Bri spent a few minutes talking with Jaxon and Macy and Willow, who was with them, before moving on to Damon and Evie. “So how’s my retired brother?” she asked, nudging him in the ribs.
After a horrible concussion on the field last month, Damon’s doctors had looked at his history of head injuries and told him if he continued to play, he’d risk the rest of life as he knew it mentally. Damon hadn’t had to think twice. He’d chosen to be around for his family, taking a job with Dare Nation, and was now learning the ropes of being an agent.
“How does it look like I’m doing?” He wrapped an arm around Evie and pulled her close, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “I’m fine.”
“How are you?” Evie asked.
Bri smiled. “I’m good! Busy with work but that’s nothing new.”
“And Hudson? He’s treating you well?” Damon asked. “Or do I have to kick his ass?”
Bri rolled her eyes. “Oh my God, you sound like Braden. Stop! He’s been amazing.”
“Good,” Evie said, then glanced at her husband. “And you need to mind your own business.”
Bri grinned and shot her sister-in-law an appreciative look. “See? We women stick together. Now I’m going to get a soda. See you later.”
She walked into the large state-of-the-art kitchen her mother adored, with the stainless steel, high-end appliances, and custom white Italian-made cabinets.
Grabbing a can of soda from the Sub-Zero refrigerator and a glass from the cabinet, she added ice and poured her drink before joining Austin and Quinn by the center island. Jenny snuggled against her brother, her big blue eyes on Bri. She held out her arms and, while making bubbles with her mouth, reached for Bri, practically throwing herself forward.
“Come here, my favorite little girl.” She settled the baby on her hip and placed a smacking kiss on her chubby cheek. “She smells so good.”
“It’s the shampoo. Nothing smells better than a freshly washed baby,” Quinn said with a grin.
“It’s getting her clean that’s the challenge. All the water splashing with her hands and feet.” Austin looked at his daughter with so much love in his eyes, it was a beautiful thing to see, and when he turned to Quinn, love exploded between them.
Bri’s heart squeezed, and for the first time since all of her brothers had found love, she could say the same. Suddenly she missed Hudson and needed to feel his arms around her so she could bask in their earlier admission. She loved him, and he loved her back. Holding back her smile so her smart sibling didn’t question why she’d suddenly begun grinning, she handed Jenny back to Quinn and went looking for Hudson.
* * * *
Hudson and Braden huddled in the study while the party went on in other rooms of the house. There was a sofa against one wall where the women left their handbags, and Jenny’s diaper bag sat on the floor beside the couch. The study had French doors that remained open, because nothing about this conversation was that private. Although they worked together, neither man wanted to talk about their clinic plans while at another job, so now was as good a time as any.
Braden leaned against the desk in the room while Hudson paced the hardwood floor covered by an area rug.
“The bank wants collateral, which I don’t have,” Hudson said, picking up the conversation where they’d left off last time they’d had this discussion.
Braden narrowed his gaze. “You know, you never did tell me about the talk you had with your father. Just that he turned you down. But you hinted there was more to the conversation than a flat-out no, so what gives?”
Despite the fact that Hudson was frustrated with his inability to get money from his father, he hadn’t told his friend the entire conversation. Not only were the stipulations ridiculous, but he was embarrassed to have such an ass for a parent.
With a groan, Hudson ran a hand over his hair. “You wouldn’t believe it if I told you.”
Braden folded his arms across his chest and met Hudson’s gaze. “Try me. We can’t work this out if I don’t know everything.”
Hudson nodded. “Well, my father didn’t outright say no to giving me the money. He just placed some conditions on releasing the funds that I haven’t figured a way around.”
Eyebrows raised, Braden waited.
Hudson winced as he said, “He’ll give me the money if I get married and provide him and my mother an heir.”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. What century is this?” Braden’s outrage matched his own.
“That’s what I asked, but he’s not backing down.” In fact, his father had followed up with not one but two phone calls since their visit, asking if Hudson had made up his mind.
Braden straightened and walked over to where Hudson stood. “So how badly do you want the money? Enough to get married and get your wife to pop out a kid?” Braden asked, obviously kidding because he knew Hudson better than that, and besides, Hudson was with Bri. And she didn’t deserve to get involved in his father’s quid pro quo.
“It wouldn’t hurt,” Hudson said back, equally joking because there’d never been a moment when he’d considered his father’s demands.
“I’m sorry, what?” Bri stood in the doorway, one hand on the molding, staring at them both in disbelief.
Motherfucker. “Bri, that was not what it sounded like.”
The color had drained from her face, and she now clutched that molding in a death grip. “Really? Because it sounded like you need a wife and a kid to get the money from your father.”
She looked from her brother to Hudson, obviously feeling betrayed, and he understood why. “Bri–”
“Is that why you told me you loved me?” she asked, her lower lip quivering.
“Aww, shit,” Braden muttered. “You’re taking things out of context.”
“I heard it myself.” She glared at Hudson. “Well?”
“You said it first,” he reminded her, because he wanted her to understand that he hadn’t come to her with the words because he wanted something from her. He’d said them back because he meant them.
