It was dark out. Who knew how late? Wes was on his eighth bucket of balls at the driving range after a full day of tournament preparations and slipping in a round of shitty golf. He had his sponsor’s exemption, but damn if he didn’t want to prove he deserved to be out there.

Wes could sort of see where the balls were going. At least the trajectory. Didn’t need to know exactly where they landed, as long as his form was perfect and the line and arc of the balls good. He’d been all over the map during this afternoon’s round of golf, and that wouldn’t do for the Tahoe Invitational. He couldn’t fuck it up. No matter how messed up he was after the bombshell Kaylee had dropped on him this morning.

She’d had a miscarriage…and she hadn’t told him. Worse, it had hurt her permanently. Physically, but also emotionally.

Sweat poured down his forehead, his lower back ached, and it felt like a spike was beating the shit out of his head. He gripped the club in his hand, his knuckles turning white. There was no way he could have predicted that avalanche of a secret. And he didn’t know what to do about it. She’d stolen his ability to do anything, truth be told. Because she’d decided he didn’t need to know about the baby. Not that he could blame her.

He had been self-absorbed. And not much had changed. Golf still ruled his world.

Wes positioned another ball and prepared to swing. Kaylee didn’t believe in him. Not enough to tell him she’d lost their child. That lack of confidence…

“Wes.”

His elbow dropped and he spun toward the voice.

Bran lifted his leg over the chain that blocked off the driving range. “What are you doing out here? Your phone dead or something? Levi’s been trying to get a hold of you all afternoon.”

Wes repositioned his club and swept it down and through the tips of the grass, sending the ball sailing into the dark universe. “I got his messages. Everything’s on schedule.”

Bran let out a harsh sigh. “Dude, you can’t drop off the planet. Not now. Not when the club hinges on your part in this show.”

The thing pounding inside Wes’s head turned into a sledgehammer, his chest so tight he thought it would crack. He growled, swung his club in a wide arc, and launched it into the dark and onto the range. He turned to Bran, whose brow was raised. “I can’t take this shit right now!” Wes clutched his head and paced back and forth. “Not. Now.”

You’d think Bran would give him some space, but no, his brother pulled off his ball cap and scratched his head, his dirty blond hair curling up at the ends. “Is it the tournament that’s got you all riled up?”

“No.” Wes’s chin fell to his chest and he pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Then what?”

Wes looked up at the sky, blanketed in stars. “Kaylee. She… I fucked up, Bran. I’m a dick.”

He heard his brother sigh. “You’re not an intentional dick.” Wes shot him a glare, which Bran ignored. “Kaylee knows that, or she wouldn’t have been with you.”

Wes swallowed. “I can’t fix this. And it’s my fault. She was pregnant. In college. I wasn’t there for her and she lost the baby.”

A burning sensation filled Wes’s eyes, and he rubbed them. He wasn’t crying. Losing a chance at the tour could make him cry, but not this thing that had happened a long time ago. No, his eyes were irritated from the grass, that was all.

His brother cursed. “Wes, I doubt you could have changed the outcome. It happens for no good reason to a lot of couples.” There was something in Bran’s tone…

Wes looked over, catching a dark expression he’d never seen on his brother’s face before. “Did it happen to you?”

A beat passed, then Bran nodded. “In high school. It wasn’t exactly the same thing, but I might have been a bigger dick than you back then, if you can imagine it.”

Wes rocked back. How did he not know this? And coming from Bran? Never in his wildest dreams could Wes have predicted those words coming out of his nearly celibate brother. “Why did you never say anything?”

Bran started to pace. “Because I was an utter asshole and didn’t handle it right? Because there was no one to talk to, except Levi, and he would have kicked my ass all over town if he’d known.” He stopped pacing and stared out at the night sky. “She had an abortion.”

Wes turned away. “What is wrong with us? Why are we all screw-ups?”

“We practically raised ourselves. That might have something to do with it. But Levi and Adam give me hope. Those two turned out okay.”

Wes chuckled humorlessly. “Because they met Emily and Hayden, who kicked their asses until they got it together. Adam was no saint, and Levi was as self-involved as the rest of us, until he reconnected with Emily.”

“True.” A small smile crept over Bran’s mouth, and then quickly disappeared. “Is Kaylee okay?”

