“Got it.” Laughed Lisa.
Thanksgiving was nice, but Splice wanted some alone time with his girlfriend, so they bailed an hour later.
“You and your mom act like besties; it’s so cute,” Lisa remarked, her hand on his thigh, as he drove them home. Splice covered that hand, hungering for any skin connection.
“We raised each other. She was only seventeen when she had me.”
“Wow, she was so brave.”
Splice’s lips flattened as he focused on the road. He’d known he’d have to tell her some of his family history but hadn’t found the right segue until now.
“I wasn’t exactly planned,” he said. “Mom was raped after a prom. She was dating Dad, and he took me on as his own.” Lisa’s other hand covered his. Splice went on. “I didn’t find out until after Dad was gone. One night, Mom was drunk, buried in her grief. I found her sobbing in the basement. To this day, I don’t think she realizes she told me, and I haven’t mentioned it to her.”
“My God, Ryan, I’m so sorry,” Lisa exclaimed.
He wanted no secrets between them; too much time had already been wasted.
“How is your mom now?”
“She’s better, but that was a rough time. I’m sure if I hadn’t come home when I did, I would have been burying her days later. They were crazy in love with each other.”
“Oh, poor Tammie. I can’t imagine what she’s been through, losing her soulmate.”
Splice lifted their clasped hands and kissed the back of hers. His dad was always in his conversations, so he didn’t feel the stab of his loss anymore like he once did.
“You saved me, you know?Mysoulmate.”
“What do you mean?”
“Dad died only months before I met you. I was a wild prick, trying to numb the grief. So I drank, got into fights, street racing, basically, I was directionless, just drifting in nothing but pain and emptiness. Other than taking care of Mom and Bart, I wouldn’t have cared if anything happened to me. I risked my life doing dumb shit. And then I saw you.” Splice turned his head as he pulled into his driveway, switching off the engine. “You were probably the best therapy I needed to pull myself back from the brink.”
“And then I left you.” She grimaced. Her sweet face puckered.
And before Splice knew it, she’d unbuckled and all but hurled herself across the console to climb into his lap, burying her face into his neck.
“I’m so sorry for leaving you, too. It won’t happen again, Ryan.”
Oh, his adorable girl made his heart fucking yawn open. Splice wrapped her up in his arms.
“I’m so sorry for all the bad that you went through.”
“You know how I see it, sweetheart?” he angled her face and saw her lashes dotted with unshed tears for him.
“What?”
“It feels like I was born to be with you. So you have to keep me, okay?”
Who said Splice didn’t have romance running through his veins? He was practically giving Shakespeare a run for his money.
“Ryan,” she gave a watery laugh and buried her face on his shoulder. “Okay, I’ll keep you.”
“Can I have it in writing?”
Her eyebrows rose, making his girl so sexy as he swiped her fallen tears with his thumbs. Because he was a savage who really liked this girl, he sucked the wetness from his thumb.
“That sounds like one of those funny, kinky contracts.”
Splice wagged his eyebrows and earned himself a shoulder whack. Laughing, he kissed her quickly and lifted her into her seat before he stepped out and came around to her side.
