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Refusing to let Bree push me away, I check the time and see the kids would be in bed by now since it’s a school night, then video call her, hoping she’ll answer.
I’m shocked when she actually does. And my heart breaks when her blotchy, tearstained face comes over the screen. She’s lying in her bed, the covers surrounding her, and even sad, she looks so damn beautiful.
“Hey,” I say softly, afraid to say anything else.
“Hey,” she says back, fresh tears filling her eyes. We stare at each other for a few moments before she speaks.
“I’m so sorry,” she murmurs, crying softly. “I shouldn’t have been so mean to you earlier.” She sniffles back a sob, and I know she’s trying to keep it together so the kids don’t hear her.
“Sweetness,” I say, mustering up a smile so she knows I’m not mad. “I love you, and I hate that you’re hurting. And it’s killing me not to be able to make it better.”
“You’re hurting too.”
“I am.”
“Do you think…?” She swallows thickly. “Do you think if we broke up, he’d go back to being friends with you?”
I think back to Hayden’s earlier words and shake my head. “I think he wants us to stay together. He asked me to love you enough for us both.”
Her eyes widen, then fill with fresh tears. “Why can’t he just love me himself?”
“He does. I think he loves you so much that he felt the only way to love you was to walk away.”
“That’s not how you love someone,” she mutters, her mouth forming the most adorable pout. “Did he say anything else?”
“He said to take care of you and the kids and to make sure you guys know it’s nothing you did.”
“I really miss him.”
“I do too.” It’s not about the distance—it’s feeling like he’s broken our connection. The only time we were apart was during high school when his parents forced him to go to boarding school—a family tradition—but we never stopped talking, and whenever he was home, we hung out. It’s a bad feeling, wondering if or when I’ll speak to or see him again.
“Brody,” Bree says, snapping me from my thoughts. “I was thinking about the wedding…”
I nod, mentally preparing myself for the blow—for her to tell me that she’s calling it off. I already put it in my head this was coming. Bree made it clear she never wanted to choose. Hell, she didn’t even want to have sex with one of us without the other. But as I hold my breath, waiting for her to confirm, I know no amount of mental preparation can prepare me for losing my best friend and my soul mate in the same week.
“I think we should push the wedding back a little bit.” Push it back—not call it off. Or is that her way of calling it off without saying it? “Brody…”
“You still want to marry me?”
“Of course, I do,” she says. “I want to marry you both. And I’m going to. I just think we should push it back a little to give us some time to get Hayden back.”
Oh, fuck, this woman. “Bree… I don’t think—”
“You said it yourself. He loves us, and the reason he walked away is because he loves us, not because he doesn’t want us. The stuff he said Saturday night was to hurt us, push us away. I’m going to find out why he’s pushing us away, and then I’m going to bring him back.”
And because I can hear the determination in her voice, I don’t argue. I just nod and start mentally preparing myself for the day when she realizes Hayden isn’t coming back, and I have to comfort her again. Then I pray that when that day comes, she’ll still want me. Because I’m not sure I can handle losing both of them.
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
AUBREE
I need to talk to you. Can we meet, please?
I know you’re getting my texts.
You turned off your location so I can’t find you, but that won’t stop me.
I love you and miss you.
We’ve postponed the wedding. Please talk to me.
Fine, be stubborn, but I’m not giving up on you.
As the elevator ascends to the top floor, I read over the texts I’ve sent the past week to Hayden that have gone unanswered. They show as delivered, so I know he’s seeing them, but he’s not responding, and since his location is turned off, I have no way of knowing where he is, so I can go to him and drag his ass back to where he belongs.
I considered finding out where his family lives and going there, but since his parents are not Team Bree, I scratched that. I checked all his social media, but he hasn’t posted on any of them, so they’re useless. Then I remembered he has a sister, who, despite him not being close to, he’s mentioned he cares about. Since I’ve hit dead end after dead end, I figured it can’t hurt to reach out and see if she knows where I can find her brother.
