Page 67 of Size Doesn't Matter

Sophie shrugged, but he could see the hurt flicker in her dark eyes. “She said I was the reason my mother was so miserable. That I was to blame for her addictions. Told me I wasmarcia. Rotten.”

“Jesus. How old were you?”

“Ten. Mum had taken me to meet her family for my tenth birthday.”

“And that’s how they treated you? You were a kid.”

“A kid born out of wedlock, which to them was a huge sin. To her credit, when Mum found out what Nonna did, she packed us up and we came straight home to Sydney.” She smiled, but it was small and sad. “She wasn’t always the best mum, but she showed up when it really mattered. Anyway, after that I had no interest in learning how to cook. I get my meals delivered in bulk every week. Pretty hard to screw up pre-made lasagne and a salad.”

Jack stopped rubbing her feet and stared her down. “Oh, baby, no. You won’t be eating that shit anymore.”

“Well I’m not eating dry chicken breast and raw broccoli for the rest of my life either. You said you knew how to cook, but I’ve seen the inside of your fridge, Jack. It’s not pretty.”

“I promise I will cook you something better when you stop feeling nauseous all the time. According to all of my female relatives with kids, bland food is best right now. But I will make all the lasagne you want when your tummy settles.”

She narrowed her gaze and watched him for a moment, then leaned forwards and stuck out her little finger. “Pinkie swear?”

He grinned and hooked his finger around hers. “Pinkie swear.” When she sat back again, he added, “Your turn.”

That went on for well over an hour. Back and forth they asked questions. Some serious, some not so much. He was surprised to discover her favourite movie genre was action films. She’d snorted at his Instagram handle—@jonny-get-your-fleek-on—the one Ethan had come up with and Jack had never bothered to change, and she’d laughed her arse off at him for admitting to streaking across his family’s estate when he was sixteen and telling everyone it was his brother.

As promised, he’d eventually asked her for the name of the man who had abused her, the one who should have protected and cherished her.

She tried to pull her feet back, to pull away from him and curl in on herself, but he wouldn’t relent and held them firmly in his lap. She scowled and crossed her arms. “Why do you want to know?”

“Because he hurt you, and I’d like to repay the favour.”

She thought about that for a moment, then said, “Fine. I’ll tell you his name if you tell me what your ex did that was worse than cheating.”

Jack sighed quietly but nodded. He had to tell her sometime and there was no time like the present. “She broke my heart. But not because she cheated on me.” He shoved his hand through his hair as if that could shove out the ache from his chest. “Lisa and I got married because she was pregnant.”

“So, this is a hobby for you? Knocking woman up and marrying them?”

“No, it’s not.” He scrubbed a hand over his stubble. “Our situation is very different.”

Her eyebrows shot into her hairline, scepticism dripping from every word. “Oh, how so?’

“Because unlike you, Lisa got pregnant on purpose. She knew it was the easiest way to get me to marry her. She knew I wanted to start a family and used that against me.”

Sophie’s expression grew cautious, more concerned. “What happened? What did she do?”

“As soon as she got access to my expense account—” He gritted his teeth and fought down his pain and anger, but couldn’t stop it from flavouring his words. “—she had an abortion.”

His sweet girl looked mortified, her hand flying to her mouth to contain her gasp.

Jack continued. “For months I believed her lies, believed she’d miscarried, but then Ethan organised for a private detective to follow her and we found out the truth. She had lovers all over Sydney, men she could control withmymoney.”

“But didn’t she come from a wealthy family?”

“Yes. But her father controlled everything. She was desperate to get away from him and did what she thought she had to.”

Sophie plucked at the edge of a cushion and didn’t quite meet his gaze. “Did you… love her?”

He shook his head. “No,” he said, pleased to see the relief in her eyes when she lifted her head and looked at him again. “Ours was not a loving relationship. She was into kink, and I appreciated her discretion in that regard. And she wanted a new life, freedom from her father’s control. I can’t fault her for that. But I can’t forgive what she did either.”

Sophie scrambled across the couch and climbed into his lap, rested her head on his shoulder and placed his hands over her belly, wrapped herself up in him. “His name is Trevor Moran, and he’s a photographer. I never reported him because he threatened to release nude photos of me. Said he’d put them up on all the porn sites and ruin my career.”

Jack’s fingers curled against her belly as he resisted the urge to form them into fists. “Fucking sonofabitch.”

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