A Gorgeous Villain (St. Mary's Rebels 2)

He apologized to my brother.

***

It was someone from the party who told.

Someone from the party who texted someone else. Who in turn texted another someone else and that’s how Ledger got the news about where I was.

He tried to call me first.

To confirm, I think. Because he gave me the benefit of the doubt, but when I didn’t pick up and when the friend that I’d used as an alibi told him that she never saw me after school ended yesterday, he got pissed.

I’m guessing Conrad came along to calm Ledger down and to rein in the situation if it got out of hand. He’s been a witness to many such situations over the years he’s been coaching the two.

And when my other two brothers, who were trying to surprise us with a weekend visit, found out where I was, they came along in case Ledger needed reinforcements.

At least that’s what I’m guessing from past experiences – Ledger is the youngest brother and like they are with me, our older brothers are protective of him as well. Not that they’d tell him or that Ledger would like that since he’s all grown up and everything but still.

Anyway, they never told me why or what except how they found out where I was.

They never told me anything actually.

Last night when I tried to say something as soon as we reached home, they didn’t let me either.

Con told me to go get some sleep and the rest of them just dispersed without having a conversation with me.

Now it’s morning and they’re still not talking.

Con is shut up in his study and we all know not to disturb him when he’s working. One of the ground rules he set up for us when he quit college to come back and take over everything.

The rest of my brothers, I have no idea about.

They’re not home.

So I’m upstairs in my room, trying to get my homework done before my ballet class in the afternoon.

But ugh, I can’t focus.

They won’t even let me apologize to them. They won’t even talk to me. They won’t even…

There’s a knock on the door and I sit up straight; I’ve been lounging around in my bed with my books spread out in front of me, but now I close them, cross my legs and call out, “Yeah?”

The door opens and I see Con.

He’s got a slight frown on his forehead as he says, sort of roughly, “Hey.”

“Hey,” I say eagerly.

“You got a second?”

“Yes. Yes, absolutely.”

I say this with even more eagerness and my oldest brother, who is so freaking tall that he has to slightly hunch his shoulders to get inside my room, enters.

Without volition, my mind goes to him.

My mind goes to the fact that he’s just as tall, isn’t he?

Would he also have to hunch his mountain-like shoulders to get inside my childhood bedroom?

God, Callie. Not now.

I’m all ready to beat my stupid thoughts into submission but I don’t have to. They vanish on their own because as soon as Con enters and moves away from the doorway, I see the rest of my brothers.

They were hovering behind him and one by one, they enter too.

First Stellan, who almost has to hunch but not quite. Then Shepard, who enters with a slight grimace on his face because he thinks my room is too pink for his manliness, and finally, the brother who’s closest to me in age and hence has always been my best buddy, Ledger.

It takes them a few seconds to situate themselves around my room and from experience I already know where they’re all going to end up before they do.

Ledger leans against my desk, which is located by the white door. Shepard, the noisiest one, drags my desk chair out, spins it around and sits on it backwards with his arms on the backrest.

Stellan goes to stand by my window on the far side of the room. And the reason he does that is because Con is going to sit on the armchair right beside it, which he does a second later, and Stellan is Con’s right hand.

Maybe because Stellan is the second oldest – three minutes older than his twin Shepard – and so Con has always trusted him the most. Even though Stellan and Shepard are eight years younger than Con.

When they’re all situated and are still not talking, I open my mouth to apologize but I notice Shep elbowing Ledger and as if waking up, Ledger mutters, “Right.”

He brings something out from behind him and offers it to me.

It’s a giant baby pink box with satin pink ribbon wrapped around it and despite everything, my arms shoot up to grab it.

On the top in a darker shade of pink, is written Buttery Blossoms.

It’s my favorite, favorite bakery in town and they have the best cupcakes ever.