“No. I’m pretty sure she’s not. She said she was a mess after it happened. That she…” His voice caught. “That she can’t have kids because of it.”

“Jesus. I’m sorry.”

A shred of vulnerability sliced through Wes’s chest. “I don’t know what to do. Don’t know how to fix it.”

“How can you fix what happened long ago? She didn’t tell you about the baby until now, right?”

Wes sank onto the bench behind the range. “She said she didn’t know she was pregnant until it was too late. I was focused on myself and pushed her away.” He looked up. “She was three months pregnant, Bran, and I didn’t know. Hadn’t wanted to know, because my shit was more important. She was sick and I told myself she was fine. What kind of man does that? I loved her more than any woman, and I broke her heart.” He stared down at his hands—large even for a man, refined like his father’s. He’d not been there for Kaylee, just like his father hadn’t been there for him. “Maybe it was my fault she lost the baby.”

Bran rubbed his forehead. “That isn’t how it works—not that I’m an expert. You can’t beat yourself up over something you couldn’t control.”

Wes looked over. “Have you stopped beating yourself up? You’ve changed since high school, yet you barely glance at women.”

Bran pulled his cap back on, his posture stiff. “This isn’t about me. You have Kaylee back. If you want her.”

Wes chuckled darkly. “You ever wonder why I never commit to women?”

“Because you’re a player?”

He gave Bran a hard look. “Because I was so pissed at Kaylee for leaving me, I punished every woman that came after her. Wouldn’t let them in, and I made damn sure they knew where they stood. I blamed Kaylee for everything, and it was never her fault. This whole time, it was me. I was the problem.”

Bran rolled his eyes. “Okay, I’m only going to say this once, because I hate to inflate your ego. You’re a good man, Wes. A gentleman. You never committed to women after Kaylee, but I’ve never seen you be unkind. If you hurt Kaylee, it was unintentional. And given that you’re just finding out about this baby, she holds some blame in how things worked out.”

“No she doesn’t. She went through it alone. And then she found out that she couldn’t have children. I’m responsible for that.” Wes dropped his head into his hands, elbows on his thigh.

“Is there anything I can do?”

“Keep Levi at bay. Tell him I’ve got things under control.” He lifted his head. “Every vendor I’ve spoken to has jumped through hoops to get me what I needed for this event. No one wants to be left out of something this lucrative.”

Bran nodded. “Same here. I’ve got enough outdoor food vendors lined up to feed a small village… All right, I’ll tell Levi I’ve spoken to you. I don’t suppose you want to tell him about Kaylee and the baby?”

“Fuck no. But I’ll let Kaylee know I’ve told you. Sorry to unload. You caught me at the wrong time.”

Bran slapped him on the shoulder. “Always here for you.”

Wes and his brothers might have raised themselves and been independent, but they had each other’s backs. They argued and fought, but were there when Wes needed them.

He stood and scanned the dark. Dumbass. Now he had to go find his favorite club, which he’d pitched into the night. “What time is it?”

“One. Go home and get some sleep. You sure you’re going to be okay?”

No. “Yeah.”

“I prefer Levi’s couch if I’m going to crash at one of your places,” Bran said, “but I’ll sleep on yours if you need someone around.”

“I’m fine. But—have you seen Kaylee today? Does she seem okay?”

“I saw her on the beach with her crew of kids. She’s good with them.”

Of course she was. She should have been a mother… Wes’s throat locked up. “Okay then.” He turned on his cell phone flashlight and headed into the dark for his club.

“Wes. Call me if you need anything. And consider talking to Kaylee. I’m going to take a wild guess and assume you haven’t shared how torn up you are about the baby or what she went through.”

Wes shot him a look over his shoulder. “What do you think?”

“Exactly. So maybe you should. It might make her feel better, and it might do you some good too.”

“Nothing good can come from what I did to that girl.”

“She’s not a girl anymore,” Bran called. “And she might appreciate a man humbling himself. Especially one who still loves her.”

Wes nearly stumbled. The last place he wanted to delve was into his feelings for Kaylee. And how her leaving him had nothing to do with her not loving him and everything to do with Wes not being there for her.

If not for him, they might still be together. And that was something that stripped him raw. Because if he was honest with himself, he’d never gotten over Kaylee.