Chapter One Hundred and Seventy-Seven
The dining room remained quiet for exactly twenty seconds after Kelley walked out before everyone started talking at the same time.
“That was intense,” Sylvie breathed.
“You!” Marley stood up and pointed her finger at Sylvie. “You couldn’t keep your eyes off him the entire time. Get over it, he’ll never love you. He loves her!” Marley pointed at Milana and she turned her glare back to Sylvie.
“Shut up, Marley,” Jesse said softly and pulled her hand toward him so she would sit.
“Is that true?” Mason asked as he looked at Sylvie. “Are you still in love with Kelley?”
Sylvie didn't say anything and Mason got the feeling that he wouldn't like her answer. They weren't really in a relationship but she was pregnant with his child. That meant he'd keep trying to get to know her and eventually he would marry her, whether he loved her or not, he'd do the right thing.
“I should go talk to him,” Lee said.
“No!” Milana said fiercely. “I’ll go talk to him, if any of you go up there now he’ll probably kill you. He won’t hurt me.”
“Says the one that tried to kill him,” Marley muttered under her breath.
“You created this whole mess, Marley. You should listen to Jesse and shut the fuck up,” Milana hissed and walked out of the dining room.
Nobody moved and then Jeannie stood up and glared at all of them. “This is all levels of fucked up but Kelley’s right about one thing. You all want to get angry and glare at him when all he’s ever done is look after all of us. None of you have the right to be pissed at him.”
Connor’s hand touched hers lightly and she sat back down again. “I wasn’t so much angry with him, it was just a shock and then I thought about how you shaved him every second day and cut his hair and helped the nurse to wash him and my mind just went there.”
“I met Kelley when I was nineteen. I was in pastry school and he was studying Economics. We ended up at the same frat party where I’d just caught my boyfriend cheating on me. Kelley saved me from another douchebag that had tried to spike my drink. I was angry and tipsy and I slept with Kelley to get my revenge on my boyfriend. We both agreed to go our separate ways. I wanted to be single and so did Kelley. We met again at another party and he always kept on eye on me, like a brother would. We stayed in touch.”
“Back up, what was wrong with Kelley?”
Marley laughed and shook her head. “You just can’t help yourself, can you?” Her eyes were like daggers as she looked at Sylvie.
“He was in a coma for five weeks. He fell down the stairs and cracked his skull open on the marble floor.” Lee's voice sounded emotionless and he moved his chair closer to Marella and sought out her hand.
Sylvie paled. “When did this happen?”
“He woke up the night you came to my house,” Mason said to Sylvie.
“Milana didn’t push him, you know. He lost his balance when she threw his phone at his head after she found your picture on it,” Marley said in an icy tone.
“Marley, drop it.” Mason glared at her. “Or should we turn the conversation to who you fucked when you turned eighteen.”
Marley closed her mouth and looked down and Jesse tensed as he turned to look at her. Marella hadn’t said a word and Lee turned towards her. “I’m sorry,” he whispered in her ear.
“I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want you to look at me differently,” Marella said as Lee took her hand and kissed it.
“I probably would’ve stayed away, thinking he had some claim on you,” Lee said.
Jesse’s gaze caught Mason’s and he kept the glare there. “It was you. You slept with Marley.”
Mason didn’t deny it, just emptied his glass and looked away. “It was a long time ago.”
“Kelley was seventeen when I found him bleeding next to the road,” Jesse said and everyone turned towards him. “I stitched him up, fed him, found him a room at a motel and I kept looking at him as he sat there at my kitchen table. He was tough even then. I told him that good plans took time. Kelley saved me as much as I saved him. Tonight was the first time I’ve ever seen Kelley lose his temper like this.”
“What’s your point, Jesse?” Connor asked him.
“Kelley’s a planner, that’s my point. This outburst just tells me that he’s really had enough. Kelley never wavers, he never flinches, he does what is necessary, no matter what. The floodgates have opened and I’m not sure if he’ll ever be the same again.”
“Did we break him?” Mason asked.
“You’re the one that sleeps with all his ex’s, what do you think?” Lee said.
Nobody said a word after that statement and Lee raked a hand over his hair. “I’m going to go talk to him.”
Lee left the dining room as the chatter picked up again and he shook his head as they raised their voices. Kelley never talked about his emotions, not really. He kept everything bottled up inside and he felt like shit. Kelley was right, they were all assholes.
Steel stood in front of the study door like a man on a mission. He didn’t blink, he didn’t move and he didn’t even acknowledge Lee’s presence. “Is he in there?”
“He’s busy,” Steel replied.
“Step aside, Steel.”
“He’s busy fucking his wife, Lee. I’ll tell him you stopped by.”
The corner of Lee’s lips turned upwards and he heard Kelley laugh from inside. He was shocked at Steel’s words and obviously Kelley had heard him too. “Right …”
Lee turned and walked back down the hall, laughter bubbling up in him. He was glad Milana had gone to talk to him. He needed someone to break through that steel exterior Kelley had built up around himself.
