Page 18 of Broken King

That night, we ate my father’s favorite meal, pork chops with applesauce and gravy. I never liked gravy, but the pork tasted so good when I dunked it into the applesauce. The seven of us sat around the kitchen table and talked about our day at school and what homework we had like any other family.

Except we weren’t any other family. We were a family slowly losing our mother and wife.

We never had another family dinner like that again. My mother died a month later, and after she was gone, my father could barely bring himself to eat, much less sit around the table like everything was normal.

Because it wasn’t. Not for him, and not for us.

Dinner turns out to be delicious, and I enjoy it more than I expected after the shitty day I had. I know Ava needs help since she and Matthias have two children who are so young, but does that mean I have to deal with this Sabrina person sticking her nose into my business?

I need to have a talk with her or my brother and make it clear if they’re going to insist I stay here with them, then they need to keep their little babysitter out of my way. Since there’s no time like the present, I slip on my slides and head downstairs where I hear voices that sound like they’re all in the kitchen eating dinner.

When I turn the corner into the kitchen, I find Ava and Matthias sitting alone with little Theo in his high chair. Everyonelooks surprised to see me, but they hurriedly attempt to make me feel welcome.

“Ronan, I didn’t realize you were going to come out of your room today,” Ava says in that chipper voice I know she’s forcing because she wants me to be happy. “I wouldn’t have had Eleanor bring you up a plate if I knew. Come! Sit down with us. Matty is upstairs since he ate already, but Theo is here with us.”

My brother simply looks at me like he always has. I’m just his youngest brother interrupting his dinner with his wife and son. I don’t think he resents me for that. He just isn’t as cheery as Ava.

I sit down next to him and say, “We need to talk about whoever that Sabrina person is.”

Matthias looks confused, but Ava quickly says, “Oh, she’s been a godsend already, and it’s only been one day. She’s living here, so I’m sure you’ll get to see her.”

Turning to look at Ava, I don’t try to hide my disgust when I say, “I already met her. She walked into my room uninvited and proceeded to get in the way.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Ronan. She probably didn’t know you were there. I’ll talk to her.”

“She knew just fine I was there. She said you wanted her to clean up the mess I made when I dropped a picture and the glass broke all over the floor.”

For a second, Ava doesn’t seem to know what I’m talking about, but then I see recognition in her eyes. “Oh, that’s right. Yeah, I asked her to help because Eleanor and I were busy down here. She didn’t mean any harm. I’m sorry if you didn’t like her helping.”

Great. Now I sound like an asshole because I’m complaining about someone helping Ava.

“It’s not that I don’t like her helping you. I didn’t like her barging into my room.”

Before I can continue, the baby screams and throws some kind of cookie that looks like he’s been gumming it to death for hours. The soggy brown thing lands on the table between my brother and me, and immediately, his attention is on that and not on the issue I want to discuss.

Matthias laughs and picks it up with a napkin. “Sorry, Ronan. What were you saying? Theo distracted me. Something about your room?”

“Yeah. Keep your babysitter out of my room,” I say as I stand up to leave.

Both Matthias and Ava stare up at me with that same look in their eyes I’ve seen nearly every moment I’ve been back here. It’s a mixture of pity and concern with a tiny hint of frustration rolled in.

“I’m sure she didn’t mean any harm, Ronan, but Ava and I will explain to her that you don’t want to be bothered. I’m sure she’ll understand.”

Now the frustration comes through loud and clear in his voice, even as he works to keep his expression looking like he’s happy. Terrific. Like I’m the bad guy because I don’t want strangers waltzing into my damn room whenever they please.

“And if you’re thinking of having anyone else over to bother me, Kate, for example, forget it. I don’t need anyone coming to see me thinking they’re going to cheer me up. Okay?”

I see in Ava’s expression she’s dying to tell me that Kate meant no harm and she only wanted to make sure I was okay, but she doesn’t say a word about that. Only Matthias speaks, and I get the sense he just wants me to go away at this moment so he can go back to enjoying his dinner with Ava and the baby.

“Got it. No more visits from anyone. I hope you’ll understand if we have guests here to visit us, but I’ll make sure nobody bothers you again.”

He says that, but I’ll bet money before the week is out, he or one of my other brothers will be marching into my room doing their best cheering up routine like they have since I came to stay here. I’d tell him to make sure he doesn’t let Kellen or Marius bother me either, but I know that won’t happen.

Even though I’ve told them dozens of times I don’t want visitors or anyone coming to see me, they insist on popping in. They think they’re helping. They’re not. All their visits do is remind me that I used to be like them and now I’m not.

I used to be normal. Now I’m just broken.

CHAPTER SEVEN

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