Page 51

FORTY-FIVE

brOOKS

The walls of Langfield Corp have never intimidated me. Unlike my brothers, I’ve spent very little time in this building. While Aiden and I were playing peewee hockey, Beckett and Gavin were earning MBAs and being groomed for this office.

For as long as I can remember, the plan was for each of them to take over their respective teams. While scouts were watching me play in high school, Gavin, who’s ten years older than me, was already working his way up the ladder.

Running the Bolts organization was his destiny, and playing for them was mine.

Yet, as I step into the building, I know that if he tells me he’s firing Sara, I will not be returning to the team I love.

And I doubt I’ll walk these halls again.

It’s Sunday, so the building is quiet. Good. The fewer people around for this shit show, especially those who don’t share our last name, the better.

My heart gallops, and my breathing goes shallow as I stand outside the conference room.

When I’ve finally garnered all the courage left inside me after last night’s nightmare and the dozen phone calls I’ve dealt with in the last twelve hours, I open the door and force myself to cross the threshold. The first person I lay eyes on is my aunt, and my stomach sinks at the cold, hurt look on her face.

She and I have always been close. She made it to every one of my games when I was in high school, traveling with Seb all over New England to make sure I could always look into the stands and find a familiar face. No matter the weather conditions, the long car rides, or the early ice times, she never complained. She sat in the stands and cheered. She showed up.

Frozen, I simply stare, unsure of what I can even say to her. I didn’t cheat. I didn’t lie. Not intentionally, at least. My only fault was that I tried to protect her. Though, in the end, all I did was hurt her.

She looks away first, turning her chair so she’s facing the window. Her back is to me, but she swipes at her face, and her shoulders shake when she pulls in a harsh breath.

Gavin is here too. His face is gaunt and his eyes are sunken. Like he’s aged years in the last sixteen hours. He clears his throat. “Thanks for coming.”

Beckett nods at me from the chair beside Gavin. His contemplative expression gives me a modicum of relief. When he’s angry, the whole world knows it. He looks more tired than anything. Between his newborn twins and the shitstorm I created, he was probably up all night.

My father motions to the seat beside him. His expression is unreadable.

“Aiden coming?” I ask.

He furrows his brows and picks up his coffee cup. “Why would Aiden be involved?”

“From the look of things, this seems like a family meeting. Shouldn’t he be here?”

My aunt whips around, her face a mask of fury. “His girlfriend didn’t sleep with my husband.”

The heartache I felt for her when I arrived is suddenly overshadowed by frustration. “Mine didn’t either.”

Her eyes go wide, but she purses her lips and pulls her shoulders back. “If that’s the case, then how do you explain what happened yesterday?” She raises her brows. “And why did my husband admit to it last night? He told me everything. How he was trying to protect you from her. How she seduced him.”

“Hold up.” Gavin sits straight in his chair and holds up a hand. “Seb is a grown man, and Sara isn’t here to defend herself.”

“Did she or did she not sleep with my husband?” My aunt’s green eyes, so much like mine, darken as she glowers.

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I let my shoulders sag. I can’t sugarcoat this part. “She did.”

She stands, sending her leather chair rolling back and hitting the wall with a loud thwack . “I want her gone.” With that, she strides for the door. When she reaches me, she pauses and lays a hand on my shoulder. “I love you, Brooks. I’ve always considered you mine.” She swallows thickly and lowers her face so she’s looking me in the eye. “But asking me to deal with a woman who slept with my husband is too much. Dump her.” Based on her comments thus far, I expected her to be angry or vindictive, but her tone is desperate, and every line on her face is etched in pain.

It breaks my heart. I reach for her hand and squeeze. “She didn’t know he was married.”

“I don’t care.” Another tear slides down her face. “I can’t be anywhere near her. She needs to go.” Pulling her shoulders back once more, she clears her throat, and then she walks out of the room, taking the last vestiges of hope I’ve been clinging to with her.

I turn to my father. “You can’t fire her.”

