CHAPTER 38
KILLIAN
Ilift the Bud light to my lips and take a healthy slug as I stare down at the picture in my hand.
The same picture I’ve carried in my wallet since the day it was taken.
Daisy’s face is alight with a laugh, her hair spilling to the floor as I dip her back into a kiss. My hand clutches her bare leg around my waist, my own smile just as wide as my mouth descends on hers.
I rub at the tender spot on my chest.
Fuck, where did it all go wrong?
How did we go from that smiling couple, so in love with each other, to this?
My front door opens, and I turn to look over my shoulder at Noah as he lets himself into my house, my sister trailing behind him.
I glare at Noah. “Really?” Dropping back with a sigh, I glare at the blonde standing behind him. “I want my spare key back.”
“Yeah. Well, I want a lot of things, but I can’t have them,” Bella shoots back.
Well, clearly, she’s got something on her mind.
“What part of, I want to be left alone, do you people not understand?”
I lift my beer to my lips again, only to have it snatched out of my hand. My eyes fly up to my sister, fury building inside of me. “What the fuck, Isabella?”
She laughs, maniacally. “Isabella? You’re full naming me? Grow up, Killian.”
“Can you, please, just go away?” I say, my voice tired.
I’m so fucking tired.
Bella crosses her arms over her chest, standing strong. “No. You’re my brother and I love you, but I won’t let you do this again.”
“I’m not doing anything. I’m enjoying a beer in front of the TV after a long day at work.” I lie.
She cocks a brow. “Your TV is off, and you haven’t shown up for work in three days.”
“What are you? My mother?”
God, I sound like a fucking child.
“I might as well be. Lord knows the one we have is about as useful as a chocolate teapot.”
“Hmm,” I hum in agreeance.
“Daisy has tried calling you.”
I know.
“Has she? Lost my phone.”
“Will you fucking stop it?!” Bella shouts and I swear, my balls shrivel a little bit.
It’s very rare that my sister raises her voice, but when she does? Shit, she’s been known to make grown men cry. Just ask Noah. A fiery little thing is Isabella Ashby.
“You need to let her explain,” Bella says, and I finally look up at her.
“Explain what? There’s nothing else to explain.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. There’s a lot you don’t know, Killian. The shit she’s been through.”
“She lied to me, Bella.”
“She thought she was protecting you.”
“From what?!” I shout, getting to my feet and pulling on the ends of my hair. “What do I need protecting from? That’s a fucking copout and you know it.”
“Woah, man. Don’t speak to her like that,” Noah says, stepping forward at the same time Bella says, “No. It isn’t. Just hear her out.”
“Get out. Both of you.” I point towards the door they entered through less than three minutes ago.
Bella shakes her head, her eyes full of disappointment as she turns on her heel and stalks toward the front door. She gives me one last look over her shoulder before she pulls the door open and slams it behind her.
I turn to Noah, waiting.
He holds my stare. “You know, it wasn’t too long ago that you found my brother in this exact state.” He looks around the room in disgust. “You should take a page out of your own book.”
And then he turns and follows after my sister.
***
“Good to have you back, boss,” Jace says, slapping me on the back. I dip my head at him in greeting.
Wish I could say the same.
I feel like shit.
I drank one too many beers after my run in with Bella and Noah last night and I’m paying for that shit today.
I definitely shouldn’t be operating a chainsaw.
I grip Jace’s shoulder. “I’m gonna need you to climb for me today.”
His brows dip. “You good?”
“Yeah. Just need to keep both feet on the ground for the day.”
Jace eyes me with suspicion mixed with concern but thankfully has the good sense not to question me. I am his boss after all, so me telling him to do something shouldn’t come as such a surprise.
I pull the rest of the tools from the back of the truck and lay them out on the grass. We have eight redwood trees to dismantle and only two days to do it. And with the way I’m barely functioning right now, a job this size couldn’t have come at a worse time.
Don’t get me wrong, I have every faith in Jace. I have no doubt that he is capable of completing the task, but I’m particular. I prefer to do the bigger, more risky jobs myself because if anything goes wrong then I shoulder the burden.
A familiar car - if you can even call the old rust-bucket that - pulls up to the curb and Jaxon gets out, jogging over to me with a worried expression that has me on alert immediately.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, meeting him halfway.
He glances to the car and then back at me and I follow his gaze, a slew of curses leaving me when I spot the small girl in the back seat.
“I’m sorry, Killian. Her school is on break, and my mom is in no fit state to look after her right now. I didn’t know what else to do. I can’t lose the money,” Jax explains in a rush.
“Shit.”
This poor fucking kid, barely out of his teens and lugging a toddler around with him because his mother is too wasted to look after her herself. He walks around in fucking rags and works his ass off to put food on the table when he should be off at college.
It’s not fucking fair.
“I might be able to sort something out. You good with that?” I ask.
He chews on his lip nervously as he bounces on the spot. I recognise the look in his eyes. He doesn’t trust anyone to take care of his sister. I know that feeling all too well.
I grip his shoulder and level with him. “My friend, Savannah. She has a five-year-old daughter. I can give her a call and see if she’d be willing to help out for the day. Your sister will be safe and looked after.”
He blinks up at me before glancing back toward the car, contemplating. “You promise?”
