Chapter 3
Ronan
The door opens, and I jump up from the sofa to share my news with Kate. I can’t wait to see her face when I tell her about how Marius and I convinced one of our father’s friends to set up an endowment to benefit the Hope Forward Foundation. She’s going to be so excited.
She hurries past me after giving me a half-smile, so I follow her into the bedroom.
I know my Kate. She’s probably stressed out about something that happened at school today.
She lets things like that get to her, and even a few hours with my brothers’ girlfriends can’t shake her worry about her students.
It’s not healthy, but I can’t help but respect her for how much she cares about those kids. I just hope they and their parents, along with the administration, understand how lucky they are to have her teaching at that school.
“Tough day at work?” I ask, hoping it wasn’t too bad for her.
Kate doesn’t respond with more than a shrug. It may have been worse than I thought.
I walk behind her and wrap my arms around her waist, but she hurriedly spins out of my hold and walks into the bathroom. This isn’t like Kate. Even after her worst days at school, she always has let me comfort her.
Quickly, I think about what I may have done. Knowing Ava and Eden, they likely told her something about me I would have preferred she didn’t know. Damn Matthias and Marius! Anyone who thinks having older brothers who are bust asses isn’t a hassle has never met those two.
Then again, Salem joined them tonight too, so all bets are off because of Kellen. God only knows what he’s told her about me growing up.
Cautiously, I say to Kate who’s still in the bathroom, “Did you have a good time with your bridesmaids tonight?”
She answers with only one word. “Yeah.”
That didn’t help. I need to figure out what’s going on before this mushrooms into something bad.
“What’s wrong, baby? You didn’t answer when I asked if you had a rough day at work. Everything okay at school?”
Again, a one word answer. “Yeah.”
The door remains open, so I crane my neck to look in and see her staring at herself in the mirror. She looks as beautiful as always, and I want to tell her that, but something’s wrong. Kate isn’t acting like herself.
“How did the meeting with that boy’s parents go?”
She doesn’t look over at me when she answers, “Good.”
None of this is good. Damn! Why can’t my brothers keep their damn mouths closed? It’s probably something embarrassing. After all, Kellen, Marius, and Matthias love any chance they can to make me squirm.
I finally decide to just ask the obvious question. “Did I do something?” I quickly follow it up with, “Or did Ava, Eden, or Salem tell you something about me that my brothers should have kept their mouths shut about but couldn’t because they’ve got big mouths?”
That makes her turn and look at me with a tiny smile. “Ronan, I’ve known you since high school. I don’t think there’s anything your brothers could tell those women that I don’t know.”
Feeling like things might be improving, I take a step and stop in the doorway. “I know, but I figure since it wasn’t school that made you unhappy, then maybe it was something that happened while you were out with them.”
Kate shakes her head and gives me another tiny smile. “It’s nothing, honey. I’m just tired. It was a long day.”
Okay. That’s not a bad thing. At least it’s something I can work with.
I step into the bathroom and lightly touch her on the shoulder. “I get that. Anything I can do to help?”
Again, she shakes her head. “I think I’m just going to relax for a little while. Maybe watch some TV. I’m okay, so no need to worry.”
Relief washes over me. With a chuckle, I say, “Good. I was starting to think my brothers had been shit talking about me and their girlfriends told you. I mean wives. Actually, I don’t know what to call them, if I’m being honest.”
Kate splashes some cold water on her face and turns toward me. “I call them the girls. You could say that.”
“I’m pretty sure if I start calling them girls, Eden or Ava are going to give me what for about being a sexist pig.”
My fiancée rolls her eyes before drying her hands on one of the pink hand towels she bought last week.
“Women only hate when men who are sexist pigs call us girls, Ronan. Nobody who knows you, especially Ava and Eden, think that about you. If you don’t want to use girls, you could always say ladies and be safe, though. ”
“Okay. So the ladies didn’t tell you something awful about me that made you have second thoughts about us getting married?”
Kate’s eyes grow big as her mouth falls open. “They couldn’t tell me anything about you that would make me feel that way, Ronan. It sounds like you think they don’t like you. If you believe that, trust me, you’re wrong. My bridesmaids all think you’re the perfect man for me.”
