Page 61 of Bound by Love
Brie was struck by how sad it was that Sir had blamed himself for his father’s death. It made her weepy to think of that young man grieving the loss of his father, believing he was partly to blame for it.
Brie caressed his jaw, speaking to the little boy he once was. “It was not your fault.”
“And it was not yours,” he replied.
Brie nodded. Although she would still worry about those Darius had hurt after she’d left, the little girl Brie had once been deserved her empathy.
“You might find it helpful if you told your parents what really happened.”
“No,” Brie said resolutely. “My dad never forgave himself for Darius stabbing me with the dirty needle even though he sacrificed everything to get me out of there. He would feel responsible for this, and he shouldn’t have to. My parents saved my life, getting me far away from there. I honestly don’t know how long I would have lasted.” She smiled sadly at Sir. “It’s the reason I never complained about living in a shelter with my mom. I knew I was much better off.”
“It’s a testament to your strength—the fact he wasn’t able to crush your sweet spirit,” Sir told her, his voice tinged with pain.
Brie thought back to that first day of submissive training. “If Baron hadn’t been so gentle and understanding during the practicum, I would never have made it through the first night.”
“I was confident he was the right man to guide you through the scene, but I had no idea of the severity of your past.”
“No one knew…until now.”
He took her face in both hands, pressing his forehead against hers. “May the voicing of it bring you much deserved peace, my love.”
Tears came to her eyes. “Thank you, Sir.”
They stayed in that embrace, Brie soaking in the relief of not having to bear that terrible secret in silence any longer. “Sir, I don’t know what to do about Darius now.”
“You don’t have to do a thing, babygirl. It’s unfortunate that there is no legal recourse for what he’s done because he was a child at the time he assaulted you. However, I plan to check his background to determine the motivation behind this public comment. I suspect he was looking for free publicity, hoping to ride on the coattails of your success. But…” Sir growled harshly, “…if he becomes a threat, I will show him no mercy.”
“Lea thought he might be looking for absolution, but even if that is his intention, I’m unsure if I’m capable of forgiving him.”
“And you don’t have to. It must be a need of yours, not his, before I would encourage it.”
It was remarkable how Sir had a way of making her feel empowered. She told him with regret, “All these years I’ve carried that secret inside like a festering wound. What a fool I was.”
“You’re not a fool. You were waiting for the right person and situation. That kind of information in the wrong hands had the potential to hurt you.”
“What about you, Sir? Was Rytsar the person you turned to?”
Sir nodded. “In part, but I still held on to the guilt. I was not truly free until after I survived the crash. It became clear to me how unfair I’d been to the child I was at thirteen. To expect the wisdom and maturity of an adult is unreasonable and pointless. Iwasa child then, and what happened had nothing to do with me.”
“It did not.”
“So I ask that you be kind to the little Brianna you carry inside you.”
Hope let out a cry from the other room.
“I’ll take care of her,” he said, immediately getting out of bed. “You lie still and try falling back to sleep for me.”
As he was leaving the room, he turned around and added tenderly, “That’s a command.”
Oh, Rhett…
“Brie, could you come here?”
She gave Hope a kiss before putting her down for a nap, then walked into their bedroom to see what Sir needed.
On the bed she saw a big box decorated with a large bow, with a much smaller box sitting on top. “What’s this?” she giggled excitedly.
“Open the smaller box first,” Sir answered.
