“Apparently Andie is the exception. I was more demanding than I knew I could be. I was rough. I said and did things I can’t begin to tell you about. The more I pushed to scare her away, the more she seemed to want. It was the most incredible experience in my life. I wouldn’t let my mind function and I refused to let her talk to me. And in the morning, when I woke up, I told myself that I had raped her. I left a note that made everything worse and came here to hide.”
“You really weren’t thinking,” Shane muttered. “What woman has ever stopped talking when she thinks she has something to say? Brett, I love you the same as Jordan but I still gotta say this. You are the biggest idiot in the world.”
“That’s nicer than the things I’ve called myself. Anyway, Andie went to Jesse’s and he came here. He showed up just as I finished attacking Flynn. Shane, I said terrible things to him. Jesse force-fed me an abbreviated version of Andie’s news before he took Flynn off and talked to him. I don’t know what exactly he said but I’m grateful. He kept Flynn from believing what I said to him. Andie showed up a little while later.”
“Oh.” Shane nodded. “Now I get it. She was demonstrating how wrong your assumption was.”
“What?” Jordan didn’t know what he was referring to.
“Andie asked me follow her into the yard. She told me to reach for her and had me face down, on the ground.”
“With a dislocated shoulder,” Shane supplied.
“With a dislocated shoulder, all before it registered that she’d moved. Jesse confessed that most of their dates were spent with him teaching her how to defend herself.”
“Did a good job,” Shane declared. “Andie had him pinned down and was still pushing against his arm so hard I thought she might do real damage when Bill Anderson pulled up.”
“The realtor?” Jordan interrupted. “You were just going to plant the sign in the yard without telling me?”
Brett nodded miserably as Shane resumed. “He took out a sign and some papers and had started toward them when Andie noticed him. He offered to come back at a better time but she told him in no uncertain terms that Brett’s house was no longer on the market. You know how persistent Bill is. He didn’t leave until Andie threatened that he would be next. You should have seen the look on his face.”
“Shane.” Jordan was speaking quietly. “Why didn’t you tell me about this then?”
“Jesse wouldn’t explain what was going on but he assured me he had it covered.” Shane shrugged. “When Andie wasn’t looking, we had Flynn hide in the back of Andie’s car to prevent her from driving too far in the state she was in. He told her the truth about how he ended up with me and Lyss when she said she was going home, with or without him. He also treated her to breakfast and took her to his spot out by the creek. If he were older, Brett, I think he would try to take Andie from you.”
“If he were older, I’d encourage him. Face it, he’s a better man than I am.”
“Oh would you just shut up. I agree that you made a complete mess of it with Andie. I even know how you feel when you think about life without her. But stop saying such stupid shit and start thinking for a change. If Andie is half the woman you claim she is, this isn’t over. Stop wallowing and fight for her. You just told the whole town that you will love her forever. I think that makes her worth some effort on your part. Tell me what you said in your emails.”
Brett went over everything he could remember. “You really think she could let herself forgive me enough to love me again?”
“I don’t think she ever really stopped,” Jordan stated. “She’s hurting, Brett. But she must have loved you a hell of a lot to let you, ah, indulge yourself. Oh, I should encourage you to stop drawing her face like that.”
“Like what?” Shane wanted to know.
“Like she looks when she comes,” Jordan said flatly. “In the middle of a meeting at the station where he missed every word. Fortunately, I sent the others away before anyone else saw it.”
“Jeez, Brett, you know better!” Shane declared. “So, Jordan, good?”
“Beautiful, just like Kiley and I assume Alyssa. And if that drawing was accurate I’m sure that night was about more than sex for Andie.”
“I know.” Brett frowned. “I must have been hurting her every time she saw me with someone else since she moved to Sadie’s.”
“Probably,” Jordan agreed. “But she came to save you and spent the night anyway. I’d say that means she was willing close the door on your past with other women.”
“I wouldn’t push it and go off with someone else after you get together though.”
