AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She could only imagine what she’d told Bryson in her buzzed and drunken state.She remembered bits and pieces, but nothing that made any sense.“Do I have any secrets left?”
He winked at her.
“Possibly a few.You were pretty focused on your ex, the mistress, and your parents’ response when they find out.Are you still going to tell them today?”
She blinked.Tell them today?“That was my plan?”
“Uh, no,” he said with a wry shake of his head.“The plan was to go to their house and tell them last night, but I managed to keep you from doing that given your…state.”
She closed her eyes as though that could somehow block out her embarrassment.“And after all of that, you put me to bed on the couch.”
“Nah.You paced yourself into exhaustion, and once you sat down, you conked out.I just covered you up.”
A sound emerged from her, a mix of a groan and a whimper.“Bryson, I-I don’t know what to say.”
“Nothing needs to be said.You got it out of your system.You can move on now.”
Move on?Her brain continued to filter through the murky events of the evening.She could feel Bryson staring at her a long moment but then turning to go.“Wait,” she said, her mind finally zeroing in on something.“You told me a secret.”
Bryson stilled, his hand on the open door.Wary?“I asked you what your secret was and you said…you said…?”
She looked at him.The words there but still out of reach.“What was it?”
His gaze narrowed on her as he waited for her response, but when she couldn’t remember it, he shook his head slowly back and forth.
“Doesn’t work that way, sweetheart.Maybe it’ll come to you later.”
Sweetheart?“What if it doesn’t?”
“Well, then I guess it’s still a secret.”
“Wait…Bryson.”
“Hadley, I have to get to work.”
“How did you lock the dead bolt?”
Those eyes of his…and the small smile pulling at his lips?Totally made her heart flutter.
Or was it the remnants of the wine?
“Georgia always left a key outside for me to use.I’d bring in cases of water or groceries for her.”
“Oh.Right.I forgot there was one out there.”
“Mmm.It’s been a rough few days for you.”
“You can say that again.”
He chuckled at her statement and the sound warmed her insides.
“Hadley, can I give you some advice?”
“After what I’ve put you through?Have at it.”
“Take the meds, get a shower, and go talk to your parents.Rip the Band-Aid off and move forward.From what you told me, you did everything you could, and you’re torturing yourself for nothing.They can’t fault you.”
“That’s what Mary Elizabeth said, too.”
