Page 60 of Going All In

Ipulled out of the tournament in Vegas. Between Holly and a run of bad games, I think it’s for the best, though. I’ll do a smaller one in Atlantic City, maybe two, to make up for it.

Now I’m very glad I chose not to go, though.

When I rang the buzzer at the front door, another girl answered. The infamous JJ, Holly’s roommate, who until now I’ve only seen from afar. She invited me up, and she’s just delightful. Spunky, hilarious, and full of important information, like where Holly is and who she’s with right now.

But more importantly, some information about exactly why. She didn’t delve too deeply into it—like Robert, she understands that this is Holly’s story to tell—but she shared enough for me to soften just a bit, and when she left for the evening, she let me stay here to wait for Holly.

I’m expecting it to be at least an hour, but I’ve only been sitting here for about twenty minutes when a key turns in the door.

Holly is holding her phone in her hand, her cheeks flushed with cold. Her mouth drops open when she sees me, and as I stand from the couch, her eyes fill with tears.

“I’m so fucking sorry, Maddox,” she says, choking on the words. “I’m—”

The next words are muffled as I gather her in my arms and hold her tight against my chest as she sobs.

“I’m here, babe,” I murmur against her hair. “I’ve got you.”

If anything, this makes her cry even harder, but I just hold her until the tears dry up.

Finally, Holly draws in a shuddering breath and takes a step back. “There’s a lot I need to tell you, Maddox. I feel like I fucked everything up.”

I take her hand and we walk to the couch. Holly’s gaze is fixed on her twisting fingers in her lap. I quietly wait for her to speak.

“I told you Jared cheated on me, and it was at my mom’s funeral. With my cousin. Some of my relatives caught him, and everyone saw. It was such a painful time, losing my mom right around the holidays, but the thing that made it even worse was how my family treated me. Like him cheating was somehow my fault. I’d chosen the wrong guy, so what did I expect?”

The words keep pouring out, like all the emotion has been trapped inside her for so long. “And with the wedding, I knew I’d be seeing all those people again. The idea of them judging me for choosing the wrong guy again, my stepbrother of all people, just brought all those feelings back. The humiliation, but also the pain of losing my mom. It’s why I was so desperate to find another date. One that was good on paper, that they’d approve of.”

Holly takes a deep breath and looks up at me with watery, pleading eyes.

“I don’t even know why the fuck I care. I don’t even see them outside of major events like this. I haven’t seen those relatives in three years. But I-I don’t want another guy, Maddox. I don’t know if I can face them at the wedding at all, but I don’t want to bring a guy I don’t love just for them.

“And then we made that bet, and somewhere along the line I started realizing just how much fifty thousand dollars is. How far it would go for my foster kids. How many programs I could fund with that. I even thought about getting my own place so I could take Julio in myself. He’s one of my favorite foster kids, the one I haven’t found a place for yet. The one who might have to go to a group home.”

My heart melts a little. Holly is the furthest thing from a gold digger. Most people would see fifty grand as a life-changing amount of money for themselves.

Holly sees it as life-changing for her foster kids.

She sniffles. “So I went on a date tonight. I thought if I found a guy that I could convince to go to the wedding with me, I’d win the bet. I was thinking about Julio, because he’s all I’ve been focused on for work, and I feel like I’m failing him every day I can’t find him a home. But now I’ve ruined everything. I’m so sorry, Maddox. I never meant to hurt you. I’m so, so sorry.” A new set of tears courses down her cheeks.

I put my arm around her, and she leans into me, her tears soaking my t-shirt. “We’re going to figure this out, Holly. I’ve got you.”

When the tears dry up for a second time—or third? I’m losing track—I let her go and sit back on the remarkably uncomfortable couch.

“The ball has been in your court here since the beginning, Holly,” I start. “You’ve known exactly where I stand, and I’ve followed your lead, but now it’s my turn.”

She blinks at me, nodding slightly. She looks shocked that I haven’t left, but like I keep telling her, I’m not going anywhere.

“I love your dedication to your foster kids. It means so much to me, you know that. But the money is off the table. I’m calling off the bet.”

“But…”

I shake my head. “I’ll put fifty grand toward foster programs in some capacity. But it’s not going to depend on whether you bring a date to the wedding or anything like that.”

She looks somewhat mollified by this.

“You don’t need to bring a date to the wedding. You’ll be surrounded by people who love you no matter what. You don’t have to tell any relatives you’re dating anyone. For that matter, you don’t have to talk to them at all. Stick with Addie, and she’ll do the talking.”

That earns me a smile. A small one, but it’s a start.

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