Page 38 of Flashback for the Forward

“Correct again.” My fingers worked the knot of my tie.

“As in, the girl you secretly dated for years and are still in love with?”

“Yes,” I huffed in exasperation, because he knew damn well who I was talking about.

Crew pushed to his feet, his hand making contact with the back of my head. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

Levi’s wide eyes swung between us. “Well, this took a turn I wasn’t expecting.”

“She’s fucking married, bro!” Crew’s voice rose in volume, causing every pair of eyes in the locker room to swing in our direction.

“Dude, she’s married?” Levi hissed.

I held up both hands. “Everyone, calm down. There was a slight miscommunication that led me to believe the guy I saw her with at the country club was her husband. But it turns out, he’s a liar on top of being an abusive prick who gets off on hurting women.”

Crew swallowed thickly. “H-hurting? He hurt her?”

“Yeah.” My eyes slammed shut, the image of a bruised and bleeding Bridget on my pool deck still so fresh in my mind.

“We’re not gonna let this motherfucker get away with it, right?” My brother’s voice shook with rage—a stark contrast to his normal happy-go-lucky persona.

I ran a hand through my still-damp hair, blowing out a breath. “It’s . . . complicated.”

“Actually, it’s really simple. Fist, meet face.” He punched his palm.

“He’s a cop,” I explained.

“Son of a bitch,” Levi gritted out.

Humming, I said, “That about sums it up.”

Crew still wasn’t satisfied. “So what? We just do nothing?”

“It’s not nothing that I’ve given her a safe place to stay and made sure she’s well cared for while she gets back on her feet.”

Though a displeased rumble worked its way through his chest, he acquiesced, “I suppose . . .”

Dropping onto the padded bench seating of my stall, I bent over to tie my shoes.

“But I have one more question.”

My forehead fell to my knees, and I heaved a sigh. “Fuck my life. What?”

“Levi said she was half naked.”

I looked up. “Hate to break it to you, bud, but that was a statement, not a question.”

“Okay, let’s try again. Why was she half naked in your house?” There was suspicion in his blue eyes.

“It’s not what you think. She escaped in the middle of the night with nothing. I let her borrow a couple of my shirts until we could get her some clothes.”

“Oh.” He nodded slowly. “That makes sense.”

Clapping him on the shoulder, I remarked wryly, “Nice to know you think the worst of me.”

“Honestly, I didn’t know what to think. The girl you’ve been hung up on since we were sixteen suddenly walks back into your life, and you two aren’t exactly strangers to the whole sneaking around thing.”

“It’s different this time,” I vowed.