Page 39 of False Start

“Sure it has nothing to do with this mysteryguestwe’re picking up?”

“Madelyn.”

“Ah, so she does have a name,” he said, shifting his grip on the wheel. “You know, you could have given me a heads up. NowI’mthe only one going stag to this thing.”

“I didn’t exactly see this coming,” I said.

Braden was quiet for a moment. “You want to talk about anything?”

I flattened my lips when I looked at him, and when my gaze slid out the window again, he chuckled.

“Come on, man. You haven’t posted her on social media. Say what you want, but for you?” He shrugged. “That’s a big deal.”

“I’m private when it comes to things like this.”

“Things like what?” he probed. “Things that are real?”

I laughed, both because I wanted to hide the way I hated how that motherfucker saw right through my shit, and becausetechnically, what was going on with me and Madelyn was everythingbutreal.

It was fake. It was pretend. It was me not taking no for an answer when it came to protecting her and her son.

But looking at houses with her, watching her try on dresses, spending time with her and Sebastian…

Fuck.

I was having a real hard time not blurring the line.

I heaved a deep breath, turning to face Braden. He was the closest thing I had to a best friend. When it came to the guys on my college football team, we were like family. But inmyfamily, we didn’t talk about feelings. So, even when the guys opened up tome, when they let me in on what was happening in their lives…

I had a hard time doing the same.

But I knew now after meeting Sebastian — after facing off withMarshall— this little plan I’d schemed up wasn’t something trivial.

I was already in over my head, and I had a feeling I’d need a friend to help me through it all.

“Don’t make a big deal of this,” I said to start. “And don’t say a fucking word to anyone else — not Clay, not Zeke, not Leo, definitely not Holden.”

Braden’s brows bent together the more names I listed. “Okay…”

I ran a hand through my hair as the GPS told Braden to hook a left. “Madelyn and I knew each other growing up,” I said. “She was my babysitter.”

“Um…”

I held up a hand to stop him. “Just let me get this out. Okay? This shit makes me so uncomfortable I already have hives.” I shifted in my seat. “It’s a long story. She’s only a couple years older than me, but my parents didn’t trust me home alone after I threw a massive party. Our parents were…” My stomach turned. “Friends, or something similar to it, anyway. So yeah, she was charged to watch me.”

Braden licked his lips on a grin. “This is way better than I imagined.”

“Just wait,” I said.

And then I told him everything I could stomach telling him.

I told him about how we went from me being a brat and her being a bossy babysitter to being friends, and then… more.

I told him how my family had moved, and I hadn’t seen her since.

I left outwhymy parents had moved.

I skipped forward to the house, and quickly filled him in on the last couple of weeks. And when I told him about the bruises on her arms, I saw his hands tighten on the wheel.