Chapter 45

CHAPTER45

“How long do you think it will be before she finally snaps and beats the shit out of him?” Craig asked, sounding bored as Bryce took a sip of the eggnog he’d grabbed to have something to do and glanced to his right to find Sean sending Jess a pinky wave.

“Probably not long,” Bryce murmured absently as his attention shifted back to Cayley and found himself releasing a shaky breath and-

He was fucking terrified.

“And how long do you think it will be before you do something incredibly fucking stupid?” Johnny drawled, taking a sip of punch as he leaned back against the wall next to him.

“Meaning?” Bryce asked, watching as Cayley was forced to grab hold of her cousin when Sean went ahead and winked at her again.

“You’re not there yet,” Craig said, shaking his head as he reached over and plucked a sugar cookie off a passing tray.

“And you know this, how?” Bryce asked, his gaze flickering to his older brother before returning to Cayley, who’d been forced to grab hold of her cousin sometime in the last twenty seconds to stop her from killing Sean.

“Because I grew up hearing the same stories that you did. Bradfords don’t propose, Bryce,” Craig pointed out.

“I’m not proposing,” Bryce said, absently running his fingertips over the small box in his pocket.

Frowning, Craig and Johnny shared a look. “Then, what’s in that small box that you keep caressing in your pocket that’s really starting to creep us the fuck out?” Craig asked with a pointed look.

Sighing, Bryce pulled the small box out of his pocket and said, “The key to Thomas House.”

“Why are you giving her a key to Thomas House? I thought you were selling it,” Johnny asked, reaching over and plucked the small box out of his hand.

“Decided to keep it,” Bryce said, reaching over and plucked the small box out of his brother’s hand and placed it back in his pocket after caressing it with his fingertips one last time.

“And you’re giving it to her? That’s one hell of a wedding gift,” Craig said with an appreciative whistle.

“It’s not a wedding gift,” Bryce said, hoping like hell that they would just drop it.

“Then, what the hell is it?” Johnny asked, plucking a cupcake with green frosting off a passing tray.

“It’s a start,” Bryce said, slowly exhaling even as he wondered if he was really going to be able to do this and-

She was nothing like his mother, Bryce reminded himself again, watching Cayley as he told himself that he could do this. He was going to tell her that he loved her and pray like hell that it was enough.

It had to be.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Craig demanded, throwing him a questioning look as he finished off his cookie and grabbed another one.

“I don’t plan on asking her to marry me,” Bryce said, only to be met with twin snorts of disgust.

“Bradfords never do,” Brian said as he joined them with a plate filled to the brim with mini pies, cupcakes, brownies, and cookies.

“I’m not marrying her,” Bryce said as he once again found himself watching Cayley and-

“Please tell me that you’re really not this fucking stupid,” Craig said, sounding pained.

“I can’t marry her,” Bryce bit out as he forced himself to look away from Cayley because saying the words while he looked at her felt wrong.

He wanted to marry her, more than anything, but he couldn’t make himself go through with it. He just couldn’t fucking do it. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, but he knew that eventually, he wouldn’t be enough, and he’d be forced to watch her walk away. When that time came, he wanted to make it as easy as possible for her to leave, knowing that he would never survive the bullshit that his mother put his father through.

It would fucking destroy him.

“Besides the fact that Sean would kill you after her father and Dad beat the shit out of you, what makes you think that she’ll be okay with something like this?” Johnny demanded.

“Because it’s the only thing that I can give her,” Bryce admitted as he once again found himself watching Cayley.

“You don’t think that she’ll want more?” Brian asked as they watched Sean make his way across the ballroom to join them before glancing back at Cayley, who was busy trying to stop her cousin from going after him.

“I’m hoping that it will be enough,” Bryce said, unable to take his eyes off her.

“God, you’re a fucking idiot,” Brian said, shaking his head in disgust as he grabbed a piece of fudge off a passing tray and walked away.

“Believe me, I know,” Bryce said, wishing like hell that he could give her more.

“What’s going on?” Sean asked, happily stuffing a sugar cookie in his mouth as Craig and Johnny simply shook their heads in disgust and walked away.

“Nothing,” Bryce said, leaning back against the wall as he watched Cayley, once again telling himself that this was enough as he ran his fingers over the box. He would do whatever it took to make her-

“I was wondering when that asshole was going to show up,” Sean said, sighing heavily as he gestured to the asshole making his way to Cayley’s side and before Bryce could push away from the wall, Kevin was pulling her onto the dance floor.

“Looks like he’s done waiting,” Bryce said, somehow managing to force himself to stand there when all he wanted to do was to pull Cayley out of the asshole’s arms and-

“I told her that prick would be back as soon as he realized that she’d moved on,” Sean said, shaking his head in disgust as he grabbed a cookie off a passing tray.

