Chapter 16

CHAPTER16

“Idon’t want to talk about it,” the small woman that hadn’t been able to look him in the eye since he’d been forced to take matters into his own hands said.

“They had it coming,” Sean said with a firm nod, drawing Cayley’s attention as she looked up at her best friend in horror and-

“You made them cry,” Cayley said, making Bryce bite back a wince even though he was still like ninety percent sure that the little bullies had been faking.

“They knew what they were doing,” Sean said with a firm nod as he took a sip of the overpriced hot cocoa that their sister made them buy before adding, “Oh, did they fucking know.”

“They were five,” Cayley said, looking completely lost for words, something that he noticed happened quite a bit when Sean was around.

“They should have known better than to touch our snowman,” Bryce said, watching as Cayley looked between him and Sean before her shoulders slumped in defeat and she forced herself to look away with a sad shake of her head and a mumbled, “I give up.”

“They really should have,” Sean murmured in agreement as they watched Cayley make her way back to the seats that Rory saved for them and-

“Are you going to tell me what you’re up to?” Sean asked as he took a bite of the large gingerbread man that he stole from Cayley when she made the mistake of putting it down so that she could pull her mittens on.

“The same as you,” Bryce said, taking in the outdoor movie theatre the town set up to raise money to build a new playground, from the inflatable movie screen playing some shitty Christmas movie to the snow tubes set up in front of it in lieu of chairs where most of the town’s people willing to fork over twenty bucks a head sat snuggled beneath a pile of blankets, to the venders lined up selling overpriced hot cocoa that was more water than cocoa, before shifting his attention back to his sister sharing an oversized snow tube with her husband and two children and-

Forced himself to look away.

“Something tells me that you’re not here to enjoy the Christmas festivities,” Sean murmured, sending him a questioning look that had Bryce glaring down at the little bastard.

“I’m here because you’re an asshole,” Bryce reminded him.

“Why would you say something so hurtful?” Sean asked, blinking up at him.

“You told Rory that you found me struggling to hold back tears because I was upset that no one invited me to join in all the Christmas bullshit last year and she fucking cried until I gave in and promised to join them for all the Christmas bullshit this year,” Bryce bit out with a glare for the little bastard that had truly fucked him over.

“She does good work,” Sean said, nodding solemnly.

“You want to tell me why you fucked me over?” Bryce asked, biting back a curse when he spotted their father making his way towards them.

God, he didn’t fucking need this tonight.

“I like to be entertained,” Sean said, shrugging it off as a thought occurred to him.

“It doesn’t explain why you’re here,” Bryce said, folding his arms over his chest as he glared at his brother, knowing that there was no way in hell that he would willingly subject himself to this bullshit without a good reason.

“My duty,” Sean said with a pointed look at Cayley as they watched her get in line for snacks only to mumble, “She better be getting me something tasty.”

“I thought the whole point of this was so that the stubborn little pain in the ass could prove you wrong,” Bryce drawled as he watched her move up in line.

“She told you about her asinine plan?” Sean asked, sounding surprised.

“Yes,” Bryce muttered absently as he watched the last person that he’d expected to see here step in line next to Cayley, who looked just as surprised as he was to see her ex-fiancé.

“She doesn’t know what she wants,” Sean said while Bryce stood there, telling himself that it was none of his business as he watched Cayley.

“And you do?” Bryce asked, swallowing hard as he watched Cayley shake her head at something that Kevin was saying to her as she stepped away, only to have the asshole follow her.

“Take her home,” their father said, probably to his brother, but he didn’t fucking care.

Never taking his eyes off Cayley as she took another step back only to have Kevin reach for her, Bryce moved his ass. He watched Cayley step out of his reach as she continued shaking her head and turned around, walking away as she reached up and angrily wiped at her face. She’d barely made it past the next vender when Bryce was there and-

“I’m fine,” Cayley said, sounding anything but fine as she reached up and wiped at her face with the back of her mitten.

“I know you are,” Bryce said as he reached down and took her hand in his. When she moved to pull it away, he tightened his hold as he said, “Let me take you home.”

