The truth was that their sleeping together wouldn’t be the worst-case scenario. What if Sofia had always been secretly in love with him? What if that’s what Sarah had kept from Valerie? Regina knew firsthand how easy it’d been to fall in love with Brandon, how sweet and wonderful he could be. The thought of him reverting back to the cold Sergeant Billings she’d first met choked her up. She needed to get to the bottom of this now.

Would calling Sofia make this worse? She debated about it, going back in forth on whether to try Brandon first instead. One thing was for sure. She needed answers now. There’d be no sleep for her tonight if she didn’t get them.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Brandon

The keys slammed so hard against the glass coffee table it cracked. Brandon’s phone rang for the second time, but he refused to answer it. He couldn’t talk to her right now. He didn’t even want to hear her voice, yet he was dying to. How the fuck did that even make sense? Sitting back on the sofa, he brought his hands to his face, and he slid them both down roughly, taking in an angry breath. He wasn’t even sure if he was more angry or hurt.

All week he’d been afraid something like this might happen. From the moment he realized the Morenos were a part of Regina’s life, he’d wondered how that would affect their relationship. He could deal with seeing Sofie if he had to. Like Sunday it might be uncomfortable, but he’d since decided it was a sacrifice he’d be willing to make for Regina. Any feelings he may’ve had for Sofia had been dead and buried for years. He knew now after experiencing real love that what he felt for Sofie had been nothing more that infatuation and maybe a desperate need to feel cared for as he thought she might.

As tempted as he’d been to bring up the subject this week, he hadn’t. Regina had already been dealing with turmoil since her dad’s heart attack. He didn’t want to add to it. He knew talking about Sofie and her brothers and the shit they might tell Regina about him would be a sore point, but he didn’t realize how infuriating it would be. The thought of them possibly poisoning her mind about him had bothered him all week, but a bigger part of him was confident she’d be immune to any bullshit they might feed her. He couldn’t be sure, but as far as he knew, today was the first time this week she’d heard anything more about him and Sofia, and already she was acting suspicious. Not once since her first reaction to his questioning her about her therapist had she been secretive.

One conversation with Alex and Regina was already having her doubts about him. That’s all it took, and he could only imagine what being around them longer would do. She believed what they said already. He saw it in those hesitant eyes. He couldn’t deal with this. He wouldn’t. She wanted his side of the story? Why? All this time around him—knowing him—falling in love with him wasn’t enough to prove that things hadn’t gone down the bullshit way Sofie’s brothers said they did? She expected him to plead his case to her now?

“Fuck that!” he said, flinging his phone across the room where it hit the wall and slammed down on the floor in one piece.

He wondered for a moment if he’d be making a trip tomorrow to the wireless store for a replacement until he heard the text message alert go off. He sat there, staring it at it without moving until it went off again. With the amount of close friends he had, he didn’t get many texts, so he knew it had to be her. Unable to fight the curiosity of what she might have to say to him, he got up and walked toward it.

The phone might still be working, but the screen was cracked. He frowned, clicking on the envelope.

We really need to talk. Can I come over tonight? Can’t end it like this.

End? Was she serious? He reread the confusing text again. He’d known this would be an issue, one that might take him days to get over, but she was talking about ending things over this?

He didn’t even realize he’d brought his hand to rest over his chest until he felt the pounding heart against it. He almost hit the dial button to call her when another text came through.

I just want the truth, the whole truth. I can handle it. I promise.

Because what he’d told her wasn’t the whole truth? He started to respond, but he was so pissed he had to retype some of the words because like her first text they were all over the place.

Sounds like you already know the truth, or you wouldn’t be promising to be able to handle it. Have Alex tell you the WHOLE truth. Why the fuck do you need to hear it from me if you’ve already made up your mind whose side you’re taking?

He almost kept typing everything he wanted to say to her: how stupid he felt for thinking she’d automatically dismiss all the bullshit for what it was and how disappointed and disgusted he was that she hadn’t. Then he changed his mind and deleted the whole damn thing. He wouldn’t give her the pleasure of knowing what this was doing to him.

His dad’s words about the sacredness of his deep emotions came to him out of nowhere, straightening him out and pulling his head out of his lovesick ass.

No one has a right to know what you’re feeling deep inside but yourself. Showing it is a sign of weakness.

It would probably be the hardest thing he’d ever do in his life, but he’d been alone long enough. He knew he could do it again.

Don’t come over. I don’t want to see you anymore. Handle this, Ms. Brady. This CAN end like this. It just did.

He sent it then turned off the phone and tossed it on the table, feeling an all-consuming and unbearable ache in his heart. Stopping at the door of his bedroom, he wondered if he’d just made the biggest mistake of his life. For one very weak moment, he considered grabbing his keys and racing to her place to give her what she was asking for—swallow his damn pride and give her his side of the damn story—the whole truth. He could plead his case and beg her to believe him. But he shook his head.

“Never,” he whispered, feeling numb as he continued into his bedroom. “Not even for you, princess.”

~*~

Regina

Each time Regina read the text her heart plummeted even further. She stared at it until her eyes were too blurred with tears to be able to see it clearly anymore. He couldn’t be serious. He was ending things just like this—via a text?

She hit speed dial, feeling completely incensed, ready to tell him off. How dare he? This is how much she meant to him? One argument was all it took for him to just dismiss everything they had?

The call went directly to voicemail, and she grabbed her keys, ready to charge down to his place and face off with him. Then she had a terrifying thought. What if seeing Sofia again after all this time is what had made it so easy for Brandon to dump her just like that? Maybe there was something that ran much deeper between him and Sofia. Maybe there was more to their story than anyone but the two of them knew. It had to be something big for Brandon to be this livid with her, but what?

Putting her keys back down, she scrolled through her phone quickly until she saw Sofia’s name. With a trembling breath, she pulled herself together and hit the dial button before she could change he mind. She paced around her front room, not even sure what she’d say to her, but she had to get to the bottom of this.

“Gina?” Sofia’s voice sounded guarded.

“Yes, Sofia it’s me. Can you talk?”

“Um, yeah, give me a sec.” The line went quiet for a moment then Sofia spoke again.

She asked Regina about her dad and let her know she’d keep him in her thoughts. Regina thanked her then got right to it. “Listen, I spoke with Alex and Valerie tonight at my parents’ house. They told me a little bit about the things that happened between you and Brandon before you were married. Brandon had already told me a little also, only I had no idea you were the same Sofia he had mentioned.”