Jaded Hearts
Chapter 84

Matt

“Hey, tesoro, where are you ladies going?”

She had Genesis lying in the middle of the bed and was packing her diaper bag.

“We’re going to visit your parents. I need to thank James for the dress, and I have something important to ask him.”

“I’m sure he already knows how thankful you are, baby. You didn’t need to make a special trip.”

“I do. A call or text can’t express how much that dress means to me.”

She looked me over and frowned. “Is that what you’re wearing?”

“Am I going too?”

“I said ‘we’re going,’ that means all three of us,” she replied.

“I misunderstood. Give me a few minutes to change.”

She smiled brightly at me, then sat down to snuggle the baby. I just watched them for a few seconds. They looked so much alike, and it was clear that Gigi adored her mom. It was hard to believe that I could love two people so fiercely.

“You’ve got our entire lives to stare at us, babe. Go change.”

“Sorry, I’ll be right back.”

When we reached the house, my parents were in the kitchen making lunch.

“Hi, sweeties! I didn’t know you were visiting today. I would’ve had something ready for you,” my mom said when she saw us walk through the door.

“You don’t have to feed us every time we come over, Giana. Not that I’m complaining, though,” Taylor replied.

She took Gigi out of her car seat and placed her in the small bassinet mom had in the kitchen. She had at least five of those things spread around the house.

“So, what brings you guys over?” Dad asked.

Taylor walked over and wrapped her arms around him. “Thank you so much, James. You have no idea how grateful I am for you. And the dress is perfect.”

“You’re more than welcome. I’m happy I was able to do that for you,” he replied as he kissed her head.

“You were never this nice when we were kids. It’s strange to see really,” I said.

“I guess I was meant to have daughters; they bring out my gentler side.”

“Speaking of daughters, I had something I wanted to ask you,” Taylor said nervously.

“I’m sure the answer will be yes, but ask away.”

“I was hoping you would give me away at the wedding since my dad isn’t here to do it.”

Mom and Dad both stopped what they were doing and looked at Taylor. I honestly didn’t know what his answer would be. When she began to pull her l*p, I knew she was getting nervous.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to, I just thought I’d ask,” she said.

She sounded so small. I wanted to wrap her in a hug and let her know that everything would be okay.

“I would be honored, sweetheart. Truly honored. Thank you,” Dad finally replied.

“Really?”

He smiled. “Really.”

“Oh, thank god! This must be what Matt felt like when he proposed. I’ve never been more nervous in my life.” She slumped down in a nearby chair and took a deep breath.

“Who was nervous? I knew you couldn’t say no to me,” I joked.

“Yeah, sure. So now that that’s out of the way, what’s for lunch?”

Taylor walked over to the island and propped herself on one of the stools, leaning over intently while watching them both work and chatting the entire time. She was so comfortable around them, you would think I was the one marrying into the family.

“So, when do we get another grandbaby? This little one is so perfect, but I think she could use a brother,” Dad said.

“Uhh …”

I wasn’t stepping on that land mine. I would let her answer.

“We’ve got a lot going on right now, so maybe next year after the wedding and everything settles down. That work for you?” she turned to me and asked.

I’d give her as many as she wanted, whenever she wanted them. “That’s perfect, tesoro.”

* * *

Taylor

“I’m pretty sure I’m in love with your dad. I just thought I would let you know.”

I smiled over at Matt, who was driving us back to the house. I was so relieved that James agreed to give me away. After my parents died, I made the decision to walk down alone, but something told me that he was the better choice.

“The feeling’s mutual, angel. He barely even talks to Gio’s mate, Sasha, but he hangs on your every word.”

“Maybe Sasha just needs to get drunk and name Gio’s d**k in front of him. It worked for me.”

“That was horrible! I’ve never been so embarrassed before,” he laughed.

“If I would’ve been sober, I would have been just as embarrassed.”

Thinking over our relationship made me realize just how different he and Tyson were. Total opposites. Matt was a serious family man. From his parents to the pack, and now with Gigi and me. He was the perfect “good guy” from head to toe.

Tyson never talked about his family, and I still didn’t know if he wanted children. And unless you knew the real him, no one would ever call him a “good guy.” How could I be so completely in love with two completely different men?

“What are you thinking about, tesoro?”

“How lucky I am. That’s all.”

* * *

When we got home, Matt had some work to do and headed off to his office.

James refused to let us leave with Gigi, so I was on my own and decided to go talk with Tyson.

“Cuddle bear! Where are you?” I yelled as I walked in.

“Office!”

When I walked in, I smiled.

“Hey, sunshine. I love you, but please don’t call me ‘cuddle bear’ outside of these walls. I’ve got a reputation to uphold.”

