Page 87 of Forever Wild

“We’ll hang out here for a while and then catch an Uber to our hotel. I don’t think the conversation you all need to have is really one you want to have here, and—” Izzy glares at me as she adds, “I don’t want Bryn to be stuck somewhere without her car.”

“Iz.”

Bryn’s first word since getting here throws me off guard. It’s not that I had forgotten about her. It was more that she had become a part of me, sunken into my soul like the snow melting into the earth, becoming one, in the minutes I had held her.

“It’s just being smart, B. Don’t give me that look.”

I swear I can feel Bryn’s eye roll.

“Are you—” I start but have to swallow the lump rising in my throat before I can finish. “Are you okay with going back to my hotel with me?” She moves back slightly, and I look down at Bryn just as she looks up at me. Her eyes are a deep blue today, a color I’ve never seen before, and it makes me wonder what other colors they can be. What other colors I will miss seeing, miss loving, if I lose her?

And in that moment I know, without a doubt, I will do whatever it takes to keep her. I will give up the spotlight, I will give up golf, I will give up every dollar I’ve ever made if it means I get to spend my life with this woman.

She nods, a tentative smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

The emotions I’ve been trying to contain since she walked through the door are back, and I try not to let them overwhelm me, to let them overwhelm her. So I give her a smile and wrap my hand around hers, tugging her back toward the front.

“Thank you both for getting her to me,” I tell her sisters as I walk by.

“Don’t make us regret it,” Izzy responds.

“I won’t.”

As I pull open the door and tug Bryn through, I watch our sisters and JT all head back to the booth, shooting us furtive glances as they go.

With some guidance from Bryn, we find the car, and, as soon as I close Bryn’s door, I hustle around to the other side, sliding in and grabbing her hand. She doesn’t pull away, which I take as a good sign. I want to have this conversation now. I want to apologize. I want to beg until she forgives me. But I also know the parking lot is not the right place.

Navigating through the quiet streets, I rub my left thumb back and forth on the seam of the steering wheel, my pace increasing with each passing moment. Bryn’s silence weighs heavily in the car, a tangible reminder of the chasm that has grown between us. The city sights flicker past, casting fleeting shadows on her face as she stares out the window, lost in her thoughts. The tension builds until I finally can’t take it anymore.

“I’m so sorry, Bryn,” I say, my voice thick with emotion.

“What happened, Jameo?” Her voice is soft, laced with a mixture of curiosity and pain.

“It’s fucking Alexis,” I begin, my frustration bubbling to the surface. “Of course it is. She—”

“No,” Bryn interjects, her tone gentle yet firm. “I’m not talking about the article. I—” She pauses, drawing in a deep breath. “I know you broke your phone, but why did you go radio silent on me? You could’ve reached out some other way.”

Her question hangs in the air, heavy with accusation and hurt. I swallow hard, grappling with the shame swirling inside me.

“Bryn,” I begin, my voice hoarse with emotion. “After I found out about the article, I... I was mad. I could tell based on some of the comments that Alexis was one of the sources. And then my phone... I smashed it in a fit of rage. But you’re right, I should’ve figured out a way. I should’ve had my parents call Lila and have her drive to Wild Bluffs to find you. I should’ve found your sister’s number online. I should’ve called Hungry Guy and had them leave you a message. I should’ve borrowed JT’s phone and emailed your work email. Anything to let you know you’re not alone. I’m so sorry, Bryn.”

She nods, turning her face toward the window again, pulling herself together as we pull up outside of my hotel. I park in the lot and meet her behind the car, grabbing her hand before she has the chance to walk away.

“Where’s Jack?” I ask, trying like hell to make this feel normal. I know the minute we are in my room I will be groveling with everything I have, but for now, I just need to feel the comfort, the spark of hope that I didn’t ruin this.

“Mom and Dad have him. He likes it there best anyway, despite JoJo antagonizing him constantly.”

The half-hearted smile she gives me makes it clear that even the image of her dog getting annoyed by her parents’ black Lab isn’t enough to bring a real smile to her face.

I force a smile back, and we ride the elevator in silence before getting out on the sixth floor and making our way to my room, where I key us in, my hand noticeably shaky.

Bryn enters and walks across the room to stare out my floor-to-ceiling windows. “Everyone told me you were ghosting me.” The hurt in her voice as she says it breaks my heart.

“I wasn’t—”

“I know. I told them you wouldn’t ever do that to me. You’re not that type of guy. But the silence, it hurt.”

“I just… I knew I needed to focus on my game. It was stupid and selfish, and I can’t believe how insensitive I was. I never meant for you to feel alone or to hurt you. I just couldn’t get a phone, so I tried not to let it distract me.”

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