Chapter 49
Brody
A paramedic attended to Selena on the scene, while the police searched the hunting cabin. An ambulance and police escort had already taken Nick away. Now the cops hovered, waiting to ask us questions.
Cal was on the phone to Ronan. “I hope you didn’t leave town yet.”
A deep, older voice came over the speaker, tinged with an Irish accent. “Why not now?”
Cal faced me. “Selena just stabbed someone.”
A pause. “Is she the new sister?”
“That’s right. She might be new, but she was born to be a Sinclair.” A smile laced Cal’s voice.
A brief silence, and then a long-suffering sigh came over the line. “I’m on my way.”
“She won’t get in trouble. It was clearly self-defense,” I said, folding my arms and sending a glare at the cops.
“Still, she stabbed someone—”
“I don’t give a fuck. She needs to go to the hospital and not anywhere near Nick. They’d better not try and keep her hanging around here more than necessary. She needs her foot seen to.” I clenched my hands into fists at my sides so tight, my nails broke the skin of my palms.
Cal nodded. “The boot’s supporting it, but it has to hurt. She’s tougher than she looks.”
“You have no idea.”
Selena caught my eye. She sat in the back of an ambulance, letting the paramedic check her over. Her foot was elevated in front of her. They hadn’t tried to remove the boot here. Hopefully, they’d give her something for the pain before they attempted it.
“She’s stronger than you can imagine,” I muttered and caught his look. “What?”
Cal shook his head. “If you’d told me a few months ago that you’d be standing here, saying those words about a girl, who is our stepsister, by the way, I’d never have believed you. I guess you’ve a heart in there, after all.”
I slapped my brother on the shoulder. “I always had a heart. I just forgot it was there.”
I stared back at the ambulance, where the paramedic was about to lock the doors. I signaled at him to wait. “I’m going to go with her to the hospital.”
Cal nodded. “I’ll wait here and see if there are any other questions.”
“Sounds good,” I said and walked away.
“Brody!” Cal called when I was about to get into the ambulance.
I turned back.
“I’m happy for you. Both of you,” he said.
I smiled at him and stepped up into the ambulance.
Happiness. It was odd to feel anything but anger after Selena had been hurt and terrorized by Nick, the man I planned to dedicate my life to ruining.
Well, his life and his shithead brother’s.
And yet, sliding into the ambulance beside her, taking her hand in mine and seeing her smile up at me, I couldn’t deny the peace I felt settle over me.
So, that’s what that contented feeling in my bones was.
Happiness. Who’d have thought?
When we got to the hospital, I was shocked to see a familiar face waiting for us in the foyer.
“Selena!” Marjory ran toward her daughter, still strapped onto a stretcher, and gently grabbed her arm.
“What happened? How do you feel?” she asked in a rush.
I caught her up as quickly as I could, without going into detail about Officer Preston. That could all come later.
Marjory clamped a hand over her mouth to muffle her sob, but it didn’t quite work.
“Mom, I’m okay, seriously.” Selena’s voice was tired.
I was immediately annoyed at her mother for making her daughter comfort her when my sweetheart was the one hurting.
We moved through the hospital, and Marjory kept pace. A nurse bustled up to me.
“Mr. Sinclair? We’ve got a room set aside for Ms. Carmichael in the executive suite. Mr. Anderson called ahead.”
“Good, let’s go.” That was one point to Beckett, I supposed. In fact, the Ice Gods had really come through today for Selena. My respect for them rose. Those who treated Selena Carmichael well were the kind of people I could get along with.
Too bad her mother wasn’t making the slightest effort.
“I’ve texted Winter, she’s coming to the hospital,” I told Selena.
“She doesn’t need friends here; she just needs me. Cancel it,” Marjory snapped at me. She was clearly too distraught to remember that she was supposed to be attempting to win over her new stepson.
“No, it’s okay. I want to see her,” Selena said quickly.
I nodded. I wouldn’t be letting Marjory dictate anything.
“And see her you will,” I told her, still holding her hand.
