“I felt the same way today,” she said, bowing her head as she sat down next to him.
He looked up at her, at her pain, and his anger began to dissipate. “I’m sorry he hurt you. In more ways than one. I never should’ve…” he trailed off, knowing she didn’t need any more surprises today either. He had to ease into telling her how he felt and tonight wasn’t the night.
“You saw him…with them?”
“I mean, I didn’t actually see him fucking them, but I saw him go into the room with them. Then the next morning, I saw them leave, so…”
“Did he talk to you about it afterward?”
“No. I think he knew better than to bring it up.”
“I guess I shouldn’t be so surprised, huh?”
“What do you mean?”
“For me to be naïve enough to believe he wouldn’t cheat on me.”
“Oh, Madi…”
“No, it’s true. Isn’t that typical for celebrities and athletes?”
“Not all athletes,” Brett defended. “You’re more than worthy of having a man devoted solely to you.”
“Apparently not.”
“C’mon, Madi, Hunt lived for the fame. He wasn’t like you and I, he didn’t grow up with it. He basked in his stardom. He was a showboat. Men like him can’t be true to themselves, let alone anyone else. Don’t take his shortcomings personally. He obviously sucked at being a husband.”
“Or I sucked at being a wife,” Madi whimpered and covered her face with her hands.
This was what Brett had dreaded, Madi blaming herself for what Hunter had done. How could he convince her she was amazing? How could he prove to her she’d always deserved better than Hunter Thomas?
“Please don’t blame yourself, Sunflower.” He pulled her to him then, grateful the anger was gone but sad that dejection had taken its place. “Madi, please listen to me. I know that if Hunter were here now, he’d hate that you knew; he’d hate himself for hurting you like this. He’d tell you how sorry he was and how it wasn’t worth it.”
“You’re just saying all this to make me feel better.”
“No, I know it’s true. He wasn’t perfect. But he loved you, even if he had a shitty way of showing it.”
Brett let her cry then, cry for the past, cry for Hunt’s wrongdoings, deep down knowing Hunt had been right about one thing. Brett had been all talk and no action, too terrified to tell her he loved her. Well, if Brett had learned anything in the last few months, he’d learned that life was too damn short to drag his feet. Life had given him a false start—or was it Madi who’d been given the false start? Either way, Brett wasn’t going to let this opportunity pass him by. He’d been given a second chance and he wasn’t going to waste it. Soon, he was going to tell Madison Hope Thomas how he’d always felt about her and hope like hell he wasn’t too late.
CHAPTER TEN
Madi moped for two days after finding out Hunter had cheated on her last June at a football conference in Vegas. Once she’d seen the newspaper article, she’d let her anger overtake her and allowed the blame to settle on Brett. It still bothered her that he’d not told her when it all happened and not answered the question as to why he hadn’t. Madi let it go. Maybe guys had a guy code that caused them to refrain from telling on each other. Maybe he’d just never knew how to tell her. Maybe Hunter had never given him the opportunity. Whatever the reason, Madi knew that Brett had to have a good one. Brett valued honesty at all costs—honesty and loyalty—and he’d always been both to her. He’d never done anything to break her trust, never done anything to make her doubt him, never been anything but on her side, always.
But what she couldn’t let go of was how inadequate she suddenly felt. Hunter had been the only man she’d ever been with, and he’d cheated on her. With not one but two women at once…presumably. Was it because Madi’s sexual performance hadn’t been satisfactory? Had he been seeking more action in the bedroom because Madi was boring? Was she bad in bed?
She’d never had low confidence, but right now her self-esteem was reeling…and badly.
She’d spent the first day in bed, again—yes, she found peace in sleep. And Brett took the hint, leaving her to wallow. But by the second day, he’d come and got her, made her shower, and taken her to his house.
He was right, she had to get rid of her house; it was bad for her. The memories were destroying her.
It wasn’t until she was getting out of the tub and dressing for bed that Madi got an idea, an incredibly awful idea, that embedded itself into her brain. Brett was her best friend. If anyone could understand, it was him. And he owed her this much.
Madi pulled her clothes off, looked in the mirror, and took in a deep breath. She headed into the bathroom and donned the silky white robe hanging behind the door. When she exited the room, she made her mind up. She was putting herself out there once more, putting her heart on the line. She was braving the prospect of rejection once again, but she had to know; had to know if she was the reason Hunter had cheated.
And Brett was going to be the one to tell her.
Brett slipped into a pair of boxers following his shower and crawled into the freshly cleaned sheets. He grabbed his phone to text Pax back.
They were excited about him practicing with Quil tomorrow, but Brett found himself nervous. As angry as he’d been with Hunter, his best friend had also been
