Page 58 of Her Wicked Husband (The Huxleys #2)

Fiona

The next day, Josh visits me in the hospital.

He comes alone, while Bryce is away preparing for a hearing.

I give him a long look, unsure what he wants.

I haven’t forgotten what Bryce told me about the bug/tracker he placed in my purse.

Although it ended up saving my life, I’m still unsure how I feel about his attempt to spy on me.

He clears his throat, shifts, then clears his throat again and sighs.

“Hi, Josh,” I say.

“Hey.” He shoves a huge bouquet of lilies in my face. “Here.”

“Thanks?” I take the flowers and look at him with a mix of confusion and amusement. “So…?”

“I’m sorry.”

I raise an eyebrow.

“About putting the bug in your purse. I shouldn’t have, but I just didn’t trust you.”

“Well. Bryce and I didn’t exactly have the best history, and I wasn’t exactly forthcoming.”

“Bryce warned me yesterday. He said…” Josh exhales and looks away.

I wait with bated breath. Did Bryce tell his brother everything? I don’t really want it to be public knowledge. It took enormous courage to share with Bryce, and I’m not ready to do it with others. I may never be ready.

“He said you explained what happened back at school, and he basically said you were a victim. Wouldn’t elaborate, but I trust his judgment.”

My shoulders sag with relief and gratitude, glad that Bryce tried to resolve the bad feelings Josh and Ares might have for me without giving away the specifics of my past pain. “Thank you.”

“So I’m going to trust you, too.”

“That’s all I want, Josh.”

He looks at me steadily for several very long moments. Then, finally: “Yeah. Well. Guess we’re good?”

I smile. “Yes. Thank you. Although I don’t necessarily approve of the tracker, I’m glad you and Bryce found me when you did.”

Pain and fury twist his face. “That should never have happened. They should’ve never had an opportunity to touch you.”

I give him a helpless look. “I know, but people like Aaron and Jude only go after those weaker than them. They’re cowards.” I bury my nose in the flowers and breathe in the sweet fragrance. “But I’m glad to have a brother like you, Josh—loyal, brave and honest. Thank you.”

His expression softens. He rocks his weight back and forth on his feet, then mutters, “What the hell,” and comes over to hug me.

I embrace him back, so like Bryce and yet so different. “I’m glad we got to clear the air. And by the way, next time, bring me a box of truffles. The baby is craving chocolate so bad.”

He laughs. “Got it.”

Later that evening, a box of German chocolate arrives and I gorge on it with gusto. Bryce complains he could’ve gotten it for me, but I shake my head.

“It’s not the same. Besides, this doesn’t mean you can shirk your duties as my husband to bring me chocolate. I have a separate stomach just for that.”

He laughs, then sends me two boxes the next morning. I text him a haiku and lots of heart emojis.

After two long days, I finally leave the hospital and come home. Bryce wants me to stay longer—maybe until I deliver the baby, from the way he’s acting—but I really don’t like the place.

A week later, the bruises on my face have subsided enough to be hidden by makeup. However, Bryce continues to act like I’m about to shatter at any second. He won’t let me touch anything heavier than a fork if he can help it.

“You know I’m not going to break, right?” I say over dinner of beef and cheese burritos at Manny’s Tacos.

“Doesn’t matter. Don’t move. Just let me get you the guacamole.”

I give him a look. “It’s literally right in front of me.”

“Exactly.” He reaches all the way across the table, scoops it up from the bowl and places it on my plate.

When I whine to Lareina, she says it’s just the way it is. “Ares was the same when my cousin nearly killed me. And I was hurt less than you. And I wasn’t pregnant. Bryce will get over it once he realizes you’re okay. It’s just that…you know, with the baby, it may take longer.”

I sigh, half exasperated and half affectionate. I know he means well, but does he have to be this impossible?

“He was devastated when you wouldn’t wake up at the hospital. I’ve never seen a man look so lost. I mean, I was scared too when you didn’t wake up for days. I can’t imagine how Bryce must’ve felt,” Lareina says. “Just indulge him for a bit.”

I sigh again, but she makes sense. Unlike his family, he learned the truth about what happened ten years ago, and that must be weighing on him, too.

