Page 41 of On A Manhunt: Complete Series

brIDGET

I woke up when the side of my bed dipped.

“Leave me alone,” I mumbled, snuggling into my covers even further.

“Let me ask you something.”

It was Mal.

I pushed the pillow out of the way and reached for my glasses.

“What?” It came out as a one-word grumble.

No doubt I had horrible morning breath. If she got a whiff of it, that was her problem, not mine. I wanted to be left alone.

“What do you think your boss–the pervert, I mean–is doing right now?”

That was not a question I expected. I pushed up and leaned against my headboard. “What?”

“What do you think he’s doing right now?”

Really?

I pushed my hair out of my face and my fingers got caught on a snarl. It had fallen out of the hair tie yesterday and I hadn’t bothered to do anything about it. “It’s a little early, but probably at a strip club deciding if he likes a woman’s tits or ass better.”

She pursed her lips but nodded. “I can see that.”

“What’s your point?” I asked.

“My point is, he’s not thinking of you. At all. Same goes for Professor Dipshit. They got what they wanted and moved on.”

Depressing, much? “Is this a motivational speech, because it’s not really making me feel all that great.”

“If Maverick James is going to be lumped in with those two assholes, then he’s not thinking of you either.”

“Mal,” I groaned, dragging her name out into five or six syllables. “So not helping.”

She looked me over and wrinkled her nose. “You’ve been in bed since Sunday. You need to live your life instead of letting them win.”

“Professor Diego did win,” I reminded.

She shook her head. “No, he didn’t. He stole something from you, but he didn’t win. Not if you don’t let him. As for Maverick, it’s time to stand up for yourself, not roll over in bed and play dead.”

I huffed.

“You’re going to go to Denver, go to that wedding and show him what he’s missing by marrying Farrah the beauty pageant contestant.”

“I’m not going to his wedding,” I countered. No way in hell.

She nodded and poked me in the chest with her finger. “Yes, you are. You’re going to go there, look gorgeous and keep your chin high. Show him you weren’t broken.”

“I am. Broken, I mean.”

She reached and took my hand. “No, you’re not.”

I looked at our joined hands. Frowned. “I think I love him.”

With a cock of her head, she gave me a sad smile. “I know, sweetie. I’ve never seen anything like it and I’m really fucking jealous. Except for this mopey shit part.” She circled her finger at me. “But you need to do this. For you. Show him what you’re made of.”

I shook my head. “I’m not that strong,” I admitted.

She looked at me with a steady gaze. “Bridget Beckett, you’re the strongest woman I know. You’ve survived one hundred percent of your bad days.”

I sniffed. “Pulling out the math?”

“You know it.”

I thought about her words. Mav hurt me. God, it hurt. But I’d only known him for a weekend. That was crazy. A week ago, I didn’t know he existed. I could do this.

Couldn’t I?

I did want to see his face when he saw me there, to know that while he’d hurt me–how could he not know that–I wasn’t broken. I was strong.

I had to admit she was right. Kind of. It was going to suck really bad, but I did want to face him. To stand up to him, look him in the eye, then walk away.

Then cry and eat a few pints of ice cream.

“Fine. But you have to dress me. And do my makeup.”

Mallory clapped her hands and was back to her exuberant self.

“She agreed?” Lindy yelled from downstairs, probably listening for Mallory’s squeal.

“Yes!” she called. “You find the outfit, I’ll grab my makeup. The flight leaves in three hours.”

“Lindy bought me a plane ticket?” I asked, stunned. While I’d been miserable in bed, thankfully, she’d left me alone.

“Unless that smart brain of yours has figured out teleportation, that’s the only way you’re getting to that wedding on time.” She pointed toward the bathroom. “Shower. You stink.”

I obeyed as she began to dig around in my closet. Beneath the spray, I was able to drown out Lindy’s and Mallory’s chatter about the perfect dress.

I wanted to give Mav the proverbial finger and show him what he was missing marrying another woman. I felt petty though. Vindictive.

Maybe I deserved to feel both because of the way he’d played me. Mal and Lindy thought so.

