Chapter 20 I want to get in your lap

“Later” ended up being three hours later, after Liam was tucked into his bed.

“You wanted to talk to me?” Zoe asked, closing the door to Martin’s office.

Martin nodded without looking up from his laptop. “If Liam talks to you, could you ask him why he’s scared of me hurting you?”

Frowning, Zoe walked over and leaned her hip against the desk by Martin’s chair. “I thought you said he was scared of you because you and his mother fought all the time?”

Martin lifted his gaze from the laptop and fixed her with a heavy look. “Yes, we fought a lot—verbally. I never physically hurt her. But today I got the impression that he was afraid of me physically hurting you. I want to know why.”

Zoe chewed on her lip. “Do you think he saw someone hurt his mother?”

A deep furrow appeared between Martin’s brows. “Maybe. She had him for months before I got custody. It’s possible that he saw someone who looked like me beat her. The type of company she kept wasn’t exactly reputable.”