Page 80 of Unbreak Me
“I’m so proud of you, Eve. You are the strongest person I know. It’s over, baby. You don’t ever have to worry about her again.” He runs his hand over my back in a soothing motion. His words flow through me, and eventually, I feel calm again.
“I want to go home and see our daughter.” I hiccup in his shirt when the tears finally stop.
“I want that too,” he kisses the top of my head before helping me in the car and driving us home.
When we enter the kitchen, Travis, Miles, and Jake look up from the kitchen island. Miles is sitting on the bar stool with Ryland in his lap. She’s fisting a crayon and attempting to draw on a piece of paper in front of her.
I immediately go to her and breathe in her scent as I hold her against my chest. I look up and the guys all have concerned looks on their faces.
“You guys didn’t need to drive all the way here,” I look at Travis before meeting Miles’s eyes. “Don’t you have a show tonight?”
“I found a stand-in for me. The band will be fine without me for the night. How are you?”
“I’m fine.”
I see Travis arch his eyebrow at Ryder, and I roll my eyes.
“Really, Travis, I’m fine. You didn’t need to come all this way. We’re fine,” I repeat again. Ryland squirms to be let down, and I watch her go over to her toy basket in the living room.
“That’s the third fine you’ve mentioned in the last minute. It’s okay not to be okay right now. What she did…” He runs a hand roughly through his hair before gripping the counter with both hands. “When I think of what you guys must have felt when you couldn’t find Ryland…” His voice trails off as he watches her play in the next room. “All I could think about was how I would feel if that were Max. So, of course, we are going to be here for you. I’m also going to call bullshit on you being fine.”
“Travis…” Ryder warns, stepping in.
“No, it’s okay. He’s right,” I sigh. “I’m not fine. I’m fucking pissed about the whole situation.” I feel my anger lying right beneath the surface, and I can’t stop the eruption that explodes. “My whole life has been one fat lie. My real father chose money over me. My grandfather is a very bad guy. My mother hasturned off any shred of humanity, not even being able to love her own daughter, who she can’t stand to look at because, surprise, I look just like her biggest mistake.”
I pace the room and ignore the leary faces watching me. “Then my mother is forced to marry Richard because she’s pregnant with me. He, of course, finds out I’m not his and makes my life a living hell because of it.” I put my hand up and shake my head when Ryder makes a move to come over. I need to get this all out, and I know I will crumble if he touches me. He stops and folds his arms across his chest.
“Then, when I finally find someone who makes me happy, my mother can’t stand the idea of me finding love. She looks at it as a weakness, so she rips us apart to control me, thinking our love isn’t real or strong enough to survive. But it is. It not only survived but got stronger. What I didn’t know, though, was my father, Richard was disposable to them. He was just a pawn in their game. It was my mother who held all the real power,” I laugh. God, maybe this is where I finally lose it. I feel my self-control slipping through my fingers.
“She’s pissed I cost them millions when I turned him in, so she came back to teach me a lesson. I took from her, so she took what was most valuable to me.” I look over at Ryland and close my eyes tightly.
“She always did love to be dramatic. She wanted me to feel scared and vulnerable. It’s a power trip for her because she can’t face her own demons. Her plan didn’t work, though.” I smile at Ryder, and I can’t tell if he’s worried about my little outburst or afraid.
“What was her plan?” Miles breaks me out of my thoughts, and I turn to look at him.
“She came to offer me a spot with her and the family business…all the money and power I could ever want. All I hadto do was leave with her, and it would all be mine. If I walked out the door, she would cut all ties with me. I would be dead to her.”
“Jesus,” Travis mutters. “She never gives up.”
“I told her no, and then she offered Ryder five million to leave me.”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Miles laughs.
“Easiest decision I ever made,” Ryder shrugs his shoulders and winks at me.
We all fall silent, lost in our thoughts.
“Remind me never to call bullshit on you again. That was a lot you just threw at us.” Travis breaks the silence, and I can’t stop the laugh that escapes when I see him holding back a grin.
“It did feel good to get it all out,” I giggle harder. I wipe the tears from my eyes and look over at Ryland. “I’m going to lie down with her for a nap. It’s been a long morning, and I’m exhausted.”
“Do you want me to come with you?” Ryder opens his arms, and I step into them.
“No, stay and visit with your brothers. You can fill them in on all the details.”
“I’ll be in soon to check on you.” He kisses me briefly and watches me as I take Ryland outside with me.
The sun is high in the sky now as I lift my face to soak up the warmth.
