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My chest squeezes and I bite my lip. This is my chance to be honest and let the cards fall where they may, and the truth is that I’m tired of hiding. I don’t want to stay in a hole anymore, licking my wounds while crying myself to sleep at night. If he wants me, he’s going to have to accept me as I am, warts and all. I pin him with a look.
“After my old roommate moved out, I couldn’t afford this two-bedroom on my own. She gave me her deposit, but that only provided a month of buffer, so I needed money desperately. I know I should have looked harder for a roommate, but everyone I interviewed was just weird. Like weird, weird. Like scared-for-my-safety or potentially scarred-for-life weird. But there was no way I could afford rent on the little I make scooping ice cream, so I got a job escorting with Three Hole Girls to make ends meet.”
Hunter drags his hand through his hair, making the black strands stand on end.
“But I was giving you a thousand bucks a month to help with that. Wasn’t it enough?”
I can feel the tears in my eyes, and I shake my head.
“It helped me a lot, and that’s part of the reason why I was able to stop. But before that, I didn’t have any assistance so I had to rely on myself. Hell, even with the money you were giving me, things were still tight. Rent isn’t my only expense. I’ve got utilities to pay, and I need food, too. Still, I didn’t accept any dates once we started seeing each other. I stretched every penny to make things work with what I had because I couldn’t keep seeing other men, not when I was with you. Even if it was just a job, I swear I haven’t been with another man since our first night together.”
Hunter drops heavily on the couch, and I sit next to him with tears coursing down my cheeks now. It seems the waterworks have started and I can’t stop them as I sniffle loudly. He sighs and stares at the carpet before tucking his hand under my chin to wipe the moisture away.
“I believe you, honey,” he murmurs in a low voice.
My eyebrows shoot up and I jerk away from his palm.
“I don’t understand. You certainly didn’t believe me before. You never told me how you found out either! I mean, you mentioned you met one of my old dates, but who? And how did I even come up in the conversation?”
He sighs again, staring at my shabby rug with unseeing eyes.
“Through pure coincidence. A patient came in and he was a fucking loser. He was bragging about his prowess in bed, and how he uses escorts. I wrote him off but then, he described your rose tattoo with the letters THG next to it. I’ve asked you a few times what it stands for, remember? You wouldn’t tell me, but I guess I know now.”
My face falls.
“It was a mistake getting that tattoo,” I say in a trembling voice. “I don’t know what I was thinking that night, other than the fact that it was a dare from a friend while I was drunk.”
Hunter is silent for a moment.
“It doesn’t matter. My patient was a sleazebag who deserves to go to Hell but that isn’t why I’m here.” He pauses. “I had a talk with Chrissy and my daughter told me that she’s been working for Three Hole Girls as well.”
My head snaps up, eyes wide.
“Are you joking? I swear, I didn’t get her into it! She didn’t even know I was escorting!”
I shake my head.
“I know. Chrissy absolved you and says that she wants to do it for the independence. She seems to enjoy the job, believe it or not. Anyways, I don’t want to talk about my daughter right now. Chrissy only told me because she was urging me not to judge you for being in the same profession.”
I throw my hands in the air.
“I’m not a hooker anymore! How many times can I say it? I haven’t been back in ages now!”
Hunter nods, and takes my small hand in his big one, those strong fingers closing over mine. His hand is warm and I feel safe sitting next to him on the couch, that big body just inches away.
“I believe you, baby. And I’ve decided that I don’t care about your past. I know you were just doing what you had to in order to survive, and I respect any woman who pulls herself up by the bootstraps. I want to make sure you know that. Even more, I should have taken the time to listen to you the first time around without losing my shit the way I did. I’m so sorry.”
