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ChapterNineteen
Bryson sat at a table with twin brothers Michael and Logan, and the moment Hadley had appeared with her ex, the two had commented on it.They didn’t like the man any more than he did, and that crack about being the maintenance guy?
Yeah, he’d been called worse, but it still didn’t keep him from wanting to plant his fist in the man’s face.
“What an ass,” Michael muttered.“Bet you my boat you’ve got more in the bank than he does.”
Bryson lifted the bottle in his hand and took a long drink.He’d known Michael professionally for a while, having built several of the homes Michael had designed.Michael had been surprised by Bryson’s appearance for what was a family gathering, but the man hadn’t said anything.Unlike Hadley’s ex.“That doesn’t matter.I’m not who she wants.”
“I think he’s playing her.Again,” Logan said.“Guilting her based on their history.I give him a month before he’s cheating again.”
“I think he still has his sugar baby on the side,” Michael added.
Bryson’s fingers tightened on the bottle to the point of pain.“What makes you say that?”
“Gut instinct.”
Maybe.The problem was Bryson felt the same way.There was something about the man that just reeked of self-indulgence and deceit.Kyle was the epitome of wanting his cake and eating it, too.“Hadley has to figure things out for herself.”
“Yeah, that’s not going to be easy to watch.Not now that we know what happened already,” Michael said.
Bryson eyed Kyle from behind his dark sunglasses, noting the way he grabbed Hadley’s arm when she started to walk away with the cake.
The two shared hushed angry words Mary Elizabeth interrupted, but both managed to smile at their host before Kyle used his grip to tug Hadley into the house.
“Did I hear Mary Elizabeth say”—Logan looked at Bryson—“son?”
Michael looked equally surprised but Bryson’s friend then grinned from ear to ear.
“Don’t know how that came about, but man, welcome to the crazy.”
“Uh, guys?”Logan said, tilting his head toward the couple entering the house.“You going in there or am I?”Logan asked.
“I will,” Bryson answered, getting to his feet.
Bryson crossed the beautifully landscaped rear of the house as discreetly as possible but felt multiple gazes on him as he followed the couple inside.
Hadley was nowhere to be seen when Bryson entered, but Kyle stood in the kitchen glaring at the cake—now splattered across the tile floor.
“What happened?”Bryson asked.“Where’s Hadley?”
Bryson watched as Kyle’s hands fisted before he lifted one hand and pointed a finger at Bryson.
“You need toback off.”
“Where’s Hadley?”
The other man told Bryson what he could do to himself along with a few more expletives.
“Hadley may have had some fun slumming it with you but that’s over now.Got it?”
“Where is she?”Bryson demanded for the last time.
“I’m here,” she said in a small voice.
Bryson knew immediately she’d been crying though she’d tried to hide the damage to her mascara.She hugged her arms around her front, fingers covering the red marks her fair skin revealed that would no doubt show bruises soon.“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
