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They all visibly relax and start talking loudly. The concerned faces change to smiles as they congratulate me. I nod, sipping my beer as they continue.
“Okay, that’s good news. So, what’s wrong?” Jax asks.
Once he does the others stop talking and they all look at me again. I scrub my face and the pain in my hand is nothing compared to the pain in my heart. It’s just as physical, just as real, but so much worse.
“Sarah brought up McKinley,” I begin.
“I’ll fucking kill her,” Blake growls.
I shake my head as I look at him. “McKinley didn’t come here looking for you or for family. She came here to use all of us. She wanted to be rich and famous. When she found out you were her brother, she decided to take advantage of it. She used all of us and we all let her without question,” I say.
They all exchange looks, except for Blake. His hard eyes are focused on me. “Bullshit,” he hisses.
“Sarah went and spoke to her mother, who also sent this letter to the judge. It’s all true,” I say, placing the letter on the table.
Jax and London read it, but Kallie comes to sit next to me. She rests her head on my shoulder and it takes every ounce of self-control to not break down. Blake is still staring at me. I know how he’s feeling. He doesn’t want to believe it because it hurts too much.
“No, nope, fuck this,” Blake says, standing up.
London gets up to stop him from leaving, but that’s not what he’s doing. He’s pacing, grabbing his hair, as he shakes his head.
“He doesn’t wanna believe it,” I say.
“Neither do you,” Kallie whispers.
I look down at her and my eyes fill with tears. “No, I don’t.”
“Oh, Braden,” she says, trying to wrap her arms around me.
Blake slams his hands down on the table and Jax stands up. “Chill, brother.”
Blake snaps his eyes to Jax and holds his hands up. “I’m chill. I’m good.” He backs up a little and scrubs his face. “She might not have come here looking for family, but that’s what she fucking got. She didn’t know me, didn’t know us. She tried to use a situation to her advantage and fuck any of you if you say you’ve never done that. Maybe she came here looking for fame, but she found a hell of a lot more. She isn’t using any of us. Maybe it was her intention, but that shit changed. She changed.” He looks at me and crosses his arms. “What did she say when you talked t
o her?”
I look around at them all and shrug. “She didn’t say anything. She cried and stayed quiet.”
“And then what?” Blake asks.
Kallie stands up and moves to Jax’s side. “Braden, did you even let her explain?” she asks.
They are all staring at me and I feel ganged up on. I stand up, shaking my head. “Her fucking silence was all I needed to hear. She lied. She had plenty of time to tell us, to tell me, but she didn’t. She stuck with her story.”
“Look, I’m not saying you shouldn’t be upset. She lied, but don’t you think maybe Blake is right? Maybe once she was here things changed and she did want family. I never got the vibe from her that she was using any of us,” Jax says, lifting his shoulders.
Kallie looks between me and Blake. “When she first got here, she did seem more interested in the modeling aspect of things. I thought she was just curious about it all. But I’ve worked with her a lot over the last few months and obviously, she’s grateful for the opportunities, but all she ever does is talk about all of us, especially Braden. I saw the sincerity in her eyes. I know you have trust issues because of Sarah, but do you think maybe you let that get the best of you with McKinley?”
I grab the back of my neck looking at them all. “Seriously?”
“You didn’t even give her a chance to explain,” Blake says.
“Braden, you and I are similar with the trust of people. It took me a long time to trust Blake and his intentions. I’m not telling you how to feel or how to react, that is unstoppable. What I’m saying is everyone should be given a chance to tell their story. Hear her story. It might not have the ending that you are expecting it to have. A lot of people give up a few chapters in because they don’t think it will turn out good. When that happens, you don’t get the full story. You need to finish the story to see how it all ends,” London says.
“Damn, that was good,” Blake says, kissing her cheek.
I blow out a breath and sit down, resting my face in my hands. I don’t know what the hell to do. I understand what they are all saying, but I’m fucking hurt. I think I deserve a minute to lick my wounds.
“You’ve had an emotional day between winning custody of the girls and McKinley. Go home, get some sleep, and start over tomorrow. We just want what’s best for you and McKinley brought that happiness out in you. Go talk to her in the morning and take it from there,” Kallie says, resting her hand on my shoulder.
