Unexpected Rush (Play-By-Play #11)

by Jaci Burton

  Shit. He reached out for his friend. “Drake. It’s not like that.”

  Drake slapped his hand away. “Fuck you. It’s exactly like that. I can’t believe you. I thought we were friends.”

  Barrett mentally counted to ten. His friendship with Drake was important, and he didn’t want to get into a fight with him, but Drake wasn’t seeing things clearly.

  “This is between Harmony and me. It always was. We wanted to keep it between us at the beginning. I’m sorry that hurts you. That’s not what I intended.”

  “No, I know exactly what you intended. You intended to screw her, then screw over our friendship by not telling me you were seeing my sister. Hell, you didn’t even ask me what I thought about it. What the hell, man?”

  Barrett threaded his fingers through his hair. “It really was between Harmony and me. I’m telling you now.”

  “You’re telling me too late.”

  Now Barrett was angry, and he knew it was the wrong thing, but goddammit, he didn’t need to ask Drake’s permission to date Harmony.

  He stood. “Look. I know you’re pissed, and you have a right to be because I should have talked to you about Harmony when things first started up between us. But I didn’t need to ask your permission to see her.”

  He started to approach, and Drake shoved him.

  And that was enough. Barrett shoved back.

  He was trying so damn hard to keep his cool. “Come on, man. We don’t need to get into this.”

  Drake had a fistful of his shirt in his hands. “Fuck you, Barrett. You know what? I trusted you, and I don’t trust a lot of people. Damn you for violating that.”

  “You can fucking let go of me now.”

  The door flew open and everyone spilled out, from his teammates to Mama Diane to the last person he wanted out here—Harmony.

  “Drake,” Harmony said. “What the hell is wrong with you? Let him go.”

  Drake sent a scathing look to Harmony. “Stay out of this.”

  Their teammates got in the middle of them and pulled them apart.

  “It’s okay,” Barrett said to them. “It’s okay. We’re okay.”

  “Leave me the hell alone,” Drake said to the other guys.

  But Harmony didn’t leave him alone. She shoved at Drake’s chest. “Are you out of your mind?”

  “What is wrong with you, Drake?” Mama Diane asked. “Barrett is your best friend.”

  “Is he? Ask him what he did to Harmony.”

  Mama looked over at Barrett, then to Harmony. “What is he talking about?”

  “Could we please not do this in front of . . . everyone?” Harmony asked.

  “All of you, go inside,” Mama Diane said, shooing them with her hands. “This is family business.”

  After she cleared the patio, she stood between Barrett and Drake. “Now, talk.”

  “He’s screwing Harmony,” Drake said.

  Harmony rolled her eyes. “It’s not like that, Mama.”

  “It’s exactly like that,” Drake said. “And it’s been going on for months.”

  “I told you that’s not how it is, Drake.” God, this had been such a bad idea. He should have gone to Drake’s house to have this discussion. They might have gotten into a brawl, but at least Harmony wouldn’t be embarrassed. “What happened between Harmony and me shouldn’t have been your business in the first place. I didn’t need your permission to do anything with her.”

  Drake lunged for him, but Harmony stood between them. “This is ridiculous. It’s not the Dark Ages. I do not need you to come between me and any man.”

  “He’s not the right one for you,” Drake said.

  “Drake,” Mama Diane said, her voice low and warning. “Mind your words.”

  “Really,” Barrett said, deciding he’d had just about enough. “And what makes you think that?”

  “Because any man who would screw his best friend’s little sister has no honor. And she’s just as bad as you.”

  And just about became more than enough. He moved around Harmony and went for Drake, pushing him against the wall and pinning him with sheer force of will and strength. “Do not ever fucking talk about Harmony that way again.”

  Drake threw a punch, connecting with Barrett’s shoulder. He felt the shock of pain, and retaliated with a punch of his own to Drake’s head. Drake shoved him hard and he fell, and suddenly Drake was on top of him.

  He didn’t hear anyone else. It was only him and Drake rolling around on the ground together, shoving each other but not getting any more punches in, since they both had death grips on each other.

  He finally heard Mama Diane yelling, and suddenly their teammates were on them, pulling them apart.

  The first thing he saw when he was pulled up off the ground was Harmony, tears streaming down her face. Her friend Alyssa had her arms wrapped around her.

  Barrett pulled free of his teammates, but it wasn’t Drake he wanted to go to. It was Harmony.

  “Harmony,” he said, but she took a step back.

  Drake went toward her as well. “Hey, baby sis. Don’t cry. This asshole isn’t worth it.”

  She held up both hands and shook her head.

  “Stop. I’m sick to death of both of you.” She looked at Drake. “If you weren’t so obsessively overprotective, Barrett and I wouldn’t have had to hide our relationship this entire time and none of this would be happening.”

  Then she turned her attention on Barrett. “And if you weren’t so afraid of ending your friendship with Drake, you might have actually had the balls to face him and tell him we were seeing each other.

  “I don’t even want to look at either of you right now.”

  She turned and went inside. Barrett saw her grab her purse, then she and Alyssa left.

