Page 235 of Unexpected Hero

I let my head sag onto the back of the couch. “Sort of. Either I failed already or was days away from failing. I’d have let myself down, not to mention my mama and everyone else. It was like a neon sign telling me to head home with my tail between my legs. I couldn’t make it on my own, so might as well give up before I end up addicted to crack.”

“Please stop talking about crack. That’s not a thing around here anymore. It’s meth or molly. Get your facts straight, please.”

Thankfully, she brought her silly side back quickly, lest I devolve into a puddle of tears again.

“Lettie, I get why you might see his gifts as charity and how it might trigger you.”

“But?”

“But this feels more like a Dom thing to me. I seriously doubt he could ever see you like a failure or a pathetic fool.” She slants her head and grabs my hand for a reassuring squeeze. “Do you honestly believe he sees you that way?”

My nostrils flare with a deep inhale. “No. I don’t.”

“Doms love to take care of their subs. That’s their real kink. Not ropes or anything else. And I think he wanted you from the moment you met and began treating you accordingly. Caring for you is natural for him. Sounds like it was that way when you first met him and then again with the morning after pills. You needed something, so he handled it. Done. He’s not... uh... terribly deep.I doubt he spent a lot of time dissecting how his actions could affect you on an emotional level.”

When we trade glances, her face is muddled up in a partial cringe. “At least that’s how I see him. But you know him better than me.”

“In truth, he’s quite deep, but most people don’t see that side of him. He’s not a machine. Although he’s more straightforward than most, he’s extremely passionate and kind. And he has been very protective and caring over me since the beginning.”

“Maybe he just knew you were meant to be his.”

Tears fill my eyes again. “Then why isn’t he mine?”

She scoots closer and tosses her arm over my shoulder. “Oh honey. He is. I know it.”

I let her comfort me for another few moments, my head swirling as I try to put my chaotic thoughts into something resembling order.

Naturally, I fail. But at least I tried.

“I don’t know the ins and outs of your relationship and what you feel he’s hiding from you, Lettie. But I honestly believe he loves you. And if you’re patient, he’ll prove it to you.”

“Thanks, Freya. You’re probably right.”

It’s not like there’s an expiration date on our relationship. I can wait him out. Perhaps this mess isn’t the end of the world.

Unless I miss my next period. Then we’ll have to reconsider the end of the world thing.

She taps my leg. “Of course I’m right. I’ve never been wrong. Never. It was one of the conditions when I sold my soul to Satan — absolute perfection in all things at all times.” She waves her nearly empty glass toward the kitchen. “Take, for example, my ability to carry in three hundred dollars’ worth of groceries in one trip. I’m unstoppable in every aspect of life.”

With a wink, she tosses back the rest of her drink.

Despite feeling substantially better, I’m not sure I’m ready to see James. After I fire off a text to tell him I’m going out tonight, I head to my room to change.

“Freya, get your ass ready. We’re going dancing, and hopefully, we can find some karaoke.”

“Hell yes! And then we need to circle back to how you never mentioned you were a virgin.”

Shit.

Chapter 44

Just one look

TOMER

Iblink four times, rub my eyes, and reread the text.

Sugar Bear

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