Mad Addiction (Crazy Beautiful #2) (15 page)

Holly glares daggers at me before her sweet smile returns. “Excuse me?”

I feel panicked for a second, knowing this isn’t my place, but this vile woman patting herself on the back for how amazing Ryan is really ticks me off. He might come off as an arrogant ass sometimes, but he’s
my
arrogant ass and I won’t let anyone mess with him. Call it loyalty or call it crazy hormones, but I’m so worked up now I can’t back down. “I mean he’s had a hard life, no thanks to you, and it’s because of his own dedication and hard work he’s gotten to where he is.”

This makes Holly stand straighter, as she clasps her hands in front of her, the fake, creepy smile still in place. Seriously, is it botoxed on her face or something? Her voice sounds both sweet and threatening when she speaks. “I’m sorry, but I really don’t think this is any of your business.”

Now I get really pissed. Part of me knows she is absolutely right, but I’m feeling upset and attacked so before I can stop the words, the lie tumbles out of my mouth harshly. “Considering I’m going to be his wife, I think it’s plenty of my business.”

Holly looks like I slapped her in the face. “Just because you were sneaky enough to trick my son into impregnating you does not mean you have a right to judge me.” The icy tone of her words is enough to make me shiver.

That’s it, the claws are coming out. “At least I know I’ll be a better mother to our baby than you were to Ryan.”

Fire dances in her eyes. Her voice remains calm and even, but by the way she grits her teeth I can tell she’s trying really hard not to lose her shit in front of her guests. “How
dare
you say such terrible things about me in my own home when I was nice enough to invite you for this special day. I think you should leave.”

Before I have time to respond, I hear a very pissed off Ryan yelling, “What the fuck? Did I seriously just hear you try to kick my fiancée out?”

Ryan

I
stalk next to Kelley, putting a reassuring hand on the small of her back before turning my rage back to my mother. As soon as I saw her get Kelley alone I knew shit would start, and it’s a good thing I came over when I did.

These past few weeks have been good with Kelley and me. Real good. After I fucked her bare in the shower I just about lost my mind—I’ve never had sex without a condom, and not only was it the first time I screwed the same woman more than once, but it was the only time I ever wanted to. And that is dangerous territory. Thankfully I was able to get my shit together and realize we have to stay friends. That’s all I’m capable of right now.

While I may not understand what the fuck I’m really feeling for this girl, I sure as shit know I will not let anybody hurt her, especially my fucked up family.

My mom glances around the room, smiling, making sure we’re not causing a scene. She leans in and tries to reason with me. “Ryan, darling, please don’t be upset with me. I’ve been nothing but kind to your friend here and she has said such nasty things about me. Quite frankly you might want to reconsider your relationship. For her to say I had nothing to do with your upbringing is just appalling. I’m your mother for goodness sake.”

I don’t back down, nor do I lower my voice. “First of all, she’s more than my friend, she’s the fucking mother of my child, so you better start treating her with some respect. And secondly, I heard what she said, and it was the goddamned truth.” If I thought I liked Kelley before, after hearing her stand up to my mother I downright worship her.

My mother looks horrified as she notices people can hear us. “Ryan, this is not the time nor the place for you to speak to me this way.”

Words cannot describe the level of protectiveness I feel toward Kelley hearing my mother give her shit, and right now I don’t care if the whole fucking house hears us. “What’s the matter, mother? Are you afraid people will know the fucking truth for once?”

I can tell Kelley is uncomfortable next to me, but I refuse to let my mom get away with this. Not this time. I brought Kelley into this three-ring shit show, so if anything it’s my mess to clean up. She did nothing wrong but try to stand up for me, and I’m sure as hell going to defend her.

“Ryan Bartholomew Blake, where is all this hostility coming from?”

I just laugh. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. How about from when you ignored Hazel and I after Dad walked out? How about from when you refused to notice your teenage son became an alcoholic? Or maybe it’s from when you practically left your only daughter to die from some fucking drug overdose until I had to threaten you to help her?” I ball my fists, squeezing them tight at my sides. I’ve held onto this anger for a long time, and it’s about time I finally let some of it out.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen my mother look so completely stunned. She stands frozen and her fake smile finally fades. After a minute she clears her throat and collects herself enough to tersely state, “I’m sorry you feel that way,” before briskly leaving the room and disappearing into the crowd.

I feel a hand on my shoulder and find Eli standing next to me. “Everything ok, son?”

I nod, still tensed, and he pats me on the back with understanding in his eyes. I turn my attention to Kelley, who looks like she might pass out. “Let me grab our coats and we’ll get out of here.” Lucas and Kinsley make their way over, knowing enough not to say anything. Luc and his dad know the kind of shit my mom usually pulls, which is why I’m grateful they still came to support me.

A few seconds later I’m helping Kelley into her jacket and ushering her out of the house to the safety of my truck. I turn the key so it roars to life and maneuver us down the drive. We sit in silence as I pull onto the main road.