Just like I needed time to heal, he’s going to need time to sort through his emotions.

If he wants to work it out by being overprotective… Well, I can deal with it.

Jeremiah visits me at the house and tells me Jude and Aaron got out on bail. Disappointing, but not shocking—they both must’ve hired top lawyers. Although Bryce promised they’d go to prison for life, it isn’t something he can control.

Sherry seems to be siding with Aaron. She hasn’t contacted me since we ran into each other outside Merry. It should hurt, but the pain is a barely perceptible throb. The old panic, the sheer terror that I might not be wanted, doesn’t circle in my head like a vulture anymore.

I look at Jeremiah. The woman wears a cool, detached expression, but she speaks with patience, her eyes studying me from time to time to gauge my reaction.

“There’s a restraining order, but those don’t do much good. If I were you, I’d get bodyguards. Or at least don’t go anywhere without the cane. It’s perfectly weighed for swinging. As good as a golf club. If you want, I can teach you. Or Bryce can.”

I realize this is her being family—no hugs, just solutions. I smile. “Thank you, Auntie.”

The tips of her ears redden. “It’s nothing.” She stands, clearing her throat. “I need to get going. Deposition.”

“Thanks again.” I hug her.

She stiffens, then pats me awkwardly. “Take care of yourself. And don’t forget: we stand with you. Always.”

After she’s gone, I look at my phone. The police want to talk and are coordinating a time with Jeremiah. She hates it that I have to relive the trauma, but I told her I’d do whatever necessary to make the two pay for their crimes.

My phone buzzes. I look at the screen and frown.

–Unknown: Finally. I can’t believe you blocked me. How could you?

I lick my suddenly dry lips, my gut churning. The only people I blocked were Jude, Zoe and Aaron.

–Me: Who is this?

–Unknown: Me! Your mother!

–Me: Sherry?

–Unknown: Of course. Do you know how many times I had to text you and call? None of them connected. I had no idea until Aaron told me.

I don’t remember blocking her, but my phone broke during the kidnapping incident, and Bryce replaced it. Did he block Sherry?

Annoyance fleets through me at his high-handedness, but I focus on how she said Aaron told her she got blocked.

So she’s with him now. That explains why Bryce didn’t want her to be able to reach me.

I also note she hasn’t said a word of concern for me.

She has to have heard what happened. After all, it isn’t something Aaron can hide.

She didn’t visit me at the hospital, didn’t even send flowers. Nobody from the Huxley family brought her up, either. Maybe Bryce’s family—no, my family—already knows she doesn’t really care about me and wants to keep her away.

–Me: What do you want?

–Unknown: How are you?

Now she’s asking?

–Me: Fine.

–Unknown: Glad to hear it. Can you forgive Aaron?

–Me: FORGIVE HIM???

–Unknown: Do you have to send him to prison? He’s your family, your brother.

I start to shake. She waited all this time, got a new number and finally reached out only to save her son’s ass ?

I call the unknown number. Sherry picks up immediately.

“Do you know he gave me to Jude to be raped? Do you know it wasn’t his first time?

“He’s remorseful,” Sherry says. Her calm voice is anathema to my ears. “He didn’t mean to. He’s your brother, Finn.”

“And how about me? What am I to you? Do I mean anything except as a tool for better reincarnation for Finley? Do I get to be treated with some respect and dignity?”

“I’ve always treated you as my own child. You know that.”

“If Finley were alive and Aaron did to her what he did to me, would you ask her to forgive him?”

Two beats, and no response.

“Exactly,” I say. “ Never fucking call me again. ”

I hang up and block Sherry, resisting the urge to hurl the phone against the wall. There’s no need for an answer. I know where she stands.

When it really matters, she abandons me with ease.

I clung to her so hard for so long, hoping and praying that she could be the family I desperately wanted, even though deep inside I knew it would never be. Why did I waste so much of my life trying to be perfect for her? Why did I sacrifice so much for someone who wasn’t worthy?

I feel stupid and ridiculous, but I don’t let myself cry. Sherry doesn’t deserve my tears. After being around Bryce’s family, I’ve realized that family loves you unconditionally— family backs you up without question. I don’t have to be perfect to be worthy.