Page 52 of Second Shot

Fuck.

“You should answer that.” She crosses her arms, eyes full of stubborndefiance.

“Why wouldyou-”

“You wanted everyone to know.” She shrugs. “Now, everyonewill.”

“Jesus, Brynne.” I’m so angry, I don’t trust myself to say anythingelse.

As soon as my phone stops, it starts upagain.

I can’t ignore him. But I also can’t let her get away with her little stunt. I know exactly why she did it. I pushed her too hard. And instead of admitting the truth, that she needs me, she lashed out. Burying usboth.

I won’t let her get away with it. But right now, I have to deal with Coach before he ends up at my door, and we have a whole other problem on our hands - me in a seven by two wooden box, six feetunder.

She gives me a triumphant smile, then turns and walks away like she hasn’t just completely fucked meover.

“We’re not done talking,Brynne.”

Ignoring me, she walks down the hall towards the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. A few seconds later, I hear the shower turnon.

When the phone starts ringing for the third time, I finally answer it. “Hey,Coach.”

I have to hold the phone away from my ear as he screams a string of explicit curses that amount to him wanting to cut my balls off and feed them to my dead whore of amother.

“To think I trusted you, Madden. I let you into my goddamn house. And this is how you repay me? Sneaking around behind my back. I expect this from Brynne, but you…” His ranting slows, and I can hear the hurt in his voice, the slur of his words. He’s been drinkingagain.

I rub the back of my neck, not knowing what to say. Even the truth sounds like a bullshitexcuse.

“She’s staying withyou?”

“Yeah.”

“And she’spregnant?”

“No.” I steel myself for his reaction, then say, “She had a baby. A boy. Three months old. I didn’t know about him until recently, buthe’s-”

More cursing. This time, I hear something shatter on the other end of thephone.

I could handle anything but the deafening silence that follows. Long, painful seconds. I wait. I’ve known the man long enough not to interrupt his thoughts, even if they’re devising a plan to get rid of me. Or to see me tied up and gagged at the bottom of theriver.

“A boy?” His wordsslur.

“Yeah.”

“What’s hisname?”

“Noah.”

More silence, but I swear I hear the mansob.

“Can I…would she let me seehim?”

I don’tknow.

“I’ll talk toher.”

He breathes out heavily before ending thecall.

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