“Are you sitting down?”
“Brooke!”
“Ok, so there’s this very credible picture of Hunter with two women taken last year…”
“Vegas!” It all came back to her: the way he’d acted after returning from the trip, Brett’s distance. Something had happened during that trip—something bad—and Madi’s nauseous gut was telling her she was about to find out.
“Yes. I’m on my way to you right now. Just hang tight for a second, ok?”
“Brooke, what does it say?” Madi whined; her heart couldn’t take any more heartache, disappointment, anguish. “Just tell me, please?”
“Are you sitting down?” Brooke repeated again.
“Yes!”
Madi clomped into the kitchen, looking out into the pasture at Brett’s beautiful roan bay horses. She pulled out one of the bar stools at the island and sat down, feeling her stomach clench before Brooke muttered the words, “He had an affair, sister.”
CHAPTER NINE
Brett laughed at Travis as he made fun of the defensive player from the tape once again; TJ, Quil, and Lang joined in. They’d just come from their showers. They’d had an early morning offensive meeting and a workout, and were dressing in the locker room when Travis stopped moving, frowned, and stared at something behind Brett.
Brett turned and was surprised to see Madi standing there in gray shorts and an old Gladiators t-shirt. Her hair was up in a bun, tears ran down her red face, and she had a newspaper in her hands. Brooke stood in the doorframe behind her.
“Madi?” Concern ripped through him as he approached her. “What’s wrong?”
“Please, please tell me that you didn’t know?” she pleaded, her face crumpling.
“Know what?”
Madi shoved a newspaper at his bare torso. “This!”
Brett swallowed hard as he jerked the paper from his stomach, and Madi folded her arms across her middle. All he needed to see was the headline, “Deceased NFL Star, A Vegas Playboy?” and the picture—Hunter with the two girls from the casino on either of his arms taken in the hallway on the way back to his room—and he knew his worst nightmare had just come to life. His face dropped.
She shoved his bare chest but didn’t budge him, not an inch. “You knew!” she shouted and jerked the paper from his hands, shoving it into his face. “He cheated on me, and you fucking knew. How could you not tell me? You’re supposed to be my best friend.”
“Madi, I—”
“No, don’t you dare! Just answer the fucking question.”
Madi was really mad; she never swore, and she’d said the F-word twice now.
“Did you know?” she growled out.
Brett gulped and closed his eyes briefly. With his nod, he sealed his fate.
“I never want to see you again.”
Brett went to grab for her, but she pulled his hand from hers and swatted it away.
“Don’t touch me! You don’t ever get to touch me again.”
The words bit into his heart like a giant set of fangs, stealing the life from him. He watched her beautiful face contorting in anguish that he couldn’t heal, for she’d found out the one thing Hunter never wanted her to know—and for damn good reason.
She stalked out of the locker room. Brooke gave Brett a sad smile and followed.
Now, Brett was once again left to pick up the pieces of Hunter’s mistakes. And this time, he wasn’t sure he could fix this one.
“Man, talk about wrong place, wrong time.” Travis clapped Brett on the back.
Brett looked at Travis, feeling completely dejected.
“Let’s go hit up a bar. Looks like you could use a few beers.”
Brett threw his shirt over his head, and he and Trav grabbed their gym bags and headed out.
Thunder rumbled in the distance as Brett pounded on Madison’s door—when ringing the bell five times in a row didn’t get him the result he wanted.
Brooke answered looking unhappy and anxious, her green eyes peering hard into his.
“Hey,” he grumbled.
“She doesn’t wanna see you,” Brooke stated without conviction and moved to let him enter.
“I know, but ask me if I care,” he smarted back, the booze gushing through his veins.
“I figured you didn’t, just wanted you to be aware in case—”
“What are you doing here?” Madi’s angry voice called to him, echoing in the marble-tiled foyer.
“I need to talk to you. You don’t just get to turn your back on a twenty-year friendship without hearing me out.”
“I have nothing to say to you, besides something you don’t wanna hear.” Madi’s red face contorted in anger.
“You don’t get to talk. I do, dammit, and I have lots I wanna say.”
“Start with, ‘I’m sorry, Madi, for being the worst best friend in the world.’”
“You wanna do this? Here, in front of your girls?” Brett pointed to Sky and Val who stepped up behind Madi.
“Hell, I have no shame left. The whole world has seen everything I have to offer now. So, go ahead. I got nothing else to lose, Brett.” Madi’s cry rang out through the high ceiling, making his ears hurt.
“We should go,” Val murmured and grabbed Sky’s arm. Sky nodded and turned to Madi, a pained look on her face.
“We all should. Brooke, c’mon.” Amelia’s stern look pierced Brett’s eyes with daggers. She stopped and looked up at him. “The only reason I’m not stopping this is because I know there are things that need to be said, things that need to come out into the open. Tell her what you need to tell her.” Amelia’s brows went up in finality.
Brett didn’t confirm what he would or wouldn’t say. He was buzzing and ready to unburden his heart. But whether he did or didn’t tell Madi how he felt—how he’d always felt—wasn’t why he was here. He needed to tell her what happened in Vegas.
When all the girls had left, Madi looked up at him from her perch at the table centered between the two staircases. Her lips quivered, her fists clenched at her sides, and in a flash, she moved forward. He thought she would come into his open arms, but instead
