Page 139 of For the Boys
“What happened, Parker?” Brent asked, teeth clenched. “The truth.”
“I tried to force myself on her,” Parker said quietly, resigned. Then louder, “Is that what you want to hear? I tried to force her to have sex with me in the back of a cab. I knew exactly who she was, and I—”
Brent’s fist connected with Parker’s face, and red instantly poured from his nose.
“Jean, I’m sorry!” Parker said through a mouthful of blood. “I never wanted you to find out. It was a mistake. I fucked up.”
Brent punched him again, and Parker fell to the floor. Brent stood back, shaking his hand against the pain.
Horrified, he looked down at Parker. His teammate. His friend. “If you ever even so much as look at her again, a broken nose will be the least of your worries.”
Turning in a circle, he swept the crowd for Berkley. Mitch stood nearby, and Brent asked, “Where is she?”
Mitch placed his hand on Brent’s shoulder. “She’s gone, man.”
“Berkley! Open up!” Brent yelled as he frantically pounded on her door.
He almost fell over when it flew open, and his very pissed-off girlfriend stood framed in the light spilling from inside. “Be quiet!” she hissed. “It’s late, and I have neighbors. How did you even get here?”
“Cab,” he said, stepping inside and pulling her to him. When she remained rigid in his arms, he backed away. “What’s wrong? Why did you leave like that?”
Berkley turned and stalked into the living room, suddenly whirling on him, crossing her arms over her chest. “You know I don’t do that possessive alpha-male bullshit, Brent. I told you to forget about it. Nothing happened. Didn’t we have this exact conversation on New Year’s Eve? I didn’t need you to defend my honor then, or whatever the fuck you thought you were doing, and I didn’t need you to do it tonight!”
“He attacked you! That is not nothing. How could you not tell me?”
“Because I don’t need you to fight my battles for me! It happened before we had even met, and I fucking knew you would react like this. I’m a grown woman, Brent. I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time without any help from you.”
“And what is that supposed to mean?”
“It means I don’t need you to go all knight-in-shining-armor and swoop in to rescue me.”
“Berkley…” With an exasperated sigh, Brent sat down hard on her couch and pulled a hand through his hair. Where was this even coming from? Why was she suddenly acting like she wanted him to be someone other than exactly who he was? “I’m your boyfriend. You’re supposed to let me take care of you.”
“No I’m not!” she yelled. “You’re just used to women who need to be taken care of. I am not one of those women, Brent. I’ve been telling you that for months. I don’t need your money or your fame or any of it. I just need you. And yet, you refuse to listen.”
Brent stilled, feeling as though he had just been slapped. Had she really been saying those things to him all these months? Had he been choosing to ignore it? Choosing to treat their relationship exactly like his previous ones? He didn’t think so, but Berkley did. Clearly she was unhappy and had been for some time. His alcohol-addled brain struggled to form a response. Struggled to make sense of what she was telling him.
“I have to ask you something that’s been eating at me for a long time,” Berkley said.
Figuring the conversation couldn’t possibly get any worse, he said, “Go for it.”
“Do you feel like you need to buy my affection?”
Brent’s jaw dropped. Apparently, this conversationcouldget worse. “You can’t be serious.”
Berkley shrugged, waiting for an answer.
“Of course not,” Brent said. “I’ve never had to buy affection in my life, least of all from a woman.”
Berkley’s eyebrows rose, and Brent instantly regretted the words. “Well excuse me for being a little suspicious,” she said. “Instead of just asking me out like a normal person, you threw me a fucking birthday party to get my attention! And don’t even get me started on the absolutely ridiculous amount of money you spent on not only me but on my friends for All-Star Weekend.”
“In case you’ve forgotten, Berkley, I’m not exactly a normal guy.”
Berkley’s laugh was hollow. “How could I when I’m reminded of it everytime we’re out in public together? Let’s not forget I was the one who was accosted for weeks after we announced our relationship because I dared to call you my boyfriend. Not to mention all of the women that literally throw themselves at you. I’ve seen your Instagram DMs, Brent. That doesn’t happen to normal guys.”
“And I’m sorry for that,” Brent said. “But you knew what you were getting into when you started dating me. And this shit with the women again? I don’t know how many times I have to tell you I’m not cheating on you. There is no one else, and there will never be anyone else for me. The fact that you still can’t trust me is getting really fucking old.”
“Maybe I didn’t know,” Berkley said quietly. “Maybe I bit off more than I can chew. And maybe I’m too insecure for this relationship.”
