AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“He kept calling me Kelly.” I watched as she opened her mouth to speak. “Before you defend him, yes I know I shouldn’t let it get to me. Evan and Luke gave me an entire speech about why it was just the drugs he was on making him say her name but…”I trailed off. Not really sure where to go from there. Mostly because every time they tried to give me more of an explanation, I refused to let them. Bryce had a life before me. It wasn’t like I thought I was that special that I was the only one he had ever been with. That didn’t take the sting that coursed through my body as I heard him mumble her name. Lilly barely looked up as she responded.
“Hearing someone else’s names on his lips still hurts. I get it. I don’t know the full story about Kelly, only bits and pieces but for what it’s worth, you were his saving grace Hannah. Bryce puts everyone before himself. Since the day I got here he’s been like that. Don’t get me wrong I was so grateful when I had an emergency that he could come watch Molly for me. That I could trust him to watch her. He always takes care of everyone else. I think you’re the first person who he has let take care of him at all.”
She paused, shifting her body around the horse. Being as pregnant as she was she made her current task look like nothing more than picking up a piece of paper. I could only hope that one day I had the stamina and grace she did.
“Did he ever tell you why we sent him on that vacation?”
Bryce had told me that Lilly and Claire made him take the vacation I met him on but that was the extent of the conversation. It was their birthday gift to him was all I really knew. There was no reason for me to question why he needed a vacation for when I was on one to escape my own life. Shaking my head, she took it as a confirmation that she needed to give me the entire story.
“Bryce is our go-to guy around here. He’s great with the kids, well, people in general. The problem is, he never says no. There was one time before I was with Devin that Bryce got so angry because he was asked to go babysit instead of getting to come out to the bar with Claire and me. He got asked to babysit and he thought it was because he wasn’t good enough to come out with us. Even when he wants to go do his own thing he checks with everyone else that they won’t need him first. It’s why when he started with bull riding we were shocked. It was the first time he put himself first. We spent a lot of time trying to figure out what happened on that vacation to change him. Then you showed up Hannah and everything clicked.”
She shifted again as she cleaned the caked on mud off the horses’ hoof.
“We sent him on that vacation because he never did anything for himself. Even for his birthday he went out where Rowan wanted and came home early when Rowan got so drunk off his ass he got them kicked out of the bar. He hasn’t always had it easy. Although, Kelly tried her hardest to help him. From what everyone around here has told me it got worse after she left.”
It didn’t change the fact that he was asking for her in his altered state. I wanted her words to help me feel better, I truly did.But knowing that he was calling for her and not me stung.
“Hannah, Kelly was his, hmm I don’t even know what to call her I guess his babysitter. Everyone always just calls her his Kelly. When his parents died, they came to live here with their grandparents. From what I’ve gathered, Bryce took it hard having to move here. He kept running away and going back to their old house. Not that it was far. It was just up the road. Anyway, the girl who bought their house didn’t seem to mind. He would spend hours there and she would just let him hang out for as long as he needed.”
Lilly took in a deep breath focusing harder on the task she was performing. The story was upsetting, even if you didn’t know the family long. It was tragic how they lost everything that night. Evan walked into the stable, seamlessly picking up the story, knowing Lilly didn’t know every detail the way he would.
“Then one day Kelly got a boyfriend who turned into a fiancé. One that didn’t enjoy having a kid hang around. So she told Bryce he couldn’t come by the house. You know, the only place he felt like he was connected with his parents still. Honestly, it fucking hurt everyone how fast she abandoned him.
The worst part was you would never have known anything happened if you visited the farm. Bryce was only like twelve then, and he was his usual happy, helpful self around everyone. That’s when he started putting everyone else first. We tried to get him to talk, but he shoved it off. Said it didn’t matter that he couldn’t go back. ”
Bryce hadn’t told me much about his past. I never pushed either. I knew his parents passed away when he was younger and I wasn’t about to be the person who opened those wounds for him. My heart sank at the realization that I jumped to conclusions and abandoned him.
“So Kelly isn’t a…”
Lilly and Evan shook their heads. Lillys eyes filled with the same sadness I was feeling deep inside. My gut twisting with remorse.
“She was like a mother to him Hannah and she just left him.”
Evans’ words made my eyes pinch tight as I held back my own tears. I had made a grave mistake, and I didn’t know how to fix it.
Chapter Twenty
Bryce
Physical therapy was making me its bitch. Years out in the fields, fixing tractors, and riding bulls didn’t compare to the pain and focus that this girl was putting me through right now.
“That’s great Bryce. Dr. Tridal will be really pleased how well you’re doing.”
My physical therapist, Autumn, was a sweet girl but I could do without the flirting. At first I assumed it was all in my head. The constant over praising she was doing seemed weird, but I thought perhaps she was doing it to get me to cheer up. The day that Hunter came by when I was in the middle of my session proved I wasn’t wrong.
“She always eye fuck you like that little bro?”
“What? Who?”
I looked back at my brother as he wheeled me back into my room.
“Your therapist. I swear she looked like she wanted you to fall on top of her there at the end when you stumbled. I wouldn’t mind stumbling and letting my dick fall into that.”
“Yeah, I guess. Are we done for today?”
Autumn nodded, helping me over to the walker they had upgraded me to. That was the highlight of my last week. I no longer needed to be wheeled around and gained a small fraction of my freedom back. Dr. Tridal had been surprised at how fast my body was bouncing back after my injuries. My spine wasn’t nearly as bad as they feared. With the amount of bruising I had sustained it was impossible to stand without pain radiating down my body. My leg and arm were still banged up with that would heal with time.
“You’re doing so well Bryce.”
