Liz placed Clay’s phone down on her nightstand before pulling back up Brady’s personal number and clicking Send. She could hear her heart beat in her ears as she waited for him to answer. It rang four times and then went to voice mail. Liz ended the call. She couldn’t leave him a voice mail.

All of that trouble, and he didn’t pick up her call.

She sat on her bed for a solid minute, just staring off into space wondering what the hell her life had become. How the hell had she gotten to this place? All she wanted to do was find a way to make it right, and still she couldn’t do that. She had blown her second chance and didn’t deserve another one. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to fight for that.

Then the lightbulb turned on. Clay’s phone. He would answer Clay’s phone. She would have to do some major explaining as to how she acquired the phone, but at least she would get to speak with Brady.

Liz snatched the phone back off of the nightstand, found Brady’s personal number, and dialed. Her foot tapped anxiously on the floor.

Ring.

She could get through this. She just needed to talk to him.

Ring.

She didn’t know what she was going to say, but it didn’t matter. She would wing it. It was Brady. She had to do something.

Ring.

He wasn’t going to answer. She had done this for nothing . . .

“Clay,” Brady’s gruff voice scolded through the phone, “where the f**k have you been? We’re on lockdown over here. Everyone is freaking out and you just disappear. This is so like you. Why can’t you do one thing that would make someone other than yourself happy?”

“Brady,” Liz whispered into the phone.

There was a pregnant pause on the other line. Her heart skipped a beat.

“Liz?” he breathed in disbelief.

Chapter 25

TALK FIRST

Hey,” Liz said softly. All of the bold words that she had been planning to say to him flitted out of her mind at his smooth, sexy voice.

“You’re calling me from Clay’s phone,” he said, confused.

“Yeah.”

“How did you get Clay’s phone?”

Liz bit her lip. Well, this was going to be fun. “It’s kind of a long story. I had to get hold of you. I really need to talk to you. Can we meet up?”

“What?” he asked, and then seemed to realize what she had asked. His voice turned cold. “No. I think that is a terrible idea. I told you.” He took a deep breath and then whispered, “I told you not to call me again, that I wasn’t going to be there when he hurt you.”

“I know, but . . .”

“I don’t make promises that I can’t keep, Liz. You know that.”

She swallowed. She knew that perfectly well. It was the reason he had never said I love you. Not because he didn’t. That thought pushed her forward.

“I know. I know you did. And I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything. For leaving, for being with him, for telling him, for ruining things, for hurting you.”

“Liz, I really don’t want to hear it,” he said.

“Well, I’m going to tell you anyway,” she cried desperately. “I f**ked up. I didn’t mean for things to happen like this. And I have so much that I need to tell you. Just please, please . . . meet me in person. If you didn’t care about me, then you wouldn’t have broken up with Erin. I know I don’t deserve another chance, but give me one anyway. Please.”

Brady sighed heavily into the phone. “Who told you about Erin? I’ve kept it out of the news entirely.”

“Um . . . Clay,” she whispered. She had so much to explain to Brady. She just desperately wanted to do it in person.

“Why do I have the sinking suspicion that I don’t want to know how you are suddenly this well acquainted with my brother.”

“Clay is . . . whatever. He doesn’t matter. Actually he probably wants to kill me right about now, because I stole his phone,” she mumbled.

“You did what?” Brady cried. “You stole Clay’s phone?”

“I said it’s a long story!”

“You didn’t tell me the story involved theft!” he snapped back.

“Brady Maxwell losing his cool,” she said softly. “How often does that happen?” He remained silent. She could practically see him pacing and trying to calm down after her retort. “It’s because it’s me. It’s me, Brady. I’m the one who makes you lose your cool.”

“You say that as if it’s a good thing.”

“It means there’s f**king passion, and it means you f**king care. If you wanted to end this conversation then you would have done it as soon as you heard my voice. But you didn’t. And I know why you didn’t. It’s the same reason that I haven’t been able to get you out of my head since the day I walked out of the conference room. I tried! Lord knows I tried to forget you, but I didn’t. And I can’t. And I don’t think you can forget me either.”

“What’s the point of all this, Liz?” he asked with a heavy sigh. “We’re not going back to last year.”

“I don’t want to. But I can’t sit here knowing what hand I had in this getting revealed to the public, knowing how you feel, knowing how I feel, and not try to see you. You deserve an explanation. Hell, you deserve so much more, Brady,” she whispered. “Can’t we just start with that?”

“Not tonight,” he said resignedly.

Liz jumped off of her bed. She couldn’t believe it. He was actually going to see her.

“Tonight would be best,” she managed to get out.

“Am I supposed to just get away from everyone?” he asked. It was a rhetorical question, but she sure as hell wasn’t leaving it that way.

“Yes. You’re a f**king congressman. Tell them to f**k off.”

Brady laughed and it was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard. God, how she had missed that.

“I’ll phrase it exactly like that.”

“That’s smart.”

“Heather is going to have a fit when she finds out I left.”

“She’s not your mother,” Liz said, rolling her eyes. She’d had enough of Heather for one night. “Wait, you’re really going to leave?”

The pause made her uneasy. She wished that she knew what he was thinking in that moment. She wanted so desperately to get him to understand, to have a shot at making amends. She wasn’t going to take no for an answer.