“Dammit, Madison, we’re going to eat,” he growled, more annoyed than angry.
She looked at him, aghast. He grabbed her face in his hands and sat next to her on the bed.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound so harsh, I just...” He looked down. “Madi, it should have been me.”
“What?” Her shocked intake of breath drew his eyes up. “How can you say that?”
“He was a husband, your husband. And me, I’m—” Brett shrugged, at a loss for words.
“Look at me,” Madi stated sternly. Brett’s eyes were blurry from tears as he looked up into the beautiful greenish-blue eyes of the woman he’d secretly been in love with for over twenty years. “Do you honestly think it would have been easier for me if it’d been you instead?” Brett nodded, feeling a tear fall from his eye. She shook her head, her face crumpling. “No. It wouldn’t have! You’re my best friend, Brett. I love you! And I’m just so thankful that I didn’t have to lose both of you.”
With that, they fell sobbing into each other’s arms where they stayed for a time. He finally pulled his face from her shoulder and noticed which picture she’d been holding. It was a photo of the three of them, taken at Madi and Hunter’s wedding. He looked back at Madi. She wiped at the tears, her face blotchy from crying.
“I’m so sorry,” he said earnestly.
“Please don’t be. It wasn’t your fault. I know you think it was, but it wasn’t. Just please, don’t ever say that to me again. Please?” He nodded in agreement then pulled some tissues from the box on the nightstand.
After they’d attended to their wet faces, Madi said, “Wow, that smells so good.” They had forgotten about the food, but now that she mentioned it, it did smell good. Brett’s tummy growled in response. He moved to grab the trays, setting Madi’s plate before her.
“Man, this medicine makes me feel like I’m drunk...only worse.”
“Good, let’s eat so you can get some much-needed sleep.” That goes for both of us, he thought.
Brett placed his own plate on a tray and dug in. He’d loaded them down with chicken casserole, mashed potatoes, green beans, mac and cheese, and coleslaw. Each bite was even better than the last, and they laughed about how sick they would be in a few hours. Truth was, that was definitely bound to happen. Despite that football season was over, Brett still trained daily and tried to eat his usual diet that didn’t include any of these “cheat” foods.
Brett was surprised to see that he’d quickly finished his plate, and Madi had made a good dent in hers.
“Thanks, Brett. That was so good. I’m full now.”
He smiled, grateful she had finally eaten something. “I’m glad you enjoyed it; it was good. I’m gonna go shower now and get out of these damp clothes. You get some rest. That’s an order, Sunflower.”
She nodded, and he took the plates away.
Brett felt refreshed after taking a hot shower and getting into some warm, dry lounge clothes. The shower washed away some of the stress he’d been feeling and relaxed him; but as he dressed, brushed his teeth, and dried his hair, he felt the weight of the day’s events taking their toll. He was suddenly so very grateful for the luxury of leisureliness. It was just him and Madison in the house now. It was nice not to have to cater to everyone else, run to fetch something, entertain, and plaster on a smile in the midst of all the crushing sadness. He could take his time to grieve for his best friend Hunter now—not that he hadn’t grieved, but funeral homes and funerals were overwhelming. Now was the real tough part, especially for Madi. Getting back to life…without Hunter.
He exited the bathroom of the guest room, the room he always used when he stayed over, then headed back to Madi and Hunter’s room to check on her. He ever so slowly opened the door and saw her curled up on her side facing him, snoozing away. Good, the medicine worked, he thought. Just as he was closing the door, he heard a sleepy groan and her eyes shot open.
“Don’t leave me.” She pouted sincerely.
“I wasn’t going to,” Brett lied. “I was gonna go put the dishes in the dishwasher.”
“It’s ok. Maria will be here tomorrow.” She patted the bed beside her.
He sighed internally and cut the hall light before coming back to join her under the covers. He crawled in, facing her. This marked the fourth night in a row they’d fallen to sleep together—the few hours they’d gotten over the course of the last several days. The first night, Madi had been completely inconsolable; he’d held her all night on the couch as she came in and out of her grief. The second night, her family had gone home to rest and she’d finally gone to her bed but hadn’t stayed as she couldn’t stand being alone. She’d crawled into the guest bed with him, where she cried again most of the night and couldn’t sleep so they’d watched TV instead. The third night, Amelia had finally gotten Madi into her own bed, only for her to come get Brett in the middle of the night when Madi had a breakdown.
Saying that it’d been awkward for him to sleep with Madi would’ve been an outright lie. It should have been awkward for him, but it wasn’t—not in the slightest—which made him feel even worse about it. He was sleeping with his best friend’s wife, who was also his best friend, but he was ok with it. Damn, I’m gonna burn in Hell, he thought.
As childhood friends, they’d shared the same room—and a few times, the same bed—when they were younger. Brett remembered them
