Chapter 42

Whatever the circumstances may be, I understood that moments like these would provide me with the strength I needed to carry on when life took a turn for the worse. I craved something solid and inherently good to cling to, and I believed I had found it. In Xavier. In Leonard. I treasured what they meant to me.

Although Xavier baffled me at times—his behavior often suggested he might possess some sort of multiple personality disorder—I knew without a doubt that he would never cause me harm. Unlike my father or Andrew, he would never inflict that kind of pain upon me. Never.

When Leonard noticed my hesitation as I stared at the food still resting in the frying pans before me, I heard him emit a soft laugh. He rose from his seat and leaned over the table, effortlessly scooping a generous helping of scrambled eggs onto my plate, followed by three crisp rashers of bacon. Without missing a beat, he proceeded to butter a slice of toast for me.

The aroma was heavenly. I fo