25. Twenty-Five
TWENTY-FIVE
H arley
“How long do you think it’s going to take before he realizes that he’s wearing her lipstick?” Keeley asks her mother as she raises a glass of lemonade to her lips.
Ginny smiles at me. “Until he wipes his mouth with a napkin during dinner.”
Rolling my lips, I say, “Probably not even then.”
“To be fair, I do believe I heard the words fuck it before I opened the door,” Keeley mumbles with a shrug. “Which means he obviously knew he was going to have red lips.”
I involuntarily flinch when she cusses in front of Ginny. Only for Ginny to then ask, “Are you okay, Harley?”
“I…uh, yes.”
Dropping my eyes to one of the stones on the patio table, I feel my brows pull together. I’ve never cussed in front of my parents because I was always scared of the retribution I’d face if I did.
“So, Harley, Zayden says you’re majoring in statistics,” Ginny says, effectively changing the subject.
“I am,” I tell her, drawing my gaze back up to hers.
“Are you planning to work at your father’s company when you graduate?” she asks casually.
I snort out a laugh. “No, definitely not.”
“Mom,” Jax bites out from behind me. “ That is considered an invasive question.”
Her and Keeley exchange a look before she mouths, “Alpha asshole,” to me.
Rolling my lips, I fail to hide my smile. I turn my head to find Jax and his father walking toward a grill. Jax holds a tray with steaks in one hand and a tray of vegetables in the other while his father opens the grill.
I look out at the expanse of forest surrounding their backyard. The trees are thick and dense for miles. “Do you own all of this land?” I ask in awe.
“We do,” Ginny says, “Nicholas’s family owns many properties just like this one.”
“It’s beautiful,” I reply, giving her a small smile.
“Kee, how do you want your steak?” Jax asks as he places the steaks on the grill.
I glance at Keeley. She has her thumbnail pinned between two sets of straight white teeth. Her eyes burn into Jax’s spine before she says, “Let’s go with blue today.”
Raw . She’s eating her steak practically raw.
“Do all of you eat your steaks like that?” I whisper curiously.
“Mom doesn’t,” Keeley says, flashing me a smile. “But then again, she’s not part beast.”
“Keeley,” their father snaps.
“What? It’s not like she doesn’t know she walked into a wolf den today,” she retorts brassly.
Jax takes the seat next to me. “And what if I hadn’t told her? What if you just spilled the beans without knowing it?”
Her green eyes narrow on Jax before she says, “You’re not that stupid.”
“Here’s the thing about Keeley,” Jax starts, leaning on his forearms. “Don’t tell her a secret if you want it to be kept.”
Keeley rolls her eyes. “You’re an ass.”
“Better get used to it, Kee. Next year you’ll be living under my roof,” Jax bares his teeth at her in a semblance of a smile.
“Are you attending KRU next year?” I ask her excitedly.
“I am. I’m going to obtain my art degree and business. I’m going to open my own art studio one day,” she says with a smile.
“Keeley painted all the paintings and sculpted every sculpture that’s in the entrance room,” Ginny announces with a proud smile.
“That’s amazing,” I breathe out.
“Zay, can you go grab the salad and the dinner rolls from the kitchen? These steaks are almost done,” Nicholas says.
“Sure thing.”
Not even five minutes later, I have a plate of food sitting in front of me. It doesn’t take long for the realization to sink in how different this meal is from the one I’ll be having tomorrow. The conversation between everyone flows smoothly. Not once has my weight been mentioned—not even when Jax places a warm roll in front of me next to my plate.
I stare at the shiny golden top of it. The steak and cooked vegetables I can get away with. The salad is pushing it because it looks to be covered in an oil and vinegar dressing. But I can’t eat that roll. Not when I’ve indulged in pizza and hamburgers without running a single mile.
With a shake to my hand, I snatch the roll off the table. Alicia’s words run through my mind before settling beneath my skin. Parents are supposed to be nurturing. Supportive. Loving. They aren’t supposed to judge you so harshly that you have to have a code word with their personal driver to get an idea of what you’re walking into. That’s…Harley, that’s mental and emotional abuse.
For the first time in my entire life, it’s all falling into place. The countless nannies that raised me over the years. Their disgust over my mother’s harsh words when it came to my appearance and my weight. The way my father ignored all of it because he was too busy at work. How no matter how hard I tried to be good enough, I always fell short. It was all abuse.
I can feel Jax’s eyes on me. Ignoring his heavy stare, I put the roll back and ask, “Where is the restroom?”
“There’s a door to the right just after you come through the entrance hall,” Keeley says, her sole focus on her steak.