“God, Shane! I can’t believe you just said that. You don’t really think I would ever cheat on her if she actually takes me back, do you?”
“He’s just testing you, Brett.” Jordan grinned. “You know how he likes to push to see if you’re serious. Let’s go over and see if Kiley is awake. I think we could use a woman’s point of view to help figure out how you’re going to win back Andie’s heart.”
“Don’t forget how hard Lyssa fought against being in love with me. Maybe she can explain what changed her mind,” Shane added.
“Hey, um, before we go,” Brett stammered. “I just wanted to tell you both…”
Jordan wouldn’t let him continue. “Brett, we’ve been more than friends since we were six. How can you even begin to think you need to say what you were about to? Okay, I admit that it hurt yesterday morning when I finally took a good look at you and saw how bad you were. I had no idea what you were keeping to yourself but I could tell that it was big. I didn’t have a clue as to why you stopped including me but while I was watching you sketch, I realized that it has been months since we talked about much of anything other than the station or Kiley. I don’t really understand what happened to make you think I wouldn’t listen, but as of now, that ends. You are going to keep me in your life and tell me what’s going on, even when it isn’t pretty. And I guarantee I’ll be doing a lot of the same with you.
“I should warn you that I’m starting to panic about this baby. Kiley is so confident and I am so afraid I’ll screw up somehow. Although we talk about it constantly and she insists I have nothing to worry about, I need you too. You can’t hide from me or I’ll fall apart and Kiley will be stuck doing everything on her own. We always helped each other out when it was necessary before and I expect us to get back to that. But if you think for one minute that you need to apologize any more than you already have or that I’m not going to stick this out with you then Shane was right and you are an idiot. Christ, Brett. You of all people should know better.”
Brett was shaking. “I used to.”
“The same goes for me too.” Shane draped an arm over his shoulder. “Let’s call it temporary insanity and forget it. Flynn is cool with you so I have no reason not to be too. Just don’t do it again. Now that you’re really here, I don’t think it would take the town that long to figure out who you’re talking about if you keep calling Jordan and apologizing on the air. I can’t believe you did that.”
“I didn’t know how else to start. I couldn’t just show up and blurt out how I’d been hiding the disaster I made of my life.”
“Yeah, you could have,” Jordan pointed out as they walked toward Shane’s house. “I wish I’d seen Andie toss you. I bet it was great.”
“It was.” Shane chuckled. “She made me decide not to teach Campini anything that she could use against me. And you actually thought you forced her. I hate to sound like a broken record but I don’t think that little girl could ever be made to do anything against her will. You’d better be more careful with her in the future.”
“Shut up. Just shut up,” Brett groaned.
“I never would have pegged her for the wild type,” Jordan uttered.
“You’re kidding, right?” Brett gasped. “After some of the things you’ve hinted at with your own wife you should know not to assume anything about any woman.”
“What things?” Shane perked up.
<
br /> “Don’t say it, Brett,” Jordan warned, not at all serious because he knew Brett never would.
“As if,” Brett stated, knowing they would be all right in spite of how he’d behaved. “You both know I don’t tell tales about women. And I expect what I said about Andie to remain between us too. I only told you so you would have an idea how bad I thought it was.”
“Don’t worry,” Jordan said as Shane agreed. “I won’t tell anyone that beneath your happy-go-lucky exterior lies a sexual beast.” They all laughed together. “It should have told you something about your feelings for Andie as soon as you started acting that way. I don’t think you ever mentioned being interested in dominating before so she must bring it out of you.”
“Funny what the right woman can make you do,” Shane mused.
“Just what’s that supposed to mean, McKade?” Alyssa heard his last comment as they walked in.
“Calm down, Pix,” Shane kissed her possessively. “We were talking about Brett, not me.”
