AllFreeNovel
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“You’re here because I allow you to be. My patience is running out, Luna. What did you want twenty-five grand for?”
I stand, and he steps back. “I wanted to open my own bread van.”
He frowns. “Bread van?”
“I saw it on social media. A guy got a food van and made bread, selling it on the move. It works.”
He looks surprised. “You want to start a business?”
I fold my arms over my chest. “I really think you should put some clothes on,” I utter.
He gives a stiff nod. “Don’t go anywhere.” He leans over to lock the door, as if to ensure I stay put, so I drop back onto the bed while he heads for the bathroom. “I just need to shower.”
When he returns, there’s a towel wrapped around his waist. “From the beginning,” he says, grabbing another towel to rub his wet hair.
“I’ve seen a van and I needed the cash to buy it.”
“Why Reaper and not me?”
“He doesn’t judge,” I admit, shrugging.
“You think I judge?” he asks, sounding hurt.
“You compared me to your mum,” I remind him. “Look, I want to have a better life for Ivy. And I was doing fine until you came along.” He tries to speak, but I hold my hand up to stop him. He presses his lips together in a firm line, so I continue. “I know that making money by selling myself isn’t conventional. I never wanted to do that, but it was a trap I got into. When Ivy came along, I vowed to make enough to sort myself out and then I’d get a decent job. But you came along and . . . well, you made me think I was worthy to have a better life.”
He sits opposite me. “You are worthy.”
“And then you dropped me, and I was right back there, to the times my parents would sneer at me and call me useless. I doubted everything, even my ability to be a mum to her,” I whisper, looking over to Ivy. “My heart broke, Grizz, and I took too long putting it back together. I let the doubt creep right in until it took hold and ripped me apart. But losing Ivy has woken me up, and I know you don’t think I’m good enough for her, but I am. I am a fucking good mum. I love her so much and I’ll do anything to protect her, so I’m going to stand on my own two feet and get what I want.”
A small smile pulls at the edges of his mouth and his hand cups my cheek. For a second, I think he’s going to kiss me, but he doesn’t. He just stares. Eventually, his thumb brushes the corner of my mouth. “I was wrong?—”
“No,” I say, pressing a finger to his lips. “Don’t say it. Not until I’ve proven you wrong.”
A small laugh escapes him and he nips the pad of my finger. “Fine. How are we going to get you a business?”
I shrug, remembering I didn’t get the cash I needed from Reaper and he was my only hope. “No idea, but you’re not giving it to me, otherwise, I won’t be able to prove you wrong.”
“How about you work for me?”
I begin to shake my head, and he places his other hand on my cheek and holds me still. “Don’t kiss me,” I mutter, my eyes pleading.
His frown softens and he gives a slight nod. “I spoke to your mum tonight. She told me some stuff . . . about your dad and his friends.” I pull free from his hands and put some space between us. If he didn’t judge me before, he certainly will now. “Luna, it wasn’t your fault.”
“It’s why he left,” I say quietly, avoiding his eye, “because I disgusted him.”
“No, it wasn’t. In fact, I think the alternative is so much worse. It wasn’t because you disgusted him, Luna, it was because he wanted you and couldn’t have you. He knew it was wrong.”
I shudder, pulling my knees to my chest again. “My mum said it was my fault he left us, and that I had a responsibility to bring in money.”
“She’s an evil woman, Luna. And I know you’re not like her. I know you’re a better mum than she ever was.” I glance up and see the sincerity in his stare. “I was wrong, and I used your insecurities to push you away so I wouldn’t fall for you. I fucked up.”
“You really hurt me, Grizz,” I admit. “I can’t hurt like that again. I’ve been used by men my entire life and I can’t do it anymore.”
Hurt passes over his face, but he gives a slight nod. “Make bread in the bar. I have a food license, so you can save up what you earn and buy a van or whatever you want.”
I stare down at my lap, twisting my fingers together. “It’s a great offer,” I mutter.
“I don’t expect anything from you, Luna. Make bread. It’s amazing and it’s a crime not to share it with the world. When you have a plan and the money you need, I’ll let you go with no questions. You’re Ivy’s mum, and she deserves to see how amazing you are.”
