Page 14 of Hitch Me

I want to make it forever with Brynn Rose.

For all the things I’m uncertain about, one thing has become undeniably clear. What Brynn Rose and I have is undeniably worth fighting for. The way Brynn looks at me, touches me, whispers my name like a prayer. I’ve never experienced anything like it. The trust between us has taken a massive blow. But what we have is special.

The connection between us is real. I might get hurt again, but even if I do, it’s worth taking a chance on true love. Ourconnection is once in a lifetime and I owe it to both of us to hear her out.

Brynn Rose climbs out of her car slowly. It’s like she's walking to her own execution, and the sight of her makes my chest tight. She's wearing yesterday's clothes, her hair is a mess, and there are dark circles under her eyes that tell me she doesn't sleep any better than I do.

"Geoffrey, I—" she starts, then stops as a particularly bold baby goat launches itself at her legs, demanding attention. She wraps her arms around herself, and I can see her trying to hold it together. "Geoffrey, there's something you need to know about the podcast."

"I'm listening." I take a step closer. I brace myself for the words I know are coming, but I dread them. “I want you to know that even if I don’t agree with you, I want to understand you.”

Her words come out in a rush of exhalation. "It's my mother. She's the podcaster. She has been for years. I've known the whole time. I've been keeping her secret because I don't know how to stop her without destroying what little relationship we have left."

The admission hits me like a punch to the gut, but not for the reasons I expect. Instead of anger, I feel this overwhelming wave of sympathy for the impossible position she's been in.

"Jesus, Brynn."

"I’ve never given her information intentionally and I never would. The phone call at the bar. We never hang up. She heard everything. Your brothers talking about Eliza, us... everything." Her voice breaks on the last word. "I never mean for any of this to happen. I've been trying to protect everyone, but I just keep making everything worse..."

The more she talks, the more relief floods my veins. My heart rate slows and I’m overwhelmed with the need to wrap her in my arms. A baby goat chooses that moment to bleat loudly, asif commenting on the drama, and despite everything, I almost smile. Almost.

I shake my head. "Why didn’t you just tell me?”

"Because she's all I have." The raw honesty in her voice guts me. "And because I am terrified that if you know, you'll hate me for keeping it secret. Just like you hate me now for the secret getting out."

"I don't hate you." The words come out rougher than I intend. "I could never hate you, Brynn Rose. This makes me love you even more than I already did. You’re in an impossible situation."

She looks up at me then, hope and fear warring in her green eyes. "You don't?"

I close the distance between us, careful to step around the goats that seem determined to trip us both. "What I felt yesterday isn't hate. It is heartbreak. Because I thought I'd lost you before I ever really had you."

"Geoffrey—"

"Let me finish." I reach up to cup her face, and she leans into my touch like she's been starving for it. "Maybe love is messy. Maybe it's complicated and hard and sometimes people get hurt. But I'm not afraid of being messy, Brynn. I'm afraid of losing you."

Tears spill over and run down her cheeks. "I love you too. I know it's fast, I know it's crazy?—"

"It's not crazy." I lean my forehead against hers while a baby goat investigates our feet. "I've been in love with you since I was seventeen years old. The only crazy thing is that it took us this long to figure it out."

"I told her to stop," she whispers. "The podcast. I told her to end it or I'll tell everyone the truth."

"What did she say?"

"That I'll regret it. That she makes me who I am." Brynn's jaw sets with a determination I've never seen before. "But I don't care anymore. I'm done protecting her at everyone else's expense. Including ours."

Pride swells in my chest. This is the woman I fell in love with… not the careful, controlled version she shows the world, but the fierce, brave woman who's willing to fight for what matters.

"I'm proud of you," I tell her, and mean every word. “When you decide to take action, I’ll be there by your side. I’ll protect you from whatever fresh hell Brandi Rose decides to throw at us.”

Brynn chuckles as she pulls out her phone with shaking hands. "It’s already done. This episode went live ten minutes ago.”

“What did you do?”

She lets out a breathy exhale. “I hijacked the pod.”

CHAPTER 11

BOOTS AND BITCHING PODCAST

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