“But you are my cuddle bear. It suits you.”

“Lies. So, what’s up? Did you have a good day?” He walked around the desk, then leaned down to k**s my neck.

“Yes, it was perfect. What have you been up to?”

He lifted me up and sat me on the edge of the desk before settling himself between my legs. “I’ve been missing my beautiful girlfriend, that’s all.”

When he grabbed my h**s and pulled me towards him, I almost forgot what I wanted to talk to him about. I placed my hands on either side of his face and looked up into his eyes. “I want to talk to you.”

He looked nervous and took a few steps back.

“Is everything okay? Is it about Aires? We can replace someone else.”

“Relax. I like Aires. This isn’t about her.”

“And we’re good?”

“Unless you know something I don’t?” I asked.

“Nah. It’s just that ‘talks’ have a reputation for turning out badly.”

“I just wanted to ask about your family, that’s all,” I told him.

“My family? You’re my family, baby.”

“Your parents. Where are they?”

“Why do you want to know about my parents, sunshine? I haven’t seen them in years.”

“Because family is important to me. It’s a support system, and we all need support from time to time. I want to know who supports you.”

He stepped closer and wrapped his arms around me. “You support me. From the moment I got here, you’ve been taking care of me, and you didn’t even know it. All I need is you, princess.”

I looked him in the eye and saw the hurt. Something had happened, but he was holding it in.

“Tyson, you can trust me with anything. There’s nothing you can tell me that’ll make me think or feel any differently about you, but I won’t push. When you’re ready to talk about them, I’ll be happy to listen.”

“Come with me, sunshine. I won’t keep my past from you, but I’ll need a drink to tell this story.”

* * *

Tyson

I knew I’d have to tell her eventually. I saw how close she was with Matt’s parents, and since she’d just lost her own, it only made sense that she would be curious about mine. Hopefully, she would still love me once she knew. I prayed she wouldn’t be afraid of me.

We walked to the kitchen, and I poured myself a glass of bourbon and cracked open the wine for her. She’d need something to help her hear what I was about to say.

“My parents didn’t have the best relationship. They weren’t partners, but when Mom got pregnant with me, they decided to get married. I don’t know what happened to their true partners. Neither one ever wanted to talk about them.

“You saw how I was when I first got here. Violent, pissed off, and out for b***d. And you know that it was because I was away from you. I needed you.”

I drained my glass and poured another. I never wanted to tell anyone this, but my love for this woman wouldn’t let me deny her the truth.

“Mom tried to put on a brave face around me, but I knew she was unhappy. When I was a kid, I didn’t see the signs, but as I got older, I noticed the bruises, black eyes, and occasional broken bones.

“Sometimes, I’d stay with Morgan and Mitchell for weeks because she didn’t want me to see her limping around while she tried to heal, and as I got closer to coming of age, I began begging her to leave Dad. But she didn’t want me to grow up in a broken home, so she stayed, and he continued to put his hands on her.

“When I left home and began to make money by fighting, I bought a new place for her. She didn’t have to work or anything; she just needed to stay safe. He didn’t love her, but after eighteen years, he needed someone to take his anger out on, so he found her. That man beat my mother so bad for leaving him that she almost died. He was angry because she felt that she deserved to be happy.

“I couldn’t take it anymore. I couldn’t keep seeing her like that, so I killed him. I was an eighteen-year-old bear in top shape, and he was an old belligerent drunk. I barely even broke a sweat.”

I looked at my angel and watched the silent tears falling from her eyes. She’d lived the same nightmare, so this was probably even harder for her to hear. She knew what it was like to be some piece of s**t’s punching bag just because they were unhappy with themselves.

“I never knew. She always had a smile on her face when she was around us. She hid it well, but after a while, hiding bruises becomes just as normal as brushing your teeth.”

“That man’s b***d runs through my veins, and it terrifies me that I could one day become like him. That’s why I refused to date anyone besides you, why I was so quick to switch sides and help murder Drew for what he did to you, and why I was so afraid that I could hurt you. My father was a monster.… Maybe I am too.”

“I don’t believe that. If you were like him, you wouldn’t have tried so hard to get her out. You knew what was going on was wrong, and you did what you could to stop it. Some people can’t be saved, and he was one of them,” she said.

“You’re not afraid of me? Afraid that I could one day become him?”

“I could never be afraid of you. And I’m not making excuses for him, at all, but he was missing his partner. That’s what drove him to do such horrible things. You have me, and you’ll always have me.”

She walked behind me and wrapped her arms around my chest. “You really are my cuddle bear. Deep down, you’re a good guy, even if you don’t show it to other people.”

“Just keep that between us, please.”