  Mama Diane turned to Drake. “For God’s sake, Drake. What is wrong with you? Your sister is a grown woman more than capable of running her own life. You need to let it go. It’s time to let her go. I’m ashamed of your behavior toward your sister and your best friend.”

  Then she turned to Barrett. “Harmony’s right, you know. This is not the way someone who claims to care about my daughter should act. I know you love my son. No one has been a better friend to him than you have. But this.”

  Mama Diane shook her head. “You handled this whole situation poorly, Barrett. I’d like you to leave now, while I have a few more words with Drake.”

  He’d never once been asked to leave Mama Diane’s house. He felt like someone had shot a hole in his heart.

  For more reasons than one.

  With a short nod, he walked inside, then out the front door, feeling like he’d just lost an entire family of people he loved.

  And the woman he loved right along with them.

  Thirty-Five

  Barrett went home, but he didn’t feel settled. He needed to talk to Harmony.

  He called her, but she didn’t answer. He texted her, but she didn’t answer his texts, either.

  No way was he going to leave town tomorrow without seeing her, so he got in his SUV and drove over to her town house. When he knocked at the door, Alyssa answered.

  “She doesn’t want to talk to you right now, Barrett.”

  He inhaled, then let it out. “I just need five minutes.”

  Alyssa opened her mouth as if she had a very definite opinion about him needing five minutes, but then she just shrugged. “I’ll ask her.”

  She shut the door in his face.

  He waited, pacing the small front porch until the door opened again. This time, it was Harmony.

  “What?”

  Wow, she was really mad. He deserved it.

  “I’m sorry. Can I come in?”

  “No.”

  He raked his fingers through his hair. “Harmony, I don’t want to do this on the porch. Please.”

  She sighed. “Fine.”

  She opened the door and he stepped in. Alyssa stood just behind Harmony, arms folded like a warrior bodyguard.

  “Alyssa,
” Barrett said. “Can we have a minute, please?”

  Alyssa looked over at Harmony, who gave her friend a short nod.

  “I’ll be upstairs. You holler if you need me.”

  Alyssa gave him a look that told him not to upset her best friend, then went upstairs.

  “Can we sit down?” Barrett asked.

  “I’d rather stand. Plus, you’re not staying long.”

  Okay, so it was going to be like that.

  “I’m sorry. I picked the wrong time and place to talk to Drake.”

  “You think? You knew he wasn’t going to react well, and to do it in front of my mother?”

  “I know. I need to have a conversation with your mother—to apologize to her.”

  “No, I’ll have a conversation with my mother. I think you’ve done enough.”

  “Fine. Then I’ll talk to Drake.”

  “Right. Because that went so well the first time.”

  He threw up his hands. “What do you want me to do, Harmony?”

  “I don’t want you to do anything. No, what I want you to do is turn back the clock, man up and tell my brother we were together when we were first together, like you should have.”

  “You know that wasn’t the right time.”

  “Why wasn’t it the right time? Because you just wanted to fuck me then, and if it didn’t work out, then your friendship with Drake wouldn’t have been tested? What about me, Barrett? What about my feelings? You’ve been hiding me away like some ugly secret for months now, and I’ve gone along with it because I thought you and I might have something worth working toward. But you know what? I’m done with that. And I’m done with you.”

  Cold dread settled in the pit of his stomach. “You don’t mean that. And I told you before I never thought you were an ugly secret. We agreed—”

  “We never agreed. I reluctantly settled because that was the way you wanted it. But no more. If you’d cared about me, if you’d respected me, none of this would have happened. I’m done.”

  He reached out for her. “Harmony, there are things I need to tell you.”

  She held out her hand. “I don’t want to hear anything else you have to say. Please leave.”

  He heard the finality in her voice. The tremble and the hurt. He hated to have been the one to put that pain there. And by the words she said, it sounded a lot like “this is over.”

  He wanted to say the words, to convince her he loved her, but she looked so hurt, her arms wrapped protectively around herself, that he knew anything he said right now would roll right over her.

  She wouldn’t believe him. She wouldn’t hear him.

  In a lot of ways, she was just as stubborn as her brother, especially when her back was up.

  Now wasn’t the time for a declaration of love. First he had to fix the damage he’d caused.

  He turned and walked out the door, feeling like the absolute asshole that he was.

  He had to find a way to make this right.

  Thirty-Six

  Harmony had spent the past two days feeling absolutely miserable. She’d held on to the anger all day Friday, which had gotten her through the workday in one piece.

  By Friday night, the anger had dissolved and the hurt had wedged its way in, followed by miserable tears.

  She hated crying over Barrett. He so wasn’t worth it.

  But he was. She loved him. She didn’t want to love him, but she did.

  She also highly disliked him at the moment.

  Along with her brother.

  Deciding not to think about the male gender at all, she’d brought paperwork home and was buried in spreadsheets and pretty designs when her doorbell rang. She knew it wasn’t Alyssa, because although her best friend wanted to camp out with her and hold her hand through this, Alyssa had to work today and Harmony had refused to let Alyssa take the day off to hold her hand.

  She didn’t need handholding. She could get through this.

