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I want him to lose control again.
“Pick the game then,” I say instead, trying my absolute hardest to keep myself calm and steady. “I don’t mind what we play.”
I watch intently as he flicks his eyes over the game until he breaks out into a smile. “Oh, this one’s fun. I used to play this with my parents.”
“Just your parents? You didn’t have siblings?” He shakes his head. “Wow, I have four brothers, so I can’t even begin to imagine how nice it must be growing up alone.”
“Well, there are positives,” he admits. “But negatives too. I didn’t have anyone to play with. Any kids anyway. My parents did their best.”
I smirk. “Being the youngest of five means no one plays with you. You’re just tormented.”
Even now really. This whole wedding thing is definitely torture.
Owen takes one of the board games from me and starts to lay it out. I study him as he does, wondering about this man’s life. He looks like he carries a giant weight on his shoulders. Like there’s always a dark cloud clinging to him.
I wonder what caused that.
Maybe I shouldn’t care. I mean, this is the asshole that kidnapped me, but I’m intrigued by him.
There’s a weird bond between us that keeps on growing, even if it shouldn’t.
“So, what was your life like as an only child?”
I don’t know if he’ll answer me, but I have to try. Maybe he’s in the mood to open up, just a little bit.
“I don’t know any different, so it’s always been fine for me.”
He rolls the dice.
I guess we’re playing the game now.
Cool.
“I was close to my parents.”
“Was?” I jump in. I didn’t miss that.
“Well, they died when I was younger.” He shrugs, but I can see this is something that troubles him. “Mom, when I was fourteen years old from Cancer, and my father died from a stroke when I was eighteen.”
“Wow… that’s rough.” I swallow hard. “Sorry you had to go through that, Owen. That must have really impacted you.”
He gives me a small smile. “I think it made me more driven. It’s made me work so much harder. When Mom passed away,I threw myself into my education and I got great grades. Then when my father died, I gave my all to the military. I rose up the ranks quickly and even won some awards. Anything I thought I could do to make him proud.”
I can see Owen light up as he talks about the military.
“Why are you no longer a military man?”
It doesn’t make much sense.
But then his expression darkens and I start to realize that I might have just stepped on something I shouldn’t have.
I back off.
The last thing I want him to do is stop talking.
“It just wasn’t for me anymore, that’s all. I wanted a change.”
“Kidnapping women? That’s your change?”
