Chapter 35
THE BIGGER PERSON
“Ican’t believe this,” Nelson said the next day.
“I’m not sure why you never thought this was a possibility,” West said.
He ran his hands through his hair. “I didn’t think anyone cared all that much about me.”
“Don’t play the martyr,” Braylon said. “You always liked having the attention and with the good comes the shitty.”
He didn’t need the reminder.
That all his careless decisions were coming back on him.
The one thing he’d fought hard for in his life was to earn the respect and acceptance of his older siblings.
But it seemed like all he needed them for now was to save his ass again and again.
Bet that was one shining characteristic his wife just loved.
“I’m not. This is the one thing I wanted to prevent for Kenzie.”
“For her?” West asked.
“Yes. She’s been worried that she wasn’t good enough for me or our family. That people were going to talk about her and why she married me. But more than that, she didn’t want anything that could affect her future career. Nothing from her past to ever come back.”
“Like being too drunk to know she’s marrying a stranger?” Braylon asked.
“Yeah. I have a better excuse than her.”
“Excuse?” West asked.
“Don’t give me that. It’s not what I meant. I get it. If I weren’t always flaunting things I might not have been the target. None of that matters. I didn’t want it out that I’d been drugged and robbed any more than the rest of the family did.”
Shit. People might think Kenzie played a part in it too, just like his brothers thought at first.
She didn’t need anyone else giving her a hard time about where they were in their lives.
He liked how things turned out.
Not ideal, but it was working.
“That wouldn’t be good for anyone,” West said.
“Last night when Kenzie told me what happened, I wanted to call Lexi and give her shit.”
“Did you?” Braylon asked, lifting an eyebrow.
“Of course not.”
Kenzie talked him down from his rage.
The fact that she confessed within minutes of him getting home hadn’t erased his sense of failure that she couldn’t call him before she went to his brother.
“What did Kenzie tell you about Noelle?” Braylon asked.
“That she was being a petty bitch. My words, not hers. I’d like to see her get pissed and swear, but she won’t.”
“It comes in handy to have that control,” West said drily.
He stopped pacing when those words washed over him.
“What are you going to do about Noelle?” he asked Braylon. “I don’t want Kenzie being talked about or made a target.”
“I’m not doing anything,” Braylon said. “There have been gossip and whispers for years. I went through it and so did Lily.”
“The same with Abby,” West said. “Suck it up. The more you react the more they feed off of it. Be the bigger person.”
He knew all of that. But he didn’t want to be.
What he wanted to do was defend and protect his wife and he wasn’t able to do it the way it would work for him.
But he knew his way was wrong and that was why he was meeting with his brothers first thing.
Sticking up for Kenzie and even talking to Noelle would only prove that his wife needed his protection... which she clearly didn’t.
“So what is the next step?” he asked. “Because this isn’t going to end and most likely will get worse.”
“You tell us what you want to do,” West said.
“What? Really?”
“I’m not saying it’s the right thing and we might not agree, but you’ve got to have an opinion. It’s your life,” West said.
“Why do you look so shocked?” Braylon asked.
“I just figured you had a game plan and you called me in here to tell me what I had to do.”
West shook his head. “Nope.”
“Come on. You always have one.”
“Maybe,” Braylon said. “But not like it’s set in stone. You had to have put some thought into this last night.”
“I did,” he said. “Kenzie and I talked a little. She wants to ignore it and let it just pass by.”
“Is that what you want?” West asked.
“No. Because I know it’s not going to pass by. Even though most people don’t give a crap about me like they do you, I still am tied to your businesses. If I come off looking irresponsible they won’t want me working on any of your investments.”
“That’s right,” West said. “But that doesn’t change the fact that this is your life and you have to live it.”
He supposed he could appreciate that they were willing to listen to him.
“I want to get her a new wedding band today before I go home and make sure we both have it on going forward. There isn’t any reason to hide it.”
“Those are esthetics,” West said.
“I know. It’s petty too, but it’s what I want. She’s the one who didn’t want to wear the ring.”
“Considering you both agreed to keep it quiet, it would have said more than words could if you both showed up with matching rings.”
He snorted. “I know. But I’m still going to do it.”
“That’s your choice,” Braylon said. “But it won’t stop lips from flapping either.”
“A press release seems ridiculous. I’m not you. Not even one percent care about me or even know me.”
“True,” West said.
