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Levi carefully sits me on the couch and drops to his knees. “Chastity, I’m on your side. You and the guys are the only people I care about. I have obligations to fulfill, but when push comes to shove, you’re the ones who I’ll protect. That being said, give Jacob a chance. I know it hurts, and I promise, no one will think badly of you if you crack a little from the pressure,” he tells me.
His tone is so gentle, my eyes tear up as I nod. Levi wouldn’t ask me to do this if there wasn’t a reason.
Glancing over at Jacob, I nod. Crossing my arms, I wait.
“You can’t be comfortable sitting so stiffly,” Jacob murmurs, before deciding not to push the issue. Sitting carefully next to me, he stares at the ground. “Father was always very controlling, and he wanted me to help him with work things that I wanted nothing to do with. I wanted to go to college, to branch out and make a life for myself. Isabella was constantly walking around the house when Father wasn’t home, propositioning me, and I couldn’t take it anymore. You were their princess, Chastity. Their perfect daughter. I thought you’d be fine. So I left as soon as I could, coming back to check in when they insisted.”
Swallowing, he meets my eyes, and they’re filled with pain. Levi holds my hand, still sitting on the floor, trying to make himself as small as possible. “I was wrong, Chastity. I didn’t see it. When Father told me that you were acting out, I believed it. When Isabella told me you’d been caught with a boyfriend and had ended up getting pregnant, I thought, ‘there goes the perfect princess’. I was jealous of how they treated you, which made me blind to it all.”
My eyesight darkens as the world spins and my breath hitches. Levi squeezes my hand and I squeeze back harder. He doesn’t complain, even though I’m sure it may be hurting him.
“You let me be hurt because you were jealous?” I ask in a strangled voice.
“Chastity,” Jacob begs, but I shake my head.
Blinking hard, I struggle to get my eyes to focus. “The things that made me‘special’would give you nightmares,” I tell him. “You blocked my number after I had Angel, letting them rip her away from me while I screamed.”
“Father told me you were unfit to be a mother,” Jacob pleads. “When I walked into the room while you were in labor, it was because no one had spoken to me in months. I felt like something may have been wrong, so I came home. There are so many things you don’t understand, and by that point, I was running a really important business. Chastity, you looked as if you were possessed as you screamed.”
“Try pushing a watermelon out of a tiny hole,” I grumble. Levi buries his head in my thigh as he hides his chuckles. Instead, his shoulders tremble with the force of his amusement. My lip twitches, but I won’t give in.
“I was panicked. I didn’t completely understand what was happening, and Father had beat me with his belt two days before. He shoved me under the staircase to pray when my water broke. I thank God for it happening then, because I can’t imagine trying to deliver a baby in that space.”
Jacob’s face contorts in anger and I snort. “Some golden child, huh? Everyone in my family has failed me in some way or another. You blocked my number, and I had no way to contact you when I got out of Hidden Hills. I needed you.”
“I didn’t know your number was blocked,” Jacob mumbles. “Not initially. I made the mistake of leaving my phone unlocked when I was playing with Kara. Isabella must have blocked it. I swear it. I went to call you to tell you I was coming to the school with Angel, and that’s when I realized. I felt awful when I wondered how many times you may have tried—”
“Thirty-seven times,” I interrupt him. “I tried to call you, and kept calling, hoping you’d unblock me.”
“Little Sinner, if you hadn’t been able to call Jacob, we may not have found you in time,” Levi says, his eyes filled with sorrow.
“I was broken, and there was only one other person that I knew who would protect my baby girl,” I explain honestly. “In my mind, I had no one else. You may not have been there for me, but you’re the only person between evil and my baby.”
“We all would have lost you,” Jacob says in shock. I don’t think it really hit him until now that he was my only lifeline. I didn’t even trust the guys because of Ash. “Chastity, I didn’t know any of that. I’ve been working with Levi to protect you, and now I want to take a bigger role in helping you. I just didn’t know if you’d want me to.”
I stare at him as he winces, realizing how dumb he sounds. “All I ever wanted was for you to stand up for me when I couldn’t. I don’t entirely know if it’s what I want now. I need space from Grandmother until I get married to Levi, ensuring she will no longer be able to remand me into the care of mental health professionals without my consent. She wants to shut me up and keep any scandal quiet. I have news for all of you: I am done being the quiet, broken, little mouse,” I explain. “I’ll stay here for a couple of days, and maybe we can make the wedding happen sooner?”
Levi appears chagrined as he looks up at me. “Baby, your grandmother is making this a slightly bigger deal than we expected. She refuses to have a shotgun wedding, as she calls it. So Mother Superior is insisting on a week before this happens,” he complains.
“Is it really going to be that terrible to stay here?” Jacob asks. “I’ll be working most of the time, and my housekeeper keeps the fridge stocked. You’ve been running on adrenaline and fear for a long time, Chas. Just… give yourself a break.”
My lips twist before I decide to stick with the plan. “Fine,” I sigh.
Levi stands, pulling me up gently. “Call me whenever you want, or one of the other guys. Please remember to take your medication, or you’re going to hurt more than you need to. Do not be a martyr, Little Sinner. Do you want me to stay with you? You mentioned that you wanted me to…”
“She’ll be fine, Levi. And I don’t really like that nickname,” Jacob grumbles.
“I don’t care,” I tell him over my shoulder. I am starting to feel uncomfortable. “No, Levi, I really think I’ll be fine. I just… I don’t know when I can next take my medication, and I’m starting to hurt.”
Levi checks the time, cursing under his breath. “You were supposed to take it when we got here. Let me grab you some water, settle you into your room, and then you can take your pills, okay?”
Levi walks quickly to the kitchen, and Jacob stands next to me as he watches.
“I’ve known Levi for years, and I’ve never seen him pay attention to anyone the way he does with you,” Jacob says under his breath.
“I am the bratty golden child,” I snark, rolling my eyes.
“Chastity,” he groans. “Are you ever going to forgive me?”
