Bradford Brawler (Bradford Bastard 2)

Two feet.

I rear back and he braces himself, prepared to take it like a man …

One foot.

CRACK!

My fist pummels against his jaw and the fucker flies back, the momentum from my swing knocking him flat on his ass. I shake out my hand as he grunts in pain, our other teammates watching as they make their way to their cars.

Hudson doesn’t curse me out, doesn’t try to fight back, simply accepts it like a fucking man as he gets to his feet and spits a mouthful of blood onto the pavement.

“How long?” I question, not needing to clarify what I’m asking him.

He blows out a heavy breath, swallowing the remaining blood in his mouth as he stands tall and meets me eye-to-eye. “Two years, give or take,” he says, his stare unwavering, giving this conversation the respect it’s owed.

“FUCK!” I let out a frustrated growl before running my hands through my hair, trying to work through the need to punch him again. I take a moment, trying to calm myself before turning back to him. “You’ve been in love with my sister for two fucking years and you never said a word.”

“Come on, Tanner. You’ve known,” he says, shaking his head, being real with me for once. “You might not have listened to the signs or refused to believe it, but it’s always been there. Especially the last few weeks. I see it every time you look at me. You see it clear as fucking day.”

“I see it,” I agree with him. “But I had no idea you felt that way for two fucking years. How could you not say something?”

“It was never the right time. She’s young, man. She never needed me.”

“Oh, and she does now?” I scoff in disbelief.

“Yeah,” he says, dead fucking serious. “She needs every last person who’s in her corner. Yeah, she’s got you and for now, that might be enough. You might make her feel like she’s safe to sleep at night, but what about when she needs to get it off her chest? When she needs to scream about the fucked-up things he did to her? She’ll never open up to you like that. You’re her big brother, man. She’ll never burden you with those details, and fuck knows you won’t be able to handle it without losing yourself in the process.”

“You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”

“Don’t I?” he says, stepping closer. “Or are you just too fucking self-important to admit that she might need someone other than you?”

“Don’t push me, Hudson. I’ll break your fucking jaw if I have to.” He takes a hesitant step back, and I let out a heavy sigh, trying to approach this rationally. “She’s not ready for this. She barely woke up a week ago. The last thing she’s thinking about is hooking up with you. She thinks of you as a fucking brother.”

“You don’t think I know that?” he questions. “I’m not telling you this because I want to sweep her off her feet and be her fucking hero. I’m telling you this because she needs me. She needs a friend. She needs that one person she can call when her world is crumbling around her. I’m telling you this,” he says, slowing his tone to make it fucking clear. “Because when she wakes up in the middle of the night screaming because she can feel the taint of his hands on her body, I have every intention of being the first one through her fucking door. So don’t insult me by assuming that I’m just out to get my dick wet or that I’d ever try to push her into a relationship she’s not ready for. I love her, Tanner. I’ve been in love with her for two fucking years. I can wait. I’ll wait as long as it takes. Five years, ten. Whatever she needs, but just know that I’m not walking away.”

My hands press against my temples, unsure how to handle this. “Fuck, man,” I say, shaking my head. “Why does it have to be her? She’s my little sister.”

Hudson scoffs. “Trust me, I’ve been asking myself the same fucking question for two years.”

I drop to the ground, my ass hitting the pavement as I lean up against the side of Hudson’s car. “You’re one of my best friends,” I tell him. “I respect you, you’re one of the good ones, and though I don’t want to admit it, I know deep down that you’d only ever want what’s best for her. You’d treat her well and give her the fucking world, and don’t get me wrong here, but you’ll never be good enough for her. No one will.”

He nods, and drops down opposite me, resting his arms against his knees as he gives me a hard stare. “I know,” he says, slowly nodding. “It’s in the way that you’ll never be good enough for Bri. Brielle is an amazing chick, and you’re a rough piece of shit, but for some damn reason, she looks at you and she sees her whole fucking world. I’m going to be that for Addie.”