here. Is this all happening because Aisha’s father cut you off?” He nods, making me practically see fucking red. I really have to try and keep my rage inside. “Okay, so it is more about the money than Travis then? It’s more that you can’t keep on top of things?”

“You don’t look like someone who has ever had to struggle,” he snaps, reminding me of something that Aisha said with regards to the diamond necklace. I really don’t want to give off that impression to anyone, especially when it isn’t the truth. “You can’t understand.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t want to seem like I don’t get you.