Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
R onan
Thrilled I’ll get to have lunch with Kate tomorrow, I don’t want to stay hidden away in my room today. I’m sure Ava and Matthias would be happy to see me show up out near the pool, but I feel like I have so much energy to burn that I can’t just sit around in the sun all day.
I head outside and look up at the crystal blue sky. Maybe I could go for a quick run. I haven’t done much of anything physical since the accident. My legs still work, though, so they should be fine.
After thinking about it for a minute or so, I break into a jog and instantly feel incredible. I used to love to run. It gave me a chance to think about things without being interrupted by anyone, especially one of my brothers. It’s good to know I still have it in me.
By the time I reach the carriage house, my thigh muscles are sending signals to my brain that they can’t be expected to just be their old, reliable selves after half a year of doing nothing but sitting around. I push through and keep going, though, feeling stronger than I’ve felt in so long.
It’s good to be doing something active. Before my accident, I kept myself in good shape. Not that I’ve gotten all out of shape this year. Surprisingly, I’m still pretty cut looking. It’s just the muscles underneath the surface that have atrophied a bit.
Those days are over now. I’ve got Kate back in my life again, and I feel like I have something to live for.
A hundred yards past the carriage house I start to lose steam. I guess I can’t expect my body to do nothing for months on end and then launch into a full-on run. Like everything else, I’ll have to build up to that.
But for the first time since my accident, I believe in myself enough to try. That’s something new for me, and as much as I want to think I deserve the credit, I know that’s not entirely true.
Like before when she was mine, it’s Kate’s influence on me that lets me even consider trying to live a normal life again.
“Ronan!” a voice calls to me, and I look around to see Sabrina trotting down the road toward me.
When she reaches me, she nudges my left arm and chuckles. “I didn’t know you were a runner. I would have suggested we go for a run if I knew.”
Doubled over, I shake my head. “I’m not really a runner anymore. I used to be, though. Just felt like trying the old legs out again.”
Her gaze moves down my body and then up to my face again. With a smile, she says, “I don’t think they’re that old. What are you? Twenty-five?”
I stand up to my full height and take a deep breath into my lungs. Letting it out slowly, I answer, “Twenty-four, but I haven’t done much in the past six months. Muscles get old when you don’t use them.”
She purses her lips and looks me up and down again. “Then you should make sure you use those muscles.”
“Why aren’t you up at the house with the kids? I thought that was your job,” I say as I start walking toward the back of the estate.
Sabrina pushes her fingertips into my bicep and laughs. “I get a few minutes off each day, you know. In fact, when the boys are down for their naps, I can do whatever I want. If you’d like, we can go for a run every day from now on. I bet you’ll get back in shape in no time.”
I glance over at her to see if she meant for that to be insulting, but since she’s all smiles, I assume it was her usual clumsy way of talking. This woman sure does like giving her opinion on things.
“Well, thanks.”
Even though she doesn’t seem to have the ability to censor herself, she does appear to understand when she’s offended someone. As I keep walking, she says, “I wasn’t trying to make it seem like you aren’t in good shape already. I just heard you were a baseball player at some point, so I thought maybe you wanted to get back to that level. That’s all.”
That she mentions baseball surprises me since nobody in my family has dared uttered a word about that subject since I came to stay here. I stop and look at her, unsure if I should be furious or happy there’s at least one person here who doesn’t insist on handling me with kid gloves.
I hold my right arm up in front of her. “No more baseball for me, obviously.”
Sabrina stops in front of me and reaches out to poke me in the abs. Smiling, she looks up at me and says, “Still seems pretty tight to me.”
Everything about this person confuses me. One minute she’s insulting me, and then the next she seems to be flirting with me. Then again, maybe I’m not understanding the signals she’s putting out. I have gotten a little rusty after avoiding nearly all of humanity for months on end.
“What are you two doing out here?”
I turn around to see Marius walking toward us. Christ, I’m not sure I’m up for his ball busting today.
“I could ask you the same question,” I say as he stops next to me.
“You guys aren’t misbehaving, are you?” he asks with a smirk that instantly gets under my skin.
Sabrina doesn’t seem bothered by my older brother, though. “Define misbehaving,” she says with a chuckle.
Marius looks at her and then me, raising his eyebrows like he’s surprised by her comment. “She’s got the right idea. Your idea of misbehaving is probably not what I’d call misbehaving.”
“I imagine most people’s idea of misbehaving isn’t yours, Marius. You have a pretty loose version of morals.”
My brother smiles and turns his attention to Sabrina. “I like to think of them as situational ethics.”
“What exactly are situational ethics?” she asks, clearly intrigued by Marius and his willingness to entertain anything as long as it’s enjoyable.
“Basically, every situation you encounter in life has its own version of what’s right and wrong. For example, what might be wrong for you as an employee of my brother’s wouldn’t be wrong for me as his brother.”
Sabrina nods like she understands, but since Marius pretty much makes up that bullshit as he goes along, I’m not sure there’s much to really grasp. To me, his situational ethics always felt pretty much like his willingness to do whatever he wanted and claim he was in the right.
I prefer a higher standard.
“What do you think of your brother’s situational ethics?” Sabrina asks me, touching my left forearm for a brief moment as if to punctuate her question.
Without missing a beat, I answer, “I think he uses that idea as a way to justify doing things he should feel bad about.”
Marius throws his head back in laughter before sliding his arm around my shoulders. “Sabrina, let me introduce you to the most moral and upright of all us King brothers. If there’s a right thing to do, Ronan will do it.”
I push him off me and say, “There’s always a right thing to do in every situation. That’s where Marius and I differ.”
