Page 98 of Finding Kyler
We eat in silence, and only when the dishes have been cleared does Ky explain everything in more detail to his brothers. Wiping my damp hands along the side of my denim skirt, I drop onto the bench alongside a clearly distraught Keaton. I wrap my arm around him, leaning my head on his shoulder.
Kaden takes immediate charge, warning all his brothers that they are to stay put here today. No one argues, and I’m loving how they are all rallying around their mom in her time of need. Filling a plate with food, he sets out in the direction of Alex’s bedroom. The boys converge in the sitting room, and I hover uncertainly on the fringes. Kyler motions me in, but I shake my head and return to the kitchen.
I need a distraction and cooking has always helped center me. Rooting around in the fridge, I do a quick inventory. I pull Kalvin aside and convince him to drive me to the local store where I pick up the items I need.
Hysterical crying greets us upon our return. The triplets and Keven are all cloistered in the lobby, shuffling awkwardly on their feet. “What’s going on?” Kalvin drops his keys onto the table.
Keven tucks a sliver laptop under his arm as he shrugs. “She’s been like that for the last half hour. Kaden and Kyler are trying to calm her down.” He flicks his gaze to me. “Maybe she needs a woman’s touch.”
“Sure.” I hand the bag of groceries to Kalvin. “Can you put the food away?”
I take the stairs two at a time, and Alex’s anguished wailing grows louder as I get nearer. When I reach the top, I pause, my heart jackknifing in my chest. Alex is sobbing her heart out, curled in a fetal position on the bed, the tangled bed linen knotted around her thin frame. Ky and Kaden stand on either side of her, looking utterly dejected. Ky’s shoulders relax a little when he sees me approaching.
A burst of guilt ambushes me.
I advised James to come clean to his wife, and now everyone is hurting. Perhaps I should’ve said nothing, but is it better to live in blissful ignorance? To pretend that life is perfect, when it’s all a façade and everything is turning rotten underneath? I have some experience of that, and letting things fester only ends up ten times messier in the long run.
The truth always finds a way to out itself.
Alex was destined to be hurt the moment James slipped under the sheets with Courtney.
“Your brothers need you,” I murmur to Ky and Kaden. “I’ll stay with her.”
I kick off my shoes and scoot onto the bed beside Alex. Tentatively reaching out, I stroke her hair in a continual soothing motion, and gradually her sobs subside. She slides in closer to me, wrapping her arms around my waist. We don’t speak. I don’t think she’s capable of forming any coherent words, but I don’t mind. I let her lean on me for as long as she needs to.
A while later, she pulls herself upright in the bed, tucking her knees into her chest. “Thank you, Faye,” she whispers. Her distressed eyes latch on mine. I didn’t do much, but I nod, giving her a gentle smile. “I should speak to the boys.”
“Why don’t I run you a bath first?” I suggest. She nods and the forlorn look on her face devastates me.
I fill the bath to the brim, adding some drops of scented oil I found in the press to the water. Notes of lavender and thyme swathe the room, mixing with plumes of steam, as I usher Alex into the room. “I’ll gather the boys in the living room and tell them to wait for you there. I’m going to cook dinner, so I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.”
Alex takes my wrist. “Faye, just because James”—she chokes on his name—“is no longer here, doesn’t mean you are any less a part of this family. You should join the boys and wait for me.”
It’s almost as if she has a hotline to my mind. I give her a quick hug, more grateful than she’ll ever know. “I appreciate that, but this is something you need to do with your boys alone. They are worried about you.”
It takes me a couple of hours to serve up a traditional roast beef dinner with all the trimmings. It was my dad’s favorite dinner, and it’s the first time I’ve made it since he died. Nostalgia is a bitter pill I have to swallow.
During this time, the boys all stay with their mom in the living room. I set the formal dining table, and when they emerge to take their seats, the stress seems to have been somewhat alleviated. Watching how they all fuss over their mother, attending to her every need, brings tears to my eyes. While she may be feeling completely shattered right now, I hope Alex understands how lucky she is to still have so much love in her life.
The next morning, Ky informs me that he’s driving me to school every day from now on. I don’t object. En route, I broach the thorny subject. “I’ve been thinking.”
“Oh, oh. Should I be worried?”
I slap his arm. “Not funny.” I send him a semi-glare. “About Addison.” All humor leaves his face. “I don’t buy that excuse she gave us for snooping in your dad’s office. We need to find out what she’s looking for.”
Ky maneuvers the SUV into a parking spot in front of my school and snuffs out the engine. “I agree, but I’m not sure where to start looking. Keven took my laptop and he’s going to see if he can retrieve that email. Maybe that will give us a clue.”
“I hope so.” I twist in the seat, the leather making a squelching noise as I do. “You also need to speak to Brad, Ky. Maybe then, we can fit all the pieces together. I’m not excusing his actions, but there’s a reason why he was vulnerable the night Addison pounced. And make no bones about it, she targeted him in the same way she targeted Kal.”
His face gives nothing away but I press on. “Brad is going through some horrible stuff, and he needs a friend. You do, too.” He opens his mouth to object, but I clamp my hand over his lips. “Don’t argue. Just trust me. Please.”
Slowly, he nods.
“Good. I’ll get a lift with him after school, and you can meet us at his house. Just promise me you’ll hear him out. Can you do that?”
He presses his lips to my palm. “I’ll do it for you.”
The meeting at Brad’s place turns out even better than I’d hoped. It took a little bit of coaxing, but they both speak freely, finally airing everything.