“Ha!” Brett snorted. “He was talking about all of us. Unfortunately, I’m not as lucky as they are. Think you can help me fix this?” Alyssa stared because of the tone of his voice as Kiley reached for him. “I love her, Lyss. I don’t ever want anybody but her. I’m going to be a lonely, miserable, extremely unhappy man if you guys can’t help me come up with a way to get Andie to let me love her.”
Kiley was crying as she and Alyssa both hugged him. “Give us a better idea of what you did and we’ll figure it out with you. Have you spoken with Sadie? Maybe she could help if she told you what Andie’s doing now.”
Brett sat with his friends, discussing possible ways to find his way back into Andie’s life. He realized how lucky he was that they hadn’t turned their backs on him as he had on them. “Thanks,” he whispered during a pause even though he knew it wasn’t necessary.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Sadie stopped on the sidewalk. “Flynn, could you go wait by the door please?” She waited for him to step away. “Listen very carefully.” She glared from Andie to Brett. “I don’t care what happened between the two of you, for the next few hours I expect you to behave more like the civilized adults I know you to be. You’re both being childish and I will not go in there and permit either of you to do anything to upset these poor people. Arguing over who should sit where. Ridiculous! We were in the car all of what? Eight minutes. I’m embarrassed that neither of you possesses enough sense to remember that this is neither the time nor the place to sulk over your difficulties. I suggest you speak privately for a moment and come to some sort of agreement before you walk in there.”
When they both shifted uneasily in front of her, Sadie’s scowl deepened. “I am very serious. If you cause even an inkling of a scene today, I will make you both sorrier than you thought possible. It won’t make any difference to me if one of you is completely innocent and the other entirely at fault. If something unseemly happens, I will not discriminate in venting my wrath. Go for a walk around the block. Go sit in the park. I don’t care where you end up or how long it takes but you will not come in until you are both able to appear cordial. I won’t have either of you scurrying away just because you cross paths. You will speak of the weather if you aren’t capable of any real conversation.
“Max was a dear child and he deserves better treatment than you seem ready to give him. Think about that instead of your own problems for a moment. It’s not too much to ask that you set them aside for an afternoon and show this family the respect they deserve for doing this. No matter how prepared they thought they were or how they accepted this eventuality, they must be devastated.” She gave them each another piercing stare. “Now go and do not disappoint me.” She moved regally to the door and took Flynn’s arm, leaving them alone.
Andie stared, frozen with shock long after the door closed as if mortified by her aunt’s words.
Brett cleared his throat. “Shall we?” He gestured toward the park. “Or would you prefer to walk?”
“I’d prefer to crawl under a rock and die,” Andie exclaimed before she could stop herself. “I never heard her like that before.”
He thought he saw tears forming in her eyes but she spun away, as if to hide them from him. He wondered now at the wisdom in enlisting Sadie’s help. She was the only one in Andie’s family left to defend her and now she’d made it seem as if she were upset with Andie.
When Andie crossed the street to the park, he followed and watched as she perched on the very edge of a bench, staring at her feet.
“I’m sorry to put you through this. You know I wanted Jesse to pick you up.”
“We’d still be in there together,” Andie’s voice quivered. “I really thought I could handle it. For a few hours at least.”
Brett had stopped several feet from the bench. His heart wrenched when she refused to meet his eyes. She was still on the verge of tears. Every nerve in his body screamed for him to hold her but his brain made him resist. Finally, he squatted in front of her, steadying himself by resting his hands on either side of her legs.
“Andie.” He used one finger to lift her chin. “I know nothing I say will make this any easier. We have to go inside eventually though. Remember the day at Jordan’s when you were talking about teaching a child who doesn’t want to be there and how you have to pretend he does so you can do your best to teach the joys of music? Isn’t this sort of the same thing? If you had three students in a row like that, you would be able to overlook their reluctance for the entire time. Draw from that and ignore how much I hurt you. For as long as we’re here, forget that you hate me and wish we had never met. Think about Max and his family and how glad they are you came. I know you can do it.
