Page 50 of Bad Boy for Hire
She’d never forget it. He’d looked like a husk that used to hold her father.
“When the doctor told us that she was stable but in a coma, my father broke down. I went to him, crying, but he wouldn’t hug me. He wouldn’t touch me.” Tears pooled in her eyes now. That had been the beginning of the end. She’d never before or since witnessed someone shutting down so completely.
As if sensing the sudden chill that had descended, Xavier pulled the blanket at their feet up and over her body. He tucked her close and then propped his head on his hand and waited.
“She held on for two more days,” May continued, her voice barely above a whisper. “I wasn’t there when she died. I was at work. She died alone. Just like that, she was gone forever.”
Empathy bent his eyebrows and pulled at the corners of his mouth. Sorrow wasn’t a look she’d seen on him before now. It transformed him from sexy bartender to something…more. Something she wasn’t sure she was ready to experience.
“My dad never came back from losing her. I planned the funeral. He barely spoke. Barely ate. He withered, right in front of me. And when I thought he might finally start to come back…” She swallowed. “I went to his house one day, and the movers were there. No warning. He was just…gone.”
She dabbed her eyes, taking comfort in Xavier’s silent stoicism.
“And what about your mom’s side of the family?” he asked after a beat.
She shook her head. “My mom moved to the States for school and ended up staying here. Met my dad, got married, had a baby. Her relationship with her family faded over time. Distance. Different priorities. They weren’t close. I never really knew them.”
“And your dad’s side?”
“His family wasn’t close either. It wasn’t a leap for them to stop calling after she passed. I’ve barely heard from any of them.” She exhaled slowly. “I was closest with my mom growing up. So when she died… I was alone.”
There it was: the truth. She’d shared way more than she’d intended. And now the entire sordid, ugly, scary, tragic, horrific, depressing tale was floating around Xavier’s bedroom like a heavy perfume. The weight of it was impossible to ignore.
“I mean, I have friends,” she added quickly. “Lots of friends. Coworkers too. I’m not always sad and lonely. Just…you know, around the holidays.” She offered a wan smile. “I have Lisa and Lou. Elliott’s been a nice addition. Jewell.”
“Me,” Xavier said, his voice steady.
She met his unwavering gaze.
“Whatever happens, you’ve got me. I’d do anything for you. Okay?”
She nodded, unsure what she was agreeing to. Anything was a big word. And she knew better than most how easily promises could be broken. Maybe he was just trying to comfort her in the moment, which, honestly, was enough.
She sniffed, then tipped her head toward him. “Okay. Your turn.”
“My turn for what?” He raised one russet eyebrow.
“Tell me something awful from your past.” Hoping to salvage the evening from the Pit of Despair, she managed a faint smile. “Fair’s fair.”
He let out a slow breath. “You’ve won the trauma trophy. Hands down. Not sure I can top that.”
“Come on. There has to be something shitty in your past you’d like to divulge.”
“One thing comes to mind. And it involves an ex.” He lay back on the pillow, and she mirrored him. It was as if her story had weighed them both down.
“She cheated on me with my boss-slash-friend. Caught them at work, and I didn’t punch either of them, which I count as a personal win.”
“I’m sorry,” she said softly.
“Don’t be. That was why I left Columbus for Evergreen Cove. Look at me now.” He held up an arm to gesture at his room. “I live in a mansion. I own a bar. I am sleeping with the most gorgeous woman in the world.”
She poked his abs. He caught her hand and kept hold of it, running his thumb along her knuckles.
“It hurt,” he admitted, his voice quieter now. “Not because she was the one or anything. But because I let her in. I let her close. And she broke that trust like it meant nothing.”
May gave him the same steady presence he’d offered her earlier. Quiet. Compassionate.
“I used to be like Lynx,” he went on. “Dates, hookups, no attachments. But I was never a liar. Never a cheater. And the fact that she couldn’t be honest with me—wouldn’t give me the chance to walk away with a shred of dignity—that fucked me up the most.”
