39. Brielle
Chapter thirty-nine
Brielle
T aking a seat at the dinner table, I watched with a warm smile as everyone got situated. Maia grinned, taking a sip of champagne.
“Thank you, Brielle… We haven’t had a chance to catch up with you all in a few weeks.”
I nodded, responding, “I’ve been trying to organize this forever. I wanted a chance for the children and us to continue bonding...” My voice trailed off as Killian placed his hand on my thigh.
The others continued to converse, and I glared at Killian as he took a sip of his wine.
“Can we enjoy one dinner without you trying to get frisky under the table?” I seethed.
He leaned over, placing a small kiss on my cheek that was slowly growing redder.
He pulled away, and as quick as he smiled, it was gone, his grip on my thigh tightening. I looked up at him in question, and he deadpanned.
“What’s wrong?” I asked softly, and he pulled me closer, trying not to show his anger.
“Why the hell is he here?” he asked in a menacing tone.
I looked over my shoulder to see Calvin checking in with Vivienne and Andrew behind. My heart sank as I looked back at Killian.
“I-I didn’t invite him. I just wanted it to be our family—” I started, but Calvin spoke, making me wince slightly.
“Killian, Brielle… others. Always a pleasure to see you all.”
It was silent as everyone directed their eyes to the voice. I watched as Eugene, Shin, and Blaine seemed oddly calm even with Calvin’s surprise visit, and that did not go unnoticed by Killian. He looked over at Blaine, who was doing his best to avoid eye contact.
“Blaine. Why the hell is he here?” he asked.
Blaine sighed. “I invited him,” he squeaked out.
Killian chuckled menacingly as the three of them took a seat. He sent another look towards Blaine, who gulped softly as I rubbed my temples, trying to fend off my impending headache that was on the rise.
Vivienne sighed. “I sincerely apologize, Killian. I was under the impression that we were simply going out for dinner… I should’ve known better when Andrew tagged along. We weren’t even formally invited,” she said with sincerity.
Killian shook his head. “I don’t mind you here at all, my darling… it’s those two who can’t tell their heads apart from their asses—” he started, and I sent a smack to his arm as I glared.
“Be nice. And Calvin...” I looked over to him, and he sent a sarcastic, apologetic smile as I continued, “If you ruin my dinner... I will kill you.”
“Do you really think so low of me, Brielle—?” he began, but I cut him off.
“Don’t push it,” I seethed, and he nodded.
It was silent for the most part, but after our orders were put in, the tension started to lessen. My eyes landed on my brother, who hadn’t said much more to me than a simple, emotionless greeting. My heart clenched as he didn’t seem comfortable or willing to converse or chat with anyone at the table. Juliet, his wife, seemed a bit standoffish as well, though I could only attribute her behavior as an indirect result of Eugene’s attempts to alienate himself from our family.
Shin looked over to him after a moment and spoke. “So, Eugene... What have you been up to lately? You’re rarely around much at all nowadays,” he began.
Eugene continued avoiding eye contact with the eyes that were now curiously waiting for his answer.
“I’ve been around… Just doing my best to take care of Melanie and Juli.” His response was short and straightforward, but Calvin decided to input his own two cents.
“Hopefully, working hard,” he remarked with a smile.
Eugene only sent him a glance before looking away as Juliet caressed his hand softly.
A moment or so later, I received a message on my phone and looked down quickly to see who it was. A smile broke out on my face, and I opened it. Killian looked over and noticed the beaming smile on my face. I looked up at him, and he tilted his head as if asking why I was so happy all of a sudden.
“It’s my mom,” I whispered to him, and he grinned, placing a kiss on my temple. He knew how happy I’d been when I finally contacted my biological mother a few years back, and our relationship had been growing ever since.
“What’s got you so happy and giggly over there?” Hana asked, and I smiled.
“My mom texted me,” I responded.
Juliet tilted her head. “Your mom? Eugene, you told me your mother passed away…” she questioned him.
My head snapped over to look at my brother, who seemed frozen in his seat.
