Page 113 of #Bossholes

I shouldn’t care, I shouldn’t want to know, but I find myself asking, “Who was it?”

“James and Brianna. He didn’t like how close you’d gotten to us and wanted to see you tossed out on your ass. And Brianna was jealous. She’d been vying for a promotion for years, and when you got it over her, she roped James into her plans.”

Well, James I expected, but Brianna? What a freaking backstabbing bitch. She was my one true work friend, my lunch buddy; at least, that’s what I thought. Sure, I kinda vanished for a bit after I got promoted, but she was the one who begged me to come back to the lunchroom. And she volunteered to help out when I was planning on being gone for Colin’s surgery.

I thought she was so nice.

Turns out she wanted to push me out of the office so she could sit in my chair permanently.

At least she’s out on her ass now, because I know one thing is for certain—there’s no way she was allowed to keep her position. But I guess it is what it is. I'll never have to see her ass again. In the grand scheme of things, she’s insignificant. Her betrayal doesn’t matter. Theirs does.

“We were wrong.” Brantley swallows hard and takes a step toward me. He raises a hand, like he’s about to stroke my face, but then drops it to his side. “I was wrong. I let my history with Thomas cloud my judgment. I couldn’t see the truth, only the deceptive webs my own brain fabricated because it was convinced he was involved. I should have listened to you, and I’m so sorry I didn’t.”

Wyatt takes a step forward, his guard dropped, pain etched across his face. “I’m sorry I lost my faith in you.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t realize what was happening sooner.” Maverick hangs his head and shoves his hands in his pockets.

I take two steps back, taking breath after breath, trying to stay strong, to keep them from piercing the armor I’ve built around myself. “That’s all well and good, but you didn’t trust me. None of you. I’m not sure I can forgive that.”

“We realize we fucked up, and we’re willing to do whatever it takes to make it right.”

“What will it take, dove?” Brantley pins me in place with his emerald gaze, the intensity of his eyes jarring me. “Do you need me to get down on my knees and beg for your forgiveness?”

FIFTY-NINE

Brantley

She doesn’t answer right away,but I can see her brain working, the breath stuttering from her lungs. Her eyes never leave mine, those baby blues still laced with anger, but there’s another kind of heat swirling in the depths.

“Yes.” She backs up, only stopping when her back hits the conference room table behind her. “Drop to your knees and beg for my forgiveness.”

This is a terrible time to be hard as nails, but here we are. I really don’t want her to get the wrong idea, but hearing her strong and steady voice demanding my obedience is a kink I didn’t know I had. It's an inopportune time for it to present itself.

Wyatt and Maverick are standing on either side of me, but I don’t let my gaze waver from Kinsley’s. I’m the one who fucked this whole situation, me and my fucked-up baggage, and I’m the one who has to fix it.

I sink to my knees and crawl to her, not stopping until I’m inches from her bare legs.

She gasps as I kneel at her feet, her chest rising and falling rapidly, her cheeks flush.

“Kinsley, I’m a moron. The last person I fell in love with cheated on me with my best friend, and after I found them in our bed, I shut down. I closed myself off to the world around me, and when you came into our lives, you forced me to see again.” I grab her trembling hand and drag my lips across her knuckles. “When I heard about you and Thomas meeting, that was it for me. I thought the worst, and I refused to see anything else. I’ve never been more wrong in my life.”

Her breath hitches, and her fingers tighten around mine. “And Thomas?”

“Married my fiancè.”

“You…you said the last person you fell in love with…” Her voice is quiet, barely above a whisper.

“Yeah, past tense because I fell in love with a beautiful redhead I wasn’t supposed to notice. I love you, Kinsley. I love you more than I’ve loved anyone, and that includes my brother.”

Her lower lip quivers, and a few tears fall from the corner of her eyes, but she doesn’t let go of my hand.

Maverick sinks down next to me and puts a hand on my shoulder. “The second you walked out of that office, it was like you took a part of me with you. I started digging, searching for the truth, but it was too late. You were already gone.” He’s quiet for a second, likely collecting his thoughts. “I’m not sure when it happened, but I love you. I’m sorry for not believing you.”

“Me too.” Wyatt kneels on my other side. “I’m sorry I didn’t come to you first, that I jumped to the easiest solution. I love you so much it fucking hurts. Without you, our lives have no color, no direction, no purpose. Do you think you can forgive us, baby girl?”

“You all love me?” She wipes the tears from her cheeks, her watery smile nearly knocking me on my ass.

My heart is rattling around in my chest, trying to bust out and get to our girl.

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