She stepped away from the doorframe and rested her hands on her hips. “Oh, so I gave you the opening you needed. That’s just great! I asked you what your father said, and you told me he turned you down!” Her voice rose, and he winced, not wanting more of an audience than the one they had.
“Because as far as I’m concerned, he did. Look–” Before he could explain further, she brushed past him and stopped at the sofa, grabbing the big purse she always carried. “What are you doing?”
She pulled out a folder and clutched it in her hands. “I was going to show you this tonight, after the party. I’ve set up a huge fundraiser and invited the biggest names I know to bid on high-end items with the proceeds going to the clinic. And trust me, with offerings like a week at Asher Dare’s Bahamas home, you’ll have all the money you need. No reason to get married.”
She slapped the folder onto the desk. Hard. “I’m assuming you would have gotten around to that question eventually.”
Reaching for her, he grasped her arm. “We need to talk. You don’t understand.”
“I do. You’re just another guy in a long line of them who needs something from me. Even if we didn’t start out that way, that’s where we ended up. I’m never enough.” She turned and rushed from the room, leaving him stunned.
“Shit,” Braden said. “Go! Talk to her!”
Hudson had almost forgotten he was in the room. “Your sister has a huge heart, and she’s generous beyond belief. But I have a feeling there is no way she’s going to believe anything I say.” He’d seen the set of her jaw, the stubborn look on her face.
While she’d proven to him with more than words that she loved him, she’d overheard the one thing certain to drive her away, costing them any chance at a future.
But he wasn’t giving up without a fight, and he bolted after her, coming to a stop in the living room, where half her family stood. “Where’s Bri?”
“She came out of the office upset, a
sked for a set of car keys, and I gave her ours.” Macy walked up to him, anger etching her features. “I don’t know what you did but fix it,” she said, then turned her back on him and walked away.
* * * *
Bri knew she’d escaped in the nick of time before Hudson or her brother came after her. It wasn’t in her nature to run, but this was different. Hudson was supposed to have been different. The one man who fell in love with her, no strings, nothing she could do for his career or his future, and she’d told him as much. No wonder he hadn’t revealed what his father’s stipulation for the money had been. It was much easier to guide her into marriage to save his dream, and she’d made it so easy by saying I love you first.
When in the world would she learn?
Driving Macy and Jaxon’s car, she pulled into her driveway. Someone would give them a ride here to pick up the car later, and she appreciated the fact that her friend hadn’t asked any questions. One look at the tears in Bri’s eyes had been enough for her to hand them over.
She left the keys under the floor mat for whoever picked up the vehicle, walked into her house, locked her doors, and set the alarm. Too bad she’d given Hudson a key and her code, but hopefully he’d be smarter than to show up here without her okay.
She dragged herself into her bathroom and washed off her makeup, then changed into a pair of shorts and a T-shirt before heading to the kitchen. Because what did any normal woman do after being betrayed? She pulled out her favorite mint chip ice cream, grabbed a spoon, and made her way back to her bed, where she turned the television on to some mindless show and proceeded to down the entire pint.
When her phone began to buzz, she allowed herself to look at the screen. Noting it was Hudson, she powered off her cell. She didn’t want to hear what he had to say.
The next morning, she turned on her phone to find he’d blown it up with calls and texts. Most of her family had done the same. Bitch that she felt like being, she refused to read the messages or listen to the voicemails. Thanks to lack of sleep and maybe some crying, she looked awful. She had circles under her eyes, and her face remained blotchy, so she did what she could with makeup. Which wasn’t much because her mood showed in her expression. She’d never been good at hiding her emotions when hurt.
And her heart felt like it had shattered.
Since it was Sunday, she didn’t have to go to the office. The Thunder weren’t playing until four p.m., and she didn’t plan on watching the game in case she caught a quick glimpse of Hudson working on the sidelines. No matter what she put on television, the conversation between Hudson and Braden repeated itself over and over in her head.
“He’ll give me the money if I get married and provide him and my mother an heir,” Hudson said, stopping Bri cold in the doorway.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. What century is this?” Her brother had sounded pissed.
“That’s what I asked, but he’s not backing down.”
“So how badly do you want the money? Enough to get married and get your wife to pop out a kid?” Braden asked.
Her twin knew Bri was involved with Hudson, so she had no doubt he’d been joking. But Hudson’s next words had devastated her.
“It wouldn’t hurt.”
It wouldn’t hurt for him to get married and pop out a kid, as her brother had so crudely put it, and they all knew who the candidate for the role would be. What she couldn’t reconcile was how her brother could have sided with him. He said she’d taken Hudson’s words out of context, but what other conclusion should she have drawn?
She pulled out her phone and ordered in more ice cream, enough to fill her freezer, from the supermarket, and spent the day watching comedies that didn’t make her laugh.
Around two, her phone rang, and a glance told her it was Austin. She frowned but took the call just in case it was about her family. “Hello?” she asked warily.
