Chapter 0032
BAILEE
I had just put Brinley down in her new bed when I heard voices downstairs. My back went rigid, and the hairs on my arms stood in terror as I scanned my surroundings for something I could use as a weapon. Only the hallway was bare except for a few picture
frames.
There was nothing for me to use to protect Brinley.
“Have you talked to her about it?” The low, deep rumble drifted up the stairs as I reached up to grab a picture of Ben on the ice during one of his games, prepared to swing it like a bat if needed. I sighed in relief at the familiar sound of his voice. “Does she know?”
“Ben!” I breathed with excitement before rushing down the hall.
“No, she doesn’t.” Alexander’s voice made me stop short, and I hated that I felt my cheeks warm just from knowing he was here. “But I really don’t think she will care.”
I couldn’t let myself fall into his trap again.
I refused.
“Doesn’t matter. Let’s keep it that way. I can’t lose her again.” Ben said softly. “Nothing has changed.’
I wanted to know what they were talking about, but I also wanted to protect their privacy. Alex had said that Ben was going through a hard time, and I didn’t want to accidentally overhear anything he wasn’t ready for me to know.
“Ben?” I called out, and their conversation stopped as I jogged down the stairs.
I couldn’t help the tears that formed in my eyes at seeing him. His green eyes settled on me, and a smile stretched across his face when I launched myself off the bottom step and into his arms.
“Hey!” He exclaimed, his arms tight around me. “Did I wake you?”
“No, I just got Brinley to sleep.” I cried into his chest, holding onto him tightly.
His hug was exactly what I had needed for the past couple of years. I had missed my big brother.
Realizing how distant we had become made me hate Caleb that much more.
“Hey now, come on! Don’t be rubbing your snot on my shirt.” Ben laughed, but I knew he was joking because he didn’t pull away. In fact, he held me tighter as I clutched onto him for dear life. “Alex brought dinner. You hungry?”
I felt him move to look down at me after a few minutes, but I didn’t pull away. It was therapeutic to be held by him.
My husband hadn’t even held me like this in years.
“Oh, Bailee. What did he do to you?” Ben whispered, running his hand over the back of my head. “I haven’t seen you cry like this since…”
Alexander. But I wasn’t even sure Ben knew it was Alexander who had caused my depression at the end of my junior year of high
school.
Caleb broke me, but Alexander had shattered me.
I was grateful when Ben stopped speaking. I didn’t want Alex to get the satisfaction of hearing how much he had hurt me.
There was noise coming from the kitchen, the sound of ceramic dishes clanging together as they were pulled from the dishwasher, so I knew Alex was trying to give us privacy, but he could still hear us.
1/2
After a few minutes, I pulled back, tooking down as I wiped my cheeks and attempted to discretely do the same under my nose.
“Why is Kingston here?” I asked, sniffling. Ben’s head fell back in annoyance. He had hated when we bickered, but we had been doing it since we first met when I was fourteen and Alexander was fifteen.
“He was my ride from the airport. I didn’t want to pay for parking there while I was gone.”
“You have money,” I said and pursed my lips at him. Grateful that he made sure me and Brinley were taken care of, but also frustrated that he had just given away so much money when he was cutting costs in other places.
“And saving my money is exactly why I still have it. Come on, let’s go eat.”
“Hey Bailee,” Alexander greeted as we entered the kitchen, only he sounded smug.
When I saw the spot of red out of the corner of my eyes, heat rushed up my chest and neck.
On the counter sat the partial bouquet that counted back to the day our relationship had ended. I hadn’t planned on keeping it, but that one felt special, and even though I hated that he had tried to bury me alive in my office today, I couldn’t let that one go.
“Where did the flowers come from? Don’t tell me Caleb is trying to win you back.” Ben groaned before looking back over his
akaulder touard the stairs.