Killian’s shoulders tensed slightly, and he could practically feel the shift in my attitude. I went from happy to enraged in a moment, but I didn’t care. Calvin looked at our interaction, intrigued as I practically growled the following words.
“You told her what?”
I seethed towards Eugene, and he did his best not to look at me. The table was now uncomfortably silent as their attention was solely focused on us.
I went to stand, but I felt Killian push me back down slightly by my waist. Thankfully he was beside me, because I would have surely jumped over the table if he weren’t.
“Eugene!” I yelled expectantly, and he glared at me.
“Our mother did nothing but leave us with our father and insane stepmother. Excuse me for not being so forgiving.”
“You know why, Eugene. You know she had no choice. They threatened her,” I said as I forcefully held back my tears.
Killian pushed my hair over my shoulder as his other hand rubbed my palm. He was doing his best to calm me down, but it was getting progressively harder not to kill Eugene.
Our mother had her reasons for leaving. She wanted to stay; she wanted to raise her children. But Gregory and Cheryl wouldn’t allow it. It took me time to process and learn to forgive her, but Eugene, as always, wouldn’t get off his high horse and was having none of it.
“Brielle... she’s dead to me. She left us, and here you are, accepting her with open arms,” he uttered, not budging.
I took a deep breath. “You’re right. I accepted her with open arms many years ago because she explained herself and her reasons for what she did.”
“You accepted her easily because you’re naive, Brielle,” he said, and it was silent once again.
His face held no remorse, and I felt a tear finally fall out of my eyes. Out of rage, I pushed my seat back, and Killian looked over to me questioningly, but he quickly stood up and held my shoulders to keep me from moving as I made my way over to Eugene.
“Brielle, sweetheart, let’s get some fresh air—” Killian said.
I struggled in his arms as the urge to beat the absolute shit out of my brother grew. “Let me go! He doesn’t deserve to be here. He never spends any time with me, but the night he does, he finds a way to disrespect my mother and humiliate me!” A small sob racked my chest, and I could finally see some emotion in Eugene’s eyes, but he looked away from me, masking it entirely.
I stopped struggling and ripped myself from Killian’s hold as I stormed out of the restaurant. Taking a seat outside, I pushed my hair out of my face and breathed in deeply. I wasn’t used to having these outbursts with anyone, but it was a usual occurrence for Eugene and me to fight.
Most people walked on eggshells whenever we were together for that very reason, but Eugene initiated the entire argument. Or, in a more childish way of saying it… He started it.
My head stayed down, and I heard someone come out of the restaurant. I wiped my face quickly as I tried to hide how much I was actually crying. A pair of overpriced Italian dress shoes appeared in my blurred tears, and I didn’t look up. I knew it wasn’t Killian, but frankly, at this point, I didn’t care who it was.
“Sweetheart...” I heard Calvin’s voice, and he took a seat beside me.
I looked over to him, and I was sure my eyes were now red from crying, and my face was flushed.
“Don’t cry,” he said softly, and I laughed in response.
“What should I do, smile? One of my closest family members continuously pushes me out of his life, and… maybe I really am naive because I keep seeing this perfect portrait of our family… which, as you can see, is clearly not the case. Maybe my insistence to make sure we all spend time with one another is all pointless. Yes, it’s a lot of dinners, and yes, I want the family together for the holidays, and yes, I would like us all to cherish every birthday, milestone, or event together, but maybe it isn’t worth it. Maybe I’m the one that’s trying too hard to build a stronger connection with him, get to know him, and be a part of his, his daughter’s, and his wife’s life, but he’s always too busy or doesn’t have time or is doing God knows fucking what for the last twenty damn years!!”
I slowly breathed in and out as I finished my small rant, and Calvin placed a hand on my shoulder. I looked back down as I wiped away more of my tears.
“Brielle... You can only do so much. I know everyone appreciates you putting the effort to make all of these inevitably disastrous but enjoyable family gatherings together…”
A small smile graced my lips as his thumb rubbed my shoulder and he continued, “Eugene is going to learn how to treat his family in the near future. I want you to not dwell on this much longer… He will change. ”
I sniffled softly. “How? When? When am I going to stop feeling like I try too hard or that my efforts mean nothing?” I whispered, and Calvin’s jaw clenched slightly.