“Hey. There’s a situation in the locker room with your client Dion Davis. He had a fistfight with an attendant because his towels were still damp and he took a swing. The guy set Dion up because he had a camera going, but it’s a problem, and you need to get down here and do damage control. You know how Dion gets when he’s pissed off, and with the media involved…”
He trailed off, but Bri was already out of her pity party seat on the couch and pulling on clothes in her bedroom. Not long after, she sat in the office of Ian Dare, owner of the Miami Thunder and also her cousin, along with Austin, Dion’s agent. Ian was reading her hair-trigger, prima-donna PR client the riot act. Why a grown man couldn’t keep his temper in check for a two-million-dollar paycheck with his contract coming up and an even bigger payday ahead was beyond her.
Finally, they’d calmed the beast, and Dion headed back down to his teammates. She and Austin walked out of the room to find Ian waiting in the hall, suit on, arms folded across his chest.
“Well?”
“He’ll calm down,” Austin promised.
“And I’ll see if I can get the attendant not to press assault charges. After all, he lost his job, and the whole thing was a setup. He’s after money he’s not going to get. Not when I have his phone with the evidence.” Ian patted his jacket pocket.
Bri nodded in thanks. She was used to dealing with people who were after money from her clients, who made false pregnancy claims and generally were after something they didn’t deserve.
“Now if you’ll both excuse me, I have a game to watch.” Ian walked away, turning around long enough to say, “I left word for you both to be let up to my box” before walking away.
She looked up at her brother. “I hadn’t planned to watch the game.”
Austin’s gaze softened. “I don’t know what happened exactly but–”
“Can we leave it that way? I don’t feel like rehashing it.”
He wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “Sure. Let’s stay for the game, okay?”
Swallowing hard, she nodded. “Sure. It’ll be good to spend time with you that has nothing to do with work.”
They headed to Ian’s box, a place the entire family had been before, and she watched the game, deliberately keeping her gaze away from the sidelines and Hudson, the man watching out for injuries as he did his job.
She and Austin didn’t discuss her private life, for which Bri was grateful. Instead she listened to her brother talk about how Jenny had had a growth spurt and was in the next size baby clothes and other milestones, things that at one time would have sent the man who’d sworn to be a bachelor forever running far and fast. Bri soaked in all the news about her niece because she adored that baby, and the chitchat distracted her from her emotional pain.
Her phone buzzed, and she checked the screen. Someone had obviously told Braden she was here because he’d sent a text asking her to meet him by the locker room after the game.
Since she needed a word with her twin, she stayed after the Thunder won. She and Austin said goodbye, and Bri gathered her bag, heading out of the box and down the stairs, walking to where Braden had said they’d meet.
Leaning against the wall in the dimly lit hallway, she watched as people came and went. A few minutes later, the double doors swung open, and she looked up to see Hudson step out. Her stomach twisted as she glanced at him. Wearing a pair of dark chinos and a black Thunder shirt, he stopped short when he saw her, his eyes opening wide.
Their gazes met and held, and everything she felt for him welled up inside her.
“You haven’t returned my calls or texts, and I want to explain,” he said gruffly.
Before she could answer, he stepped closer, and she caught sight of his painful-looking black eye. “Oh my God! What happened?” Instinct had her reaching to touch the bruise, but she stopped herself and lowered her arm.
“Your brother,” he muttered. “But forget about that.”
“Which one?” She needed to know which sibling she’d have to kill. The only one she could exclude was Braden.
Hudson held up his hands. “I plead the F
ifth. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. I deserved it for not being up-front with you about what my father said.”
She ground her teeth but had no plans to argue when he was right. Not about one of her brothers punching him but about not telling her everything.
“Can we talk?” he asked.
She crossed her arms in front of her chest, needing distance, because all she wanted to do was forget yesterday had happened and go back to when she believed they’d had a future.
A lump rose to her throat, and she had to force out the words on her mind. “I’ll admit I don’t know what happened or why. And that maybe I jumped to conclusions about something I don’t understand … but you lied to me.”
“I know, and I’m sorry.” He looked down, obviously upset with himself.
She wasn’t sure how to reply, so she remained silent.
Hudson ran a hand through his hair and groaned. “Take all the time you need. I’m not going anywhere, and we can talk when you’re ready.”
“Don’t you need a wife? I’d think that would put a rush on whatever happens next.”
He winced but lifted his chin and solidly met her gaze. “I’m not marrying anyone for money. I never was.”
She opened her mouth to reply when Dion came barreling out of the doors in front of her. “Brianne, tell me I kicked ass today on that field!” he said, pride in himself clear.
“Good job, Dion. Now control that temper,” she warned him. He grinned, saluted, and strode off, probably to celebrate because that was who he was.
She was about to address what Hudson had just said when the double doors opened again, and this time Braden strode out.
His gaze shot between them, and he winced, obviously catching on that he’d interrupted something. “Umm, sorry, but do you think this is the best place for a private conversation?”
Hudson shook his head. “We’re not talking, at least not yet. No worries. If you need me, I’ll be in the office,” he told Braden. He glanced at her, his gaze saying what words couldn’t before he strode down the hall.
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