Chapter 25
Chapter
Twenty-Five
Organizing her father’s birthday party in only two days really helped keep Kenny’s mind off her broken heart.
Beth and Fern had both called, offering to help, as had Gideon and Cade, but Kenny firmly and politely refused all offers.
As a result, she’d maybe gone a little overboard for what was—essentially—just a family gathering.
“The balloon arch is a bit much, right?” she murmured to Beth as she anxiously smoothed a palm down the silk skirt of her dress.
Beth and Gideon had been the first to arrive, and while Gideon disappeared into the kitchen to fetch them all some champagne, Beth ran an admiring eye around the candlelit living room.
“How the hell did you manage to organize all of this in two days? On a weekend?”
Kenny smiled.
“Money solves all problems,” she said, then cringed. “That sounded really arrogant, right? And a bit douchey.”
Beth laughed.
“You’ve never worried about that before.”
“Oh my God, are you telling me that I’ve said cringey shit like that before? No wonder you didn’t like me.”
Beth turned to stare at Kenny, her eyes huge behind her glasses.
“Who says I didn’t, um, didn’t like you?”
“I mean…” Kenny shrugged self-consciously and picked at an imaginary thread on her flawless skirt. “I always assumed so, because you’re always so quiet and withdrawn around me.”
Beth laughed and shook her head.
“Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry if I ever gave you that impression, Kenny.
It’s just that you make me a little nervous.
And when I’m nervous, I stammer. So I t-tend to just not speak.
And the only reason I’m-I’m nervous is because I admire you so much.
You’re one of the, um, the-the most accomplished and impressive people I know. ”
Kenny flushed, embarrassed and uncomfortable with the woman’s praise.
“Well, then I’m sorry you’re nervous around me.” She wasn’t sure what else to say. Beth grinned.
“That’s a me problem, not a you problem.
It’s something I had to work out, and I mostly have.
You always seemed so perfect that I tended to kind of—and please don’t take this the wrong way—I kind of saw you as almost superhuman.
After your camping trip with Smith, I recognized that I was being unfair.
You have the same insecurities and flaws and fears as the rest of us.
And you most definitely can have bad hair days. ”
“Not only that,” Kenny leaned to gravely confide, “I suffer from the Mariko Aoki phenomenon.”
She wasn’t disappointed when Beth stared at her for a long moment before bursting into laughter. She knew her sister-in-law was extremely knowledgeable on a host of varied and diverse subjects, and would get it.
“Nooo,” Beth howled, laughing helplessly.
“It was hell during my college years,” Kenny confessed, completely pokerfaced. Beth’s happy laughter was a balm to her wounded soul. “Every time I went to the library, I immediately needed to poop.”
“Oh, stop,” Beth pleaded, bent double.
“And now you know my secret shame,” Kenny intoned. And Beth laughed again.
“If it makes you feel better, that phenomenon is more common than most people know, even if research is inconclusive.”
“And you call me impressive,” Kenny said with a smile. “You’re the only person I know who can simply rattle a fact like that off about a something most people don’t even know exists. I’ve always admired that about you. That and your ability to get along with people.”
This time it was Beth’s turn to flush. The other woman shrugged before awkwardly reaching for Kenny’s hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze.
“Look at us, forming our own little mutual admiration society,” she half joked.
“I’ve always wanted a sister,” Kenny confided. “So I was absolutely thrilled when Gideon had the good sense to marry such a lovely woman. And I hope we can be sisters to one another. You and me and Fern.”
Beth nodded and impulsively hugged Kenny. The woman was so much shorter than Kenny that Kenny had to bend down quite a few inches to return the embrace.
“Are you okay?” Beth asked her after they stepped apart. Kenny’s eyes flooded at the question, hearing the genuine love and concern in the other woman’s voice.
“I will be. I just feel a little…blindsided. For a short while, I truly believed Smith and I would work it out.” She made a helpless little gesture with her hands.
“I’m so sorry, Kenny.”
Kenny nodded and swiped at the corner of her eyes with a fingertip.
“I refuse to cry tonight. There’s plenty of time for that later. But tonight is about family. And I’m damned if I’m going to let this ruin our evening. I will talk about this and how I feel, Beth. I’m done closing myself off from the people who love me. But not tonight, okay?”
Beth nodded.
The doorbell rang and Kenny plastered a smile on her face.
“Action stations.”
The evening was a success. It was just Kenny, Cade and Fern, Beth and Gideon, their dad and Nox who attended.
