Page 87 of The Publicity Stunt

Amonth and a half later, Bri stays in a rental house in Texas while contractors work on her new home. If everything stays on track, she should be able to move in by October. Her hope is to have Thanksgiving for her team not spending time with their families at her new place.

"Bri?" Bobby calls from the intercom.

Something with Bobby seems different lately, yet he says he's fine. But Bri knows better.

"Hey, Bobby. What's up?"

"I have Victor Lyons here to see you. Should I send him up?"

Bri's stomach flips. She hasn't spoken to Kace since Mr. Hanks' funeral, and she worries something might be wrong. Kace stopped reaching out to her, but she thought it was just from playoff season starting. So far, they're almost to the finals, and they just need to beat out the Twisters to play for it.

"Yes, please," she says, suddenly nervous that something may be wrong. Opening the door, she ushers Victor inside. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine. I don't mean to worry you. It took me a minute to figure out where you live to come and talk to you. Texas girl at heart," Victor says with a smile and takes off his hat. "I'm not going to lie... this was one of the last places I'd expect you to be. So close to your parents."

She smiles at him. "It's my temporary home. I'm building on an old ranch, and I'm just here until it's finished."

"That sounds beautiful." His eyes look to the two large pieces of wood leaning against her living room wall. "What are those?"

"Oh, those are from the house. The woman who lived there before, Mildred, has the heights and ages of her children and grandchildren marked on each. I put varnish on them, and I want to give them to her when I see her next. She's such a sweet older woman who hated selling, but she just didn't have a choice. She couldn't afford it, and none of her children wanted to take over the ranch. I just wanted to make sure she still had a piece of her home with her."

He walks over and reads the names and ages. "That's a sweet idea."

"Thank you. Would you like something to drink?"

"Coffee, if you have any."

In the kitchen, she makes him a cup and brings it out to him at the table. They sit, and she smiles. "Not that I'm unhappy to see you, but why are you here?"

"First, I need to ask you a very serious question."

"Okay."

"Are you really seeing that Easton fellow?"

Tilting her head back, Bri laughs. "No, not at all. The media really had a field day with that one lunch I had with him, didn't they?"

He nods. "Yes, they did. It wasn't a date?"

"Gosh, no. It was a meal to clear the air. He apologized, and I really needed to know if he truly believed the baby was his or not. He's not always bright, but he isn't stupid. Then we talked about music, and I offered to help him out. Because, let's be honest, he needs some help. But that was it."

"Okay, that makes me feel a little better about my next question. And I understand if the answer's no, but would you please consider talking to Kace? Just to give him a chance to explain what really happened? I'm hoping once you talk to him, you might consider giving him another chance."

The idea has crossed her mind multiple times, but she hasn't been able to bring herself to give in and talk to him. "I don't know. I mean, what else is there to say? That interview kind of summed it all up."

"That's the thing," he says and takes her hand, "it doesn't. Rudy was wrong. So wrong. And Kace has been having a difficult time with his teammate and best friend because of how they hurt you. He doesn't even care what it cost him, and he can't forgive them until you do. But he's miserable without you, sweetheart, and he won't stop blaming himself for what happened."

"How do I trust him after what happened?" Bri asks. "I fell in love with him. So much so that I let myself believe we had a future together. For the first time, I let myself make plans. And he offered me what I wanted more than anything."

"Love?"

"Family," she says, her lip quivering. "I met you and the rest of the family, and I fell in love with all of you, too. I lost everything, including what little dignity I had left, when it all exploded."

Victor nods and pulls a box from his jacket. "I understand, and I about knocked Rudy out myself when he stopped by on Christmas with Brett. What they did, and why they did it, will never be forgotten even if it's forgiven."

Her hands touch the white box, and she looks at him. "What is this?"

"The Christmas present he kept with him just in case you showed up. It's expensive, but he said the moment he saw it, it reminded him of you. Your eyes, but also your heart. After selling the ring he had for Sasha, he said he made some of the money back, but I know how much each cost. He didn't get that much back."

---