Page 91 of Rebel Heart
Serena, thankfully, was more than willing to switch to full-time hours and help pick up the slack wherever she could until we had enough help.
My work and those two women were among the very few things that now felt good in my life.
I couldn’t remember a time when I’d ever felt so terrible, like I was carrying around this massive weight and at the same time I felt so empty inside.
The last week had left me feeling so incredibly sad. The situation with my family had not improved at all.
Beau had been wonderful, doing anything and everything to cheer me up while also caring for me. He listened when I wanted to talk, he held me when I needed to cry, and he didn’t force me to do anything, to make any decisions about how or when to address things with my family.
As for them, it had mostly been quiet.
The day after everything went down, I was back at work. Skye had stopped in that day, and I immediately noted the regret in her expression. She didn’t hold back the apology when I took a moment out of work to talk to her.
“I’m so sorry,” she’d said. “I feel awful for how everything happened yesterday, and I’m horrified that I never even managed to congratulate you, especially when you’ve always been there to cheer me along with everything that has happened in my life.”
I held myself back from telling her that my response was the way family was supposed to be. Skye had never been outspoken, and she really was the sweetest womanin the world. I wasn’t going to hold my brother’s behavior against her, even when she insisted that she had faith Cooper would eventually come around. So, I thanked her for stopping by to see me and got back to work.
The next night, Ava had called me to check in and see how I was doing. She avoided talking about Tate’s response to my news, but she had shared the reason why she and Tate were at the doctor’s office to begin with. I’d known that my brother and his wife had been trying to have a baby for a while. I hadn’t realized the extent of their struggles. After two years of trying, it had finally happened for them. She wasn’t quite as far along as I was and hadn’t told anyone to that point. Ava revealed that they’d likely visit and tell everyone individually in the following days. I was happy for her, understanding she’d struggled to get pregnant, and I could admit I wished Tate had been able to be just as happy for me in return.
Since then, I hadn’t heard from anyone else. Not even my mom, not even Ivy.
It was now the end of the workday, the bakery was closed, and after having said goodbye to Serena, I was making my way to my car with a box of leftover treats from the day. Beau never turned them down, and since he appreciated them so much, I started bringing extras home for him. He insisted he had to stay out skating longer than normal just to work it all off.
“Jules!” I was nearly to my car when I heard my sister-in-law’s voice.
I spun around and saw Layla making her way toward me. Layla also worked here at Westwood’s. We’d recentlyadded an event center to the campus, and she was in charge of running the show.
“Hi, Layla.”
Coming to a stop in front of me, she opened her arms and hugged me. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m okay. Finally getting out of the stage where I’m constantly feeling so exhausted all the time.”
“That’s great news.”
I shrugged. “It’s about the only good news I’ve got right now.”
She frowned. “I’ve been thinking about you all week. My heart breaks for you and Beau. I wish there’d been more excitement for the both of you, and I hate that he wasn’t given a warmer welcome.”
Nodding, I murmured, “Me, too. But I appreciate that you didn’t hold back that day to give that to us yourself. It was nice to have at least one person on our side.”
Layla reached for my free hand. “I know it probably doesn’t seem that way right now, but they are on your side, Jules.”
“It sure doesn’t feel that way.”
“I know. I think… Well, I don’t want to make excuses, because I do think it’s just terrible how they all responded. Even Liam. I know he didn’t come out and say anything, and maybe that’s worse than letting it all spill the way Wyatt, Cooper, and your dad did, but he’s devastated.”
“Because I’m happy?”
She shook her head. “No. No, I think he wants you happy more than anything. He’s just hurt. He neverthought he’d miss out on the opportunity to be there for you on the most important day of your life. I guess it hurts for him, for all them, to think you didn’t want them there.”
I rubbed at the ache in the center of my chest. “They could’ve said that. I would’ve been able to understand that, even apologized to them for it and explained why I did what I did. Instead, Liam shut down, and the others thought that attacking Beau was the best option. I could’ve been understanding of them being hurt if they’d just handled it differently. Instead, they all did what they did, and since then, not one of them has approached me to make amends for it. Nobody besides you and Skye and Ava has reached out to try to make it right. Not even my sister. And you know what?”
“What?”
“I’m hurt now, too.”
“I know you are. You have every right.”
