Page 65 of A Promise For Tomorrow

I hang my head. I really am an arsehole.

Lifting it again, I track Lainey. She’s headed straight towards Madison.

Fuck.

My feet are moving, jogging my way back to the bar. I reach out to grip Lainey by the bicep, but she’s already in Madison’s face.

“What the fuck did you say to him?” she screams, pointing her index finger in Madison’s face.

Diego angles his body between them as I try to wrangle Lainey back.

“I told him to get over me. Exactly what we talked about, Lainey. What the hell are you getting in my face for?” Madison asks bewilderedly.

“He just broke up with me. I asked you to talk to him, not convince him to break up with me!” she screams. Her voice carries, directing a few heads our way.

“Lain, come on. Let’s talk inside,” I encourage. The last thing I want is to ruin Con and Lexi’s day.

She spins around to glare at me. “I want nothing to do with you, Liam. We could have been great. But you just can’t get over her. What is it about Madison that has all of you men unable to keep your cocks in your pants?”

Madison visibly cringes, retreating a step.

Lainey shifts her anger towards Diego. “Keep an eye on the two of them. That fire is still there. You’d be a fool to trust they won’t burn you in the process of sorting out their feelings.” With those parting words, she stomps off to the main house.

I release a massive sigh, scrubbing a hand over my face. When I remove my hand, I notice Madison walking away from us. Diego turns on his heel to go after her, but stops himself and lets her leave. He turns back to me, his face paler than usual.

“Are we going to have a problem, Liam?”

I don’t have an answer. I won’t try and get between them, but I can’t help my feelings. Instead, I walk away in search of a cabana to sort my shit out.

I slipinside one of the cabanas and stop short. Madison is there, sitting on the couch with her head in her hands. Sobs rack her body. She hasn’t looked up, which means she hasn’t heard me come in. I could turn around right now, give her space.

But I can’t.

My feet sink into the sand as I make my way over to her. I quietly sit down on the couch next to her. The wicker creaks and groans as I get comfortable. It reminds me of our night at the club. The day I recognized my true feelings for her. It was her friend’s twenty-first birthday.

Madison lifts her head, mascara is splotched beneath her eyes. I want to run my fingers beneath it, but I hold back. I can’t be that man for her anymore. She has a man. It’s time I really come to terms with that.

“Am I the biggest slut for having been with all of you? For sharing my body, my soul, my trust with you?”

I can’t help it this time. I reach out and pull her to me by the shoulder. She settles against my chest. “No, sweetheart. You aren’t. No one thinks that. Not even Lainey. She’s just hurt. I guarantee she didn’t mean that. Believe it or not, she’s really a girl’s girl. The drinking mixed with the emotions tonight had her saying things to hurt me. It wasn’t meant to hurt you. I’m sorry it went down like that. I handled it poorly.”

Madison sniffles against my chest. “I should have been more responsible with all of your hearts. You, Killian, Diego.” Her voice cracks on a sob, her chest vibrating against me. “I’m to blame for this mess. Maybe I should just leave like I planned to.”

I gently push her back to look at her. My thumb and index finger grip her chin. Beautiful glassy brown eyes stare back at me. “Is that what you really want?”

Her head swivels back and forth between my fingers as she bites her lower lip.

I move my hand to cup her face, rubbing my thumb along her cheek. Moisture collects along it.

Through my peripheral, the curtain draws back and Diego enters. His lips form a thin line.

I ignore him. “What do you want, Madison? Fuck all the noise. What do you really want?”

Diego crosses his arms over his chest, seemingly waiting for her response.

She trembles as fresh tears cascade down her cheeks and onto my hand.

Her head spins to look atThe Bone Breaker.

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