Page 14 of Broken King

Ava takes me by the hand and begins to lead me to the kitchen. “It’s okay, honey. Kate and I are going to have something to drink and maybe one of those little cakes Eleanor made this morning. We didn’t mean to interrupt your work.”

Before he can say another word, she picks up the pace so we’re out of earshot in seconds. Turning to look at me, she sighs. “Men don’t really understand the crying thing. Better for us to hang out with Eleanor. She gets it.”

We walk into the kitchen, and I see it’s the same warm place it was when Ronan and I dated. Ava points at the table and says, “Take a seat. I just put the boys down for their naps, and if they wake up, Sabrina, the girl we hired to help out around here, will check on them. So I have time to chat. Do you like tea or coffee, or would you prefer something cold, like a water or soda? We’ve got it all.”

“Um, a water or soda would be great. Thanks.”

Eleanor notices me and smiles like I’m an old friend. “Kate! It’s so good to see you again. How have you been?”

“I’ve been good,” I answer half-heartedly, sounding nothing close to good.

“She was up with Ronan,” Ava says, and that’s all the explanation the housekeeper needs.

“Oh,” Eleanor says before letting out a heavy sigh.

“Yeah, so I thought she might like something to eat. Maybe one of those little coffee cakes you made this morning. I know I can go for one.”

The older woman’s face lights up, and she hurries over to the island where a platter of her cakes sits next to a basket of lemons. “You handle the drinks, and I’ll get the cakes.”

They’re both so welcoming and sweet, but all I want to do is break down and cry after seeing Ronan. He’s so bitter and angry. I can understand why, but I didn’t expect him to lash out at me like that. It’s like he has no memory of ever loving me at all.

And he doesn’t even look like himself. In all the time I was with him, he never let his beard get so unkempt. He looked like he doesn’t even want to take care of himself. That was never the Ronan I knew.

Ava sets a glass of soda down in front of me, and Eleanor follows with a plate with two mini coffee cakes that smell like pure heaven. She always made the most incredible desserts.

“These look great. My mouth is watering from the smell of butter and cinnamon. Thank you.”

The two of them smile and proceed to sit down at the table with me. Ava takes a seat across from me, and Eleanor sits down beside me.

As we begin to eat the treats, I can feel myself grow happier with each nibble. Ava reaches out and pats my hand.

“I’m sorry it was so jarring to see him like that. I didn’t want to give you any advance warning just in case he acted like his old self with you. I guess I was hopeful because it was you.”

Nodding, I let out a sigh. “I knew what happened to him, but that’s not Ronan up there. Not the person I knew and loved. This Ronan is so angry. I’ve never seen him like that.”

“The doctor says he’s still mourning the loss of his hand,” Ava explains. “Like with any other kind of loss, there are phases. I have to admit, though, that I’m getting a little worried he’s stuck in the anger stage. We’ve all tried anything we can think of, but he’s getting worse, not better.”

God, I hate hearing that. Ronan has had to deal with so much loss in his life already and now this.

“I still see that wonderful boy I knew in him,” Eleanor says, almost as if she’s trying to convince herself along with the two of us that Ronan is still Ronan. “It’s just hidden under all those layers of unhappiness.”

She looks genuinely sad, but that’s not a surprise. Eleanor has been practically a mother to all the King boys after they losttheir own mother so young. Ronan was only ten when she died, so he’s lived longer without her than with her. Eleanor has been the only maternal figure in his life since then.

I don’t know what to say because everything I’m thinking threatens to make me burst into tears. Seeing him like he is broke my heart, and I don’t know what to do now.

After we sit in silence for a few minutes as we finish our coffee cakes, Ava sets her jaw and takes a deep breath in, letting it out in a rush. “Well, we can’t give up on him. It’s hard, but the Ronan we all know and love is still in there.”

While she seems optimistic, I don’t know if seeing me is going to help or hurt him. She senses my apprehension when I don’t say anything and pats my hand sympathetically.

“Please don’t think you did anything wrong up there. You wanted to see someone you cared about for a long time. That’s a genuinely good thing.”

I hang my head, too sad to look at her. “I never stopped loving Ronan. We broke up, but that didn’t change how I feel.”

“That’s good!” Eleanor says excitedly.

Turning to look at her, I see her smiling. “It didn’t seem very good a few minutes ago. Maybe it’s my fault. The last time I spoke to him after we broke up, I told him I didn’t think I’d ever forgive him for what he did. Is it possible he’s angry about that instead of my coming to see him?”

“No matter what happened between you two, I know he loved you,” she says so sweetly that I nearly burst into tears. “People in love say things sometimes that they regret.”

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