Working On Love (The Griffin Brothers Book 6) by Crystal Perkins Page A

but he hasn’t tried to
contact me and I’ve forced myself to not look pathetic by calling
or texting someone who is so obviously over me.
    I’ve let the girls
set me up on a few blind dates. I didn’t click with any of them.
They were all hot, and successful, but they’re not him. Miles has
ruined me for every other man on Earth.
    I try to clear my head
as I walk into the Society room for the emergency meeting Jane
called. No one has any idea what’s going on, but they’re all
excited at the prospect of a new mission. It’s rare that everyone’s
called in at once, so the excitement level is even higher.
    I take my seat.
Everyone’s here except for Jane and Matt. I hear the door close
behind me and turn to see them, along with Jessica.
    “Thank you all for
coming. I know you’re expecting a mission. There will be more than
one. My family needs help from all of you, especially Alex.”
    “Me? I don’t know
how to go on a mission. I’m just supposed to work the front desk.”
    “You’re the only
one who can save my son from destroying himself.”
    “She’s not going
anywhere near Miles,” Tegan tells her.
    “That’s not for you
to decide. Now let Jessica speak. What she has to tell you may change
your mind about what you think happened to Miles. And Alex.” Jane
glares, and no one dares to challenge her.
    I see her take a deep
breath, and then Matt squeezes her hand and kisses the side of her
head. “My ex-husband beat me. Often. I let it go on because I was
scared that if I said anything, the consequences would be too much to
deal with. I thought no one would believe me and then Martin would
get custody of Miles. I knew if that happened, he would beat my
little boy. I had to protect him.
    “When he became
older, he tried to intervene on a couple of occasions. Once was
during the summer, and I think he told Alex.”
    “He did. He said his
dad hit him because he did something wrong. He wouldn’t tell me
what it was.”
    “He was trying to
defend me. He wasn’t strong enough yet, and his father hurt him.
Not just physically. Martin told Miles that he’d never be able to
protect me or anyone one else he loved from him. I begged Miles to
never interfere for me again. He begged me to tell Jane, or even
Matt. He said his older brother would help, even if he wasn’t my
biological son. I was still scared, so I refused.
    “Martin started
spending more and more time away from home over the next year. Miles
was away at military school and asked for permission to take martial
arts classes off campus. Martin knew that if he became too strong,
he’d fight back. Fight for me. So he had a doctor friend say that
Miles had severe asthma and couldn’t participate in sports or use
the weight room. I gave my son the permission to take the class,
which almost cost us all everything.
    “The next summer,
when Miles turned eighteen, I saw the change in how he looked at
Alex. I knew he was in love with her. It made me so happy. Their age
difference was an issue then, but it wouldn’t matter in a few
years, and they were such good friends. I knew they’d stay in
touch. Until I ruined it all.”
    “How did you ruin it?
He was the one who left and didn’t speak to me for six years.”
    She turns to me as she
explains. “I was talking to him about it, about you, when his
father walked in for a surprise visit. He was furious, thinking Miles
would disgrace us by pursuing you and that he would lose the deal for
Gary to build the latest Corrigan building. Miles told him he
wouldn’t touch you until you were old enough.” She pauses and
closes her eyes for a minute. “Then Martin started saying things
about you, Alex. Disgusting, vile things. Miles, well, Miles went
crazy. I’ve never seen him look the way he did that night. He was
full of rage, and although I wouldn’t let him protect me, there was
nothing I could say or do to stop him from protecting you. He used
all the skills he’d learned and almost killed