Page 53 of Girl Going Nowhere

I didn’t actually read it, only heard about it through the grapevine. “Athletes cheat on their spouses all the time, man. You know this. It’s not our job to report on that, so I don’t pay attention to it.”

The way Brodie stares at me has my eyebrows raising. “Dude, did you even look at the magazine? We’ve got like forty here at this point. I went to eight different stores today to buy them out.”

Why the fuck would he—wait.My eyes snap to Blake, who’s rubbing her arms as she nods along to whatever Sabrina is telling her. “Is the article about Blake?”

Brodie deadpans, “Yes, dumbass. There are pictures. Not very good ones, but anybody who knows her could probably tell who it is.”

Fuck. “Nobody said a thing about who the chick was, just that she probably hoped Dover would leave his wife for her.” That definitely doesn’t sound like Blake, considering what I know.

“For some reason, she wasn’t named,” Brodie tells me, voice still quiet. “But people know it’s her, which means there’s a reason they’re holding back on outing her and Maia. It’s one thing for a guy like Dover to cheat on his wife. People do it all the time. It’s another to have a baby with the woman he’s cheating with.”

I’m not sure what he’s getting at. “So?”

“So…” He sighs, shoulders dropping. “You aren’t going to make me ask, are you?”

Ask what? “I’m not following.”

“Your brother just signed with the same team that Maia’s father is playing for,” he points out slowly, waiting for me to get it. “Then your brother comes here, and magically, Blake gets harassed by a bunch of reporters about her affair with him. Strange, don’t you think?”

I gape in disbelief. “And you think I had something to do with it?”

Brodie shrugs. “I think we all like drinking and get mouthy about shit we probably shouldn’t. It’s happened before. And who knows what was said when you were in the spur of the moment.”

That’s different, and he knows it. “I’ve only talked about my own personal hell, not hers. I wouldn’t bring up business that isn’t mine.”

There’s a reason why Brodie was hesitant to let me into the little secret she had. With Rafael’s connections, my cousin thought it’d be better if I was left in the dark. The less I know, the better. Plausible deniability, I suppose. But when it became obvious that there was something they weren’t letting me in on, I made him tell me because I fucking hate being the odd one out.

I swore I wouldn’t tell a soul.

Not even my brother.

Now, I regret pushing him on it at all.

Because then he wouldn’t be questioning me.

“All I’m saying is that you two had been drinking while he was there,” my cousin states. “Maybe you didn’t mean to say something about who Maia’s dad is, but it’d make sense if you did. It could have been a subconscious thing now that Rafael is with the Phillies.”

Jaw grinding, I ball up my hands. My brother is the only family I’ve got, so I don’t like Brodie accusing him of having anything to do with this either. “I’m telling you, Brodie, I didn’t say anything to him or anybody else. And even if I did, he wouldn’t go sell the fucking story. That isn’t who he is. As far as either of us are concerned, who Blake chooses to fuck is none of our business. It’s not exactly a conversation that I choose to have with people if other topics dry up.”

“Then what about who you choose to fuck? Does that ever come up in conversation, or do you bury that along with all the other trauma you hate talking about with people?”

He knows more than I want him to about the kind of people I have in the bedroom. More than I wantanybodyto know. “My choices are nobody else’s business.”

Brodie hums, sinking back into his spot. “I bet Blake wishes she could say the same, but I don’t think she’s going to be that lucky. Because her past is being plastered on magazine covers by somebody with an agenda that’s definitely not benefiting her.”

“For the last time, Raf didn’t—”

“How can you be sure?”

The question leaves me glaring.

“Rafael isn’t a bad dude,” Brodie amends. “But people do crazy stuff to get their way. I’m not accusing anybody of anything, but it is possible. Somebody besides us knows about Blake and that douchebag, and I highly doubt it was Dover or his team who leaked the news since they’re the ones who dulled out the hush money to make sure it never saw the light of day. Who else could have then?”

I remain silent, not wanting to believe that Rafael has something to do with this. He’s better than the lows that our father would sink to, to get what he wanted.Right?

“There are some people with far more to gain from this getting out,” he concludes grimly. “And it’s people like Blake who are the ones impacted the worst by it.”

I don’t allow myself to read into the situation. I’m sure there are more people who know about Dover’s indiscretions than any of us could guess. If anything, this article is only the beginning. More people will come out with their stories, and Blake will be in the clear.

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