Page 54 of Off Script
Interjecting quickly, I exclaim, “Mrs. Sutton, where should I put my things? I’d love a moment to unpack. Thank you again for having me.” I lean in to give Ben’s mom another quick hug before turning to Ben. “Ben, help me with my bag please?” Without waiting for his response, I grab his arm and tug him along behind me.
Once in the guest room upstairs, I quietly close the door behind Ben.
“What nuclear bomb is about to blow up between you and your awful sister-in-law?” I hiss, trying to keep my voice down. “Why was she flirting with you? What history was she talking about? And why was she such a bitch to me?”
Taking me by surprise, Ben laughs before rubbing his face with his hands. “Thank you.”
“For what exactly? Though I now have a better understanding of why you needed me as a buffer. Was your brother’s wife really flirting with you or is she like that with everyone? What history?” I repeat, needing answers to my questions.
Ben sits on the edge of the bed and pulls me down beside him. He plays with his watchband for a couple of seconds, biding his time and gathering his words.
“How did you know she’s an awful person?” He looks over at me, his face open and curious.
I shoot him a disbelieving look. “Uh, she didn’t exactly try to hide it, Ben.”
“Well, we dated for a year before I figured it out.” Stunned at his statement, I sit still as Ben lies back on the bed and puts his hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling fan slowly revolving rather than making eye contact with me.
“Hold up! You and Kelsey dated?"
This is information that absolutely should have been disclosed ahead of time.
“Yep.”
"But now she’s… married to your brother?” I can’t keep the incredulity out of my voice.
“Unfortunately,” he affirms. “Before she became Cole’s wife, she was my girlfriend.”
“Oh. My. God.” I lie down on the bed next to him as I digest that nugget of ghastly information. “Talk about toxic,” I mutter with a frown.
“Yeah, it was toxic. We started as a one-night stand that just never ended. She treated our whole relationship like a yo-yo, pulling me in and then pushing me away. It was a never-ending cycle of highs and lows. The lows sucked, but the highs were so powerful that I put up with a lot of shit that I shouldn't have. I got stuck in this addictive cycle with her. I swore we were done so many times, but she’d always manage to reel me back in.”
“Okay, so she’s the absolute worst, but can you fast forward to the part where she marries your brother?” I scoff, “Your brother!”
“Patience is a virtue, Carlisle.” Ben grins briefly at my exasperation. “One night, Kelsey accused me of flirting with an actress while we were at a party. As usual, we argued, she got mad, and then she stormed out. I didn’t hear from her for over a week.
"What I didn’t know was that she’d called Cole to pick her up from the party and she cried on his shoulder. His answer was to take her to a bar so that she could drown her sorrows. Together, they got drunk and ended up having sex. Of course, the following week, Kelsey and I got back together again, like we always did, but she and Cole kept seeing each other on the side.
“It was a huge power trip for her to be playing us both, pitting us against each other. She and Cole had always been friendly. He had a way of calming her down and keeping her crazy at bay. At the time, I appreciated that my brother and my girlfriend got along so well.” Ben barks out a sarcastic laugh. “But it all came tumbling down when I found out she was pregnant.”
“Holy shit, I did not see that coming.” My eyebrows shoot upwards at Ben’s latest revelation. I feel like I’m listening to an episode of a daytime soap opera.
“Yeah, me either,” Ben agrees with a snort. Running his hand through his hair, he continues. “She told me the baby was mine. She cut ties with Cole at that point, figuring it would be better to have a rising Hollywood actor as her baby daddy than a construction contractor. But Kelsey and I had broken up enough times that I had a nagging suspicion that the baby may not be mine, so I told her that my lawyers were requiring a DNA test before setting up a trust account for her and the baby. She balked at first, but access to my money was enough incentive to consent to the DNA test.” Shaking his head at the obviously painful and traumatic memories, he closes his eyes briefly as he regains his composure. “When the geneticist called and informed me that I wasn’t the father, I wasn’t shocked. I’d prepared myself mentally for that possibility… but when the geneticist further explained that I was very closely related to the father, I felt like the floor fell out from underneath me. I sure as shit had not prepared myself for the possibility that my brother fathered my girlfriend’s baby.”
Forget my earlier soap opera analogy. This shit is straight upJerry Springer.
“I’m so sorry that they both put you through that, Ben. You didn’t deserve to be betrayed like that. By either of them.” I reach for his hand and hold it tightly. His trust issues make sense to me now. “Wow. So,they got married? And they have a kid? I mean, I know it’s just a child, but is it… the spawn of Satan?” I quickly add, “No offense.”
Smiling, Ben shakes his head. “None taken. I don’t really know Duke, my nephew. Since Cole and Kelsey got married, I’ve only visited Austin once, shortly after Duke was born. According to my parents, he’s a great kid. He’s the reason Cole and Kelsey got married and the reason why my parents put up with Kelsey. They love Duke and don’t want to do anything to jeopardize their relationship with him.”
“Kelsey’s a total shrew. How did you date her for so long? You are such a kind, decent person. I don’t get it.” I seriously cannot reconcile the Ben I know with a guy who would willingly date that vile woman.
“I spent a lot of time in therapy discussing that same question.” Ben pauses. “She's manipulative and adept at hiding who she really is. Admittedly, I fell for the pretty face, and I didn’t really dig deep enough to see past the façade that she presented."
I put some pieces of the puzzle together. "Which explains why you wanted to get to know my personality over the phone. And why you were leery of telling me who you were at first."
Ben nods. "She and Cole did a number on my ability to trust. But my relationship with Kelsey did teach me one thing. I know what qualities I’m looking for in someone, what qualities are important in a partner.” Twisting on the bed, he turns his body towards mine and lifts our still linked hands to his chest, just above his heart. “Seeing you in the same room with her… God, it put everything in perspective. It became so crystal clear that I want to be with you, not someone like Kelsey.”
“Then why did you tell your mom that we were only friends?” My voice is barely louder than a whisper. "Why didn't you stand up for me?"
