Page 117 of Delilah In Discretion

“You accepted her easily because you’renaive,Brielle,” he said, and it was silent once again.

His face held no remorse, and I felt a tear finally fall out of my eyes. Out of rage, I pushed my seat back, and Killian looked over to me questioningly, but he quickly stood up and held my shoulders to keep me from moving as I made my way over to Eugene.

“Brielle, sweetheart, let’s get some fresh air—” Killian said.

I struggled in his arms as the urge to beat the absolute shit out of my brother grew. “Let me go! He doesn’t deserve to be here. He never spends any time with me, but the night he does, he finds a way to disrespect my mother and humiliate me!” A small sob racked my chest, and I could finally see some emotion in Eugene’s eyes, but he looked away from me, masking it entirely.

I stopped struggling and ripped myself from Killian’s hold as I stormed out of the restaurant. Taking a seat outside, I pushed my hair out of my face and breathed in deeply. I wasn’t used to having these outbursts with anyone, but it was a usual occurrence for Eugene and me to fight.

Most people walked on eggshells whenever we were together for that very reason, but Eugene initiated the entire argument. Or, in a more childish way of saying it…He started it.

My head stayed down, and I heard someone come out of the restaurant. I wiped my face quickly as I tried to hide how much I was actually crying. A pair of overpriced Italian dress shoes appeared in my blurred tears, and I didn’t look up. I knew it wasn’t Killian, but frankly, at this point, I didn’t care who it was.

“Sweetheart...” I heard Calvin’s voice, and he took a seat beside me.

I looked over to him, and I was sure my eyes were now red from crying, and my face was flushed.

“Don’t cry,” he said softly, and I laughed in response.

“What should I do, smile? One of my closest family members continuously pushes me out of his life, and… maybe I really am naive because I keep seeing this perfect portrait of ourfamily… which, as you can see, is clearly not the case. Maybe my insistence to make sure we all spend time with one another is all pointless. Yes, it’s a lot of dinners, and yes, I want the family together for the holidays, and yes, I would like us all to cherish every birthday, milestone, or event together, but maybe it isn’t worth it. Maybe I’m the one that’s trying too hard to build a stronger connection with him, get to know him, and be a part of his, his daughter’s, and his wife’s life, but he’s always too busy or doesn’t have time or is doing God knows fucking what for the last twenty damn years!!”

I slowly breathed in and out as I finished my small rant, and Calvin placed a hand on my shoulder. I looked back down as I wiped away more of my tears.

“Brielle... You can only do so much. I know everyone appreciates you putting the effort to make all of these inevitably disastrous but enjoyable family gatherings together…”

A small smile graced my lips as his thumb rubbed my shoulder and he continued, “Eugene is going to learn how to treat his family in the near future. I want you to not dwell on this much longer…He will change.”

I sniffled softly. “How? When? When am I going to stop feeling like I try too hard or that my efforts mean nothing?” I whispered, and Calvin’s jaw clenched slightly.

“Trust me,”was all he replied, and I didn’t know why, but I slowly started to feel a little better. I looked over to him, and the look in his eyes told me not to ask too many questions. I was skeptical of it at first, but eventually, I nodded my head slowly in understanding.

“I’ll trust you,” I said softly, and he nodded.

He stood up, and I heard the door open again. I looked over my shoulder to see Killian, and he seemed a bit angry, but his face started to soften when he saw me. He glanced over toCalvin, but he held his hand out for me and brought me over to his side as he placed a kiss on my head.

“We’re going to leave a bit early, okay? We’ll reschedule and push it for another time,” he said, and I nodded, agreeing with his idea.

We walked away from Calvin, who was slowly making his way back inside. I looked over my shoulder one last time, and as if he knew I was looking, he glanced back over to me and sent me a small wink as he entered the building.

Killian opened the door to the car for me, and I sat inside as my mind started wandering. I was sure Calvin could’ve known about Delilah and Archer, but something felt weird—almost as if he knew more than he needed to and that he was actively working, just like me, to keep the peace between our family in a sense. But even so… for that reason, I still trusted him, despite how he’s acted over the years.How naive of me.

Eventually, we made it back home, and after a hot shower, I stood looking in the mirror, continuing to think. It was interesting enough that Eugene kept most things away from me, but it was even more interesting for Calvin to come to me with his “help,” if you will.

Trust me.

I didn’t know what to think. After all he’s done, I was still considering putting my trust in this man.

The bathroom door opened, and I looked up as Killian entered with his joggers on only. His chest was bare, and unfortunately, it still had a few scratch marks from my nails last night… but he was proudly wearing them as if they were a trophy.For his performance last night, one could consider an award of some kind.His hair was a bit wet and tousled as he’d just gotten out of the shower as well.

“Are you all right, darling?” he asked, and I sighed as his arms wrapped around me from behind, and he stared at me in the mirror.

“I’m fine… just thinking,” I muttered.

He placed a kiss on my neck. “Thinking about what, hmm?”

“Everything, I guess…” I shrugged, and he nodded.

He turned me around in his hold, and I wrapped my arms around his neck as I laid my head on his chest while his hands rested on my lower back.

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