Dearest Series Boxed Set (82 page)

D
aren sounded irritated
that I was heading to WNEN without him, but he can’t miss any more practice, and I need to get a few personal items out of my desk. His dad sent a bodyguard to drive me from the hotel to the station. I’ve never given much credence to the necessity of having a bodyguard, but Hank is the size of a bulldozer, and having him around definitely makes me feel better.

When we step off the elevators, Susan nearly turns over her chair hopping up. I barely brace myself in time for her to tackle me in a hug.

“Oh, my dear. You poor thing.”

I hug her awkwardly and try not to cough on a mouth full of her hair. “I’ll be okay.”

Hank clears his throat, and over Susan’s shoulder, I see him silently asking if he should yank her off. I shake my head no and let the woman smother me. When she finally lets go, I straighten my blouse and ask if Roger is around.

“He’s in a meeting, dear, but I can get a message to him if you’d like.”

I shrug. “Tell him I’m clearing out my desk and that I’m leaving as soon as I’m done.”

Officially, I’m on a paid vacation while the authorities investigate. But I know this job is over. Technically, I’m not supposed to come here, but Roger told me I could swing by to gather up my files.

My stomach twists at the thought of having to see my other coworkers, knowing they’ve probably perused my photos.

Daren says we’re negotiating one hell of a settlement right now because our attorney assured us the station is at least partially responsible for the hack. My private files were found on their servers. There’s no way around that.

When I reach my cubicle, I’m surprised to find a mountain of mail and gifts.

“The station has been flooded with things for you,” a voice says behind me.

I whirl around to find Nicole. My eyes narrow, and I ask the question that’s been tearing a hole in my stomach all week. “Did you have something to do with me being hacked?” I can’t help the venom in my voice or the tears in my eyes.

Her face drops. “I must be a bigger bitch than I thought if you really suspect me of doing that.” She closes her eyes a brief moment and shakes her head. “I had nothing to do with your scandal.”

Ugh. She would use that word.
Scandal
.

Her lips purse. “I’ve had investigators up my ass all week, and I can assure you nothing is going to turn up.”

I stare at her, unsure what to think. But in the end, it doesn’t matter. Not really. My career is done. I blink back hot tears and turn to my desk, looking for the reason I dragged myself in here today.

Pushing over the mail, I breathe a sigh of relief when I see the familiar face smiling back at me from my bulletin board.

There he is.

Hi, Dad.

The tears come down faster, and there’s no use wiping them away, so I don’t bother. I tuck the photo into my purse and glance around. Color-coded file folders sit neatly on my desk, each one full of story ideas and leads and sources. Ignoring the urge to trash them all, I grab a box and toss them in along with a few other personal belongings.

I don’t bother saying anything to Nicole. What is there to say?

As I start to head out of my cubicle, Hank takes the box out of my hands. I give him a grateful smile. Because we snuck in here when no one was expecting it, there weren’t any cameras out front, but I’m not sure what to expect on my way out.

I’m bracing myself to brave any media outside that might have gotten wind of my presence when a small crowd by the elevators catches my eye.

Police. And guys in black suits.

My phone starts to ring in my pocket. I pull it out to see Daren’s name. I answer it immediately. After our falling out, I promised him I’d always answer his call.

I don’t get a chance to start talking because he asks me where I am.

“Um, I’m just about to leave the station. But it looks like something big is going down.”

“He’s going to be arrested, Maddie.”

“What?” I’m having a hard time paying attention because the cops are headed toward me. Hank moves in front of me, and I have to arch up to see over his shoulder. I hold my breath as the cops stalk past us and into a room down the hall.

There’s shouting and the sounds of a scuffle. I’m clutching the phone, and Daren is saying something, but all I can register is how I should be covering this story, whatever is happening right now. Except… that’s not my job anymore.

A few minutes later, Brad emerges in handcuffs, and I stop breathing.

When he sees me, he shakes his head. “I’m sorry, Maddie. I didn’t mean for this to get so out of hand.”

“What, Brad? What got out of hand?”
What did you do?

He fights the restraints and turns to yell, “It wasn’t supposed to happen this way, Maddie. You have to believe me. ” My stomach twists as I watch him struggle to look back at me. "I fucking love you, Maddie. I'd never try to hurt you!"

What the hell?

The authorities wrestle him into the elevator, and I stand there in shock as the doors close. I don’t know how long I stand there, but I finally realize I’m still clutching my phone.

“Daren?”

“Yeah. I’m here. Maddie, are you okay? They’re arresting Brad for hacking you.”

I don’t say anything at first. I can’t. And when I finally do, I have to hold back a sob. Not because I'm crushed it was Brad—at least it wasn't someone I considered a close friend—but because this nightmare might be coming to an end. "Thank you for helping me. For being here for me."

“Aww, babe. Come back to the hotel. I can be there in an hour.”

I shake my head. “No, finish with practice. I’ll see you this evening.”

“Maddie, listen to me. Have Hank drive you back. I’m on my way.”

He hangs up before I can argue.

That night, I curl up in Daren’s lap while we share a bottle of wine and order room service. He lets me cry and holds me and tells me everything will be okay.

For now, that’s what I need to hear.

* * *

T
he next morning
, I’m ready to get the whole story. I flip on the news. Brad’s arrest is on every news station.

