Page 144 of Wingwoman
Her love for me was too much to process. Too fucking much. Especially hearing it right after seeing Jenn’s hollowed cheekbones mere weeks before. The vacant stare of her broken gaze. Her gaunt, anemic figure draped with the old prom dress.
All because of me. All because of fucking love.
My mom was covered in bruises from my dad’s ‘love.’ Hand marks and thumb prints around her neck the night he tried to kill her.
Shit.
“I need to talk to Hope first,” I said, yanking up my guitar case in one hand. “Before the song is out there.”
Cringing, Matt stopped me with a palm to my chest before I could leave the room. “About Hope…”
“What about her?”
“She might have already heard the song.”
“What do you mean?”
Maggie came stomping past Matt into the room. “Hemeansshe came down here to surprise your sorry ass with cannolis! We both did!”
“What the hell, Matt? This place is supposed to be invite only. If they’re not on the list, they’re not supposed to be allowed in!”
Maggie’s eyes narrowed at me. “That’swhat your main concern is? How we got in? Not the fact that apparently your music is all about you breaking Hope’s heart and some supposed lies you’ve been keeping from her?”
Shit. No, no, no. This was not how this was supposed to go down. She couldn’t find out like this.
I pressed the heels of my hands into my eyes. “Matt, how could you let them—”
“This isn’t about Matt!” Maggie snapped, poking me in the chest. “Matt is an honest man.”
Nervously, Matt tried to grab her hand. “Baby, let’s take a breath. Slow down.”
“No!” she whipped her hand out of his grasp. “Josh doesn’t deserve to have you as his manager. Or as his friend. And he sure as hell doesn’t deserve someone as amazing as Hope.”
A bitter laugh cracked in my throat. “Well you’re one for three,” I responded.
I wasn’t claiming to be a good guy… but someone saying Matt was the better boyfriend and the one who wasn’t a liar? That was a laugh. The man lied for a living to get what he wanted and needed from clients. Hell, he was even lying to Maggie. Not telling her he’d dated her girlfriend and that he knew all along she had hired a wingwoman.
“One for three?” Maggie repeated. “Meaning what?”
At the sight of Matt’s face draining of color, I immediately wished I could take it back.
Shit.
Clamping my lips together, I looked up at Matt’s slowly shaking head. “Matt, what’s he talking about?” Maggie demanded. “Have you been lying to me about something?”
“Nothing,” I grunted, trying to save him. Just because I was miserable and about to launch a grenade into my love life didn’t mean Matt had to as well. “It’s nothing, Maggie. I’m just pissy, that’s all. Please, tell me where Hope is.”
Maggie folded her arms, her glare so sharp, she could cut glass with those eyes. “I don’t know.”
“Maggie!” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “I need to talk to her. Explain…” I cleared my throat. “Apologize. But to do that, first I need to find her.”
“I’m telling you the truth. I don’t know where she is. She heard your stupid song and ran out of here. All she said was she needed to do this alone.”
“Fuck!” I dropped my guitar case, leaving it for Matt to finish packing. “Take my stuff back to the ranch, Matt.”
I needed to find Hope.
And explain… what exactly? I wasn’t sure.
