Monroe’s tears slow. “You think he’d listen to me if I tried to tell him now? Because he wasso mad.Some of the guys from the team came out of their rooms and saw it all. It was so bad, Scarlett.”
She turns to me, her face splotchy from her tears. “So. Bad. God, it was like I was standing outside my body, just watching myself freak out. I was embarrassed for myself, but I didn’t know how to stop.I love him, and now I’m going to lose him.”
I wish I could tell her she’s not going to lose him, but I don’t know Nate well enough to say that. Instead, I hug her tighter.
Thankfully, Gabriel says exactly the right thing. “Ask him for five minutes. Tell him you need to explain something. He’ll listen. You might only get this one chance, so don’t waste it. Be real. Be honest. Tell him why you went crazy. Lay it out and explain.”
She snuffles one more time. “You think he’ll forgive me?”
Gabriel shrugs. “No clue, but it’s worth a shot. Talking about your shit goes a long way toward avoiding situations like this.”
Monroe nods slowly, and Gabriel and I lock eyes over her head. I’m almost positive that he’s thinking about his past, and what he needs to tell me.
Whatever it is, Gabe, we’ve got this.
Besides, after last night and Moses, I’m getting caught up to speed pretty damn quickly already.
Monroe straightens her shoulders, as if moving one muscle at a time until her spine is straight and her chin is lifted. “I can tell him. I can do this. He’ll listen to me. I can apologize. This can work.” Her words sound like a mantra.
I squeeze her hand. “You’ve got this, babe. Do you need some time to pull yourself together before you go?”
She shakes her head. “No, I need to do this before I lose my nerve. I’ll text you. Hopefully after the makeup sex,” she adds with a watery smile. “I really do love him. I’ve got to make this work.”
“You will. Love you, girl.”
She presses a kiss to my cheek. “Love you too. And we’re not done talking about you and him.” She jerks her chin at Legend. “Take care of my girl, okay?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he replies with a hint of that Southern drawl that slips out every now and again.
“Okay, now I’m going straight home before I wuss out.”
Monroe dashes away as quickly as she arrived, leaving me, Gabriel, and Roux in the kitchen, staring at the door as it closes behind her.
Ten
Legend
“She’s like a hurricane,isn’t she?” I say as Scarlett walks toward me and threads her fingers through mine.
“Something like that. You give damn good advice, ace.”
I smile at her nickname attempt. “I thought we were going withstud?”
She smiles. “I’m still working on it. I’ll find the perfect one. Just wait. But, seriously, I couldn’t have given Monroe that advice. You told her exactly what she needed to hear.”
“I’ve got a dick.” I shrug. “I know what I’d do if I were her man. But since she doesn’t have a dick, I shared some insight to help her see the bigger picture.”
“Well, you nailed it. This might be the one thing that could actually save their marriage.” Scarlett’s head tips to the side and she beams up at me, looking sweet as pie in her robe.
“I hope so. But if not, she’ll learn for the next time, hopefully.”
“I don’t want to think of Monroe heartbroken and going through yet another divorce. So I’m going to be optimistic.”
“You do that,” I tell her, leaning in to kiss her nose.
When I pull back, Scarlett meets my gaze. “You know you can tell me anything, right? Nothing you say to me will change how I feel about you.”
I study her face, framed by strands of blond hair floating down from her messy bun, and instantly, the thought that popped into my head when I was talking to Monroe Grafton comes back to the forefront.