Page 24 of One Weekend in Boston

That wasn't what I asked, and I could tell by the look in her eyes that she knew it as well. I wasn't sure how to continue the conversation without sounding like a dick, so I kept my mouth shut. Thankfully Shannon didn't make me wait long.

"I'm not sure if you’ve noticed I never talk about my mother."

I had noticed. It was also one of the things I considered having Matthew look into for me but dismissed the idea before I could do that. That information needed to come from Shannon, not some background check, and it looked like I was about to get the story now.

"She left my father was I was two years old. Said she didn't have what it took to be a mother and walked away. We never heard from her again. When I was in high school, I had a bit of a rebellious streak. I was determined to find her."

I held my breath as I waited for her to finish. There was a whole lot of hurt in her blue eyes.

"Turned out she just didn't want to motherme. She had a whole new life with a husband and two kids. Both were young, but from the little I saw, she was happy."

I gathered Shannon closer. I pulled her so that she was practically lying on top of me as both my arms held her tight and my chin rested on the top of her head. I could kick myself for the question. Then I was tempted to find her mother and give her a piece of my mind. Who walks away from their child and never looks back?

"I'm so sorry I asked."

"It's okay," Shannon mumbled against my chest. "These are things that need to be discussed." She went quiet for a moment, but her next question nearly slayed me. "Are children a deal breaker for you? Because I have no idea if I will ever be ready to be a mother."

It was a good thing I didn't condone violence against women. Although I might make an exception and ask one of Matthew's female co-workers to deal with Shannon's mother for me. Damn that woman for making my girl feel less about herself.

"No, it's not a deal breaker for me. I’d be happy with it just being the two of us forever."

I thought more about the words I said and found them to be true. Sure, kids would be great, but I wasn't dying to have some. It had never even crossed my mind until a few minutes ago.

Shannon wiggled until her chin was resting on her hands on top of my chest. I had to tuck my own chin so I could look at her. It wasn't the most comfortable angle to be in but I felt what she was about to say next was important.

"Are you sure?” she asked. “We’re still early enough in this to walk away without either of us getting hurt."

Shannon let out a little squeak as I flipped us both over so that she was pinned beneath me. My forearms trapped her and I made sure I had her full attention before I spoke again.

"First off, I've never been more sure of anything in my life. Second, if you think that you walking away right now wouldn't rip me to pieces, then you haven't been paying close enough attention. I might not be ready to say the words, but I can promise you I'm already well on my way."

Tears pooled in Shannon's eyes and I used my thumb to brush the one that managed to slip free.

"I thought it was just me."

I caught two more tears as they trailed down her cheeks. "Not just you, I promise."

My phone chose that moment to chime, and I was tempted to ignore it. This conversation felt more important, but I was expecting a call from my brother.

"Hold that thought."

I rolled over and snatched the phone off the nightstand. Sure enough, it was Matthew.

"This better be good," I growled as a greeting.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I cockblock you? Some of us spent the entire night working, not snuggled in a cozy bed wrapped in a woman's warm embrace."

I mentally berated myself. Matthew was right. He was out doing all the work while I got to spend time with Shannon. The least I could do was not be an asshole when he called.

"Sorry," I said automatically.

"It's cool but yes, I do have something good for you." That had me sitting up in bed. We could use some good when it came to this situation. "Shannon was right. We followed the money and she's not the first. She’s the fourth, in fact. The first two went off the grid, kinda like what Shannon tried to do. It took nearly a year, but eventually, Davis got sick of destroying their lives. The third is spending time in an institution. My guess is he drove her to that after he destroyed her life. And now he's set his focus on Shannon."

I cursed under my breath, but it did no good. Shannon was sitting up next to me, her ear pressed to the other side of the phone. There was no mistaking the fact that she heard everything Matthew said. Luckily the tears from a moment ago were gone and nothing but anger could be found in her eyes.

"Please tell me you have the bastard," I seethed.

I couldn't wait to get my hands on him. Teach the motherfucker a lesson. Not just for Shannon but for the other three women who didn't deserve what he did to them. The bastard was sick and deserved to be put down for what he did.

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