Even though he’d sworn he’d never let himself think a long-term relationship with a woman was in his future, now he was thinking how wrong and short-sighted he’d been. Nor did he imagine telling that person about Naomi, and the reason she resided in a home. The fact, in his mind, he was referring to Cassandra as long-term shocked the hell out of him. But he couldn’t deny the truth of the words.

In the months since Rio, the last thing he’d ever thought he’d do was fall in love. But that’s exactly what had happened. Cassandra was the polar opposite of the women he usually slept with. She had a career. She wasn’t the type to fawn over him. From the little she’d told him, she’d been married, something he needed to find out more about.

It would be so easy to start questioning her about her past relationship. Anything to get the spotlight off him. But he knew he couldn’t, not if he wanted to go forward and consider having a future with the woman sitting beside him, if she even wanted to consider a relationship with him. He needed to be nothing but honest with her, which meant continuing to talk about the darkest event in his life. No matter how much it hurt.

“Dean and I first met when we started swimming lessons when we were seven. At the time of the accident, I’d known him most of my life. We shared everything.” He closed his eyes and tried to bring up Dean’s face in his mind. So many years had passed and it was getting harder and harder to remember what he looked like. “As for an investigation, yes, there was one. I was cleared of any wrong doing. The dead deer on the road was a pretty good indicator of what had happened. And the reason it was kept out of the press was because of the size of the town I lived in. We didn’t even have a newspaper because everyone knew everyone and there was never a need for one. You could go down to the diner and hear all the news you wanted. The closest town to us had a newspaper, but they didn’t report on the accident because there had been a major incident at one of their big manufacturing facilities that day. All their focus was on that story.”

“I guess it’s lucky there was no coverage about it. It would’ve been brought up over and over otherwise.”

“I should be happy there was no press. But it still doesn’t make me feel any less guilty. It’s like it’s the town’s dirty little secret. My lapse in concentration changed the fate of one family. Do you know how hard it is to live with that? To wake up every day knowing that I can do whatever I want. Follow my dreams, when Dean and Naomi can’t.”

And that’s what cut the most—Dean had wanted to be an Olympian more than Brett had. Naomi had wanted to be an animator. Work at one of the film companies, specializing in animated movies. Brett knew she would’ve made it, too. Her drawing skills at sixteen had been amazing.

“I don’t think your old hometown thinks it’s a dirty little secret. I think they’re probably proud of your achievements.”

“Which achievements are you talking about?” he scoffed. “Having the worst Olympics ever? Not swimming to my potential? Creating scandal after scandal? Yeah, I have so many things to boast about.”

“Survivor’s guilt is one of the hardest things to deal with. It makes you do things you would never normally do. Have you considered that’s why you act the way you do? Why you do things that will paint you in a bad light?”

She came at him with the truths he’d buried deep and never truly acknowledged, except on occasions, and then he was so ashamed of what he was doing, he ignored it, and went back to the bad behavior.

Now, answering her questions, acknowledging that she was spot on with her observations…he wasn’t ready for that.

As if she knew she’d hit a nerve, Cassandra rubbed her hand up and down his arm, the action soothing his frazzled thoughts.

God, how he hated talking about that night. Every word cut deep, like a knife sliced right through his soul.

He couldn’t do anything except shrug in answer to her questions.

“Have you spoken to someone about it? Did you have counseling after the accident?” she persisted.

Brett went to move off the couch, agitation biting at him to start moving. Cassandra halted his escape attempt by placing her other hand on his jean-clad leg.

He sighed, the flight instinct leeching out of him. “Yeah, I had some. My parents made me to go. But talking about it isn’t going to bring Dean back or return Naomi’s life to her.”

“No, you’re right. It won’t change what happened, but it could help you move forward. The person I see sitting in front of me is not the person you’ve shown to the public. Even on the show, you don’t wear the arrogant-I-don’t-give-a-fuck-what-you-think-of-me-Brett-Hunter mask you wore in Rio and after Rio. Aren’t you tired of being two people?”

Damn, she was good.

How could she see what even his parents hadn’t seen? It was time to face the truth.

“Yes,” he whispered the admission. “Yes, but in my mind, I don’t deserve the good things in life.”

In a rustle of fabric and movement, Cassandra moved so she straddled him. He grabbed her hips as her hands cupped his face. “Oh, Brett, yes, you do. You do deserve the good things life has to offer. You’re not a bad person. If you were, you wouldn’t go see Naomi every Sunday like you do. You wouldn’t do whatever is possible to keep the press from knowing about her and intruding on her life. Can’t you see that?”

“She’s my best friend’s little sister. I would do anything for her. I never meant to hurt her. Who knows what might have happened between us. I had a crush on her before the accident. I think she only saw me as another annoying brother. That’s why, when they buried Dean, I made a promise to myself, and to him, that I would look after her. That I wouldn’t let anything hurt her ever again. I would protect her with my life.”

“And you are. You’re doing everything you promised. But I don’t think Dean would’ve wanted you to sabotage your own life. You need to stop punishing yourself, Brett.” She kissed his forehead, an innocent gesture. “And there’s no shame in asking for help.”

Brett pulled her close and buried his face in the warm softness of her neck. As much as he wanted to rail against what she was telling him, he knew it was the truth. Hadn’t he already been getting tired of making headlines before he started working with Cassandra? Perhaps being dumped by Powerz was meant to be. In all the time he’d been their client, they hadn’t done very much to try to get him to improve his image. Then again, he probably wouldn’t have been open to it at the time.

“Maybe.”

“You can trust me with this, Brett. I won’t tell Frank the reason behind your visits.”

“How are you going to do that?”

“I’ll work something out. Trust me. I won’t hurt you or Naomi. You have my word.”

While he wanted to believe it would be possible for the truth not to come out, he wasn’t holding out hope that Frank wouldn’t pry the information out of her. No matter how confident she sounded that she could keep his biggest secret away from Frank, out of the press and off the internet.

“Let’s not talk anymore,” he said. All he wanted to do was lose himself in Cassandra, and find the bliss he’d found there a couple of hours ago.

Tomorrow he could look at taking the necessary steps to deal with his past.

Cassandra was right. It was time to start healing.