Page 76 of Thick as Thieves
“I don’t know why Kellen doesn’t just produce the paternity test he had done. It would shut it all down.”
He drops a nuclear bomb in my lap. And I stop breathing.
“Evie? E, are you still there?” He’s starting to shout down the phone as I go silent.
“Yeah,” I eventually squeak out. “Signal dropped out. Sorry.”
My brain is in automatic pilot mode, survival mode. Lessons learned with Jonno. Don’t show fear, find out what you need to know. No tells. I need all my lessons now.
“Yeah, he could,” I add, thinking I sound unperturbed. “I don’t know where it is,” I say and hold my breath. If I was on FaceTime he would know I was lying. But thank god he isn’t.
“You sound weird. Where are you?” Clearly I’m not disguising my voice as well as I think.
“In a toilet. You caught me scrolling James and Bucky’s socials.” I close my eyes, take a deep breath in, and wait for his response.
“Okay, well the test results are probably still in Scotland. They put it in Himself’s safe. I don’t think they opened it. Jonno probably went back and did though, you know what he’s like.” He’s so blasé, when he’s just inadvertently ripped my world apart.
“Yes, I’ll remind them. I assume you mean him and Xan.”
“Yeah, and Jonno. I think Kell was unsure what to do then decided to do one. Not for him, obviously, but just as you’d had so much hassle beforehand, he felt it prudent to say one had been done. It would be proof if he needed to protect you and the babies.”
He sounds like he actually believes the shit he’s spewing. He one hundred percent agrees with it. Lying under the guise of protection. Fucking Greystones.
“Yes, yes I did have a lot of hassle,” I agree.
I’m not sure how I’m holding onto my temper. I can feel my blood pressure rise. I feel off balance, like I have vertigo. If I wasn’t sitting on this toilet seat, I would fall over. HOW DARE THEY, without telling me, test my kids. Especially as I had expressly said no at the time. Those kids do not need to prove anything. And if they don’t want them, I don’t care. They are mine. MINE.
“I’m gonna go. I need to get back to Xan’s party.” I push artificial excitement into my voice and hope he can’t tell the difference.
He laughs. “Well, at least now if you get pregnant, you won’t need another paternity test, as Kell is firing blanks.”
What The Fuck? I laugh. I must get an Oscar for this performance. How to take the punches. Is it UFC and not boxing? I’m being beaten up when I’m on the floor. I need to sort my combat codes out, as I just keep rolling with whatever physical onslaught comes my way. What bomb is he dropping now? He’s going thermonuclear.
“Yeah yeah, little monkey,” I say with a grimace practically tearing the skin on my cheeks. I had no idea about anything being done.
Jude goes on, utterly oblivious to my imminent meltdown. “Think I’ll go get my sperm frozen, at that clinic. I looked at the leaflet he had after he’d had his vasectomy, it looked fucking brutal.”
He’s laughing. Actually laughing. He has no idea what the words he’s saying are doing to me. To my world. Total annihilation.
“Yeah, like you said, no problem on paternity now!” I have left the building. I’ve tapped out. My brother knows more about my husband than I do. Every Greystone probably knows. Medical histories are a speciality in our family.
“Christ, that party should be a show. Xander is extreme.” Jude sounds impressed.
“You have no idea,” I say. “I’ll see you in London in a day or two. Love you, bro.”
I’m eerily calm. The hot sunny day before the tornado ravages everything in its path. I think I might be having a breakdown.
“Love you, baby sis. Can’t wait to see you all.” His voice is full of love and indulgence. He makes blowing kisses noises before he hangs up.
How amI going to navigate through this?
They’re liars. Liars and deceivers. Treating me like a fucking first class idiot. Lining up other people for me to have sex with. Kell can’t tell me he’s had a vasectomy. I get why he would want one. But why not say? They both colluded to do a test without me knowing, without my consent. Onmychildren. When I specifically said no. My orders could not have been clearer.
I don’t even want to start and unpack Kell and the Isobel stuff.
I start to hyperventilate. I need to cool it, start to think.
They think I’m stupid, they think I'm dumb. Another little woman to fit in with them, roll over and do what they say. Look over here, Evie. Nothing to see over there. Good old Evie. Give, give, give, and all they do is take me for granted. Did they think I wouldn’t mind? Oh yes, go right ahead, test my kids. Bring on the dancing girls and boys to fuck. Get the snip. Take away all our options for further family. Why? Why do it? There was no need. All of it was needless, they should have told me. Been straight with me.