  She went to the door, surprised to see her mother there. She’d talked to her mom on the phone and assured her she was fine.

  “Mama. What are you doing here?”

  “I came to see my baby girl. Is that all right?”

  “Of course it is. Come on in.” She hugged her mother and brought her into the living room.

  “Do you want some iced tea?”

  “I’d love some.”

  Harmony fixed two glasses of iced tea, then sat on the sofa next to Mama.

  “Now,” her mother said. “Since you’ve been avoiding me with all that ‘I’m okay’ nonsense, why don’t you tell me how you really feel?”

  She sighed. Mothers really did know best. “I’m miserable. I miss Barrett, even though I’m so angry with him.”

  Her mother patted her leg. “Of course you do. And why didn’t you tell me about the two of you?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I kept waiting for the right moment. And that moment just never came around. Until he and Drake got into that awful fight.”

  “Well, yes. And your brother. He and I had words.”

  “Did you?”

  “Yes. I made it clear that the head of the household has always been me, and that while I appreciate him being protective over you, that nonsense has to stop. You’re not a baby anymore and I’m tired of seeing him act like a bully. And if he doesn’t stop this behavior he and I are going to have more than just words next time. It’s a pattern, and an ugly one and I won’t have it from my son. I think I got my point across this time.”

  “Thank you for that.”

  “But as far as the rift between Drake and Barrett? I’m afraid the two of them will have to fix that.”

  She shrugged. “I don’t even care anymore. Barrett should have told Drake about us right from the start. Or I should have. I don’t know.” She rubbed her forehead where a dull ache had made its home for the past day.

  “It’s complicated. You have two men who have been friends for years. And trying to date a best friend’s little sister is complicated.”

  Her lips curved. “That’s an understatement. Especially where Drake is concerned.”

  “Give the two of them time and space to make things straight with each other, and don’t interfere in that. You and your brother have to get right with each other, too.”

  Harmony nodded. “I know that. And we will. Eventually. I’m just so mad at him right now.”

  “And you have a right to be. But you two will fix things.”

  “I’m sure we will—eventually.” Mama wouldn’t allow anger to fester between Drake and her. She’d have to make up with him. But not now.

  “And how about you and Barrett?”

  She teared up just thinking about it. “It’s over.”

  “Why is it over? Because he and Drake fought? Honey, that’s nothing to break up about.”

  “Because he waited too long to tell Drake about us. Because he felt it necessary to keep us a secret. Because . . . I don’t know. I guess because he didn’t put me first.”

  Her mother nodded. “I can understand that. You have a right to be mad as a poked hornet about that. Maybe Barrett’s just not the one for you.”

  “Oh, he was the one, Mama. I love him. That’s why this hurts so much.”

  Her mother sighed. “Baby girl, my heart hurts for you. I hope you and Barrett can work this out. God knows I love that boy.”

  Mama pulled her into her arms and held her. It didn’t matter how old she was, there was nothing better than being held by her mother. She took comfort in the solid embrace. It might not fix things, but at this moment, she felt loved.

  And for now, that was good enough.

  Thirty-Seven

  The game against Dallas hadn’t gone like Barrett had wanted it to. Offense had been stagnant, putting up only seven points. Defense had been crusty, slow on getting off their marks.

  He and Drake, not even speaking to each other, hadn’t been in sync and it had showed.

  He’d tried to talk to Drake at practices
and before the game and Drake wouldn’t have it. Every time he’d approached him Drake had walked away.

  The tension had been noticeable even to their defensive coach, who had told them both that whatever was going on between them needed to be resolved, and it sure as hell better not affect their game play.

  Barrett wasn’t sure if that’s what had accounted for their shitty game against Dallas, but it definitely hadn’t helped.

  They’d lost, fourteen to seven.

  He hated losing, especially a game that was close enough they could have won.

  He needed to fix things between Drake and him. He needed to fix a lot of things.

  He drove to Drake’s condo on Monday. It was an off day, and he knew that if he let this simmer between them it was only going to get worse. He rang the bell, and Drake answered.

  His expression was still one of anger.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” Drake asked.

  “We need to talk.”

  “I got nothing to say to you, man.”

  “Then you can listen and I’ll talk. We’ve been friends since college. We’ve been teammates for four years. I love you like a brother, Drake. Don’t let this come between us.”

  Drake opened the door to let him in. That was a start.

  He walked in and Drake shut the door. What happened next would be telling.

  “You want a water?”

  For the first time in five days, that tight band around Barrett’s chest started to loosen.

  “Yeah. Thanks.”

  They walked into the kitchen and Drake pulled two waters out of the fridge, then handed one to Barrett. He opened it and took several long swallows to coat his nervous, parched throat.

  “I owe you an apology,” Barrett said. “You were right when you said I should have respected you enough to come to you and tell you when Harmony and I first started dating. You and I have been friends a long time, and I should have trusted that you would be open and understanding, and know that I have enough respect for your sister to never mistreat her.”

  Drake nodded. “That’s right, you should have known that. You’re not one of those assholes she typically dates. You’re my best friend. You would never hurt her.”