He looks just as helpless as I feel. “She owns half the company, Brooks.”

I scoff. “Of course this is about business.”

It’s always about business with my father. Never has he put us kids first. He threatened to revoke Beckett’s title if he didn’t find a wife. He was able to spin it in his favor when he chose Liv and they actually fell in love. But even so, Beckett’s best interests weren’t even on my father’s radar. All he cared about was Langfield Corp. How Beckett’s reputation affected profits. How the media portrayed our family. That’s all that matters to him.

“Seb is her husband,” Gavin grits out. “It’s not about the fucking game. I could give two shits about any of that. We have so much goddamn money that every one of us could retire today and never spend it all.” He steeples his fingers in front of him. “This is about family. Your family. The people you kept in the dark. I can’t count how many times I asked you what was going on with you and Seb. You refused to admit there was a problem until you blew up on national television and broke Aunt Zoe’s heart in the process. It was selfish.”

“Yes, I was selfish.” I pound against my chest. “Me.” I swallow down the urge to smash a fist into the table. My hands are damaged enough. “Not Sara. Me. So if you want to punish someone, then fire me. But she keeps her job. I promised her.”

Gavin’s jaw clenches. “Newsflash, Brooks—you don’t own the goddamn team.” He points at my father. “He does. And you don’t have the authority to make managerial decisions.” He pounds against his own chest. “I do. And you weren’t the one who had your heart trampled all over on national television.” He nods at the door. “ She was . All because of what? Pride? Is that what this is about? This isn’t like you. You’re not like this.”

“Because I wanted a goddamn shot!” I shout, my anger getting the best of me.

Beckett stands and rounds the table. Silently, he sits in the chair beside me and rests his hand on my knee.

I nearly jump at the unexpected touch. Then I blink at him, my often stern and cold older brother, baffled at the way he offers such gentle support.

He’s focused on me, his face a picture of calm. “A shot at what?”

Regret and disappointment spiral through me. They’re right. Going after Seb the way I did was selfish. I’ll own that. But if I could rewind the clock and take it back, I wouldn’t.

“At being with Sara.” I look from Gavin to my father, then back to Beckett. “I wanted her, and I didn’t want to hurt Aunt Zoe. I knew if she found out about Sara, then I could never have her. You would have sent her back to North Carolina in a heartbeat, and I would have lost her. I couldn’t lose her. I can’t lose her.”

Beckett nods. “We’re not sending her back to North Carolina.”

My father slides back from the table. “That’s not your decision.”

Beckett glares at him, but it’s Gavin who speaks. “It’s my decision.” He runs a hand down the front of his shirt, smoothing the fabric. “I have managerial power. She works for me. Thank you for coming in.” The nod he gives me is all business. There isn’t a hint of brotherly affection in his posture. “Expect an email regarding your suspension and the upcoming board hearing. Go home.”

I don’t move. All I can do is gape at the robot masquerading as my brother who’s sitting across the table.

Beckett squeezes my arm. “Come on, I’ll ride down with you.” He stands and waits for me to collect myself. Then he guides me out of the office and toward a black town car out front. All the while, I can’t help but feel like the world is upside down. My funny, outgoing brother holds all the cards, only he’s been replaced by a cold, angry doppelg?nger.

“I don’t know if I can forgive him if he fires her,” I admit to Beckett.

He nods thoughtfully, watching the scenery out the window as his driver heads toward my apartment. “Give him time. He’ll make the right decision.”

Beckett’s confidence doesn’t ease the dread that sits like a lead ball in my gut.

“If he doesn’t, just remember that it’s not because he doesn’t love you. Running a multi-billion-dollar company, shouldering the responsibility for decisions that could affect hundreds of employees, can be a challenge. We can’t always put ourselves or our family first. Sometimes we have to sacrifice to do what’s best for the whole. Either way…” Beckett shakes his head. “Just focus on Sara. Talk to her. Work with her. Don’t do what I did and try to fix it on your own. That was my mistake with Liv. I tried to make things right without her input, and in turn, I left her thinking I didn’t care about her.” He gives me a half smile. “Liv trained Sara. She’s a smart girl. She’ll land on her feet. Stand by her side. Hold her hand when you leap, and you’ll both be just fine.”