Except somehow, I couldn’t do that. I was sad, yes. I’d felt heartbroken for days. Hurt because I’d trusted someone so much in such a short time. Fell for him.

He’d said he felt it too. That he was falling. That he’d been waiting for me.

Me.

I grabbed the soap and started scrubbing.

Then I thought of his brothers. How could they hang with me like they had and know Mav was engaged to another woman? The wedding was today. Not even a week after we ate deli sandwiches and went out to eat. I sat on Mav’s lap. Hell, Silas held up my bra as I ran from the house.

They knew we were together-ish.

Turning, I got my hair wet and squeezed shampoo into my palm. How could four grown men spend all day Saturday with me knowing one of them was getting married a week later?

Something wasn’t right. I had shitty instincts when it came to men. The inability to stand up to them and fight for myself. To tell them to fuck off.

I did exactly what they hoped. Nothing.

Which meant they got away with it and would probably do it again to some other guileless woman.

With Mav, though, he hadn’t diminished me. He’d built me up. Maybe that was why I was questioning myself.

Obviously, I hadn’t been an easy lay. He could have had any woman in Hunter Valley in his bed. Even my sister would have probably taken him for a ride. Why would he want to work so hard on someone who was far from a sure thing?

If he wanted only sex, why pick Miss Complicated?

I rinsed my hair and considered. Took the analytical approach.

“Come on, Bridge!” Mallory called.

Mav was pissed at Jason when he treated me like shit.

That he had to do because he was CEO. Well, he didn’t have to, but it would fuck over his business if he hadn’t.

He’d sent me a sex quiz of his own. Told me I could sue and take him for a lot of money.

That was a shitty business move, telling a woman to seek legal action.

Fucking me, then marrying someone else, would make most scorned women do just that.

Seek revenge. Take his money. Mav knew and did it anyway.

Either he didn’t care about his bank account, his company, his work integrity, or even his role as CEO–since he said the board of directors could vote him out–or he meant it as protection for me as he’d said.

Because he had faith that what was between us was real. That the quizzes meant nothing.

Which meant…

“Holy shit.”

…I meant something.

I flipped off the water, grabbed a towel and wrapped it around myself.

When I opened the bathroom door, Mallory and Lindy each held a dress up as if debating between the two. I’d never seen either one before so I had to assume Mallory had brought them with her from her own closet in the hopes I’d go along with their revenge seeking plans.

“I believe him,” I said.

They stared at me. Blinked.

“That he’s getting married?” Lindy asked.

I shook my head, my wet hair dripping down my back. “No. That he’s fallen for me.”

Mallory gave me a look of pity and concern. “That’s what he wants you to believe.”

“Exactly. Something’s not right about all this. I’ve been thinking. Finally. I know Mav. The real Mav.”

“You knew him for less than three days,” Lindy reminded with a huff.

I shrugged my bare, damp shoulder. “Doesn’t matter. This doesn’t add up. Let me ask you this, Lind.”

She nodded, waited.

“If he propositioned you, asked you for a fun time, would you have had a one-night stand with him?”

“Hell, yes.” She didn’t even take time to think. “Just look at him.”

“And I’d do him right after,” Mallory added. “I’m sure he has the stamina to handle both of us.”

“Exactly. So why me?” I held up my hand. “I’m not putting myself down, but I’ve got some baggage. Serious baggage. Any guy would go for easy. But he didn’t.”

Neither said anything because they were considering.

“I’m going there. To Mav. I’m going to confront him. Hear him out.”

“What if you’re wrong?” Lindy asked, her voice soft.

I shrugged once more. “Then I’ll be wrong and feel like shit, but at least I will have stood up for myself like you two wanted. I’ll be able to look him in the eye and tell him he’s a piece of shit and he hasn’t broken me.”

Lindy smiled and Mal pumped her fist.

“But he’s not a piece of shit,” I added. “I think he needs me to believe in him just as he believed in me.”

Lindy cocked her head to the side, then raised a daring red dress. “Fine. Go. Look him in the eye. But you’re going to look amazing when you do it.”