His lips curled and his eyebrow lifted as a faint twitch flickered across his nose. “You didn’t have to agree so quickly.”
“Now isn’t the time to get your junk twisted,” Braylon said. “Aside from putting bling on Kenzie’s hand, you have no other plan?”
“I don’t know. Post something on social media? Playing it up as if the secret is out, I found the love of my life in none other than Vegas.”
“Love of your life?” West asked, smirking.
“Don’t be a dick.” His oldest brother’s eyebrow rose but nothing else. “You know what I’m talking about.”
“I do,” West said. “Just didn’t know if you were there or not.”
“I am. And it sucks because Kenzie went to you first,” he said, pointing his finger at Braylon. “She should have called me.”
“If you were in town, she would have,” Braylon said. “She was uncomfortable coming to me, but she did it.”
“She only did because she wanted to protect the family name. She’s worried it’s all coming crashing down on her.”
“We won’t let that happen,” West said.
“Let’s see what today brings and then we’ll go from there. Maybe it will blow over and ignoring it is the best thing.”
“If you say so,” Braylon said.
His brothers didn’t look convinced, but he appreciated they were letting him decide.
But two hours later, his social media was blowing up asking if it was true, some funny comments and cartoon pictures aimed in his direction about Vegas weddings with a farmer holding a shotgun to him, or the one with him and Kenzie drunk under a neon sign in ugly ill-fitting clothing kissing.
Jesus, that one just hit too close to home. He was ill.
When his mother called, he shut his door and answered.
“What are you going to do about this mess?” his mother asked before he could even say hi.
“I don’t know yet,” he said. “I’m thinking.”
“West and Braylon don’t have it figured out?”
“It seems that way,” he said. “They asked what I wanted to do.”
“Because they are giving you that respect to voice your opinion. You’ve waited a long time for this day, don’t blow it.”
“It seems as if I’m blowing everything lately.”
“Don’t be a baby,” his mother said sternly. “It never looked good on you.”
“Thanks,” he mumbled.
“You reap what you sow. But this time you’ve got a sweet, lovely, considerate wife who doesn’t deserve to be caught up in this.”
“She’s getting the worst of it. It’s not just making a mockery of our vows.”
“Nelson, sometimes the truth hurts. You were drunk. Or Kenzie was. You had borrowed clothes and had cheap pictures taken in a dingy place. End of story. Move on. You can fix that easily. You should be more concerned about what is being said about Kenzie and her family.”
“I am,” he said. “But if I say what I want on social media, then it’s going to stir people up more.”
Him and his big following.
West Carlisle’s billionaire baby brother.
He’d loved the title for years.
Used it to his advantage to make friends and even get women.
That was years ago.
In the past two years, he’d put more time into his career and less into his personal life.
But those people who still followed him, who still wanted to be with him for his name, they were the first ones throwing arrows into his back and many more at his front.
“Make a statement without saying a lot of words. That’s always been your problem. You went over the top. Just be normal. What does Kenzie want to do?”
“She wants it to go away. I don’t think she knows what is making the rounds today. She’s not on social media much and doesn’t follow me.”
“Don’t be a fool. If people found out about this that quickly, then they found her and are most likely sending her messages too.”
He put his head back.
“I told West and Braylon I’m getting her a ring to put on.”
“Pretty props don’t solve problems,” his mother said.
He snarled. Almost the same thing West said.
“It’s a start. I’ll talk to Kenzie soon and see her thoughts.”
“Don’t wait too long,” his mother said. “I know you’ll do the right thing, but doing it slow isn’t right either.”
His mother hung up after that.
He got up and walked to West’s wing and wasn’t surprised the door was shut.
“Is he available?” he asked Vanessa.
West’s assistant gave him a sympathetic smile. “He’s in with Braylon. Go on.”
Which meant he was the topic of conversation.
He opened the door, they both turned to look at him, and he joined them off to the side where they were sitting.
“Well?” West asked. “Did you decide?”
“I think so. I’m going to leave and get a ring.”
His brothers both laughed. “Not surprising.”
“I’ve been wanting to do it anyway. If I’m using this as an excuse, then so be it. But I’ll talk with Kenzie and then let you know.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “Mom said I shouldn’t wait.”
“No,” Braylon said. “Get ahead of it and you’re already behind.”
He knew that was how Braylon operated, and he had to fix this.
If not for himself and his family, then for his wife.