After a slight pause, Cayley looked away and nodded as she reached up and wiped her face again while Bryce struggled against the urge to turn around and beat the shit out of the asshole. He didn’t know what the prick said to make her cry, and honestly, he didn’t fucking care. The only thing that he cared about was the small woman by his side.

Without a word, they made their way to the parking lot where he helped Cayley climb into his truck before he made his way around and to the driver’s side door, only to find the asshole standing on the sidewalk watching them. Wondering what she saw in the prick, Bryce climbed into the truck, and after one last look at Cayley to make sure that she was okay, he started the truck and pulled out of the parking lot, his gaze never leaving Kevin as he watched them go.

When she still didn’t say anything after a few minutes, Bryce glanced over to find her staring out the window, looking absolutely fucking lost and-

God, she was fucking killing him.

When he came to their street, Bryce sent her another look before he did a U-turn and headed back to town. She didn’t say anything when he parked in front of Brennagin’s Coffee shop or when he climbed out of the truck and headed inside. When he came back a few minutes later with two large hot cocoas, she was staring down at her hands folded on her lap.

“Here,” Bryce said, handing her one of the hot cocoas.

“Thank you,” Cayley murmured quietly as she took it.

“You’re welcome,” Bryce said, having absolutely no fucking idea how to make this better for her, so he did the only thing that he could think of.

He headed for the south side of town, where most of the neighborhoods took decorating their houses for Christmas seriously. He turned on Christmas music for her as he slowly drove through each neighborhood so that she could take in all the Christmas lights. After a few minutes, she began sipping her hot cocoa as she shifted in her seat so that she could get a better look, looking more relaxed than she had an hour ago and-

“Are you still in love with him?” Bryce found himself asking, surprised by just how badly he wanted her to say no.

When she didn’t say anything after a minute, he wondered what the hell was wrong with him, only to be taken by surprise when she answered. “I thought that I was going to spend the rest of my life with him. I was with him for two years, so part of me will always love him, but I’m not in love with him. Just seeing him tonight…It reminded me of just how badly I’ve messed up my life.”

“How so?” Bryce asked, glancing over at her as he took a right onto the next street.

“I just thought that my life would turn out differently,” Cayley admitted, shrugging it off as she took a sip of cocoa.

“Happily married with a few children and a spot on the PTA?” Bryce asked, watching as her lips twitched.

“Something like that,” she murmured as he took a left on the next street, and they found themselves pulling up in front of their apartment complex a few minutes later.

“Did you ever think that maybe things turned out the way that they did because you were with the wrong guy?” Bryce asked as he threw the truck in park.

“Yes,” Cayley said with a soft sigh as she took a sip of her cocoa.

“Why didn’t you end up with my brother?” Bryce found himself asking the one thing that he’d been wondering about for a few years now.

When she frowned in confusion, Bryce said, “Sean,” and watched as a look of horror took over.

“Because I would probably kill him in his sleep.”

“I just thought that you would always end up with him,” Bryce admitted on a shrug as he took a sip of hot cocoa.

“Why would you think that?” Cayley asked, sending him a questioning look as she finished off her hot cocoa.

“Because you’re always together,” Bryce pointed out.

“Not by choice,” she said with a fond smile for his asshole brother before her gaze turned curious and she asked the question that had him biting back a sigh.

“Why didn’t you ever get married?”

“Because of my mother,” Bryce found himself admitting as he thought about what it was like when she was around, how she couldn’t be bothered with them, leaving it up to him to watch over his brothers and sister, and the way that he used to hold Sean and Rory at night when they cried, wondering why their mother didn’t love them.

“And you think you’ll end up with someone like your mother?” Cayley asked, not bothering to ask him why, but then again, she wouldn’t need to, not when she got to experience it for herself.

“I’m never going to find out,” Bryce said with a slight shake of his head as he took a sip of his cocoa because if there was one thing that he knew, it was that he would never risk putting his children through the same bullshit and he sure as hell would never-

“You don’t plan on getting married, do you?” Cayley asked, reaching over to pluck the hot cocoa out of his hand and took a sip.

“No, I don’t think it’s in the cards for me,” Bryce said, knowing that he would spend the rest of his life alone while he prayed like hell that his brothers were lucky enough to find what their sister had.

“But you want it to be?” Cayley asked as he found himself looking at her and-

“God, yes.”