Page 21 of Broken King

Already tired of this conversation, I look around for the server and pray to God he’s bringing our food soon. Jessie isn’t done with her comments, though, unfortunately.

“Here’s the thing. You have to show Mr. Moneybags that the hand thing isn’t the end of the world. Make him realize there are a million other things he can do, including you.”

Since there’s no sign of our server or our food, I reluctantly rejoin the conversation. “Please don’t call him Mr. Moneybags. His name is Ronan, and money never meant anything to him.”

“Again, because he’s always had it.”

She’s wearing me down, but I won’t give in on this one point. “Yes, he has, but Ronan isn’t like other guys with money. He’s down-to-earth and sweet.”

Well, he used to be when I knew him. Now I don’t know what to say he is, other than angry and devastated, which I completely understand.

“Fine. He’s a wonderful guy, except for the fact that he told you to go away and made you cry. I still say you just have to show him that there are wonderful things to be had in life without a hand.”

As much as I don’t want to extend this conversation, I can’t help but ask the obvious. “How am I supposed to do that when he doesn’t want to see me?”

That finally makes her stop, and for a few precious moments, she isn’t acting like getting Ronan to see he still has so much to be grateful for is going to be a walk in the park. It also gives me a chance to remember that Ava told me I could come over to see her anytime I wanted.

“His sister-in-law who owns the house where he’s staying did say she’d be happy to have me come visit whenever I wanted to.”

That one, simple statement makes Jessie excited, and she points at me wearing a huge grin. “That’s it! Just make a habit of going to the house to see her, and hopefully, you’ll get to spend time with him. That’s all it’s going to take, I bet. The guy was crazy about you, and you’re still wonderful, so it won’t take long before he’s forgetting the go away nonsense and asking you to hang out. From there, it’s easy peasy.”

I’ve always admired how positive Jessie can be when she decides on a course of action. If only I could be that way, but all I can think of is how miserable Ronan was when I saw him.

“Thank God, here comes the food,” she announces, and a second later, I see the server coming toward us with my chicken salad sandwich and her vegetarian plate.

As much as I sometimes have a hard time with how strong her opinions can be, I think Jessie’s got the right idea. I’m going to make arrangements to go back to the King estate this week, and hopefully, I’ll get a chance to see Ronan again.

Now I just have to figure out what to say to him if he decides to talk to me.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Ronan

This house gets louderevery damn day. I swear it’s noisier than when my brothers and I lived here as kids with our parents. How that’s possible is beyond me since it’s literally half the number of people here now, and two of them don’t even know how to speak yet.

Then again, maybe Theo knows how to talk by now. I’m not sure. I haven’t spent more than a few seconds around him since I came here to stay, so he could be reciting the goddamned Gettysburg Address by now and I wouldn’t know.

I glance over at the window and see it’s another beautiful sunny day. Not that what it looks like outside matters to me. I don’t go out, so what the fuck do I care what it looks like out there?

Since I don’t need to have the weather reminding me of that fact, I should ask Eleanor to put up those room darkening curtains Marius had in his room when he was going through that phase of his when he would only leave his room at night. It didn’t last long. Maybe eight months right after high school. Heclaimed it helped him focus on his art, but I always suspected it had something to do with that girlfriend of his at the time who he spent all night talking to on the phone.

My door opens, again without anyone knocking, and I see Eleanor come in with my lunch. All smiles, like I’m sure she thinks is necessary, she sets the tray with what looks like some kind of sandwich and potato chips along with a glass of soda on my dresser and turns to face me.

“I made you a ham and cheese sandwich, just like you used to love when you were a boy.”

Since I doubt she needs me to compliment her on that, I don’t say a word. Eleanor’s a good person, but her tendency to be so damn happy around me gets under my skin sometimes.

“Okay, well, I need to get back downstairs since Ava and Matthias decided to have lunch with the boys today out at the pool. They’re getting ready right now with their sunscreen and hats to shield them from the sun. I want to make sure they have everything they need.”

Again, nothing I feel the need to respond to, but as she walks toward the door, I do have one question I need answered to satisfy my curiosity. “Is Theo talking yet?”

Eleanor stops and gives me an odd look. “The baby? Oh, not yet, but I think any day now,” she answers with far more enthusiasm than I expected.

I nod, not knowing what else to say to that. So the kid isn’t speaking yet. I guess that’s normal since he’s not even a year old?

“I’m sure you’d have a great time if you came outside and spent some time with him. He’s a lovely child. In many ways, he reminds me of you, Ronan. Always smiling. I remember when you were a baby. I swear you always had a smile on your face.”

She would continue gushing about little Theo and me as a baby if I encouraged her, but the last thing I want to hear aboutis how fucking happy I always was. Those days are gone. I have nothing to be happy about anymore.

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