She drew in a bracing breath. “Long story short, my home life sucked. My mother decided the grass really was greener elsewhere. My older brother thought boot camp would be better than life at the Kendall house. My much smarter older sister ran off to college the second she got a dazzling scholarship overseas, leaving me alone with a guy who would never win father-of-the-year awards. It wasn’t like I loved high school. And I hated being reminded everywhere that I wasn’t as good as my siblings. Since dear old dad wasn’t shy about telling me that I wasn’t worth the food he had to feed me, I made his miserable life better by taking a hike.” She grimaced, then gulped down half her wine. “God, every word of that was like ripping out my entrails and lighting them on fire.”
While he could have done without the snark, in reading between the lines, her explanation told him a great deal. Everyone she’d ever cared about had left her. “How old were you when your mother left?
“Nine.”
“And…?”
“And…before that, things hadn’t been rosy, but they hadn’t been terrible, either. My grandparents had died the year before, and she’d been really depressed. Then I woke up one morning and she was gone. Never called, never came home. Just packed a bag and walked out. To this day, I don’t know what happened to her.”
“Were you close to her, lass?”
Raine took a really long time answering. “I thought so.”
And the fact that her own mother had simply left without a word had blindsided her. “What about your father? Did he abuse you physically? Mentally?” Liam paused. “Sexually?”
“Gee, don’t want to pry me open all at once or anything?”
He raised a brow at her and started to open the jar of pickles. She winced.
“Sorry. Sarcasm is a reflex. I’ve used it to drive people off for a long time. Just...”
Liam set the jar aside again. “I’m a patient man, but I’ll warn you to watch your tone. Answer me now.”
“My dad didn’t...touch me like that.” She swallowed, looking down, face nervous. “He actually didn’t do much more than belittle everyone. At least that’s what I thought. My brother always had bruises, but he’d say that he’d gotten into fights after school. Then my sister started getting them after my brother had gone to boot camp. But she’d just tell me that cheerleading was tougher than it looked. When she left, too... I found out that I shouldn’t mess with Dad’s temper. I just never got good at holding my tongue.
“One night after we fought, I got a concussion and a broken wrist. He told the people at the ER that I’d fallen, but they didn’t believe him. He dragged me out, mad all over again. He said he wouldn’t go to jail for disciplining his stupidest, most willful...” She dissolved into silence, looking at her hands wringing in her lap. The sight tore at his heart. Then she shook her head. “You get the picture. I’m not hungry after all. Can I go back upstairs?”
So she could escape again? He bent to her and adjusted her to face him, then tilted her chin upward, forcing her to look his way. “No, don’t shut me out.” He kissed her forehead and rubbed her arms lightly. “Thank you for the trust you’ve given me so far. I’m so proud of you right now. I know that was difficult. I promise you, I’m right here and not going anywhere.”
“Thank you,” she murmured, not meeting his gaze. “I’m so grateful…and more, but I don’t know how to say it.”
Just as he wanted it. He’d keep chipping away at her barriers until he found a place in her heart. She seemed to have made one in his already.
“I trust you’ll find the words eventually. Eat here with me now. You did such a wonderful job of preparing us a feast.” He smiled. “Let’s share it.”
With a tired nod, she focused on the plate he set in front of her before he tucked the pickles back in the refrigerator.
Liam sat and dug into his steak. “Perfect, as always. Thank you, lass.”
Everything she’d cooked was superb. The bread crunched just enough when he bit into it. The salad was crisp, the meat savory. The vegetables had a burst of flavor. Raine was at home in the kitchen. Hammer’s words about her being made for marriage floated through his brain again. At the time, he hadn’t given it much thought, but Liam could see now that she would flourish with stability, with a man who committed to her and would be there day in and out.
He had no desire to marry.
A problem for later. No sense in borrowing trouble now.
“I think it’s time I shared something painful from my past with you, Raine. I rarely do this, but you’ve been such a brave wee beauty. I would have you know more about me. It might help you understand. Don’t get ideas, mind you. This is something I’m choosing to give.”