Sabrina touches my left arm again and smiles. “I think it’s admirable that you’re a moral man, Ronan. More people should be like you.”
As I open my mouth to thank her for the compliment, Marius laughs. “If I followed this brother’s example, I’d be perpetually trying to do the right thing. I prefer our brother Theo’s way. Whatever you’re doing, make sure you’re having the time of your life doing it.”
“Oh, so Matthias and Ava’s son is named after another brother? Will he be coming to stay too?” Sabrina asks.
I shake my head as Marius simply smiles. “No, Theo’s dead. He was killed in a car accident a couple years ago.”
“I’m sorry.”
As I silently thank her for that, Marius says, “He lived his life at top speed. We should all follow his example. Squeeze every drop of life there is and lap it up because there may be no tomorrow.”
Already tired of this brother and how easily he can preach a life of no morals or ethics, I look at Sabrina and say, “I’m going to head back to the house. Maybe Marius will want to go for a run with you.”
“That’s what you two were doing?” he asks like the very idea of a run sounds horrible. “No thanks. I already worked out today.”
“Do you work out at a gym somewhere close?” Sabrina asks.
I get the sense she’s just being polite, but he answers, “Right here at the house. I’m not surprised nobody told you about it. Matthias and Ava are always too exhausted to even think about the gym, and this guy here hasn’t been a gym rat in ages. Come with me. I’ll show you where it is.”
He starts to walk back toward the house and grabs Sabrina’s hand to take her too, thankfully, but just as I’m sure I’ll be left alone, she grabs my left hand and begins to tug me along with them. I have no interest in checking out the gym, but as much as I try to pry my hand from her hold, she won’t let me go.
“Come on, Ronan!” she says, as if we’re about to do something fun.
No one seems to remember the reason why I wouldn’t be spending much time in the gym. I only have one hand, so unless I want to be lopsided, lifting isn’t in the cards for me anymore. It seems since neither one of them have to deal with that problem that they don’t recognize it’s an issue.
Unfortunately, I don’t have the luxury of not knowing all too well what I’m lacking.
Marius looks back and winks at me. “Come on, baby brother. It’ll be fun.”
What the hell could be fun about showing someone where the gym is here at the house I don’t know. He’s up to something, I’m sure. Marius is always up to something. Most of the time it involves busting someone’s ass, and I’m not interested in that today.
“I think I’d like to just grab a drink,” I say, but neither one of them is listening.
In fact, they seem to be having a grand old time talking about what they like to do at the gym as Sabrina continues to pull me along with them. I don’t want to hurt her feelings because she’s important to Ava and Matthias, but I have no doubt she and Marius would have a better time without me.
Just as we reach the kitchen door, Sabrina stops and turns to me. “You’ve been really nice to me ever since I got here, Ronan. I just wanted to give you that in return. You aren’t angry, are you?”
I shake my head as our first introduction to one another runs through my mind. It wasn’t exactly a friends from the very beginning situation. That’s part of the reason why I don’t want to tell her I have no interest in going to the gym with her and Marius. That day I met Sabrina wasn’t my finest moment.
“Good! It’ll be fun! Come on!” she says as her worry fades away and she tugs on my hand once more.
We walk past Eleanor on our way through the house, and the look she gives me when she sees me holding hands with Sabrina is nothing short of pure shock. I guess since I’ve spent the last two months working very hard on being as standoffish as possible to everyone in this house it’s a little surprising to see me happily spending time with Sabrina.
“Marius wants to show her the gym,” I explain as we pass through the kitchen.
There’s no time for her to respond since we’re halfway down the hallway only a second later, but I bet she’s thinking I’m being a third wheel with Sabrina and Marius. My gut says I am too, though Sabrina does seem very interested in having me come with them.
Then it dawns on me. She’s probably uncomfortable being alone with him. I get it. Marius comes off like a complete horndog. Sabrina is likely thinking he’s going to make a move on her if I’m not around.
Little does she know that won’t stop him. I’ve seen Marius hit on women who were in the middle of embracing other men. If he’s got his mind set on someone, my brother is like a man on a mission. Nothing short of being told to go away stops him.
The two of them talk about his gym routine, thankfully leaving me out of that discussion. When we finally reach the basement, she’s impressed by the home gym Matthias and Ava have set up here.
“Wow! At least I know I won’t ever get out of shape.”
Marius says something about how he doubts she’s going to suddenly get out of shape, and the two of them laugh. I just stand there listening and wondering when he’s going to give me the sign to get lost. If he’s into her, the last thing he wants is me hanging around.
After a few minutes, I say, “I think I’m going to go. You two have fun.”
Surprisingly, that bothers Sabrina, who comes rushing over to stop me. “No, don’t go. We didn’t mean to ignore you. Why don’t you come over and hang out? Marius is just talking about his favorite machine.”
I want to tell her I can’t imagine anything less interesting than that conversation, but since I’m trying to be nicer to everyone here, I swallow that snide remark. “I’ve got some things to do before tomorrow when Kate comes over again. Don’t worry about me. You and Marius will be fine without me.”
Her eyes grow big and she frowns. “Are you sure? I’m fine if you want to leave and go back for another walk. I’ll come with you. It’ll be fun!”
“No, that’s okay. Enjoy a workout, and I’ll see you later.”
As I turn to leave, Marius says, “Let him go. He’s got to get ready for his big date.”
I throw him a nasty look and leave, not interested in discussing my plans with Kate for tomorrow. Marius always poked fun at my being with Kate before, and it seems he’s picked up where he left off years ago.