Page 123 of On the Line
Brent rolled his eyes but walked up to where his ball lay, bent into his stance, and executed a perfect putt that put the ball in the hole.
“I always was a better shot than you,” Brent said to Cole with a smirk.
The back eighteen holes were much the same, with the guys good-naturedly ribbing each other, cracking jokes, and discussing what they were going to do later.
They decided on spending the afternoon in the pool. They’d finished golfing by noon and decided to use the rest of the day to relax before a late dinner.
The sun was a scorching disc in the sky, and as the guys stripped their shirts off and climbed into the pool, more than a few ogling glances from nearby women turned their way.
Cole and Nate had swam over to the bar to get them all drinks while Logan, Brent, and Mitch reclined near the edge.
“I wonder what the girls are up to,” Logan said. As Berkley’s big brother, he had always been overprotective, even though she had more than proven she could take care of herself. That, combined with her hockey-playing future husband, meant Berkley was always being fretted over.
Brent slid his phone out from under his towel, where he had stashed it so it wouldn’t overheat, and thumbed through it.
“Looks like they’re having a good time to me,” he said, turning his phone to show Mitch and Logan the screen, which featured a picture of the girls on the sidewalk along Broadway, two tall, good-looking men—one blond, the other brunette—sandwiched between the members of their group.
“Who the fuck are they?” Mitch asked, his tone biting.
“Apparently some big YouTube star and his videographer,” Brent said with a shrug. “I’m glad they’re having fun. Broadway is wild.”
Brent’s nonchalance grated against Mitch’s nerves, which were bubbling over with anger seeing some random guy with his arm wrapped tight around Lexie’s waist.
“Don’t you see the way those guys are draped all over them?” he asked Brent.
“Yeah, and?”
“And you’re not mad?”
Brent gave Mitch a you have lost your damn mind look and said, “No, why would I be? I trust Berkley. Not to mention both of these guys are happily in committed relationships from the looks of their social media.” Brent lifted his head and narrowed his gaze on Mitch. “And for the record, you have absolutely no right to be mad at Lexie.”
Mitch glared at him, crossing his arms over his chest. “Oh, I don’t?”
“No, Mitch, you don’t,” Brent said, standing to his full height in the water. With only an inch separating them, they were nearly eye-to-eye. “You gave up that right when you left her. And I know you want her back, and that you’ve been trying, but you have to give her time. She’s only had a few months to wrap her brain around the fact that you’re back for good, and that you want to resume a relationship with her. It’s not that easy.”
Mitch stepped back, water sloshing against his back and arms as he moved, surprised by the outburst and animosity in Brent’s tone. “Since when are you Lexie’s biggest champion?”
“Since the one man who was supposed to protect her heart left and threw it in the trash. Someone had to step in, and she’s Berkley’s best friend. I love that girl like she’s my own sister,” Brent said. “I imagine that’s how you once felt about Berkley.”
“I still do…” Mitch said quietly.
Brent shook his head sadly. “But you still left. And me and the guys and Berkley may have been able to easily forgive you and move on from it when you came back, but we weren’t the ones in love with you.”
“It doesn’t feel like you’ve forgiven me,” Mitch said.
“I have,” Brent told him, and Mitch knew he was telling the truth. “But that doesn’t mean I just magically forgot all those months you were gone, and all the times I had to stop Lexie from drinking herself to death in your absence.”
Mitch winced. “It was that bad?”
“It was worse,” Brent said. “But it’s not my story to tell. All I’m saying is that you’re over here spun out about her not giving you the time of day when…”
Brent stopped and lowered his voice. Nate and Cole were swimming back their way, and Logan was staring, eyes wide, as though they were a train wreck he couldn’t look away from. “Look, I know I told you to fight for her, and I stand by that. But there’s a fine line between fighting for her and pushing her too hard and scaring her off. If you thought she was skittish before, she’s even worse now. Just give her some time.”
Everybody kept saying that to him.
She needs time.
Give her some time.
