Page 81 of Bit's Bliss
Trevino insisted he and Snapper pick up the pieces of shattered pottery in the garden, but I ignored them. I wasn’t a princess who was afraid of a cut or getting my hands dirty.
No doubt, that’s how Tiernan saw me. As someone easy to trample over while he did whatever he wanted, including robbing our family blind. I’d meant it when I said if it was my money he wanted, he could have it. Or at least, that’s what I’d make him believe. Once I knew my father was safe, Decker and thecaballeros, as Trevino referred to them, could tear the man to shreds. I meant that both literally and metaphorically.
When we saw him in Cambria, I would’ve clawed his eyes out if I knew then what I knew now. Remembering how naive I’d been in the months I dated him made me so angry that I hurled a piece of broken pot at the garden wall, then fell back on my haunches.
“Give us a minute,” Trevino said to his brother, who stood and went inside.
“Before you say anything, I feel like an idiot, okay? I don’t care about your rule about me disparaging myself. If I’d paid the slightest bit of attention to my own fucking life, I could have prevented all of this.”
“Come with me,” he said, holding out his hand.
“If you think for one second that you’re going to punish me—” I stopped talking when he bent down, picked me up, and carried me through the garden’s door. Once we were several yards beyond it, he set me on my feet, then led me over to a sloping hillside that looked out over the vineyard.
“I have no intention of punishing you, nor will I speak to you as disrespectfully as you’re speaking to me,” he said after we’d both taken a seat on the grass.
I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “This is my life. I’ve made mistakes, but I don’t intend to repeat them. Tiernan tried to control me, and I let him. I won’t let you do the same thing.”
The look on his face made me wish I could rescind every word. “I didn’t mean that,” I muttered instead.
“You did mean it, Eberly. Maybe not in the way you think I took it, and that’s what I’ll address. The difference between Burke and me is that I have no desire tocontrol your life. Not now and not in the future. When we talk about control as it relates to sex, I’ll limit what I say to this because I don’t want us to get sidetracked rather than focus on what’s most important in this conversation. Within a scene, the ultimate control is yours.”
I felt my cheeks flush, and as much as I wanted to rail back at him for his admonishment, he wasn’t the person I was most angry with. That would be me.
He took my hand and stroked it with his thumb. “I want you to say whatever is on your mind, Eberly, without fear of reprisals from me. I’ll ask that you be respectful, but beyond that, the best way I can support you right now is to be your person.”
“My person. I don’t think I’ve ever had one of those.”
“I bet your mom was. Maybe your dad too, although that may be harder to remember, given current circumstances.”
“I’m sorry, Trevino.”
“For?”
“Not speaking to you with respect.”
“You’re forgiven. Now, let’s talk about what you said earlier. About contacting Burke.”
I looked out at the vineyards. “I want to know my dad is okay. All of this”—I waved my hands—“is stuff. Possessions.”
“It’s your home.”
I looked over at the place where I grew up. “It isn’t my house. I have a room in it. Would you live in your mother’s house again?”
“Doubtful.”
“I don’t know why I even care except that it’s been in my family for so long. Maybe one of my uncles or my cousins would’ve wanted it. Not that it’s an option any longer.”
“It may still be. We haven’t seen what the bank found. It could prove inconclusive.”
Trevino’s cell rang, and he dug it out of his pocket. “It’s Zin.”
“Go ahead.”
“Right, we’ll be there as soon as we can,” I heard Trevino say before ending the call. “The judge granted the hearing. Zin wants us to meet him at the courthouse.”
I had no idea what to expect. I’d already seen the page with my signature and knew it wasn’t mine. What purpose did it serve to see the notary’s stamp? I couldlook whoever it was in the face and tell her I’d never seen him or her before, but it would be their word against mine. “I don’t know why I need to be there. Or you, for that matter.”
“I can’t answer that, but Zin can.”