“Trust me,” was all he replied, and I didn’t know why, but I slowly started to feel a little better. I looked over to him, and the look in his eyes told me not to ask too many questions. I was skeptical of it at first, but eventually, I nodded my head slowly in understanding.
“I’ll trust you,” I said softly, and he nodded.
He stood up, and I heard the door open again. I looked over my shoulder to see Killian, and he seemed a bit angry, but his face started to soften when he saw me. He glanced over to Calvin, but he held his hand out for me and brought me over to his side as he placed a kiss on my head.
“We’re going to leave a bit early, okay? We’ll reschedule and push it for another time,” he said, and I nodded, agreeing with his idea.
We walked away from Calvin, who was slowly making his way back inside. I looked over my shoulder one last time, and as if he knew I was looking, he glanced back over to me and sent me a small wink as he entered the building.
Killian opened the door to the car for me, and I sat inside as my mind started wandering. I was sure Calvin could’ve known about Delilah and Archer, but something felt weird—almost as if he knew more than he needed to and that he was actively working, just like me, to keep the peace between our family in a sense. But even so… for that reason, I still trusted him, despite how he’s acted over the years. How naive of me.
Eventually, we made it back home, and after a hot shower, I stood looking in the mirror, continuing to think. It was interesting enough that Eugene kept most things away from me, but it was even more interesting for Calvin to come to me with his “help,” if you will.
Trust me.
I didn’t know what to think. After all he’s done, I was still considering putting my trust in this man.
The bathroom door opened, and I looked up as Killian entered with his joggers on only. His chest was bare, and unfortunately, it still had a few scratch marks from my nails last night… but he was proudly wearing them as if they were a trophy. For his performance last night, one could consider an award of some kind. His hair was a bit wet and tousled as he’d just gotten out of the shower as well.
“Are you all right, darling?” he asked, and I sighed as his arms wrapped around me from behind, and he stared at me in the mirror.
“I’m fine… just thinking,” I muttered.
He placed a kiss on my neck. “Thinking about what, hmm?”
“Everything, I guess…” I shrugged, and he nodded.
He turned me around in his hold, and I wrapped my arms around his neck as I laid my head on his chest while his hands rested on my lower back.
“He said I was naive,” I pouted, and he chuckled.
“Is that what’s got you down?” he asked.
I shook my head. “It wasn’t him saying it that made me upset… It was me slowly concluding that I most likely am.”
He didn’t say anything for a moment, but I eventually heard him speak.
“You aren’t naive. Over-trusting, forgiving, and optimistic about what the future is what you are.”
“So essentially naive then?” I deadpanned as I looked up at him.
He placed a small kiss against my lips before he spoke again. “From an outsider’s perspective, maybe. But it doesn’t make you gullible to the world. You just see the best in people and hope they can live up to their potential. Being hopeful of something doesn’t make you naive.”
I smiled as I placed a kiss on his lips. “I love you,” I whispered, and he hummed.
“And I love you, darling.”
I giggled as he picked me up in his arms and continued our kiss as we made our way to the bedroom. He placed me on the bed, and I looked over to the clock.
“Are the kids asleep?” I asked, and he bit his lip as he noticed my slight shyness.
“Yes, they are, and I think you keep forgetting... these walls... are soundproof,” he whispered, kissing my neck in between his words. He pushed me back onto the bed and grabbed my wrists as he held them above my head. “But I have a game we can play,” he said. I shuddered in his hold as I tried to hold back a moan. “Let’s see how quiet you can be.”
He placed a kiss on my lips, and I bit my lip as he continued going lower.
“B-but what if I can’t?” I asked, and he gave me a smirk.
“Well, then you’ll just have to be punished … and we don’t want that… do we?” he asked with a small glint in his eyes.
I gave him a tiny smile. “No, we don’t... sir .”
His eyes darkened slowly, and he ran his hands over my waist.
“Oh, you sexy little vixen.”