In silence, we all stand here and watch as Royal scoops Kylie back up into his arms and carries her away to my bedroom, holding her as if she’s going to break if he moves wrong. She’s so precious to him and it’s clear to see.
“I need to tell you both something very important.” My eyes go up to find Blaine’s. Something registers in them that has my heart going crazy. He’s going to be so pissed.
“Ah fuck!” Blaine bursts out while gripping his hair and looking at the hallway. “It’s true.” He starts pacing and looking around with wild eyes. “I had a feeling. Her eyes. Her damn eyes . . .”
Swallowing, I nod my head. “Yes. I’m sorry. I was going to tell you, but I wanted to wait–”
“I get it,” he cuts me off. “You wanted Royal to find out in person. It hurts, but I fucking get it. That’s my niece. My fucking niece . . . Damn.”
I nod my head and wipe at my face when Blaine looks over at me with wet eyes. “Yes. She reminds me a lot of you sometimes. She’s goofy and fun like her uncle.”
“I’ve been spending time with my niece this whole time. My fucking niece,” he whispers. “My family.” He crouches down and rubs his hands over his face, smiling through tears. “My niece,” he repeats.
“Well I wasn’t expecting this fucking twist,” Jax says, finally speaking for the first time since he’s walked through the door. “I’m not sure if that’s a good thing. I mean it is, but it’s not.”
My head whips around to Jax. “Why not?” I ask worried. “What does that mean?”
“It means that someone fucked Royal over to keep his daughter away. It means that Royal is going to rip someone’s fucking throat out. That’s what the fuck it means.”
Fear sets in at the realization that he’s right. There’s no way Royal is going to let that little fact slip by him, no matter how happy he is to finally have her back in his life.
“How did you know?” Blaine pushes, while standing back up. “Who the fuck led you to Hadley? Someone had to know this whole damn time.”
“My uncle,” I whisper. “He said . . .”
The room goes quiet as Royal walks back into the room and stands with his hands over his face.
“She’s asleep,” he says, while walking over to the chair and sinking down into it. “She fell asleep in my arms. I should be in there, but I don’t want to scare her in the morning when she wakes up in my arms. She . . .” He shakes his head. “She needs to get to know me first. I need to be here every day; every fucking day until she realizes who I am. I’m not leaving her side until she does.”
“And you can be. She will,” I say, while walking across the room to be close to him. “She needs her daddy, Royal. She needs you just as much as you need her.”
“I’m happy for you, man,” Jax suddenly says. “She’s an amazing little girl. I know . . .”
“Two years,” Royal growls out. “I’ve missed over two years of my child’s life because someone took her from me. My fucking baby girl.”
“I know how you feel, but don’t do this, brother,” Blaine says while gripping his shoulder. “You need to be here for your daughter now. You can’t lose your shit whenever you damn well please anymore. I know what’s running through your head.”
He pushes Blaine’s hand away and jumps to his feet. “Tell me how you knew about Hadley . . . Kylie. Shit, I need to get used to her name.”
I swallow hard, nervous to tell him the story, afraid that he’ll go and hurt someone. “My uncle thought you gave her up for adoption this whole time: your stepfather and some officer that was there that night. They said you signed her over. I don’t know–”
“That motherfucker,” he growls. “That day he came to my cell with papers. He told me they were papers for Olivia. I wasn’t in my right mind and I sent him away without my fucking signature. Well now I know what the fuck they were doing. I was never good enough by him in the first place. Now . . . they look at me like a monster: him, Colton, and my fucking mother. That son of a bitch forged that shit when I refused.”
Jumping to his feet, he rushes outside with me taking off after him. I’m so scared of what he’ll do.
“Royal!” I yell out to him as he stops by his truck and repeatedly punches the side of it, leaving a bunch of dents, until his hands are covered in blood. “Royal! Stop!”
Finally, he stops and looks back at me, while fighting to catch his breath. “I’ll be back.” He points to Blaine. “Take care of the girls while I’m gone. Don’t leave until I get back.”
Stumbling over my feet, I rush down the porch and over to his truck, almost falling. “Don’t do it, Royal! Please!”
“Go inside,” he demands, while jumping inside his truck and rolling down the window to yell at me. “Take care of our little girl. Go!”
“No! Fuck you!”
Not giving a shit what he says, I make my way around the truck and jump inside, slamming the door behind me.
Growling out, Royal punches the steering wheel, before gripping it and leaning his forehead against it. “Fuck, Avalon! This needs to be done.”
“Then I’m going with you.” I pull my seatbelt on and growl over at him. “Go! If it needs to be done . . . then go, but you’re not getting rid of me.”
He punches the steering wheel one more time, before yelling out in anger and pulling off.
The closer we get to June and Ken’s, the more nervous I become, and my stomach begins to twist up with knots as I watch the houses around us in passing.
I don’t say a word though. Not yet. I know that he needs to confront Ken. He won’t be able to live with himself if he doesn’t. I can’t take that from him. It would be selfish of me.
All I can do is be here to support him and hope that I can bring him back to sanity before things go too far.
The truck comes to an abrupt stop, and before I can even look over at Royal, he’s out of the truck and running at Ken, who is just coming out of the house.
I quickly jump out of the truck in time to see the look of pure horror on his face when he notices the brick house that is charging at him.
“Royal . . .” He throws his arms up for protection. “Don’t be stupid!”
Ignoring his plea, Royal grips him by the throat and slams him up against the house. “You kept my fucking daughter from me! The only thing left in my life that mattered. You fucking no good piece of shit!”
Pulling Ken away from the house, he drags him across the porch, toward the steps. “Just go home,” he chokes out, while trying to pry Royal’s hand from his neck. “You’ll never understand.”
“I’ll never understand? Huh?” He releases Ken’s throat and swings out, punching Ken in the mouth.
I watch with wide eyes as Ken falls down the steps, scraping his face on the cement. Before Ken can gain his composure, Royal is on top of him, pulling his knife out.
“No!” June screams from the open door. “He’s your father. Don’t hurt him!”
“He’s not my father. He’s just someone you dated before dad, then left dad when he fucked up by getting locked up, and decided to get back with and marry. Fuck that! He means nothing to me.”
Placing the knife to Ken’s throat, Royal leans in and growls in his bloodied up face. “You made me believe for over two years that my daughter died. Do you have any idea what that’s like? You and that bitch cop fucked me over.”
He presses the knife down, causing blood to drip around the tip. “I should kill you right now. I should take your life, just like you took two years of mine. It could’ve been more,” he screams. “I could’ve never fucking known. Do you get that?”
“Royal! Stop! You’re hurting him. You need to stop!” His mom continues to scream at him from the background, but he tunes her out as if it’s just him and Ken.
“Royal!” I scream, as he presses the knife a little deeper. “You can’t do this,” I say gently. “Your daughter needs you here with her. If you kill that asshole for taking her from you, he’s still winning, and you will still end up without your daughter. Do you understand that? Do you get that?”
He tilts his head to the side, his eyes moving up to lock with mine. There’s so much pain behind his gaze that I almost want to kill Ken myself.