AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“He was out for lunch when Dexter—the Realtor—got Braxton’s call. There wasn’t anything malicious about it, just two friends talking. The guy didn’t realize Adam would know the girl and come tell me.”
“You knew she was here for weeks.”
“I did.”
“And you didn’t tell me.” The words sound as bitter as they taste.
“I didn’t.”
I turn my body and face him, the betrayal I feel seeping from my every pore. He looks at me and frowns but stays strong, not apologizing or telling me that he knows it was wrong.
“Why not? I should have been told, Dad.”
“So you could do what? You haven’t even let us say her name since she left. Why would I tell you that she was back when I didn’t think it would matter?” he asks.
“Because she’s Braxton. She’ll always be my business,” I snap, pushing an angry hand over the top of my head. “I don’t know whether to be pissed at you or fucking cry. You blindsided me, and now she’s here, and I can’t turn and run. Instead, I have to hug her and fucking kiss her, as if the past is forgotten and—”
Suddenly, I’m sandwiched between two tattooed arms and pulled into a tight hug. A ball forms in my throat. Dad has always been an open, emotional man, but hugging isn’t something we do often. This, right now, I accept this moment without a second thought.
“You’ve never had a serious girlfriend, Maddox. You’re twenty-six, and it’s obvious that you’ve been holding out for that girl since you were five. Your mother and I . . . we worry about you. As soon as I heard Braxton was back, I thought it was a sign or something. I knew you wouldn’t go to her on your own, and if I had told you when I found out, you would have shut down and forced all of us never to speak about it again.”
“So, you tried to force it instead?”
He sighs. “I thought I was doing the right thing by not telling you, but I was wrong. I’m sorry I hurt you. If you want me to go to Alex and tell him the plan’s off, I’ll do it. We’ll void the NDA and figure something else out.”
I swallow, stiffly shaking my head. “No. We’re already in it.”
Plus, the thought of never seeing her again now . . . dammit.She’s gotten to me.She’s started to sink her nails back into the holes she left behind. The ones that never seemed to close up.
We can’t go back now.Ican’t.
“I made a mistake. I’ll wear it.”
Nodding, I pull back, rolling my shoulders in an attempt to loosen the tight muscles. “Mom and Addie wrangled everyone else into this mess too.”
“Your mom has her hopes up about this. Maybe that’s my fault too.”
“She thinks it’ll become real, doesn’t she?”
Dad smiles sheepishly. “You know how she is. Your sister too. They’re two peas in one matchmaking pod.”
“They’re going to be disappointed when the charade ends.” And I’m going to feel like shit breaking their hearts when Braxton and I go our separate ways.
“They’ll get over it.”
He sounds as unsure as I feel. If after eight years they haven’t gotten over the possibility of me and Braxton, will they ever? It seems unlikely.
Movement in the yard has me looking out the window again, and like a flick of a switch inside of me, I’m suddenly brimming with anger. The sight of Jamie with his hand on Braxton’s forearm as she grabs a glass of lemonade from the table has me heading for the door.
“No fists,” Dad calls knowingly, chuckling behind me.
I flex my fingers and say, “It’s Jamie. If he gets hit, it’s because he deserved it,” before pushing my large frame out the door and stepping outside.
* * *
“Haveyou shrunk since the last time I saw you? I swear you used to be taller,” Jamie teases her. I want to rip his smile off his face and stomp on it.
“I think it’s more plausible that you got taller. You’re one of the tallest wide receivers in the NCAA, right?” she asks.