“Thanks,” I murmur, pushing away from the table.
I force my pace to remain casual until I disappear into the house. Then I run to the bathroom as fast as my feet will take me. When the entrance hall comes into view, I see the open door to my left. Shutting and locking the door, I flip the lights on.
My stomach churns and I almost don’t make it to the toilet before the nausea takes over. I scramble to get my hair out of my face as I proceed to empty the contents of my stomach into the freakishly clean porcelain.
This house, his family, this city —it’s all becoming more clear. I’m not cut from the same cloth as Zayden Jax Stone. I thought I stood a chance at KRU, but I may just be in over my head.
I register the door opening and closing in my blurred peripheral as I puke again. A large hand takes place of mine in my hair. When the puking finally stops, I flush the toilet and reach to my left for the toilet paper.
“Here,” Jax murmurs before he steps up to the sink.
He grabs a washcloth from a basket on the black countertop and turns the hot water on. Steam starts to rise from the stream as he holds the cloth beneath the water. He rings it out, turns the water off, and lowers himself to the floor beside me.
I take the cloth from his hand. “I locked the door.”
“There’s a key on the top of the door frame.”
“Usually a locked door indicates the need for privacy,” I grumble.
“You panicked,” he states.
I stare at the rag in my hand as I rest it in my lap. “I don’t belong here, Zayden.”
“What makes you say that?”
Feeling my bottom lip quiver, I trap it between my teeth. “When you found out I was a BCU transfer, what was your first thought?”
“That your father wrote a check to the school.”
“What’s your thought now?”
“That Professor Gordon had something to do with your acceptance into the curriculum,” he replies.
“We’re too different, Zayden. My family has money, but yours?—”
Jax cuts in, “It doesn’t matter.”
I sigh, letting my eyes fall shut. “Zayden.”
“Before you make up your mind, will you come finish your food and then after, I promise I’ll take you back to the dorm,” he pleads softly.
Reluctantly, I nod, still not meeting his gaze. He stands and opens a drawer beneath the sink. I flick my eyes up to see him place a brand new toothbrush and toothpaste on the counter before he disappears. The door softly clicks shut, and for a moment I just stay there on the floor, thinking over every reason in my head that this can’t work.
After a few minutes, I take a deep breath and push up to my feet. I quickly brush my teeth and make my way back out to the patio. The entire time, I try to think of anything other than how this will be my last night with Jax.
Somehow, I got conned. Instead of us leaving, we now sit around the table playing a game of Phase 10 . No one acted any different after I ran to the bathroom and puked my guts out.
“Alright, Phase 10,” Nicholas mutters to himself. He organizes his cards, moving one from one spot to another. “This is manageable.”
“He takes games very seriously,” Keeley quips, drawing and discarding a card.
“They’re his thing ,” Jax murmurs as I draw and discard.
He picks up my discarded card before discarding one of his own. I narrow my eyes at him, only to have him wink at me. It makes my heart constrict in my chest.
I’m currently holding first place with a forty point lead on Jax. Keeley is right behind him, and Ginny and Nicholas are tied for last.
“I love all types of card and board games,” I admit as Ginny takes her turn.
“Did your parents play with you as a kid?” Keeley asks.
“Not exactly,” I mumble as my turn comes up again.
“Who’d you play with then?” she presses.
“Keeley,” Jax hisses.
“It’s okay,” I tell him as I discard a four. They have a right to know why I won’t be coming back .
His jaw ticks as he draws. “You don’t have to humor her.”
I watch Ginny and Nicholas share a look as Jax draws and discards the same card. Bringing my eyes to meet Keeley’s, I notice the pinch in her brows.
With a heavy breath, I say, “My mom sent me to fat camp when I was sixteen, despite never actually being fat. Where your family plays board games, my family takes pleasure in tearing me down. This family dinner has been eye opening in more than one way. Earlier, I puked over the mere thought of eating a dinner roll. And when you rolled dessert out, I pretended to be full because I couldn’t stomach the thought of indulging in a slice of cake. Even if it looked like it’d probably be the best cake I’ve ever had in my life.”
Everyone took their turn as I spoke, no one daring to voice the obvious abuse I’ve been suffering through my entire life. I place all ten cards down in front of me, having been dealt three wilds and mostly fives and ones, I don’t even need to discard to win. Pressing my palms into the table, I rise to my feet.
“Dinner was wonderful, and I really enjoyed playing. Thanks so much for having me,” I say.
“Harley, I’m—” Keeley starts.
“Don’t. It really was great meeting you all.”
Spinning on my heel, I walk back through the house and don’t stop until I get to Jax’s car.