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"He didn't." Lilly steps to her fiancé's side.
"She told me last month when we left here," he amends, not wanting her to take the full brunt of my anger.
"MOTHERFU—" The curse gets stuck in my throat. I cover my face. I should leave. Who can I trust these days?
A hand lands on my shoulder. "Let's talk, man."
Talk.
It's almostnoon by the time everyone is quiet. There has been a lot of yelling, cursing, and tears—on Lilly's side—since I arrived at their house.
Lilly spoke the most. She laid everything out, from when she found Gray's note, to when she left King's dump in Arizona. Ari-fucking-zona. At one point, I had to move. The longer I sat still, the twitchier I got—until it was too much. I jerked upright, and my chair toppled over in the process. I'm not sure how many miles I paced through their kitchen. When Lilly got to the part about King's apartment complex and how she had her followed for the past month for no other reason than their safety, I threw the closest thing I could find—a discarded coffee mug.
My already dry throat was closing up on me.Theirsafety. King's safety. My child's—holy fuck, I'm going to have a baby.
There went a glass that also sat on the counter. Neither of them flinched at my outburst. Lilly simply got up and started cleaning while I kept marching the length of the room.
During her recollection, Rhys mainly remained mute. His expressions ranged from concerned, to livid, to—let's say, he was not happy about having been kept in the dark for nearly three years. That much was clear. I almost wanted to flip him off and say, "Sucks, huh?" I bit my tongue, though.
Marcus hovered in the attached sitting room. In the back of my mind, I was wondering,why? Was there trouble in paradise between Rhys and Lilly? Or was he there for a different reason? Was he worried I'd flip my lid on them?
Lilly mentioned that Marcus was the one that brought King back yesterday, and I found myself grinding my teeth at the thought of them being alone, him possibly laying a hand on her—even if it was to help her.
"I'm going backto the gym," Rhys announces out of the blue and pushes back from the table. When he passes Marcus, he barks, "Let's go, Shadow," but keeps going.
Marcus waits for Lilly to make eye contact, and she nods at him. That is her signal for him to go.
I'm leaning against the counter, watching Lilly load the dishwasher with slumped shoulders. Despite the turmoil raging havoc on my own emotions, I hate seeing her like this.
She knew who King was before I did. She was fully aware of me dating King, but still, she didn't say a word. Her behavior over Christmas break makes sense now. Especially because she knew every-fucking-thing!
I want to be angry with her. I deserve to be pissed the same way as when Rhys's actions blew up in his face. Somehow, I can't. Things have changed.Ihave changed, and all because of the few weeks I spent with one girl.
Every time I consider my next step—Do I confront King? Do I walk away from her?—my brain seizes up on me. I have no idea what's going to happen. It's like I'm stuck in an isolation tank. My mind works on overdrive to process the deprivation of senses, but at the same time, there's nothing. It's overload and starvation all at once.
I force myself to refocus on the girl in front of me instead. I have no clue what's going to happen with King and me, with our baby—zero fucking idea. But I care about Lilly.
"Are you two okay?" My heartbeat picks up, and I wait for her reply. I realize I need them to be okay. They're Lilly and Rhys. Nothing comes between them.
"Yes." She pauses with a bunch of utensils in her hand and locks eyes with me. "He's angry. Not because I kept King from him—he gets it—but that I went to her alone."
"Is he still…?" I trail off, remembering the time after Lilly came home from the hospital. I don't have to spell it out; she understands my question. Rhys would follow her everywhere. His fear of her being taken again was crippling him.
"Not like that." She shakes her head. "He trusts Marcus. He wanted to form his own opinion about King. He loves you, Wes, and he doesn't want anything—or anyone—to hurt you. Again." She sighs. "He regrets his decision. We both do."
"I know." Rhys has proven that on several occasions, and I believe him. Coming here today confirmed that. Rhys was the person I turned to when I needed someone—like old times. Does that mean I've forgiven him? It looks like it. Well, shit.
I surprise myself with my next sentence. "King wouldn't hurt me."
Lilly's mouth widens to a broad grin. "No, she wouldn't."
My stomach flips at her reaction. "You like her?"
She steps around the open dishwasher and wraps her arms around my midsection, peering up at me. "If you don't snatch her up, I will. And Rhys won't be happy taking you as my replacement."
I snort. "You're nuts."
"Runs in the family." She winks, but it wipes the smile off my face.
