Mr. Cocky (Billionaire Bossholes Book 3) by Leslie North

Author:Leslie North [North, Leslie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-07-19T23:00:00+00:00

21

MAX

I glanced over at Theo as he maneuvered his tricked-out Land Rover into traffic. I hoped he didn’t mind the interruption to his evening, especially for something as distressing as my hysterical mother.

What we were doing was so opposite of what we’d agreed to. Getting involved in my mom’s drama was going to center Theo in my dumpster fire of a family, and I knew it was the last thing I should ask of him. I’d expected him to wave a speedy goodbye when he’d heard what I had to go do. The kindness in his offer to come along shook me to my core.

It seemed like he really wanted to help.

“Tell me what I’m up against,” Theo said. “Is Nick a big guy? Does he get violent?”

“No to both, thank God,” I said quickly.

But then I thought about all of the ways Nick’s behavior had been escalating lately. His confrontations with Rafe were getting worse because my brother seemed to be sick of his shit and realized that he needed to stand up to the man in defense of our mom.

“I guess I should say that he’s never gotten violent that I know of,” I added, glancing at Theo. “To be honest, I’m not sure my mom would tell me if he did. She knows how I feel about him.”

Theo grunted.

I felt safe having him with me, even though I didn’t need his protection. Or at least I hoped I didn’t.

“Is there any way she can get out? I know you said there’s a financial implication, but I can’t imagine her and Rafe being there is healthier than the alternative.”

“This fight might be the push she needs to start thinking about moving on.”

“What’s their backstory? How did they meet?”

“Nick used to be a charmer. Handsome, funny … they met at a friend’s party and she was smitten. I think she was just looking for companionship. A good time to forget about her sadness, you know? But then he started looking after her, buying her things, moving us into his place so we didn’t have to worry about rent. She didn’t have to handle everything on her own anymore, and I think she liked that. They met when I was nine, were married by the time I was ten—and I was eleven when Rafe was born.” I paused, remembering the way my mom’s face used to look when she’d tell the story of how she and Nick got together. Her smile wasn’t genuine. “She’s never come out and said it, but I don’t think it was a love match. Not really. She was grateful to him and she liked the way he treated her—at first, anyway. And then Nick started tightening the screws and the next thing you know, she’s trapped.”

I glanced down at my hands and realized that my fingers were twisted so tightly together that they were turning white. I could feel Theo watching me, and it was a shock when he pulled my hands apart so he could lace his fingers through mine.

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