Free Savage Scheme by J. Woods Page A

but he needed her to say something, anything. “What made you change your mind?” he finally asked her.
    "So... Roxy is your sister. And a pilot. And that’s supposed to explain the private jet." 
    He winked at her, concealing his frown at the question in her statement, but allowed her to change the subject. She would tell him, eventually. She was very good, he realized, at hiding her emotions, her feelings. But he knew by the tension that was almost palpable that something had happened in the time that he dropped her off and she showed up at the airport. "She is. Don't worry, you're in good hands - she's the best pilot I know." He watched as Libby stared at him as if seeing something she hadn't before. 
    "Tell me more about your family. Is Roxy your only sibling?" 
    He felt the bubble of laughter in his throat. "No, although sometimes I think that would be easier," he teased. "I have six other brothers and sisters besides Rox." 
    "Six!" She squeaked, shocked. "Sometimes I wish I had a big family like that, I bet you always had someone to play with." 
    "Absolutely, but there was always someone to fight with too," he told her, laughing. 
    "And where do you fit on the totem pole?" 
    "Around the middle. Aiden is the oldest, and then there is Logan and Max, then Cameron, my sister, then me and my twin sister Stella, Luke then Roxy." 
    "You have a twin?"
    "I do. I have amazing relationships with all my brothers and sisters, but Stella and I have a different kind of relationship. Twin bond and all," he said, shrugging his shoulders.
    “Are you two very much alike?”
    “Oh she will tell you she is much smarter than me, and I will tend to agree with her. She is a brilliant doctor. Which is actually great to have in the family since my brothers and I tend to get into trouble every now and then.”
    “And what kind of trouble is that?”
    “The kind that needs a doctor who knows how to make scars look less intimidating but still bad ass.” He loved hearing her laugh.
    “What was it like?” she asked. He looked at her with a frown, not sure of her question. “Growing up around so much family.”
    He took a deep breath thinking back on his childhood realizing hers was probably the polar opposite. While his was always chaotic, there was always love. For every scraped knee or blackened eye, there were stern lectures followed by warmth and a mother's kisses to make everything better. Without thinking, he reached for her hand and entwined their fingers together before bringing them up to his lips, brushing a soft kiss against her knuckles. “It wasn’t always sunshine and roses,” he started. “My mom was a single mother with four kids - me, Stella, Logan, and Aiden. It wasn’t until I was six that she met my dad and married. That’s when our family doubled in size because he was a single dad with four kids of his own. It was hard before my mom met David. She struggled and Aiden tried to help out as much as he could, doing whatever odd job he could pick up, paper route, mowing lawns, anything anyone would pay an eleven-year-old to do. He was an instant man of the house and it was a lot for him to handle. Stella and I were so young, but we were at an age that we knew what was going on.”
    “What happened to your father?” she asked softly, her thumb tracing invisible circles against his skin. It was oddly relaxing. There was something about Libby that made him want to tell her about his past. He’d never spoken to anyone about how he felt when his father had left, not even his mother. It was a dark shadow that crept into his soul, a memory he knew no six-year-old should ever have to carry.
    “He’s not my father, he’s just some man, a coward who was useful for one thing - being a sperm donor.” He knew his words came out harsh, gravelly.
    “I’m sorry,” she whispered. He closed his eyes briefly and shook his head in an effort to get rid of the darkness that was encroaching at memories of the past.
    “I