Page 98 of Keeping Score

“Liam,” Cassie said, pleading.

I didn’t know for what. I don’t think she did either other than wanting the conflict to be over.

“Both of you, stop.” Cassie said. “We’re all family.”

“We’re all good, Cass.” He said, his hold on her tightening before pressing a kiss to her temple. “I promise. Right, Maggie?”

His gaze on me was intentional. There was a right answer to this, and even though I knew we weren’t okay yet, I had hope we would be.

I couldn’t force him to forgive me and I didn’t want to. I wanted to show him that I could do better. Be better.

“Right.”

The door burst open and I turned, anxiously expecting Brody to be there, ready for the moment of truth.

But instead, it was a face I hadn’t been expecting to see at all.

“Tara?” I asked, and then the words died in my mouth as a small brunette appeared behind her.

I didn’t know why, but the sight of her made my stomach plummet about a thousand feet. She didn’t look familiar—at least, not a face I’d ever seen in person—but she felt like someone I should know.

“Maggie?” Tara frowned, face paling at the sight of me.

Nervously. Guiltily.

Odd, because she’d never been anything but thrilled to see me.

Then I realized, she must know. About what I’d done—what happened. She must not have been expecting me to be here.

I made a step toward her, to go clear up the whole scenario. To tell her, no, it was all a mistake. I love your brother. I’m going to tell him the second he comes in.

And then he was there.

Golden and brilliant and perfect.

“Brody,” I said, but the words died on my lips before I was even sure he’d heard them.

Because even though his eyes were locked on mine, and even though I had already taken a step toward him—ready to put this entire mess behind us—I was too late.

That girl—the beautiful one who’d walked in with Tara—was calling out his name, drowning my voice out until it was nothing but white noise.

And before he even looked down at her, she flung herself into his arms and pressed her lips to his.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Brody

It didn’t make any sense.

One minute, Maggie was on the other side of the room, staring at me with rare vulnerability and wide, hopeful eyes.

This is it, I thought. Everything is going to be okay.

I had taken a step toward her, needing to be beside her. Needing everything to be fixed once and for all.

With everything happening at once, all I knew was a fluff of brown hair and a body colliding against mine.

Instinctively, I reached out to grab whatever had made impact with me, mind whirling as it tried to process how Maggie could’ve gotten over to me so quickly.