Page 78 of Stroked Hard
“Can I say something?”
Not like I can stop him, he’s probably going to say whatever is on his mind anyway. I nod, giving him the go ahead.
“Your mom gave me a brief overview of what happened, of what your father did. She didn’t go into detail, just said he destroyed your ability to trust men.” Of course she did. I know she wants what’s best for me, but how does she even know what that is?
“I want you to know something, Melony, and I want you to actually listen to me, to absorb the words I’m about to say to you. Can you do that?” His voice is so close to my ear, so deep, so kind, it sends ripples of goosebumps across my skin.
“Yep,” I squeak out.
He kisses my temple. “Good.” He takes a deep breath. “Your dad’s a dick. He gives men a bad name, a bad reputation. He’s a selfish prick who didn’t know how good he had it. Just from the brief moment I spent with your mom, I could tell she is strong and beautiful just like you. Any man would be lucky to call her his.” He kisses my cheek and slowly moves my body so I’m lying on my back and he’s hovering over me. Through my tear-stained eyes, I see so much warmth in his expression. Softly, his thumbs wipe away the dew from my eyes, the caress so sweet that it makes me want to cry again.
“As for you, it’s his loss for choosing not to watch you turn into a gorgeously intelligent and breathtaking woman.” He kisses my forehead gently and then looks me directly in the eyes. “I see your scars, baby. I see the worry, the reservations you feel about jumping into a relationship, of putting trust in another man, of lending your heart to another person to handle. I understand you, baby.”
Lowering himself, he presses a whisper of a kiss along my lips, and the sensation lightens the dark cloud hanging over me. I hate to admit it, but he does make me feel lighter, happier.
“I can understand how you associate what your dad did to you to every other man to walk in your life.”
I bite my bottom lip and I say, “I wasn’t good enough for him to stay.” I can feel the quiver, the tears starting to form again.Hold them back, Mel. Hold them back.
“No,” Hollis says with a hint of anger. “He was a piece of shit who took off, leaving two perfect pieces of heaven behind. Do not blame yourself for his shortcomings.”
“Why didn’t he want to stay?” Tears fall from my eyes. The expression on his face softens.Why does he have to be so gorgeous?
His hand caresses my face as he speaks. “I don’t know, baby. Some men are too insecure to face what’s wrong withthem, so they leave. It has nothing to do withyouand everything to do with him. Do you hear me? It hasnothingto do with you andeverythingto do with him.”
I nod, trying to hear the words he’s saying.
But I still feel like I was part of the reason he left. He didn’t want Mom, but why didn’t he want me? If I was so great, then he would have stayed . . .right?
Chapter Seventeen
HOLLIS
Do my girl justice, Hollis. Make her feel special again.
Those were Carla’s parting words before she stepped out of Melony’s apartment. Before going to Melony, I cleaned up the uneaten Chinese, put it in her fridge and straightened up the kitchen, the whole time rehearsing what I was going to say to Melony.
He left them. He left her. Fuckwit.
Fuck her father.
Fuck any man that’s ever left a child behind.
As a parent, it’s your job no matter the circumstances, to be the best you can be for your child. You brought them into this world, so they shouldn’t be the ones who suffer because of your flaws and insecurities.
I grew up with two parents who loved me unconditionally, who made it their mission to teach me the value in family, in love, in what it means to spend your life with another human being, sharing in each other’s wins and losses. They showed me what it’s like to find your one true love and how to hold on to them through thick and thin.
I want what they have. I want to prove to them that despite my flaws and my mistakes, I can still be a man they would be proud of.
I want to be a man Melony would be proud of. A man she can trust. I want to be the man she can hand her heart over to, and fuck if I won’t treat it like it’s a piece of delicate glass.
“It has everything do with him,” I repeat.
Her watery eyes search mine. It kills me to see her so upset, but on the other hand, I can’t help but love seeing her open up slightly to me. She’s letting me see a side of her I wasn’t privy to earlier.
“Hollis,” she says on a whisper.
I cup her cheek and speak softly. “Let me be the man you deserve, Melony. Let me show you how much you should be treasured.”
