Page 24 of False Start
I wanted to know the child she had made.
“I can’t break his heart, Kyle,” she said, her wet eyes finding mine. “I can’t.”
Shit.
I nodded, scrubbing a hand over my face. “Listen, what if we agree to be friends when this is all said and done?”
She tilted her head at me.
“We can just tell Sebastian we’re old friends, that we went to high school together. That’s technically not a lie,” I reminded her. “That wouldn’t raise any red flags. In fact, Marshall would probably prefer that, right? For Sebastian to just think we’re friends?”
Madelyn sighed. “He’d lose his shit if I said anything else.”
“Exactly. So, to Sebastian, we’re friends. And when you’re safe and away from your prick ex-husband, then… we juststayfriends. Sebastian won’t know the difference.”
“Except as soon as I get your commission, I’m moving across the country.”
Those words slammed into my chest like a WWE wrestler with a metal folding chair in tow, but on the outside, I acted like they didn’t faze me at all.
“Good,” I said. “Get a guest room for when I visit.”
She huffed out a laugh at that, shaking her head and furrowing her brows as she studied me. “Why are you doing this?”
“I told you, I’m tired of going stag to every wedding I’m invited to. My former teammates give me too much shit, and I want to shut them up.”
“I’ve seen the girls you post online,” she shot back. “You could take one of them.”
“Trust me. My friends would see right through it. If anything, they’d give me evenmoreshit if I brought a girl they thought was just the flavor of the week. But with this, with us… we could make them believe it’s real.”
She flattened her lips like she still didn’t believe me.
But I couldn’t say more than that.
I wasn’t ready to admit to her that, regardless of what she’d put me through, I’d always have love for her. I’d always want to make sure she was safe.
I didn’t much care whatIgot out of this deal.
I only cared that she would be okay — and I’d be there to ensure that.
“When is this wedding I’m supposed to go to with you, anyway?”
I cringed a bit. “Next weekend.”
“Nextweekend? And where is this wedding, exactly?”
Another cringe. “Colorado.”
She laughed. “You’re joking, right? I can’t justleave the statenext weekend.”
“Why?”
Madelyn stuttered for a moment before groaning. “I don’t know. Marshall is kind of incompetent. Even when he takes Sebastian for the weekend, I like to know I’m right down the street.”
“Let’s bring him with us.”
“Yeah, okay. Because Marshall would be okay with that.” She shook her head, but I saw her wheels spinning. “My mom has been begging to see her grandbaby. Maybe I could get her to fly in.”
My heart squeezed at the mention of her mother.
