Page 49 of Flashback for the Forward

In choosing Kennedy, had I lost my brother?

“All right, I’ll fix it for you,” Crew declared.

“Huh?” I hadn’t been listening while stuck in the past.

“The whole Bridget thing. I’ll get you out of the doghouse.”

I stood, pulling on my shoulder pads. “And how do you propose to do that?”

He smirked. “Easy. I come over and diffuse the tension between you.”

“You’re delusional if you think your mere presence is enough to smooth things over.”

Crew lifted one shoulder. “Maybe, but what do you have to lose?”

I guess it was worth a shot. It’s not like he could make this worse, right?

Chapter 15

Bridget

Cole: Crew wants to come over after practice. Is that okay?

It’s your house. Why are you asking me?

Cole: Because I don’t want to do anything that will make you uncomfortable.

It’s fine with me. It’ll be nice to see him again after all these years.

Truthfully, Crew’s visit couldn’t have come at a better time. I wasn’t too keen on being alone with Cole after what had gone down last night.

Just thinking about it now, I wanted to cry all over again.

It was hard to believe I had any tears left after spending hours sobbing into my pillow. I’d barely managed to stop by the time the dawn light filtered through the window, but even then, I felt hollow, as if someone had carved out my insides.

Learning that Cole had used his ex-wife to keep himself from coming back to me only added a new layer to the heartbreak. He’d become a martyr, forfeiting his own happiness for the sake of my brother’s memory.

As much as I was hurting, I felt sorry for the other woman involved—Kennedy. She didn’t ask to become part of Cole’s misguided sacrifice. And I could only imagine how difficult it was for her to endure what sounded like a one-sided marriage.

I wondered if she was as torn up inside from him ending their relationship as I had been.

I sure hoped not. I wouldn’t wish that kind of agony on my worst enemy.

Nearly a decade later, I still hadn’t fully recovered.

Yet, here I was, willingly back in his orbit. Sure, we weren’t dating now, but that wouldn’t make it any less painful when the time came to say goodbye.

In desperate need of a distraction, I blasted music through the speakers in the kitchen and raided the pantry for ingredients. Baking brought me peace even on my darkest days, the motions of measuring and mixing allowing me to turn off my brain when life got too hard.

I was in the process of pulling out a batch of banana nut muffins when the vibrations of the garage door opening could be felt through the tile flooring beneath my bare feet. Turning down the volume, I heard the interior door opening and closing before two sets of footsteps drew closer.

Crew was the first one to round the corner, a brilliant smile lighting up his face when his eyes landed on me. “London Bridge, you’re all grown up!”

A laugh spilled from my lips at hearing that old nickname. When I was little, I used to beg the boys to play that game with me, and they always obliged.

He moved closer, opening his arms in preparation to hug me. When I stiffened, he froze, a frown turning down the edges of his mouth.

Over his shoulder, he spoke to his twin. “We’re gonna kill that fucker, right?”