Fuck, kid. You’re killing me.
“I promise.”
He still doesn’t seem sure, so I pull my phone out and pull up Savannahs contact. “How about this? I will call Savannah now and ask her. If she says yes, we can drive over there together and I’ll introduce you to her.”
He thinks about it for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, okay.”
Relieved he agreed, I click the call button and place the phone on speaker. After two rings, Savannah answers, her British accent filtering through the speakers. “Hello?”
I clear my throat. “Hey, Savannah. It’s Killian.”
The line is silent for a few seconds before she speaks again. “What can I do for you, Killian?”
Judging by the coldness in her voice, I’d say she has heard from my sister.
I flick a nervous glance at Jaxon, hoping he didn’t pick up on the change in her tone.
“I, um…” fuck, I’m suddenly afraid she’s going to chew me out in front of my employee.
“I have a favour to ask you. One of my workers, Jaxon, he has a little sister that he takes care of, and he doesn’t have anyone to watch her for the day, and I was wondering if I could bring her by and she could hang out with Reign? ”
“Oh.” There’s a long pause. “How old is his sister?” Savannah asks and I look to Jaxon for the answer.
“She’s three,” he says into the phone, and I close my eyes.
Three.
“Oh, okay,” Sav says, surprised. “I’m sure Reign will be happy to have a friend to play with. When do you want to drop her off?”
“We can be there in fifteen minutes.”
“Okay. See you soon. And Killian?” She says, grabbing my attention.
“Yeah?”
“I’m pissed at you.” The phone beeps, the telltale sign that she just hung up on me and I hear a chuckle from next to me.
“What’d you do?” Jaxon laughs and I wince.
“Don’t worry about it. Let’s go.”
***
We pull up at Hunter and Savannah’s house exactly fifteen minutes later and to say Jaxon is overwhelmed by the Calloway Ranch would be an understatement. He’s been staring out the window in awe since we passed the main house.
On the drive over here, I learned that his sister’s name is Juliet and he took on the responsibility of raising her from the moment she was born. His dad took off years ago and his mom has been lost in drink and drugs ever since.
It’s so similar to my own childhood that it’s startling.
My heart breaks for the both of them.
I switch the engine off and turn to him. “You ready?”
He finally picks his jaw up off the floor and nods, removing his seatbelt before climbing out. I follow suit and wait at the hood of the truck while he gets Juliet out of the back seat and places her on the ground, quickly taking her small hand in his.
She walks next to him, her brown hair unruly and her clothes in much the same condition as her big brothers were the day he approached me for a job.
The whole scene angers me beyond belief.
My jaw clenches as I trudge up the steps and rap my knuckles against the door. It opens seconds later, and Savannah stands before us, her hand resting on the top of her baby bump. She ignores me. “Hello. You must be Jaxon. I’m Savannah,” she says, offering him a hand to shake.
“Yes, ma’am. Nice to meet you,” Jax replies, a juvenile blush creeping into his cheeks.
“Come on in,” Savannah says, holding the door open for them and shooting me a glare as they pass her.
For fuck’s sake.
With a shake of my head, I follow them inside and close the door behind me, the sound of cartoons filtering out from the living room.
“Reign is in the living room watching Paw Patrol, do you want to join her?” Savannah asks Juliet and the little girl gives her a timid nod, chewing on her drool covered fingers.
She straightens, her attention on Jax. “You can take her through if you like. Have a little look around.”
He dips his head. “Thank you,” he says as he guides Juliet through to the living room, leaving me alone with Savannah.
I swallow as she focuses on me. “I wasn’t going to say anything because, frankly, I’m not sure you deserve it, but you look like shit and I’m hormonal so, I’m choosing to take pity on you. Daisy is in the kitchen.”
Everything sinks.
My ears ring and my heart pounds.
“What?” Fuck, I feel dizzy.
I’m not ready to see her.
“She comes here sometimes when it gets quiet up at the barn. I didn’t know she was coming.”
“Shit,” I whisper, running a hand through my hair.
Just then a familiar laugh drifts out of the open door of the living room. The sound reaches inside my chest and wraps around my lungs, squeezing them tight.
I lean back ever so slightly, catching a glimpse of her dark hair as she rounds the couch and kneels on the ground to join the girls on the floor.
Reign immediately scoots closer to her, crawling into her lap as Daisy picks up a toy off the floor and hands it to Juliet with the warmest, most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen.
My stomach clenches at the sight, a lump forming in my throat and making it hard to breathe.
“Can you tell Jax I will meet him outside?” I say to Savannah and the deep rumble of my voice must alert Daisy to my presence because her shoulders tense suddenly, her eyes flying up to mine.
All the oxygen in the room dissipates as her lips part on a silent gasp. The air crackles between us. My skin tingles with awareness. And my pulse pounds in my ears as I hold her stare.
She looks devastated.
Empty.
It looks like she hasn’t slept in days.
And it fucking guts me.
The invisible string between us attempts to pull me toward her, but I fight against it, keeping my feet planted firmly on the spot. It’s always been instinct to go to her. The connection between the two of us is deep-rooted. It always has been. And denying that like I am right now feels wrong.
But I’m too fragile right now.
The wound is too fresh.
So, I tear my eyes away from her broken ones and walk out the door.