Page 43 of Brassy Bigwig

“Do you have any siblings?”

“I have a younger brother, Egan.”

“Are you close?”

“Very. We don’t talk nearly as much as we used to, as we’re both busy with our businesses, but when we need each other, we’re always there.”

“That’s really nice,” she smiles.

“What about you? Any siblings?”

“I have a half-brother named Lorenzo who is four years younger than me.”

“What about your parents. What are they like?”

She narrows her eyes at me and takes another deep breath followed by guzzling a lot of water, giving me the sense I’ve already breached a touchy subject.

“Wow, I’m sensing a little tension,” I laugh sarcastically. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

“No, it’s okay. I get along great with my dad. But my mom and I aren’t super close anymore. I’ll tell you as long as you can keep up.” She closes one eye and cocks the brow of the other as she slurs another sentence.

“My mother,” she wrinkles her nose before continuing. “Genevieve—”

“Wait a minute. Wait. Are you telling me the whole time we were… together… I was moaning your mother’s name?”

“Unfortunately,” she cringes.

“I bet that was awkward for you,” I laugh. “Out of all of the names you could have chosen, why on earth did you settle on that one?”

She starts cracking up, and it’s one of the most endearing things I’ve ever seen. To see the joy on her face, knowing she’s experiencing it as a result of a conversation we’re having, means more than I ever thought it could.

“Well, first of all, I didn’t expect we would end up doing even a fraction of what we did that night. Second of all, it’s the name I give out all the time to strangers. I’ve never jumped into bed as quickly as I did with you. And I honestly didn’t think I would ever see you again, so I didn’t think telling you my real name actually mattered.”

“I remember you mentioned that earlier today, about not giving your real name to strangers. What happened, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“I met this guy once, who ended up being a total creeper.” The casual way she brushes off what happens doesn't fool me. My thoughts immediately turn dark, and I’m ready to go out and find the asshole who hurt her.

“Nothing super bad happened, thankfully,” she explains.

She must have sensed the air around me shifting.

“But he did stalk me for a little while. Eventually, he got arrested, and I haven’t seen him since.”

“My god. Is he still in jail?”

“I honestly don’t know. Shelby and I have moved since then. I think I’m safe.”

I don’t like knowing there is a possibility that someone is out there who could hurt Chloe. I’m going to need to look in to this guy, but for now, I want to continue our conversation.

“So I’m sorry. You were telling me about your family before I interrupted you.”

“Right… okay, in a nutshell.” She takes a deep breath, filling her lungs completely with air. “My mom cheated on my bio dad, Graham, with his best friend and business partner, Liam. My mom never told Graham she was pregnant, and he thought I was just the lovechild that developed as a result of the affair. When I was four, the man I was raised thinking was my father, Liam, died suddenly of a heart attack. That’s when my mom finally told my dad about me.”

She explains it all in one breath before stopping, and I honestly don’t know how she got it all out without tripping on her words from the alcohol.

“Are you following along so far?” she giggles.

“I think so,” I nod my head slowly.

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