Chapter 0016
BAILEE
I had turned in my seat, staring through the back window as the cops surrounded Alex, shoving him to the ground and forcing his arms behind his back
My heart ached from the sight, and tears welled in my eyes as I savored the fact that I had someone in my corner, even if it were only for a few minutes. I owed Alex for what he had just done, and I hated that he was being arrested for defending me
and Brinley.
By the time we pulled up to my brother’s house, one way too large for only one person, Brinley’s forehead had cooled, and she was dozing in and out of sleep. I had held her to my chest tightly, terrified that we would be in a car accident and she would
be sent flying without a car seat.
“Baby, we’re going to stay in Uncle Ben’s house for a little bit,” I whispered, wanting her to know where she was even though she was falling asleep. It would be terrifying for her to wake up in a strange place in the morning
“Uncle Ben?” She asked, her excitement muffled by her exhaustion.
“Let’s get you into bed, and we’ll see Uncle Ben soon,” I said as Bash unlocked the door and gestured for us to enter first.
The house looked sterile; not a single thing was out of place. If this was how he preferred to keep it, it would probably bother him to see the kind of mess a toddler could make within a few minutes.
Ignoring my concern for invading Ben’s space, I walked down the hallway, checking multiple doors, before I found a guest. room on the first floor and put Brinley in bed. Carefully, I placed two of the decorative pillows under the sheets on either side of her to keep her from rolling out of bed in the middle of the night.
After placing a kiss on her forehead, I left her room to find Mason and Bash were gone. Thankfully, I knew Ben’s cars would be in the garage, and after a quick search, I found the keys hanging on the wall by the garage door.
I crossed my fingers that it was for his Range Rover. I had always wanted to drive one, but Caleb said it was a waste of money. With an excited smile, 1 bounced to the SUV to look inside.
It was stunning
Ben hadn’t spent much time with Brinley, let alone taken her for a car ride, but as I opened the car door, the dome light turned on, and my eyes welled up with tears.
In the back seat, there was a brand–new car seat. It had a light layer of dust on it and was still set up to be rear–facing for a newborn, so I knew it had been there for a long time untouched.
My heart clenched
We might not have been close, but he was a good brother and uncle. I closed the door softly before walking back into the house, wiping my tears as I did so and pulling out my phone,
To Ben. Hey. I’m sure you got the alert from your security cameras, but I’m at your house. I’m in a bad situation right now, and we need a place to stay until I figure things out. I can be out before you get home if you want, but would it be okay for Brinley and me to stay here until you get back?
How would Caleb’s lies affect–Ben’s career? Was the media hounding him about his allegedly abusive and scandalous little sister?
I bit my thumbnail as I moved to sit at the kitchen island before spotting the black card on the counter.
I laughed bitterly as I picked up the credit card with Alexander’s name on it. I didn’t want a dime from him
I would rather go to a loan shark and take out money money.
with a 5
a 50% interest rate than spend a dime of Alexander Kingston’s
#25 BONUS
I already owed him for w what he had just done for me and Brinley, and I refused to take anything else from him, no matter how sweet the gesture was. He was messing with my head, and I didn’t know how to handle it.
He had made it clear years ago that he wanted nothing to do with me, so why was he inserting himself into my life now? He could have just let me walk away at the bar and I would have been none–the–wiser that he had even been there with how distracted I had been.
Instead, he was now on my mind and driving me crazy again
My phone vibrated loudly on the counter, and I felt relieved when I saw Ben’s picture and name.
I swiped to answer, immediately ready to plead my case, but tears came out instead. They were the first real ones I had cried since finding Caleb with Lorna
“Ben,” I sobbed..
“Oh, Bailee,” The soft sigh made me cry even harder, and my hand tightened on the phone. “Why didn’t you tell me?
LII gasped between sobs and heard Ben sigh sadly.
“Bailes, I’m here Just take a deep breath.” His soft voice was muffled. “You’re safe. You and Brinley can stay with me as long as you would like. She has her own room already, upstairs, third door on the right. We’ll have to update some things. I’m sure she’s taller than the last time I saw her and won’t be able to sleep in a crib. Probably in a different size diaper, too. Does she wear diapers anymore?”
“Only at night.” I choked out
Hearing how much he loved my little girl only made my sobbing get worse.
Ben had a car seat strapped in. He had made a room for her.
Yet, I hadn’t included him in her life because I had been so focused on making my husband happy that I shut out everyone else important to me. When Caleb got off work, he expected me to be there. If I had to work late or needed to go run errands when I was supposed to be doing my wifely duties by cooking, cleaning, or fucking him, he would get angry.
When I got home, he would stand over me as I sat on the couch and scream in my face.
And I would take it because, until recently, I was convinced I deserved it that I was a failure as a wife, and his warranted
Meanwhile, my brother had been here, loving a niece he hadn’t spent any time with
“Ben, what do I do?” I asked.
anger
ger was
