Chapter 27

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

FINN

As the adrenaline wears off, I begin to shake, and Monster holds me close, allowing me to sit in his lap.

“I’m sorry you had to witness that,” I murmur against his chest.

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Monster assures me while gently rubbing my back.

“But I do,” Grandpa says as he enters his study. He sits across from me and reaches forward to take my hand. “I should have known the abuse was worse than you were telling me, but I didn’t want to believe it could be that bad. I’m sorry for making you face them all these years. I feel like a horrible person.”

Tears start to stream down my face as he talks.

“You couldn’t have known because I lied,” I tell him with a shaky voice. “I told you that they just didn’t approve of me being gay and kicked me out. I didn’t tell you how bad it really was. I didn’t want you to have that burden on your shoulders. You rescued me and gave me a loving home, and that’s all you could do.”

“How bad was the abuse?” Grandpa asks, and I stare at the floor, avoiding eye contact.

“Me retelling the stories won’t stop them from happening since the past can’t be undone,” I start, not wanting to relive those events again. “It was a lot worse than I led you to believe, and I’m sorry for lying to you.”

“I’m sorry for making you face those vile people all these years,” Grandpa whispers. “But I meant what I told your father. They are dead to me, and I will never speak to them again. I will have my lawyer draw up a letter stating that they are no longer in the will, and if they try to contact us, we will get a restraining order in place. I’m sorry I didn’t do a better job at protecting you.”

“Please don’t beat yourself up too much,” I plead. “You are an amazing man, and I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for you. I love you, Grandpa.”

“I love you too, Finn, more than words can describe.”

We sit in silence for a few minutes before my eyes start to become heavy and I know that I need to go to bed.

“Why don’t you get some rest, and we can chat a bit more in the morning before you leave,” Grandpa suggests, noticing my exhaustion.

I nod and stand, giving him a hug before Monster, and I head to my room.

“Are you okay?” Monster asks once we are in bed and I’m in his arms.

“I think so,” I reply. “Being in your arms makes everything better.”

“I’m never letting you go,” he promises before kissing my forehead.

A contented smile spreads across my face as I cuddle with my boyfriend. I was embarrassed earlier that Monster had to witness my family acting like complete assholes, but I’m also really glad he’s here. He’s giving me the strength I need to deal with all of these emotions that are rushing through my body. I never thought I needed someone else to lean on, but I’m really glad I have Monster.

When morning comes, I’m extremely happy to be in Monster’s arms. For a moment, I forget all about last night, but unfortunately, that doesn’t last for long, and the memories hit me, making me frown.

“Can we stay in bed forever and act like I don’t come from a shitty household and that my grandpa isn’t blaming himself for what I went through?” I murmur against my sexy giant’s chest.

With a gentle and calming touch, Monster rubs my back and kisses the top of my head.

“I wish that was a possibility, babe,” he whispers, and I sigh.

“Ugh, I really wish that was something we could actually do.”

“Me too, babe, but unfortunately, we have to get up and put one foot in front of the other. Is there anything I can do to make things just a little bit better?” he asks, and I press a kiss to his chest.

“You just being here is enough,” I tell him, loving the way he squeezes me in response.

“Well, how about we get up and get you a cup of coffee? I’m sure that will help put you in a tiny bit of a better mood,” my man suggests, and I can’t help but smile.

We may have only been together for a short amount of time, but he knows me so well.

“Yeah, I think that’s a good idea,” I reply, slowly climbing out of bed and getting dressed.

Monster joins me in putting on his clothes, and once we are presentable, we head down to the kitchen where I’m not surprised to see Grandpa already sitting.

He has dark circles under his eyes, and he looks like he didn’t sleep very well last night, which breaks my heart. This is why I didn’t want him to find out the truth. I knew how much it would eat at him. I knew that he would forget about all the good he did and just dwell on the bad.

“Good morning,” he says quietly with a small smile that doesn’t reach his eyes.

I take a deep breath, pull out a chair across from him, and sit down.

“You need to stop beating yourself up,” I tell him and hold my hand up when he opens his mouth needing to get this out in one go. “You are the best thing that ever happened to me, and yes, what I went through sucks, but you didn’t do it. If you had known what was going on, you would have stepped in sooner. We both know that. But my parents were really good at hiding the truth from everyone. And honestly, I had gotten used to most of the shit they put me through. Obviously, when my father pulled the trigger on me, I knew things had gone too far, and I needed to get out of there. You took me in and gave me an amazing life. I really need you not to overlook all that you gave me. You didn’t do anything wrong. I love you, Grandpa, and I hate seeing you so upset.”

He nods, taking a sip of his coffee, and Monster places a cup in front of me. I was so focused on getting all my words out that I didn’t see him making one. I smile at him, and he dips his chin before sitting next to me.

“Was it torture seeing them at every event?” Grandpa whispers and I shake my head.

“At first, it was overwhelming, but eventually I came to enjoy the false facade they would put on. I knew that they were acting fake because they wanted something, but I also knew that they were never going to get it. It became like a game to me. And I knew as long as I stayed by your side, I would be safe. Because you were my protector and always will be.”

“It looks like you got a new protector now, too,” Grandpa notes, and I grin at my man.

“I do. He’s kind of great,” I say while looking at Monster.

Monster’s entire face lights up as he beams at me, adoration shining behind his eyes.

“I’ll always protect you,” he tells me, causing those pesky butterflies to erupt in my stomach.

I force myself to look back at Grandpa and sit a little taller in my chair. “Okay, with that out of the way, will you stop beating yourself up?” I ask him, and he sighs.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he checks, and I nod.

“I think I’m going to book another therapy session to help work out some of the emotions that have resurfaced, but I promise I’m going to be just fine,” I assure him.

“Okay, then I’ll try to stop beating myself up, but I meant what I said to your family. They are dead to me, and I never want to see them again,” he states firmly.

“I am more than okay with that. I’d be happy to never see them again, too.”

“Well with that agreed on, how about I feed you both some breakfast before you have to hit the road,” Grandpa suggests before getting to work doing just that.

Being with two people who mean the world to me is a great way to spend a morning.