Chapter Twenty-Five
Maggie
How did you apologize to the love of your life after telling them you didn’t want to marry them?
“Psych?”
“Sorry I broke your heart, but I didn’t mean it?”
“No, I really do want to marry you, I just have some inner shit to work through first?”
Somehow, every line I worked through in my head fell flat. I was well aware that it might not even make a difference, anyway. Maybe I already had my shot with Brody and blew it. Maybe that was the only chance at happiness I would get.
Because I knew with a certainty deep in my bones that no one would ever love me the way Brody did. And even if someone could, I wouldn’t want them.
Which left me with one option: trying.
“Just relax,” Cassie said, sitting beside me. “I already told you it’s going to be fine.”
“How do you know?” I asked, desperate for reassurance.
Because even though the idea of laying it all out there, offering up my heart with all its imperfections at Brody’s feet, the fear of it getting trampled on haunted me.
“Because he’s been with us for the last week since it happened and he’s been miserable the entire time.”
“Maybe it’s the effect of being in Liam’s company.” I shrugged sarcastically.
Because Brody sure as hell didn’t look miserable on the ice tonight. No, every time I caught a glimpse of his face on the jumbotron, he looked exuberant. Like nothing could touch him. As if nothing ever happened at all.
Maybe he’d realized he was better off without me.
“Stop,” Cassie said, reaching out to hold my hand. “I see all of that going on in your head and you need to breathe. Everything is going to be okay in the end, you’ll see.”
Gosh, I forgot what it was like to have her unwavering attention focused only on me. With my mom babysitting Lily, I had become Cassie’s emotional project for the night.
Flattering, but at times uncomfortable. There was nowhere to hide under her knowing stares. And what’s worse, when she looked at you, you didn’t even want to hide. You wanted to tell her every little dark secret of your heart and let her tell you that it would all work out.
She was like one of those carnival psychics wrapped in sunshine-
and-rainbow packaging.
I just hoped she was right.
The game ended on a Harbor Wolves win, which I hoped would be a good omen for how the night would go.
But even as Cassie and I made our way down to wait in the family room, my hands shook by my sides as if I were getting ready for a first date.
As if this weren’t my Brody I was about to go see for the first time in over a week.
It felt longer. Unbearable. I was crawling out of my skin with the sting of his absence, and I realized—maybe too late—how vital he was to my very being.
I wasn’t dramatic. I knew that technically, I could live without him. But God, I didn’t want to.
Liam came in first, eyes locking instantly with Cassie’s, smiling. And then his gaze looked at me with detachment. There he went, building his walls like he was some freaking carpenter instead of my big brother.
But I understood. Not only was I the sister who screwed him over by throwing our father at him unexpectedly, but now I was the jerk who broke his friend’s heart, too.
If I hadn’t been standing next to Cassie, I was sure he would’ve turned on his heels the second he saw me. But as it was, being best friends with the love of his life had its perks.
Namely, the chance to make it up to him.
“Liam,” I said as he pulled Cassie to his side.
“Maggie.” He answered, staring at me blankly.
It hurt. Being ignored hurt.
“I wanted to say I’m sorry.” I told him shakily. “About—”
“It’s fine.” He said, decidedly not fine.
“No, it’s not.” I said, determined to smash down those walls the same way Cassie had. “Liam, I was wrong.”
He shrugged. “Not a big deal.”
“Stop pretending you’re not upset with me.”
“I’m not upset,” he said. “I’m just not putting myself in a position where I’ll let you do that again.”
“I won’t do it again.” I promised him. “And I know those are just words right now and the only way I can prove it to you is by following through,” I rambled, “so forgive me and let me show you that I can do it.”
He shrugged, casually breaking my heart.
“Like I said, not a big deal. Let’s forget about it.”
“When you say ‘forget about it,’ you really mean, ‘let’s let it fester and be this weird wedge between us for the rest of our lives,’ and that’s not what I want.”
“Well, you don’t get everything you want all the time, Maggie. Contrary to popular belief.”
“Liam,” Cassie said, pleading.
I didn’t know for what. I don’t think she did either other than wanting the conflict to be over.
“Both of you, stop.” Cassie said. “We’re all family.”
“We’re all good, Cass.” He said, his hold on her tightening before pressing a kiss to her temple. “I promise. Right, Maggie?”
His gaze on me was intentional. There was a right answer to this, and even though I knew we weren’t okay yet, I had hope we would be.
I couldn’t force him to forgive me and I didn’t want to. I wanted to show him that I could do better. Be better.
“Right.”
The door burst open and I turned, anxiously expecting Brody to be there, ready for the moment of truth.
But instead, it was a face I hadn’t been expecting to see at all.
“Tara?” I asked, and then the words died in my mouth as a small brunette appeared behind her.
I didn’t know why, but the sight of her made my stomach plummet about a thousand feet. She didn’t look familiar—at least, not a face I’d ever seen in person—but she felt like someone I should know.
“Maggie?” Tara frowned, face paling at the sight of me.
Nervously. Guiltily.
Odd, because she’d never been anything but thrilled to see me.
Then I realized, she must know. About what I’d done—what happened. She must not have been expecting me to be here.
I made a step toward her, to go clear up the whole scenario. To tell her, no, it was all a mistake. I love your brother. I’m going to tell him the second he comes in.
And then he was there.
Golden and brilliant and perfect.
“Brody,” I said, but the words died on my lips before I was even sure he’d heard them.
Because even though his eyes were locked on mine, and even though I had already taken a step toward him—ready to put this entire mess behind us—I was too late.
That girl—the beautiful one who’d walked in with Tara—was calling out his name, drowning my voice out until it was nothing but white noise.
And before he even looked down at her, she flung herself into his arms and pressed her lips to his.