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Beck sat back and steepled his fingers. He wasn’t sure Heavenly was ready to hear the ugly truth, but he would be as real with her as he dared. “My family wasn’t a good one.”
“Were you abused as a child?” Empathy softened her face.
“That wasn’t the problem.”
Beside her, Seth stared. Beck could all but hear the wheels turning in his brain. “If your dad didn’t beat you, what did he do that was so terrible after your mom left? Yell? Drink?”
His dad hadn’t needed a drop of alcohol to be a monster. “Nothing like that.”
Heavenly zipped her gaze his way. “When I told you about my mom leaving, you only said yours was distant.”
“Different kind of abandonment. Mine left emotionally. Physically, she was right there.”
“Sorry, man. I’ve seen firsthand what you’re talking about.” Seth clapped his arm. “Domestic calls where the parents didn’t give a shit about their kids were the worst.”
Beck doubted Seth had seen anything like his childhood. “By the time I was sixteen, things were so bad I ran away. I lived on the streets for a few weeks, slept in alleys.”
“Ate out of dumpsters? Engaged in street hustle?” Seth obviously knew the drill.
Heavenly’s gasp said she was completely shocked.
“Yeah.” Beck looked away, unable to stand the sympathy on her face. “Anyway, one night I found myself in an unfamiliar part of town and got caught in a gang war. One minute there was yelling. The next was all gunfire. When bullets started ricocheting, I dove for cover in an alcove, but the pings of slugs hitting the metal security gate scared the hell out of me.”
“Of course they did. Oh, my gosh.” Heavenly sounded horrified.
“When the police arrived, they shoved a bunch of gangbangers into their cruisers. Then I fucking ran for the Strip, where my biggest worry was dodging the crazy bums who thought they were Jesus. As I tore around this one corner, I nearly knocked a woman on her ass. That was Gloria. While I was making sure she was all right, a car pulled to the curb and a guy hollered out, ‘How much?’ She winked and sashayed to him with a smile.”
“Did you realize then that she was a…a hooker?” Heavenly asked.
Beck shook his head. “I had no idea why a pretty lady like her was standing alone on the corner in such a crappy neighborhood, barely dressed.”
“Seriously?” Seth snickered. “Had you been living under a rock?”
“A rock would have been better.” Beck chuffed. “Next thing I knew, Gloria said she didn’t give charity blow jobs. The guy called her names I’d rather not repeat, leapt out of his car, and charged her. I pulled a switchblade out of my pocket and told him I’d slit his throat if he didn’t leave her alone.”
“What did he do?” Seth asked.
“We got into it a little, but despite being sixteen, I was bigger. He tucked his tail and left.”
Heavenly gasped. “What happened next?”
“Gloria asked if she could buy me a meal in thanks. I hesitated, but when she offered me a shower and a night in a real bed, too…no way was I turning that down. She fed me at an all-night diner, then took me to her shitty apartment a few blocks away. We talked for hours. Once I got clean and slept, she made me a deal—protection in exchange for food and a roof. I couldn’t say yes fast enough. It wasn’t long before we got close. Eventually, she bought me a new identity so I could finish school without my family finding me.”
Heavenly looked stunned. “So…you’re not really Kenneth Beckman?”
“I am. That person I was before? He’s dead and gone. You wouldn’t have liked him anyway.” That was all he was going to say about that. “I studied hard in school. Gloria helped me financially through college, then med school. She saved my life.”
Heavenly squeezed his hand. “It sounds like you saved one another’s.”
“Gloria is one of the good ones. She still helps her girls obtain an education so they can stop making a living on their backs someday.” He paused, staring Heavenly in the eye, willing her to understand. “So, yeah. I have a million reasons to love Gloria, but I’ve never been in love with her.”
“She told me. And I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions. That night, I was so euphoric after we…” She blushed.
“Made love?” Beck supplied helpfully.
She nodded. “So the call afterward about my dad’s relapse sent me into a panic. The last thing I expected while we were frantically dressing was to find out you were married. I can’t even tell you how crushed and betrayed I felt. And I was so shocked I couldn’t talk or think enough to ask questions. But why didn’t you tell me about Gloria before that night?” She turned to Seth. “Or you. I know you knew.”
Seth grimaced. “I suspected there was more to his story, and I figured he’d tell us. Plus…I didn’t want to lose you.”
