Miranda's DANGEROUS NEW LOVE WHAT SHE DOESN’T KNOW
She’s fallen hard for a hunky New York cop with a shady past His hidden engagement, cheating & broken promises PLUS! THE SECRET PHONE CALL TO BLAKE!
On Feb. 16, Miranda Lambert dropped a bombshell: She’d quietly wed NYPD officer Brendan Mcloughlin — a man no one knew she was even dating. They’d met Nov. 2 (the same day she performed at Good Morning America’s studio near Brendan’s precinct) and on Jan. 26, they tied the knot in Tennessee. “I met the love of my life,” Miranda gushed. “Thank you Brendan Mcloughlin for loving me for…me.”
Or does he? Just days later, some began to question the motives of the stud from Staten Island, N.Y. From his seeming penchant for seeking the limelight to revelations that he cheated on his last fiancée and got another woman pregnant just last year, Brendan isn’t as squeaky-clean as he might appear at first. Now Miranda can’t help but second-guess her whirlwind marriage. “Brendan didn’t come clean to Miranda about everything — she knew about the baby, but not the cheating,” an insider reveals exclusively to Life & Style. “If I were Miranda, I’d definitely feel tricked. He kept more than a few things secret from her.”
UNCOVERING THE TRUTH
For someone who’s just 27, admits a source, “Brendan has a lot of baggage.”
That ’s an understatement to the woman who was almost his mother-inlaw. Brendan “led a secret double life,” Carol Bruno — whose daughter, Jackie, got engaged to Brendan last spring after nearly two years of dating — alleges to Life & Style. “He was at my house eating dinner with [Jackie’s] father and I, while his pregnant baby mama was at his place.”
It was the other woman, lawyer Kaihla Rettinger, not Brendan, who eventually told former pro soccer player Jackie about the pregnancy. “Kaihla sent a DM,” recalls a source close to Jackie, who immediately dumped the cop. But Brendan didn’t go quietly. “He cried to her,” says Carol, “begged her to stay with him. Brendan said he would go to counseling, that he wanted
Jackie to help him raise the kid.” She refused.
On Nov. 5 — just three days after he met Miranda, 35 — Brendan welcomed son Landon with Kaihla. “He named his son after Jackie’s idol: soccer player Landon Donovan,” accuses Carol. “That’s pretty sick. Jackie and Brendan had even discussed possibly naming their future child Landon. I don’t think the baby mama knows that.”
It ’ s likely Miranda doesn’t know about Brendan’s name game, either. Kaihla, who happily spent Thanksgiving with Brendan and their new bundle of joy, according to Instagram pics, also was seemingly unaware of Brendan’s relationship status with the country singer. “She had no idea Brendan married Miranda until Miranda posted it on Instagram,” says the source close to Jackie. “The mother of his child found out just like the rest of the world did.”
For some, it may not seem surprising that he moved on from Kaihla to Miranda — Brendan appears to enjoy the spotlight. He’s a part- time model who’s garnered attention from celebs and Youtube viewers alike for his good looks and dance moves while on patrol (see sidebar). “He is a phony,” blasts Carol. “I hope Miranda was smart enough to get a prenup.”
NEWLYWED FREAK-OUT
Of course, Miranda, who’s worth a reported $ 45 million, is no saint herself. Her former boy- friend of three years Jeff Allen Mcmanus claims she dumped him over the phone in 2005 to be with Blake Shelton — who himself was married when he fell for Miranda. Their own union ended 10 years later in divorce, after which the songstress quickly jumped into a relationship with another fellow musician, Anderson East, 30. It was announced the pair had split last April after rumors started swirling of Miranda’s involvement with married Turnpike Troubadours frontman Evan Felker, 34, who had opened for the “Gunpowder & Lead” singer on tour two months earlier. Miranda and Evan broke up in August, just days after his divorce from wife Staci was finalized.
Still, the revelations that came out about Brendan after they’d tied the knot shook his new wife. “Miranda said she felt overwhelmed,” notes the insider. “She kept asking herself if she rushed into the marriage too soon and was she tricked by Brendan?” So she reached out to someone who arguably knows her better than any other man in the world does: Blake, 42. “Miranda needed advice and could only think of one person who would understand her,” explains the insider. “She called him, but had second thoughts and quickly hung up before he even picked up.”
Her former partner of 10 years — who was reportedly just as shocked to hear of his ex’s wedding as
fans were — didn’t let Miranda off the hook so easily, though. “I was told Blake saw the missed call and called her back,” reveals the insider. “He congratulated her on the wedding news and asked how she was. They ended up having a long catch-up session. It was actually really nice. They both wish nothing but the best for each other.”
FOR BETTER, FOR WORSE
The honeymoon period might’ve ended sooner than Miranda expected. But the singer’s focused on making her commuter marriage — she’s based in Nashville for the time being; her husband in NYC — work. “Miranda isn’t the happiest about everything that’s come out,” notes the insider, “but she does love Brendan.”