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I sighed heavily. “I doubt you really want to hear about my relationship.”
“Because he was a madman who beat you senseless on multiple occasions and let Rafe beat the shit out of you to get you off the island? Yeah, I probably don’t understand. But here’s the thing, I don’t have to understand the circumstances to listen. I can keep my mouth shut and let you vent.”
I wasn’t used to anyone being so blunt with me, yet willing to shove that aside. Well, Knight talked to me, but he was my brother. Yet, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I was supposed to be doing fine. I came out here under the illusion that I was healing. How could I trust that she wouldn’t tell Eva everything I said? I didn’t know Vira. Not well enough to know if she would spy on me, anyway.
“There’s really nothing to talk about. I’m not ready to move on, but Ebarardo is in the past.”
Just saying that felt like tearing out my own heart, but it was necessary to keep everyone thinking I was fine. And based on the way Vira was looking at me, she knew it too.
We had a sort of stare-off for a good minute until the sound of a little girl’s voice dragged my gaze from hers. She was holding one of the guy’s hands, talking animatedly as they walked around the property.
“Oh, man,” Vira groaned. “If only he didn’t have a daughter.”
“Which one is he?” I asked curiously.
“Jason. Sexy, dangerous, completely beautiful, and now unavailable.”
I glanced over at her. “Why? Did he get married?”
She tossed back her head and laughed at me. I didn’t really get the joke, but I never really did with Vira. “No, he’s unavailable because he has a kid.”
“That doesn’t mean he’ll never have sex again.”
“No, but it means I won’t be having sex with him. As hot as he is, I’m not letting anyone with a kid near me.”
“I doubt he would bring her along,” I said drolly.
“No, but she would always be on his mind, and when I’m with a man, I want to be the priority.” She pushed off the swing and headed inside, shooting one last longing look at the man.
He was very good-looking. I felt like absolute shit for even thinking that, but it was hard to deny. He just had this raw masculinity to him that would make any woman’s heart skip a beat.
I studied the little girl and wondered how she showed up out of the blue. Was he not in her life before? Or did he only see her on weekends? Why was she here now? I really shouldn’t care about any of this. It wasn’t my business, but the way he looked at her, it was as if he’d never heard her speak before today—like he was soaking in every word she said.
“Hi!” the girl shouted, waving her hand excitedly.
I hadn’t realized she was even looking in my direction. I hoped to duck out of sight, but then her father looked at me, his eyes locked on me like a target. I sat completely still, afraid to move even an inch. Something about the way he was looking at me made my breath hitch in my chest and my palms turn clammy. He had that dangerous look to him, like he could burn the world down without blinking an eye. I knew lots of men like that, each of them more deadly than the last. One thing you never wanted to do was cross them.
Before I knew what was happening, the little girl broke into a run toward my house, slipping from her father’s grasp. With every step she took, my anxiety spiked higher. She couldn’t come up here. It was too dangerous. Her father would never approve, and then he would be upset with me.
You know what happens when you upset me.
I swallowed hard, shaking off the words that seemed to come out of nowhere. The little girl bound up the steps with a huge smile on her face.
“Carli!” the man shouted.
The little girl stopped and slowly turned to face her dad. I could see it playing out, how he would run up the steps and grab her arm, yanking her to him. The anger would be too much. It would get the better of him and he wouldn’t be able to stop himself.
I was out of the swing and in front of her before I even had time to consider if I could survive a hit from this man. Her little body was behind me, protected for the time being, but would it be enough?
“Run!” I shouted. “Get inside!”
The little girl flinched at my words and her father skidded to a stop, his eyes narrowing on me. I heard the door open behind me and smelled Vira’s perfume wafting out.
“What’s going on out here?”
“Vira, take the little girl inside,” I whispered, my arms outstretched, showing the man there was no way I was letting him past me. Not that I could stop him. He would snap me like a twig in a second.
“Izzy—”