Payton
"That’s good, Kayla."
"Please just give him a little ti," she begged. "He’ll co around."
"I can’t promise that," I admitted.
"Will you try?"
I sighed. "I’ll think about it."
She smiled. "That’s all I ask."
"Do you mind dropping sowhere else?" I asked. I wasn’t quite ready to go ho.
"No problem."
I let my mind drift as we headed to my brother’s house, grateful Kayla left to my thoughts. More of Alex ca into focus for now, and several questions I didn’t think to ask were answered, but I still didn’t know if it made a difference. Dating a man to "change" him was a losing battle and it just wasn’t .
Before I could dwell further on my maudlin thoughts, Kayla pulled up to the house and I gave her a sad smile. "Thanks for everything."
She squeezed my hand. "Don’t give up on him."
"He has to not give up first, Kayla. Sucks to say that, but I’m not a woman who’s interested in "fixing" a man."
She nodded. "God, I hope he pulls his head out of his ass."
" too, honey." I grabbed my purse and pushed open the door, stepping out and leaning down. "Drive safe." I glanced at Lily, still sound asleep, and my heart broke again. I bit back my sadness, closed the car door, and walked up my brother’s driveway. Ringing the doorbell, I stepped from foot to foot as I waited for my brother to answer the door. I banged when he didn’t answer right away, and wrapped my arms around to ward off the cold... and the despair.
Brock pulled open the door, gun at the ready. "Pay?"
I burst into tears and slipped into his arms, wrapping my arms around his waist. I heard the sound of Kayla’s car drive off as he closed the door.
He rubbed my back. "Hey, what’s all this?"
"I need to talk. But it has to be totally confidential."
"Always." Brock leaned back and frowned. "You know that."
I nodded and Brock followed into the family room. I loved this room. Partly because I’d decorated it and even after Brock and Bailey had married and Bailey moved in, my sister-in-law loved it enough not to change it.
Bailey was curled up on the sectional wrapped in a blanket, but she rose to her feet to hug . "You okay?"
I shook my head.
Bailey smiled. "I’ll make so tea."
"Scotch would be better."
"But you’re an on Scotch," Bailey said with a wicked grin.
I sniffed, my angry tears finally drying up. "Fine. Tea."
"Done," she said, and headed to the kitchen.
I lowered myself to the sofa, crossed my legs in front of , and dragged my hands down my face. Brock sat next to and faced . "What’s up?" he asked.
I licked my lips and studied him for a few seconds. "Hypothetically, say a man and a woman are having so kind of a weird and twisted sex-type relationship and she decides she wants this guy, but he has no interest in her other than sex..." I took a deep breath, and Brock frowned and cocked his head, but didn’t comnt. "So, one night she drugs him, ties him up, and has sex with him, which produces a baby."
"Hypothetically, that’s fucked up," Brock said. "Not to ntion, rape."
I nodded. "And then, hypothetically, say, the guy refuses to have sex with her ever again and she gives birth to a baby, dumping said hypothetical baby on his doorstep and disappearing for years. Only to show up now wanting the baby back."
"Fuck , seriously? She did that to Lily?"
I sighed. "Well, yes...hypothetically."
Bailey handed my tea and sat back where she’d been before.
I filled them in on the events of the night, leaving out Alex’s more violent outburst and our private ti in his room, and told them what Kayla had told before dropping my head to my bent knees and groaning. "I’m not so naïve to think rape doesn’t happen to n, but I an, how many people do you co across who’ve dealt with it? I never have."
Brock frowned. "It happens more than you might think, but n aren’t ones to freely admit it, so it’s not reported as often as it should be." He squeezed my hand. "Rape doesn’t always an you’re physically hard, although, that’s certainly the most common."
"I just don’t know where to go from here. How do you process being dumped and all this crap happening on the sa night?"
"You broke up?" Bailey asked.
"Most definitely. I’m not in the habit of staying in relationships with n who tell to fuck off."
Brock sneered. "He told you to fuck off?" he ground out.
"Hypothetically," I rushed to say, realizing my folly of revealing that to my older, very protective brother.
"I will jack him up if he ever talks to you that way."
"I know, Brocky. But never fear, I can take care of myself." I stifled a yawn and smiled. "Sorry. I hate crying."
Bailey nodded. "It’s exhausting."
"Very," I admitted.
"Do you want to stay?" Bailey asked.
"If that’s okay," I said. "I don’t have my car, so I’ll hoof it ho tomorrow."
Brock’s ho was only a few blocks from my parents’, so it was a pretty easy walk.
"Co on," Bailey said, and rose to her feet. "You can borrow my makeup remover and I’ll give you sothing to sleep in."
"Thanks." I stood, and my brother did the sa, pulling into a bear hug.
"You know you can tell more," he said.
"I know," I whispered.
He kissed the top of my head. "Love you, sissy."
"Love you too."
I followed Bailey upstairs and into the guestroom where she left to do my thing, which was to fall into bed and cry myself to sleep.
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