Brandon's Notebook (A TMMM Bonus Material)

Journal 18: Can I Say Badass?

A/N: Hi everyone! Thanks for catching up on Brandon's newest journal entry. This covers chapters 18-20 in TMMM, during Charlotte's catastrophic brunch party with the Championettes. Hope you enjoy.

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My life, in the past few days, could be mildly termed as heaven.

Jake has called me disgustingly happy a couple times and I was in such a good mood I couldn't even bring myself to cuff him in the head for that. He won't get it until it happens to him.

And because I've been in such a magnanimous state, I thought I could forgive anything.

Apparently not because I'm seething right now.

First, there's Simone's call.

First of all, I'm surprised that Charlotte even told me about it. There had been nothing stopping her from answering the call and just telling Simone to go to hell. I haven't cut her out of my life completely although after the incident at the engagement party, I know it's wiser to at least avoid her company whenever possible.

Seeing Simone doesn't really affect me in any certain way—definitely not the way it used to. I see her and I just... well, see her.

You can call it indifference, I guess. But it was more for Charlotte's sake that I'd just rather keep out of her way.

Not that Charlotte has anything to worry about. But she'll worry about it anyway.

I know this because even after Charlotte's admission, and after knowing, even without the words then, that she only felt this way about me, it didn't stop me from wanting to wring the neck of any guy who got too close to her.

Anyway, I wanted that conversation with Simone to be as brief as possible because I suspected it was going to sound very much like our last phone call—her telling me to get out of this 'charade' with Charlotte. I thought maybe she would change tactic this time and blackmail me into leaving Charlotte if I didn't want the truth to come out.

I was prepared for that. I don't care if it comes out. If not for the very likely possibility that Charlotte is going to be horrified, I would rather it came out. Then it will give me a chance to make it very publicly clear that Charlotte and I have come a long way since we first struck our deal.

This was no marriage of convenience. Nor is it a business arrangement.

There was nothing that convenient about our set up and neither of us were in it for the money anymore.

We're here together even if it's hard and complicated for the price of keeping what we unexpectedly found with each other.

I didn't get a hold of Simone. I just left her a message. I was happy not to hear back from her. With a busy week ahead, I never even thought of her again.

Finally, the Championettes deemed my wife acceptable to their sassy little club and officially made her a member.

What utter garbage.

Charlotte didn't need the Championettes—not when she can build her own charity group bigger and far more well-funded than that of Boston's spoiled sorority.

Sure, that makes me sound like an arrogant ass but my wife is someone I will never stint my pride on so whatever. Arrogant it is if it means doing what is well within my power, and my money, to give Charlotte.

But I did't say or do anything because I knew it would mean a lot to Charlotte to get back in there and prove every single one of them wrong. She can handle it. Besides, she's got an ally. Melissa may be a nice woman but she's from a family as old and as rich as the very rock Boston sits on. She would make a very compelling champion for my wife.