AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Why’d you do it, Ashlyn? Why did you marry John Kingston? Why did you stop answering me. What happened?”
“God, Brandon. You do deserve to know. But I swear it wasn’t you. It was everything else. It was a million things that were completely out of my control. And a few very specific things Icouldcontrol. I married a man who promised me safety and security. Two things I was desperate for.”
“I would have given you safety and security. I would have given you fuckingeverything,” Brandon tells me quietly as he stretches his long legs next to mine, close enough to bump up against me. “I know a thing or two about the lengths we go to for the sake of safety.”
“Yeah,” I whisper. “I knew that too. But I wasn’t going to let you give up the life you worked so hard for, for me.”
“Care to explain what the hell that’s supposed to mean?”
I lean my head against the wall and close my eyes. “Do you know how long I’ve watched you? With Maddie. The way you are with Aurora and Teagan. It always seems like you’re waiting for something to happen. Something bad. Like you need to protect them. And you know that’s exactly the boy I remember from that night.”Wow. I can’t believe I just admitted that.
I turn my head and lift my eyes in time to see Brandon’s crinkle with his smile. “So you’ve watched me, huh?”
“That’s what you got out of that?” I guess that’s one way to break the tension.
I gently jab his ribs with my elbow.
Big surprise.There’s no give.None. He’s solid muscle.
“That’s what any man would focus on.” His words are easygoing, but they’re hiding what I’d bet is hurt.
“Really?” I ask, sure I know the answer.
“No. If you knew that from the first fucking night we met, why the hell didn’t you talk to me after the Olympics? Why stop answering? Why marry John?”
“Because I was in agony. Because I was weak. Because I was a coward,” I admit, holding back a sob. “Because I was tired of being hurt and controlled and thrown away. Because John promised to take me away from it all and keep me safe. He promised he’d deal with it all, and at that point in my life, I don’t think I could have done it myself. He promised I’d never get hurt again and neither would anyone I cared about. I’d just lost Nina. I didn’t have any family. She’d been the closest thing and thought I...”
“Thought. What?” Brandon pushes for an answer I can’t give him.
And when I look at him with tears in my eyes, he stops pushing and wraps an arm around me.
I lay my head against his shoulder and suck in a breath.
“I thought it was the only choice I had...” I whisper into the dark.
Brandon’s chin rests on top of my head, and we sit in silence for so long I think he may have fallen asleep until he finally speaks. “I’ve never found anyone I could trust enough to date. You were it. The first time and the last time. I thought I might have found it once after that, but she was in love with someone else.” He goes quiet for another long moment, then adds, “That was a few years ago.”
What stupid girl wouldn’t grab this man with both hands and refuse to let go?
Besides me.
“We’re kind of a sad pair, aren’t we?”
“Ashlyn.” He turns his body toward mine and forces my head up. “Us? A pair?” A deep laugh rumbles through his chest. “I guess, tonight, we are.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I snap, my emotions playing a vicious game of ping pong.
“We’ve spent the past decade trying our best to ignore each other.”
“Yeah... I guess we have.” I’m not sure how much more I can take of reliving the past before I break, so I try to change the conversation. I lay my head back on his shoulder and close my eyes again, soaking in the warmth of his arms. “Are you still considering retirement?”
“I’m supposed to meet with Scarlet and Coach on Monday to make it official. But they know it’s coming.”
He tightens his hold on me, and I don’t dare budge. “Do you know what you want to do after football?”
“Not really. I’ve had a few networks reach out to me about joining them as a commentator, but I haven’t confirmed my status yet, so I’m limited with what I can explore for now.”
“But you don’t like to talk,” I tease.
