“It was kinda fatherly, though,” I mused.
Dakota chuckled. “It’s weird, right? There’s no denying he and Natalie are the mom and dad of the group. I guess when you have that many kids, it comes naturally.”
As we drove through the dark streets of the Indianapolis suburbs, the events of the evening crashed down on me.
“Nix is gonna press charges,” I said softly.
Reaching for my hand, Dakota gave it a squeeze over the center console. “The guys will take care of it. You’ll see.”
I wasn’t so sure.
“Braxton was worried about me losing my job after sleeping with Maddox. I might be the one who costs him his.”
Dakota put the car in park when we reached my house, and the headlights of a vehicle stopping behind us illuminated the interior. There was no doubt that Braxton had followed us to take his girl home.
What I wouldn’t give to have a thoughtful guy take an interest in me for once. I only seemed to attract the duds.
Maybe I should have been more discerning when it came to men. I was too eager, gave up too much too soon, and they didn’t respect me. I was simply reaping what I sowed.
“You want me to sleep over?” she offered, handing me my keys.
“Nah.” I shook my head. “Go home. I’ll see you tomorrow at the game.”
Her lips twisted like she was unsure if leaving me alone was the right choice.
“Seriously. I’ll be fine,” I promised.
“Okay,” Dakota said on an exhale, knowing I could be as stubborn as a mule.
We got out of the car and hugged once more before saying goodnight.
Stepping inside my house, I locked the front door before sliding down the length of it until I sat on the floor, hugging my knees to my chest.
How did my life get so freaking complicated?
Chapter 16
Maddox
My knuckles were splitopen and bleeding, and I stared down at them as Jenner and Cal shoved me toward the back exit of Pipes. There was a buzzing in my ears, the adrenaline still surging in my veins. For as long as I lived, I would never forget the sight of Bristol’s terrified face as she was pinned helplessly against that wall.
It seemed almost foolish now that I had freaked out over being excluded from the night’s festivities. Braxton had stopped by my office before he left for the day to let me know he wanted a group of his closest teammates from past and present there when he proposed to Dakota. To think I almost punched a wall over it.
As it turned out, I found a much more deserving target for a pummeling.
I was still in shock that Bristol’s ex was a professional player. From the brief interaction I’d witnessed, Levi Nixon didn’t care about her. Hell, he hadn’t listened when she said no or when she asked to walk away. No, he’d used his size to intimidate her, trying to get her to give up the fight and give in to whathewanted.
Almost more shocking than his actions were his words. She was an object to him, nothing more. A soft place to stick his dick when the mood struck for years on end. And I hated that it had taken her asking for something more for him to cut her loose. Who knows how long she would have remained in his clutches if she’d continued to play along, never complaining that he had a steady string of women warming his bed.
Couldn’t she see that she deserved so much better?
The shock of the fall night air did nothing to cool my temper. I was still in a fighting mood. So much so, that when Cal pushed me out of the way so the metal door could swing closed, I turned on him next.
I was mid-lunge when Jenner stepped between us. “Hey!” he shouted. “He’s not the enemy here.”
“Fuck!” I roared. My chest heaved as it struggled to draw in air.
“Take a minute. Walk it off. Then you need to explain what the hell happened.”