I stare at my brother in awe as we arrive at my building. “You’re really fucking smart now that you married, Liv.”

Beckett grins. “Tell me about it. Best ducking decision I ever made.”

I laugh for the first time in what feels like days.

Beckett shocks me again by leaning in and giving me a hug. We don’t do this nearly enough, but in this moment, I vow to make it a regular thing.

“Thanks, Beckett.”

I can hear the ruckus from the hallway outside my apartment. What in the hell? When I push my door open, I come face to face with the entirety of the Bolts’ roster. They’re spread out, taking up every inch of space between my kitchen and living room.

“Look who finally decided to show up for team dinner,” War crows, sauntering out of the kitchen carrying a tray.

“Don’t remember inviting you guys over.” I frown. “Not trying to be rude, guys, but now’s really not a good time.”

Aiden holds up a pitcher of yellow liquid and shakes his head. “It’s always a good time for tacos and margaritas.”

“Tacos?” I eye the packages War is doling out. “Is that a Taco Bell wrapper?”

War grins. “The only thing the Americans do right. Fake meat in a crunchy chip.”

My stomach rolls, and I fight back the urge to gag. “Don’t call it fake meat.”

McGreevey unwraps his taco and takes a giant bite. “I think it’s delicious. Now,” he says, talking around the food in his mouth, “sit down, and let’s figure out how the hell you got yourself suspended.”

Hands pressed to my face, I let out a groan. “You guys shouldn’t be here. Coach is gonna lose his mind.”

War shoots me a devious smile. “Wasn’t that the plan?”

“Huh?” Parker eyes his taco with a suspicious frown. His wife is a health nut, so I doubt he’s had Taco Bell in a while.His stomach may not be too happy with him for giving in and going with the crowd tonight.

“Come on, Saint.” War tosses the tray of remaining tacos onto the table. “Sit down and tell everyone about how our coach is a sleazeball who lied to Sara and conned her into sleeping with him. Then we want to hear all about how you came to the rescue as her fake boyfriend.”

Aiden gasps, his eyes bulging comically. “Seriously?”

I drop my head back and curse at the ceiling. “What the fuck, War?”

“We’re a team,” he says with a shrug. “Teams stick together. Your teammates have your back. Everyone here agree?”

The room erupts with shouts in the affirmative, but my shoulders feel tight. That was Sara’s secret. Sara’s private life.

War steps up next to me and pushes me toward my seat. “You’ve tried to handle this on your own. That went epically wrong. So let us help you make it right.”

I sigh and scan the faces around the table. No one looks angry. No one’s said a bad word about Sara since I arrived. They’re not balking at War’s explanation. They’re all just here. For me. Showing up like a team does and, well, eating slightly cold fake-meat tacos.

“I don’t know what to do.” I slump forward, resting my elbows on the table. “I think they’re going to fire her.”

War shakes his head. “Not going to happen.”

Aiden holds up his taco, spilling lettuce all over the table. “Absolutely not.”

“I don’t know what else to do.” I turn to War, who’s taken up residence in the seat beside me. “Where is she, by the way? She wasn’t here when you got here?”

“She said she had to run an errand and that she’d be back later tonight.” He leans over and opens the fast-food wrapper in front of me. “Eat a taco. It’ll make you feel better.”

McGreevey shakes his head as he grabs another one. “It won’t, actually. But do it anyway.”

Resigned, I pick up the damn taco and take a bite.

Aiden hops up and darts into my bedroom. A moment later, he’s wheeling in the damn whiteboard again. When he turns it around, it’s been cleared off, and at the top, in bold letters, he’s written Operation Get Rid of Coach and Keep Sara . “Okay, boys. It’s time to brainstorm.”