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“If you really mean that, then I won’t ever call you kitten again. Just say the word, and it will be forever stripped from my vocabulary. I promise.”
My smile widens when Piper doesn’t say anything, preferring to answer my original question instead.
“Laurie and I are just friends.”
“That’s it.”
“Yeah. He’s not my type.
“And what is your type?”
“Tall, dark, and arrogant,” she teases.
“Good to know.” I chuckle. “Okay, ask your questions. I’m ready.”
“What was it like? Growing up in Roxbury?” she asks softly.
“Rough,” I confess. “Rougher than it ought to have been for any kid growing up.”
“What about your parents? Didn’t they look out for you?”
“My folks had their own problems. I was an afterthought.”
“So you’re not close?”
“No.”
“I’m sorry,” she murmurs.
“Don’t be. You can’t miss what you never had. I never faulted my parents for their neglect. They did the best they could, given the circumstances. I have no resentment or ill will towards them.”
“Have they ever tried to reach out to you?”
“No. Like I said, they have their own problems. Drugs and alcohol are a twenty-four-seven occupation for them. It leaves little room for sentimentality.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Piper?”
“Yes?”
“Don’t apologize for something you had no hand in.”
“I wasn’t apologizing. I was being empathetic. I can’t imagine how hard it must have been to have grown up in that environment, but I can still feel sorry for the young boy who had to live through it.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that.”
“You’re welcome,” she replies sweetly, coaxing me to imagine a little smile on her beautiful lips.
“What about you? How was your childhood? You look like you have a strong bond with your mother.”
“The strongest,” she affirms cheerfully. “She’s the best mother anyone could hope for.”
“I’m glad to hear it. What about your father? Were you and him close, too?”
“Yes,” she whispers, her voice becoming faint.
“I figured.” I chuckle. “Little Piper must have been a handful. Let me guess? You were more of a tomboy than a princess?”