I take a step toward her so I’m standing only a few inches in front of her. She always seems so tiny when we’re close like this. Looking down into her eyes, I smile, loving how lucky I feel whenever she’s around.
“Well, that’s good. I’d hate to think someone is going to speak up when the priest says that part about if anyone thinks these two don’t belong together at the ceremony.”
Finally, that makes her give me a big smile that lights up her entire face. “No worries. The only one who might consider doing that is my sister, and even Kelly is crazy about you. Now if I was going to marry one of your brothers, she might have something to say.”
“Like Marius?” I ask as I pull her into me for a hug.
She flinches for a moment, confusing me, but then her body relaxes against mine. Staring up at me, she tilts her head right and then left. “He made an impression on her back in school, and I’m not sure my claims that he’s a decent guy have broken through yet.”
The thought crosses my mind that he may have done something with Kelly, so I ask, “There’s no chance those two got together at any point, is there? That would explain why she isn’t his biggest fan.”
Rolling her eyes, Kate seems to consider the possibility for a moment or two.
“I don’t think so, but I’ve never even entertained that idea.
Maybe I’ll ask her about it on Monday. I don’t see those two ever getting together, but to be honest, I never imagined he’d be with someone like Eden.
I always thought he’d end up with a woman who never said a peep and completely deferred to him. Eden is definitely not that at all.”
She’s not wrong about that. Eden is absolutely not the kind of person I ever saw that brother with, never mind marrying her.
I follow Kate out of the bathroom as that rambles around my brain. Marius is better off having an Eden in his life, though. He needs someone who’s strong enough to temper his bullshit tendencies, and she’s definitely that.
“So, do you want to hear about my day? Spoiler alert: it involves Marius.”
She glances over at me as she kicks off her heels and crawls into bed still fully clothed in her white blouse and navy blue skirt she wore to work.
“You don’t have to warn me about him anymore, honey.
I know he’s a decent guy. I don’t worry he’s going to encourage you to do something stupid when he’s around.
He showed me he’s not the person I thought he was. ”
“Okay, then do you want to hear what happened? It’s good news.”
“Can we talk in about an hour? Today wiped me out. I just want to take a little nap, but I promise I’ll be up in a little while.”
I don’t want to overreact, but Kate has never not wanted to hear about my work with the foundation. In fact, whenever I have anything to say about it, she’s always intensely interested. Something’s wrong. I don’t know what it is, but she’s not acting like herself.
Instead of pushing, though, I simply smile and walk over to her side of the bed before dipping my head to kiss her. “No problem. I’ll be out in the living room, so when you feel better, I can tell you my story then.”
She smiles, and I whisper, “I love you, Kate. You know that, right?”
Looking up at me, she grins and says, “I better. We’ve got hundreds of people coming to our wedding in a month.”
“Okay. Just wanted to make sure you know.”
For a long moment, she stares into my eyes, and I can’t help but wonder what’s going on that she’s not telling me. Kate’s always been my rock. She’s never made me wonder for even a second if she loves me, but she’s never acted like this.
“I’ll talk to you in an hour. I can’t wait to hear what happened, okay?”
I nod, but when I turn to leave her to her nap, I notice her blouse has slipped off her right shoulder to reveal a red mark. I study it for a few seconds until she notices and quickly covers up.
Now I can’t stop myself from thinking something is very wrong.
“Kate, what’s going on? Where did you get that mark on your shoulder from?”
She gives me a strange look that seems utterly forced, like she’s making herself appear like my questions are ridiculous but she knows they aren’t. “What mark? I’m sure it’s just from my purse. You try carrying one around all day.”
That sounds like a lie, and we both know that. She doesn’t carry a purse all day. She’s a third grade teacher. Her purse stays in her desk while she’s teaching students.
“You know as well as I do that’s a lie, and it’s not a very good one.”
I look around the room to find her purse and see it on the chair in the corner where she threw it when she walked in. I march over to pick it up, desperately wanting it to feel heavy so her claim could possibly be true.
Except it’s not. In fact, it’s lighter than it’s ever been. I’ve held her purse dozens, if not hundreds, of times when we go shopping and she’s trying clothes on, and it’s never felt like this. If I didn’t know better, I’d say it’s empty.