Daren’s quiet as he prepares for practice. He told me what he heard from our private investigator last night, but I had a hard time processing the details.

Brad confessed everything. The stalking. His obsession with me. How he hacked my phone and laptop.

But that’s not all. He sent the girls to Daren’s rooms. He signed Daren up to get porn. He plotted to break us up, to turn me against Daren.

I watch the coverage, both relieved to have answers and horrified at what they are.

“Babe, you okay?” Daren has his workout bag packed, but the concern on his face makes me think he’s reconsidering heading to the stadium, which is ludicrous.

I put on a brave face. “I’m fine. Or… I will be.” Smiling, I haul my butt off the couch, run up to him, and throw my arms around his neck.

He chuckles and rubs my back. I breathe him in, wishing this day were over so we could hang out. But I know that’s selfish of me.

“Go to practice.” I peck him on the lips and let go of my death grip on him. “I was thinking about hanging out with Clementine today.” She texted me last night and asked if I wanted to hang out and have a girlie afternoon with facials and manicures while we vegged and watched
Friends
. It sounded perfect. Especially since I’m nervous as hell about Daren’s game tomorrow.

I watch for Daren’s reaction because I know he’s encouraged me to spend time with his friends, but I want to make sure he’s really comfortable with it.

I’m relieved when he beams a smile. “Great. Make sure to take Hank with you.”

“Yes, sir.” I salute him.

His lips tilt up higher until those adorable dimples peek out. “See you for dinner?”

Nodding, I put my hands on his shoulders and push him toward the door so he won’t be late.

He reaches down to grab his bag and stops to kiss me again. His lips are warm and soft, the perfect contrast to his scruffy jaw. This never gets old.

“Don’t forget we need to leave by nine tomorrow morning,” he mumbles against me.

“I won’t.” I’m so excited to finally see him play in person, but I’m concerned I’ll be a distraction.

Like he can read my mind, his eyebrows pull tight. “Sweet thing, it’ll be fine. Stop worrying.”

I nod and let him kiss me once more before he heads out. I watch him step on to the elevator, and as the doors are closing, he yells, “My parents said you’re coming for Thanksgiving next week, so don’t make any plans. Your uncle is invited too.”

My jaw drops open. That’s one way to help me stop stressing about tomorrow’s game. Tell me I’m meeting his parents.

* * *

W
hen Daren runs
off the field, I’m euphoric. Clem and I are jumping up and down, and Jax is screaming like a madman. But you can barely hear us over the roar of the crowd.

Daren threw a last-minute touchdown and won the game in overtime. I can barely catch my breath from the thrill of it all.

“Your boy did good, girl.” Clem hugs me, and we continue hopping around like lunatics.

We finally calm down and head out to her car. Daren told us we shouldn’t wait because he has field interviews and a post-game press conference.

He snuck us in the back way, through the player’s entrance, but now we have to brave the crowds on the way out. I grab my big, black sunglasses and fight the nausea in my stomach. Clem’s lips twist when she sees me, and she hooks her arm through mine and pulls me close.

“If anyone says shit to you, I will shank them with a rusty object,” she whispers.

I laugh, relieved that this afternoon has gone so smoothly. But we’ve been sitting in a box reserved for players’ friends and family, so there’s still time for the crazy to start.

We’re headed for the exit when Jeanine, the Rebels’ PR executive, stops us. “Maddie, I’m going to need you to join Daren for a quick press conference. The team thinks that if you do this together now, it’ll help quell some of the hysteria surrounding you two.”

I agree even though I’m not exactly Jeanine’s biggest fan. I know Daren isn’t thrilled with how cutthroat she can be.

Jax and Clem follow behind us. We wait in a long corridor. Finally, Jeanine ushers us into a huge conference room filled with media. Cameras immediately start flashing. It takes me a moment to spot Daren, who is seated next to his coach and a few teammates.

His coach waves me over, and Daren’s mouth is tight. Shit. Did he not want me to come? He gets up and walks up to me, leaning down to whisper, “You don’t have to do this. Jeanine wants this press conference, not me.”

“It’s fine.” I look up at him and smile. “She says this is good for you and the team. That’s all I need to hear.”

His eyes wander over my face, and then he grabs my hips, pulls me close, and kisses me full on the mouth.

Holy wow.

Cameras start clicking like crazy, and all I can do is cling to this man as he kisses the hell out of me.

When we part, I giggle and cover my mouth.

The grin on his face is priceless. He turns to the cameras. “Any questions?”

Everyone stares back at us, speechless. Daren waves at them. “Great. See ya.”

Then he turns on his heel and drags me out.

We’re still laughing about it an hour later as we sit in traffic, trying to get back to the hotel. Clem and Jax drove to the game separately, so it’s just the two of us in Daren’s SUV.

“So I have a serious question for you.” His voice is so somber all of a sudden, I turn in my seat to face him. “How fast can you pack so we can head home?”

Home. His home.
Our
home.

“I don’t have much to pack at the hotel, but Daren, are you sure? I can stay with Sheri, and we can take things slowly. You have your hands full with the playoffs coming up, and—”

“Maddie, are you getting cold feet?”

“What? No, of course not. I just want you to be sure.”

“I’m sure. I’m so sure I will swear on my Heisman.”

I gasp. “No, that’s sacrilege. Football gods, he’s kidding.” I shake my head. “There shall be no swearing on that trophy for any reason.”