Frowning, Bryce asked, “You told her that?” only to feel his stomach drop as he watched the prick lean down and kiss Cayley before he smoothly dropped down to one knee and pulled a black box out of his pocket.

For a moment, Bryce stood there watching her, waiting for the moment that she shook her head, ran away, looked at him, any-fucking thing that would tell him that this wasn’t really happening, only to watch her stand there as Kevin pulled the ring out of the box and slid it on her finger.

“Oh, fuck no…” Sean said hoarsely right around the time that Bryce decided that it was time to walk away.

* * *

“Dance with me,”came the softly murmured words that Cayley barely heard before she found herself pulled onto the dance floor and into the arms of the last man that she wanted to see tonight.

“Kevin, I-”

“God, you look so beautiful,” Kevin said, smiling as he leaned down and took her by surprise, brushing his lips gently against hers in a familiar move that left her feeling...nothing.

Before Cayley could push him away, he was stepping back with a sweet smile that had her stomach turning as he reached into his pocket and dropped to his knee in a move that she remembered all too well, and one that had her praying was just a really bad dream. This couldn’t be happening, Cayley thought, feeling sick to her stomach as she watched him open the small box and presented her with the same ring that he’d demanded back less than a year ago.

“Please, don’t,” Cayley whispered weakly as she watched Kevin take the ring out of the box and reach for her hand just as she was about to step back and quickly slid the ring back on her finger.

“I love you, Cayley,” Kevin said, his smile turning relieved as he stood up and reached for her, but before he could pull her back into his arms, Cayley held her hand out, stopping him.

“What the hell are you doing?” Cayley demanded, wondering why he had to do this tonight of all nights while she moved to pull the ring off as she glanced back at Bryce, only to find him walking away.

“What I should have done in the first place,” Kevin said, sounding more determined than ever as Cayley struggled to pull the ring off her finger, but it wouldn’t budge.

“This isn’t happening,” she muttered, struggling not to panic as she watched Bryce storm out of the ballroom with Sean chasing after him, trying to stop him.

“I love you, Cayley,” Kevin said, once again reaching for her.

“But I don’t love you. I’m sorry. I can’t do this,” Cayley said, struggling to get the ring off, but it was stuck and-

Screw it.

She was going to have to mail it back to him, Cayley decided as she quickly made her way across the ballroom, praying that it wasn’t too late. When she reached the small foyer outside the ballroom and didn’t see Bryce, she told herself that she could fix this and-

“It’s because of him, isn’t it?” Kevin demanded as he followed her.

“I don’t have time to do this right now, Kevin. I’m sorry,” Cayley said, moving to go find Bryce when Kevin’s next words stopped her.

“You are fucking unbelievable,” Kevin said as she slowly turned around, barely aware of their audience, and faced the man that she’d once stupidly convinced herself to spend the rest of her life with.

“Why is that?” Cayley asked as the rest of the James boys joined them along with Mr. James, her aunt, and Jess.

“I can’t believe I wasted two years of my life on you,” Kevin bit out coldly as Craig moved to go after Kevin, only to have his father reach over and stop him.

“Ditto,” Cayley said evenly as she reached for that ring again, more determined than ever to get it off her finger just so that she could have the satisfaction of throwing it at his head.

“You’re a fucking bitch,” Kevin said, shaking his head in disgust.

Nodding, Cayley said, “And we’re done here,” as she turned around to leave only to go still at his next words.

“I guess it’s true what they say, you’re as big a whore as his mother,” Kevin said as Cayley slowly turned around just in time to watch him shift his gaze to Rory as he added, “Guess it runs in the family. You’ll fit in perfectly.”

With that, Cayley pulled her hand back as she curled it into a fist and sent it flying, only to remember too late that she was wearing a dress, wasn’t exactly coordinated, and realized that the marble pillar was a lot closer than she thought. That was followed by the reminder that she was still wearing the engagement ring, a pained gasp, and a satisfied sigh as a pair of large hands grabbed hold of her shoulders and stopped her from falling on her face.

“This really is going to be the best Christmas ever,” Sean murmured as he gently pushed her behind him before facing the man that went too far. “You’re lucky I’m here instead of my brother.”

“And why’s that?” Kevin bit out.

“Because I’m only going to hurt you,” Sean said, managing to hit Kevin in the face as an audible crack made its way throughout the foyer seconds before he hit the floor.

With that, Sean released another satisfied sigh, grabbed her good hand, and headed for the door with a murmured, “Let’s go find the asshole, shall we?” reminding her why he was her best friend.