We got to the doorway of the private suite, and Marjory reached out to touch my arm. I subtly sidestepped her unwanted “motherly” gesture.
She narrowed her eyes at me. “You don’t need to stay, Brody. I’m sure you have other places to be.”
I let go of Selena’s hand so the nurses could take her inside and turned to her mother.
“No. I don’t, actually. There is nowhere I need to be more than here,” I corrected her. “And I have been here the whole time you weren’t. When she was new back in town. When she was trying to find her feet. When she was dealing with some asshole harassing her. I have been here… unlike you.”
Marjory flushed. “Your father needed to travel for work—”
“And you needed to travel to shop?” I bit back.
“And how do you know that’s what I was doing while I was traveling? Do you just assume all women are useless except for shopping? That’s an ugly, misogynistic—”
“So, you weren’t shopping? You were working, too?” I cut in. I could hardly tell her that I knew what she’d been up to because I’d been having her followed.
Marjory opened her mouth to continue her tirade, but I managed to get in before her.
“What work was it? Are you training to become a mechanic?”
The words left me before I could call them back.
Shit. Well fucking done, Brody. I was losing control over myself by the second, and the reason for it was lying in the room in front of me.
Meeting Selena had rattled my self-imposed solitude, routine, and control.
Falling in love with her had remade my world.
I wasn’t the same person I used to be. I never would be again.
Marjory’s cheeks were turning red in spots. “It was you.”
“What was me?” I snapped at her, needing this distraction to be over so I could go and see my girl.
“You had me followed… you had the pictures taken.”
“Mom?” Selena called from inside the private suite.
Marjory stormed away from me. I followed. The nurse was waiting.
“We are going to have the doctor come and assess her, then send her for x-rays—”
“Good. Check everything. If her hand hurts, I want everything checked from bones to cuticles, got it? We’ll be here,” I said to the nurse and all but pushed her out the door. It felt like Marjory was about to blow, from her expression, and I didn’t want anyone around.
“What’s going on?” Selena asked.
“You’ll be happy to know that your wish is coming true.” Marjory sniffed, locking tearful eyes on her daughter. “You don’t have to live with the Sinclairs anymore.”
“What?” Both Selena and I asked at the same time.
Marjory blinked her tears back. “I’m getting divorced, and you can thank him for it.” She turned an accusing finger toward me.
Fuck. It was happening already? It was exactly what I’d planned to happen, and yet, when Selena turned her shining, violet-blue eyes toward me, my chest felt hollow.
“He had me followed, contrived evidence against me, and then used it to—”
“That’s not true,” I interrupted. “I didn’t contrive evidence. I compiled it. You were the one sneaking around behind my father’s back.”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Marjory accused. “You just couldn’t wait to get us out of your family. Well, you got your wish, and thanks to the prenup, who knows what we’ll be left with. Forget about nice hospital rooms and Cici’s school—”
“Mom!” Selena’s voice cut through Marjory’s rising hysteria. “I can’t talk about this right now—my head is splitting,” she finished quietly.
“We’ll let you rest,” I said, firm, disgusted at Marjory for choosing now of all times to bring up her relationship issues.
Just then there was a knock, and a nurse and doctor appeared. I wanted to wait and hear what was said, but the doctor asked the visitors to step out. Marjory stalked out, her face pinched. I approached Selena and kissed her cheek.
“I’ll be right outside,” I told her.
She nodded and looked up at me steadily. “Did you really have my mom followed?”
I blew out a breath, on the spot and feeling like utter shit. “It started before we did.”
She nodded slowly, considering me. Then she looked at the doctor, and I felt that dismissal in my soul.
“If you could step out, Mr. Sinclair,” the doctor said more forcefully this time.
Selena didn’t argue with him. She wanted me gone. It hurt, but it was deserved. I’d been going behind her back. That always stung. Still, soon she’d see it was for her own good. We needed to not be related anymore. End of story. She’d understand that, when she wasn’t so tired and overwhelmed.
She would, or I’d do my damnedest to convince her.
My resolve was ironclad… so why did it feel like I might lose everything?
I turned and left the room.