“Brooks? Will you please say something?” I feel out of my element as I worry about both her and the baby. She looked white as a fucking ghost inside and I will never forgive myself if this causes her to break.

She remains quiet for a minute longer and I worry something is seriously wrong. But then I hear her sweet, light voice cut through the awkward thickness. “Your middle name is Bartholomew?”

Fuck, this girl is going to be the death of me.

We both chuckle before she gets serious. “I’m really sorry for what happened in there, Ry. I didn’t mean to make things worse between you and your mom.”

Her voice is unexpectedly quiet and sad. She’s usually so bold and feisty, so this makes my heart fucking shatter. She never needs to apologize for speaking the truth. “I promise there is nothing you could say that would make things worse between my mother and I. This shit was a long time coming, and I am fucking thankful you stood up to her. It’s about damn time somebody did.”

“Yeah, well the whole evening was pretty unfuckingbelievable.” She sounds pissed now, and I don’t blame her.

I feel shitty for bringing her into my mess. I’m not sure how to make it up to her so I stay quiet, hoping we can just forget the whole fucking thing.

By the way she tenses and stares out the window, I don’t think that’s likely.

We spend the rest of the drive in complete silence. When I finally pull the truck into the parking garage I let my eyes shift over to Kelley, trying to gauge how she’s feeling. It’s clear she has a lot on her mind and has been stewing about it the whole way home. “Talk to me, Brooks.”

She shifts in her seat and holds up her left hand. “Why did you give me this ring?”

Expecting her to rant about how horrible my mother is, I’m surprised this is the direction she’s going in. “Because we agreed to pretend we’re engaged?” I ask, legitimately confused.

She looks me square in the eye as she clarifies. “Why the hell did you give me your
grandmother’s
ring?”

I rub my hand down my face.
Fuck.
“I guess you talked to Grams then?”

Before I have a chance to explain, she’s crossing her arms and eyeing me accusingly. “And why didn’t you tell me you’ve never let any other girl into your apartment? Is our relationship so completely meaningless and fake that it doesn’t even occur to you to mention the simplest of things?”

Her eyes fill with so much hurt that I feel completely in the dark. Where the fuck is all this coming from? I try to remain calm. “What the hell are you talking about?”

She shakes her head and rolls her eyes before un-clicking her seatbelt and opening the door. As she gets out she spits, “You, Ryan Blake, are an asshole.” And then she slams the door and stalks toward the apartment building.

I quickly hop out of my seat to follow. Half of me is pissed, and half of me is worried her anger is bad for the baby. For a pregnant chick she sure moves fast, and by the time I get into the lobby the elevator doors are dinging closed. I try to keep my shit together as I mash the button and wait for it to come back down. I hear Darrin from across the hall.

“Shit, Ryan. What happened? That girl was one mad firecracker tonight.”

I hang my head and lean against the wall, exhausted from everything that’s happened. “I wish I knew, D. This is why relationships suck. Sure the sex is fun in the beginning, but you just get fucked in the end.”

Darrin laughs in his signature deep, hearty way. “Yeah, it’s no secret all women will drive you mad at some point. But I tell ya, Ry, some women—like that girl up there,”—he points to the ceiling—“ . . . well sometimes they are worth every single ounce of trouble.” I scoff before Darrin continues. “As a proud father of five and seasoned husband of thirty years, can I offer you a piece of advice?”

I shrug. “It’s worth a shot.”

“When your lady is pissed like that, it’s usually about something she’s going through rather than anything you did. You’re just the easiest target, so do both of yourselves a favor and take the fucking bullet.”

The elevator door slides open and he nods at me before going back to looking at some paperwork on the desk beside him. I sigh and get in, pushing the button for floor E. I open the unlocked apartment door slowly, afraid Kelley might start tossing shit. I’ve never seen her so angry before, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s a thrower. But everything is dark and quiet so I take off my jacket and make my way to the bedroom, ready to take Darrin’s advice and eat lead.

Kelley is curled up on her side, facing away from me. I lean against the doorjamb, not liking how I feel seeing her look so small and fragile. I try to keep my voice calm and soft. “Brooks, can you please tell me what the hell is going on?”

When she doesn’t answer right away I move closer and sit on the side of the bed. I rub her shoulder, which is when I hear her sniffling. Shit. Now I’m determined to make her smile. “Come on, you usually don’t have any trouble telling me what you’re thinking.”

I give her a playful nudge, and she sniffles louder before rolling over. Her face is red and splotchy, with wet streaks smudging the mascara under her eyes. I still think she looks beautiful, and I have to resist the urge to kiss her pouty, swollen lips.

“I’m sorry for getting so upset. Blame your kid in here for making my emotions go crazy.”

I reach out and rub her stomach. “I forgive the little tike.” I smile, fucking relieved she’s not going to yell again.

“And I’m sorry I called you an asshole. Even if it is a little true.” She sniffles and I laugh. She lets out a big sigh before explaining. “I just think our situation has gotten too complicated. I mean there you were, yelling at your mother in the middle of a party all because of me. Because I couldn’t keep my big mouth shut.”