55. Chapter 55
Chapter fifty-five
Maddox
I finally managed to pull myself away from Ivy’s naked body in the shower to drag my ass to work. She had some computer stuff to do for the flower shop this morning, then she was going into town to have lunch with Laiken and Dakota before stopping by to see her parents.
I had just left the breeding barn after checking in on a sample when I spotted Ryder on horseback. He had been MIA since before the fiasco at the bar.
Waving him down, I walk along the fence line until he rides up next to me.
“Hey,” he huffs out after dragging the bandana down he had tied around his mouth.
“You alright?” I ask.
“Fine.” He shrugs. “Just making sure everything is settled.”
He rests his hands on the saddle horn, and I don’t miss his bloody and scrapped knuckles.
“Anything you want to share?” I prod.
He spits on the dirt. “Nope.”
Knowing Ryder, he went rogue. Maybe even tried to handle business himself. We hadn’t made a solid plan for confronting Bernard yet. I was just waiting on my instructions
“What did you do?” I motion to his bruised knuckles. “Get in a fight with a t-post?”
He chuckles and glances out over the bull pens behind me. “Looks like you got a shiner yourself.”
I smirk, knowing my lip is still busted and my jaw is beginning to bruise. “Conversations with my brother.”
He nods. “I heard.” Doesn’t surprise me. Nothing is kept secret for long in this town. “Way I see it, she picked you. End of story. Don’t know why it’s anyone else’s business.
“Thanks.” He may not have said the exact words, but he just gave me his blessing.
“I got to get back. Doc is coming out today to check the herd.” He pulls up his bandana and rides off before I can toss anymore questions his way.
Something tells me Ryder has been busy. And it didn’t have anything to do with cattle.
Two hours later I’ve got my two bulls that are needed for my next sample separated and the ones under contract for a rodeo about thirty miles south pinned on the back side of the barn. I walk around the building, shaking the dust from my jeans when Brady’s truck pulls up the drive. I watch him park before he steps out and meets me in the middle of the gravel.
He motions to the office. “Got a sec?”
“Sure.” I lead the way, stopping to grab two bottles of water from the fridge in the small kitchen inside of the office door.
Tossing him one, I walk past him and into my office, dropping back in my chair.
He sits in the seat across from me, his eyes trained on the water bottle in his hand.
“Why didn’t you tell me about dad?” He asks. “That he was the one driving?”
I let my hands rest on the arms of the chair. “I don’t know. I thought I was protecting you. Protecting his memory.”
“You let me say some awful shit to you.” He looks up. “You let me treat you like an outsider for something you didn’t do.”
“Brady…” I start.
“Did you do it because you felt guilty? About Ivy? That you deserved my hate because how you felt about her?”
No. Maybe?
“We wanted to tell you together. To explain what happened.” I run a hand down my face.
“What Emily said about the barn? When was that?” He asks.
His tone isn’t accusing, it’s almost as if he’s surprised that he missed the signs.
“It was almost a year after y’all broke up. I swear to you, Brady. Nothing ever happened while you two were together. Ivy was loyal, and I respected your relationship.”
He nods, then looks up at me. “Did you love her? Even then?”
“Truth is I’ve been in love with her for a long time. Probably before I really even understood what it was or what it meant,” I admit. “But you were…” I pause and consider my words. “My brother. Important to me and after the night in the barn, when things turned physical, I panicked. I pushed her away. I told her it was a mistake.” I lean my elbows down on the desk. “I chose you, Brady.”
His eyes widen before I continue. “I chose you because deep down I knew she was just as scared as I was. We both loved you, but we loved each other too.”
He glances away, before facing me again.
“I chose you, Brady,” I repeat. “But I can’t choose you again. Not this time.”
He searches my face for a second before he surprises me.
“I need to apologize.” He stands. “For blaming you. For holding you accountable when it was an accident. For not taking responsibility for my fuck ups.” He pounds his chest. “That’s on me. I loved Ivy in my own way. She was one of my best friends. But I can be man enough to admit that I never was in love with her. Not the way you are. Not the way I see it in your eyes when you talk about her. I didn’t think about her after she left. Maybe a random thought or two. Maybe when I saw something that reminded me of her. But I didn’t miss her. Not like I should have.”
I push to my feet and round the desk.
“What I’m trying to say is, I want you both to be happy. And I'm glad that it’s with each other. You deserve to be happy, Maddox. So does she.”
Lifting my arms I grip him in a hug, an embrace I haven’t felt in a very long time.
“I should probably apologize to Ivy too about the things I said," he offers before stepping back.
I hear his words, but my gaze is locked over his shoulder as my Goldie stands in the doorway. Her beautiful smile wide.
“Here’s your chance, brother.”