“Andie?” Brett could tell by her neck that her pulse was racing. He watched the feelings run across her face. She had no idea how expressive her features were. He could see the conflict she underwent and felt even more awful for having caused it. If only he could reset time to before the auction. He would have guaranteed she’d won and rewritten the rest of both their lives. “You have to tell me if you can pretend for as long as we need to. We have to do this.”
“No problem,” she said with more conviction than she obviously felt. “Why should I care that you’re here too? As far as I’m concerned, you are a stranger to me. You’re my aunt’s friend and it makes no difference whether you’re around or not.”
Brett knew he deserved it but it hurt anyway. “Good.” He could see she was still struggling. “In that case, my friend’s niece, shall we go in?” He stood and offered his hand. When she tried to ignore it, he reached out, capturing hers in his. “We’re playing nice now, remember? It’s an emotional day and in any other circumstances you wouldn’t avoid simple comfort from anyone.”
“Brett.” Andie was clearly fighting to remain indifferent.
“If I were Flynn, you would think nothing of this. I’ve noticed how much you touch people. I’m sure Sadie has too.”
“Fine,” Andie hissed, tension radiating from her. “It doesn’t matter anyway. You don’t matter. Not anymore.”
Brett knew she was saying it for her benefit as much as his but had to force himself not to react. It was torture, knowing his carelessness had caused the changes she was trying to make to herself. He could tell she was working to tone down her open nature. She wouldn’t let herself trust enough to reach out to anyone the way she used to.
As soon as they were inside, Andie immediately went to Sadie and apologized. Sadie hated to see the effort it took Andie to keep her emotions under control. For the moment, no one would question her distress, given the nature of the gathering.
She would have find a way to give Andie subtle encouragement and support without her realizing it. Poor child. She was so determined to deny what she felt for the idiot boy. It was unforgivable that he’d hurt her precious girl but he did understand the mistake he’d made. At last, he had stopped fighting his feelings. He and Andie would have a good life together if they managed to
get past this.
Fool! Sadie noticed how Brett followed Andie as she circulated with the other guests. She was never out of his sight even though he kept his distance. Sadie knew Andie was aware of him too, though she pretended not to be.
“Please say you’ll come soon?” Kiley pleaded to begin her lessons. Andie was avoiding her because of Brett but she was determined not to take no for an answer this time. “Come stay with us next weekend. You look a little tired. I promise that nothing other than your patience at the piano will be required the entire visit. I know Charlie is anxious too. She’ll tell you that herself as soon as they get here. I’m sure Lyss would bring her to us if you’re worried about going to their house. And don’t you worry about anything else either. Jordan can be very protective.”
Andie appeared to want to refuse and run but knew the disappointment it would cause. Kiley knew she would hate to discourage either one of them so she wasn’t surprised when Andie accepted.
“I know it’s silly but I really would be grateful if you could arrange for Charlie to join us. I don’t know what you were told but I don’t think I want to get even that close yet.”
“You’re not at all silly.” Kiley hugged her impulsively. “Did you listen to Jordan’s show Tuesday night?”
“Only the beginning. I’m afraid I fell asleep long before the end,” Andie claimed.
“Oh.” Kiley frowned. “Well Brett was the last caller. He acted like he and Jordan didn’t know each other and talked about some of the trouble he was having in his life. Jordan explained later that Brett needed to do that since he didn’t know how else to approach him or Shane.”
Andie paled and let Kiley steer her to the end of the hall where they had slightly more privacy. “Brett said losing Max made him think about what he was doing with his life. He spoke about all of us. At the end, he said there was a woman he’d hurt terribly and how much he regretted it. He never called you by name during the show but I knew it was you even before he talked to us later.” Andie nodded as the tears slid down her face. “When Jordan went to speak with him, I’m sure he heard more about what happened but he won’t repeat private things he and Brett discuss, not even to me. I do believe Brett loves you. You used to have feelings for him. Can’t you find a way to put whatever he did behind you?”
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