I look inside it as she begins talking about how women’s purses are private, but I’m not listening. I’m entirely focused on what’s missing from her purse at this moment.
Turning to face her, I ask, “Where’s your wallet?”
Kate doesn’t answer me. She merely closes her eyes, like she can’t face me.
What is going on?
“Kate, what aren’t you telling me?”
Each word comes out sounding shaky because I’m terrified at what her answer could be.
I’ve dreaded hearing from her what I told her all those years ago in my first year away at college.
I remember how devastated she looked when I confessed that I’d cheated on her.
Marius and Kellen warned me that one day she may do the same to me and I’d have no choice but to accept that I have it coming, but I’ve never believed them.
Not Kate. Not my Kate. She wouldn’t do that.
But I’m sure she thought that about me, and what did I do? I threw away a relationship because of my ego and too much drinking one night.
It feels like hours before she sits up in bed and sighs, blowing the air out of her lungs. Every second I wait to hear what she has to tell me feels like torture. Is she going to tell me she cheated on me with some teacher at school?
Jesus, I feel sick. Marius and Kellen told me turnabout is fair play. Why was I such a jackass back then? How could I have done that to her? Did she feel this way when I was acting odd and finally told her I went with someone else?
“My wallet got stolen. I was walking down the street on my way back to school after I spent time with the girls and a guy jumped out at me.”
For a moment, I feel pure relief, but that’s quickly replaced by worry which is overwhelmed by rage that someone hurt her. I toss the purse back onto the chair and walk over to sit next to her on the bed as she covers her face and begins to cry.
“Kate, I’m here. It’s okay. You’re okay. You’re safe. I got you,” I say softly as she sobs.
When she doesn’t respond, my mind goes to the worst place it could. Did this guy who stole her wallet do anything else? Is that why she didn’t want me to touch her at first when she came home?
“Baby, did something else happen?” I ask, unsure how to say what I’m thinking.
She drops her hands from her face and shakes her head. “No, it’s nothing like that. He didn’t do anything but take my wallet. I’m being silly. I’ve spent most of my life in the city. I don’t know why I’m acting like this.”
“Because some asshole stole your wallet. That’s why you’re acting this way. But it’s okay. You’re safe. We can make sure all your credit cards are cancelled, and we’ll replace everything else he took. I’m just relieved you’re okay.”
“I’ll be fine. I was just shocked. That’s all. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you at first.”
I pull her into my arms and hold her against my chest. “You know you can tell me anything, don’t you?”
She nods against my body and sighs. “I know. I think I was embarrassed and felt stupid that I put myself in that position.”
Leaning back, I set my hands on her shoulders and shake my head. “No, we aren’t doing that. You’re the victim here. We’re not blaming you for some jackass’s crime. I’m just glad you didn’t tell me you found someone else.”
A look of utter confusion settles into her face. “What are you talking about?”
“I thought when you were acting strange that you went with someone else. Marius and Kellen told me someday what I did back in college was going to come back and bite me on the ass. I thought maybe this was that.”
She chuckles, and I have to admit they really did get into my head with that stuff.
“And to think I said I liked those two brothers. At this rate, the only one I’m going to like is Matthias.
Whatever they said about what happened, no, I don’t plan on giving you a dose of your own medicine.
There’s no other man in this world I want, Ronan King. I promise you that.”
“Well, good because there’s no other woman I want in this world.”
Throwing off the covers, she throws her legs off the side of the bed and stands up. “I think I’d like to have some dinner and hear about your big news. Did you make anything or get takeout?”
“No. I was going to whip up some spaghetti, but I hate cooking for just myself.”
“I think I could go for Chinese,” Kate says.
She starts walking out of the bedroom, so I follow along. I can’t express how relieved I am that what I was thinking about wasn’t the problem. Getting mugged in the city is never a good time, but thankfully, that guy only wanted her wallet. Everything in there can be replaced.
Even better, my worries about her being with another man were nothing but ghosts my brothers put into my head. I need to listen to those two far less than I do.
“Chinese sounds great to me!” I say, relieved everything is going to be okay.