The latter had shown up looking travel-worn, still with that bushy beard, face drawn, and mouth grim.
Their always loud and brash father had been visibly emotional at the sight of his middle son.
“What have you been doing to yourself, lad?” he asked, sounding sad.
“I’m fine, Dad. Never been healthier and fitter,” Nox replied with a ghost of his usual cocky grin.
Physically, it was clear that Nox had never been fitter, given how much he’d bulked up in the nearly two years since he’d gone semi-prodigal son on them.
Emotionally and mentally though? That was a different story.
His eyes were so…sad. There were fine lines etched into his brow, around his eyes, and silver threads in that ill-advised lumberjack beard.
He looked nothing like the Nox who’d loved bespoke suits, sports cars, fine wine, and sophisticated women. The man who owned a penthouse in Manhattan, a villa in Tuscany, and a house right on Clifton’s sought-after Fourth Beach.
This guy was wearing torn jeans, a faded denim shirt, and looked like he lived in his car.
He stunned Kenny by giving her a long, tight hug.
“Hey, little monster,” he greeted affectionately.
The silly nickname for Kenny was one only he’d ever used.
He hadn’t referred to her as such in over two decades.
“How are you? I’m sorry I’ve been such an absolute fucking…
” He paused, then winced, before continuing, “Nox to you about your marriage.”
“I forgive you,” she told him with a smile, wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging him. “I’m so damned happy to see you, I’d forgive you just about anything right now. Except the fact that you’ve been so uncommunicative.”
He grimaced.
“Don’t worry, Gideon is always riding my arse about it too, as you know. I’ll try to do better, okay? It’s just been… I’ve been working through some stuff. I made a mistake and there were consequences. People were hurt, and there’s this woman who…”
He shook his head a little helplessly, the words sputtering to a halt.
His eyes burned with what looked like anguish and remorse.
It was more than he’d revealed in years.
But he looked so pained to even admit that little, that Kenny knew it would take a hell of a lot more to get the full story out of him.
“I’m glad you came, Nox,” she told him, giving him another tight hug. “I’m sure it means a lot to Dad. To all of us.”
“I came for you, Kenny,” he confessed. “Wanted to make sure my favorite little sister was okay.”
“I’m fine,” she assured, her smile fading. “Right now, with all of you here, I’m absolutely fine.”
She meant every word. Being surrounded by her family was a great comfort to her.
Kenny looked around the room of laughing people, and could almost convince herself that she was happy.
Almost.
The house was ablaze with light, and the driveway was full of cars.
What the fuck?
Was Kenna having a party?
Smith parked his Land Rover behind a black Mercedes SUV and only after he grabbed his bag from the back, and caught a whiff of cigarette smoke, did he realize that there was a someone lurking in the garden, having a smoke.
“Evening,” a deep voice rumbled from the darkness. Smith peered into the shadows and could just make out the familiar face.
Cade’s personal protection guy.
Ah, fuck.
It looked like the in-laws were here.
All of them, if the number of cars in the driveway was any indication.
Shit.
“Hey,” he greeted the bodyguard, then jerked his head toward the house. “How long they been here?”
The man shrugged. “Couple of hours.”
“You okay out here? Need anything to eat or drink?”
“Ms. Jenson took care of that. I ate in the kitchen with the housekeeper. Popped out here for a smoke.”
“Right,” he muttered, then sighed.
Might as well get this over with. He tossed his rucksack over his shoulder and threw back his shoulders, bracing himself for what was to come.
They were all gathered in the living room, and didn’t spot Smith right away. His gaze swept around the room, noting the balloons, the discarded wrapping paper, the massive birthday cake, the incongruous Birthday Boy party hat on his formidable father-in-law’s salt-and-pepper head.
He was crashing the old man’s birthday party.
Just. Fucking. Perfect.
Kenny wasn’t there.
Every other fucking Hawthorne under the sun was in his house, but his wife was nowhere to be seen.
Nox looked up and tensed when he spotted Smith in the doorway.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” His angry demand cut across the laughter and overlapping chatter, silencing everyone. They all turned to face him, the women’s eyes going wide, and the men all bristling.
Smith placed his bag on the floor against the wall and stepped farther into the room.
“This is my house,” he replied, rolling his shoulders tiredly. “I live here.”
“Last we heard, you’d left,” Cade pointed out laconically, folding his arms over his chest. He had a look of extreme distaste on his face, as if he’d stepped in some shit and couldn’t quite figure out how to scrape it off his shoe.