Page 123 of Their Greatest Strength

He shakes his head, not giving away a single one of his thoughts with his blank expression.

“Neither. But I can tell there’s a whole lot of grey in your past.”

I fight past my every reaction and strain to speak without screaming. “Your wife told me about your mom.”

“And it affected you,” he states, not asks.

“My mom took off five years ago. She turned to drugs after my dad died. Once she couldn’t stand seeing me and my brother anymore, that’s when she left.”

“I’m sorry, Blakely.”

“Jamie knows my mom is gone. Do you think that’s why he was interested in me? Because he felt bad and had some sort of epiphany that he could help me because you’d been through something similar?”

It was my first thought after hearing those words come out of Gracie’s mouth. That Jamie chose me out of everyone else because he felt bad for me. That due to his father’s traumas, he was doing me what he thought was a favour. If that’s the case, I don’t know what I’ll do.

Tyler uncrosses his arms and takes a cautious step toward me. “While my son might be big-hearted, he’s never let that cloud his judgment. He wouldn’t have married you because of your past.”

“So it’s just a coincidence?” I scoff.

“Listen, Blakely, you can either let your past play into your present and make you jaded and unable to trust those who want to be in your life, or you can seek happiness in spite of it. To me, it looks like you’ve chosen the latter, so don’t change course now.Everyone has scars, whether externally or internally, but if you’re ashamed of them, you’ll never learn how to be proud of everything you’ve overcome.

“I went through hell for twenty years of my life, and I’ll carry that with me to the grave. But with so much love in my life, it’s easy to see the light ahead instead of the darkness behind me. Gracie was always my guiding light. Then my boys found me, and while I haven’t forgotten my past, it’s just that. My past. Jamie didn’t fall in love with you because of something that happened to you but because of the person you became because of it. It will help to tell him about your past. All of it.”

My eyes burn like I’ve just dumped hot sauce in them. I look away, putting all my focus into not crying in front of my husband’s father. It’s pointless when he sets a light hand on my shoulder.

“Do you hug?” he asks gruffly. I wipe beneath my eyes and nod once. “Alright.”

Having him pull me into a tight, strong hug has every emotion inside of me intensifying. It’s been years since I’ve gotten a hug like this.

Since before my dad died.

God, I know that the moment we break apart, I’m going to be mortified. Who in their right mind sobs in the arms of their husband’s father after only their third time meeting? Add in my childhood trauma dump, and I’ll have to use every excuse in the book to get out of coming here for the rest of our marriage.

“Bandit?”

I sniff, and with a firm pat on my back, Tyler releases me. Jamie’s at my side in a flash, bundling me up in his arms. Comfort drapes over me, soothing some of the raging waters inside of my head and chest.

“What did you say to her, Dad?” he accuses, kissing the side of my head.

I part my lips, but Tyler beats me to speaking. “I’m proud ofyou, Jamie. Remember my advice, and come downstairs together when you’re done.”

Advice? Whatever it is, Jamie seems to understand. He nods at his dad, and we watch the older man walk away, not getting lost in the halls the way I did.

“What happened?” Jamie asks, voice soft.

“Your mom told me about your grandma.”

He frowns. “She’s not really my grandma.”

“My mom is the same as her, Jamie. She’s an addict who hated me and Nate. It wasn’t even my father dying that made her hate us. She did from the moment we were born. I was an accident, and Nate was a mistake that she tried to correct but didn’t succeed with. I’m broken and bruised and damaged. But you help. You don’t even have to do anything, and you somehow smooth my scars.

“And now, I need you to promise me that you didn’t choose me because you felt bad about my mom. Because if you did, I . . . I don’t know what I’ll do.”

A thousand emotions flicker across his face, but it’s affection that shines through them all. Affection that appears too much like love.

He takes my face in his hands and kisses my nose, then both of my cheeks. “You may be bruised, but you’re not broken. And I didn’t choose you because of your mom. Your pain and the struggle you’ve faced has never affected how I view you. For the good or bad. Not once.”

“I’m sorry,” I whisper brokenly.

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