by M. A. Foster
Leaning over, I smirk and say, “It’s about time you manned up.” And just because he’s Zach and he’s fun to mess with, I point to Justin. “You owe me twenty bucks.”
TWO YEARS AGO, I would’ve said nothing feels better than getting my hands on the ball and running it down the field into the end zone, scoring the winning touchdown.
But you wanna know what feels even better?
Looking out into the stands and seeing my little girl wearing my number on her custom Hurricanes jersey, cheering for me.
That’s what drives the adrenaline through my veins. It’s not the cheering of the crowd or the praise from my teammates that gives me a rush—it’s seeing the excitement on Willow’s face.
Carter’s dad is out of town, as usual, and he’s hosting the after party at his house. My parents aren’t all that thrilled about it, but I arranged for Carter’s little brother, Smith, to hang at our house with Aiden. After kissing Willow good night, I walk down to Carter’s house to make an appearance and to check on Jay.
Zach pulls up to Carter’s with Brad hanging his head out the window and Justin in the back seat.
“Dude, did you see that score?” Brad hollers as he hops out of Zach’s Jeep. “We slayed their asses, Mackenzie.” He rushes toward me, bending at the knees and tossing me over his shoulder, slapping me on the ass. Brad’s always the one who’s the most pumped up after a game.
“Put me down, fucker.” I laugh as he lowers me to my feet and the four of us make our way around to the backyard.
Carter’s backyard is packed with Heritage Bay students dressed in Hurricane jerseys. The crowd parts as Brad, Justin, and I make our way to a few empty patio chairs. Climbing on top of them, we begin pumping our fists in the air, chanting, “Hur-ri-canes,” our classmates joining in. I spot Jay standing on the patio and, after hopping down, I make my rounds, stopping along the way to exchange a few fist bumps and slaps on the back.
Suddenly, a pair of arms are around my neck and a familiar mouth is pressed against mine. Parting my lips, I slide my tongue against Ashton’s, kissing her hard as my hands move under her skirt to squeeze her tight ass.
I shouldn’t be encouraging this.
It’s not Ashton’s lips I want to kiss, her ass I want to squeeze.
I should pull away, but I’m horny and I just played a hell of a game.
I need to let off some steam.
Breaking off the kiss, I grab Ashton by the hand. “Come on.” I lead her inside, passing Jay on the patio, who’s talking to Grayson.
WALKING OUTSIDE, I notice Jay is gone and so is Grayson. I spot my friends gathered at the far end of the covered patio. Zach is perched on the arm of the outdoor sectional, looking distracted as he scans the backyard, probably searching for Jay, while Chelsea is beside him talking to Justin.
“You guys seen Jay?” I ask, slightly panicked. I’m supposed to be looking out for her.
“Jay?” Chelsea’s gaze flicks between me and Zach. To me, she asks, “Your cousin?” Then she turns to Zach. “She’s here?”
Zach narrows his eyes and nods slowly.
“She left,” Lexi informs me as she and Evan walk up.
“She left?” I pull out my phone. “I can’t believe she just left without telling me.” Pulling up Jay’s number, I type out a quick text. Where r u? “Are you sure she left?”
“Zach, why didn’t you tell me she was here?” Chelsea asks.
“Why, so you could act like a bitch to her?” Justin bluntly calls her out.
“Shut up, Justin.”
“Yo, Mackenzie, if you’re looking for Jayla, she just took off with Grayson,” someone calls out.
I turn to Evan, who’s smirking at Zach, and narrow my eyes. “Your brother better keep his fucking hands to himself.”
Evan laughs. “Bro, it’s not his hands you should be worried about.”
Jay’s not dumb enough to fall for Grayson’s shit. I hope.
My phone buzzes in my hand with a text from Jay. At Mac’s with Mom and B.
Stuffing my phone in my pocket, I say, “I’m out.”
“Me, too.” Zach stands, ignoring Chelsea’s protests. “Come on. I’ll give you a ride home.”
“Where is she?” Zach asks with a hint of irritation in his voice as he pulls his keys from his pocket and makes his way to the driver side of his Jeep.
“She’s at Mac’s,” I tell him, climbing into the passenger seat. “You two need to fix your shit. I’m sick of looking at your mopey ass.”
Zach pulls into my driveway. “I’m going to Mac’s,” he says to me as I push open my door and climb out. “I’m going to get my girl back.”
“Good.” I shut the door. “Try not to screw it up this time.”
SOMETHING SOFT TICKLES the underside of my chin. I don’t need to look to know it’s Willow settling in for her morning cuddles.
Curling my arm around her, I press a kiss to the top of her head. “Good morning, pretty girl,” I coo. “Did you have good dreams?”
“Mmm-hmm.” I can always determine her mood by the tone of her mmm-hmms. Today is gonna be a good day. “I go see JJ,” she demands, somehow sweetly.
“JJ’s not home,” I lie. I have no idea what Jay’s plans are, but I don’t feel like doing shit today. Before she has time to pitch a fit, I offer another option. “Do you want to go swimming?”
Her head pops up, nearly clipping me in the chin but I jerk back in time. My reflexes have improved over the past two years after too many head butts to the face. “Yes!” she squeals, crawling off the bed. “I get my babin’ suit,” she announces as she runs out of the room.
Chuckling, I throw the covers back and head to the bathroom. An hour later, Willow and I are in the pool.
“Co, wash me,” she calls out before she jumps off the side of the pool and disappears under water. She pops right back up, gasping for air and wiping the water from her proud face and giggles.
“Wow,” I exclaim. Willow loves to swim, and I wonder if she’ll take after my mom. Like I said before, the Mackenzies are athletes.
“I do again,” she announces as she paddles over to the step and climbs out.
The patio door opens and Aiden appears in the doorway. “Yo, can you give me a ride to the batting cages?” he asks.
“Yeah, give me ten,” I reply, thinking it will take me at least five minutes to coax Willow out of the pool.
Turning my head, I scan the pool and all the blood drains from my face when I see a single floaty rocking on top of the water and a head of dark hair bobbing just under the surface.
I didn’t even hear the splash.
“Willow!” I scream as I dive under water and swim toward her. The force of the water makes it feel like I’ll never get to her.
Wrapping my arms around her tiny body, I bring her to the surface to find Aiden at the edge with his arms out. “Give her to me,” he demands, pulling her from my grasp.
When my parents first had the pool put in about five years ago, Mac insisted we all learn pool safety and how to perform CPR. I never once thought we’d need to use it since we all knew how to swim. Until Willow.
Grabbing the side of the pool, I pull myself over the edge, my heart almost beating out of my chest. I crawl over to where Aiden has Willow laid out as he performs CPR on my helpless baby. She finally throws up what seems like a gallon of water before she releases a strangled cry.
She’s freaked out.
I’m freaked out.
In one quick swoop, I have Willow in my arms and I’m heading for the door. “Aiden, go grab my keys, wallet, and phone and meet me in the car.” I slide my feet into my flip-flops and snag Willow’s bag off the table before heading for my SUV.
“SHE’S GONNA BE fine, Cole,” Dr. Graham tells me after she finishes giving a Willow a thorough checkup. “Her lungs are clear.”
“You did good,” Mac adds, turning to address Aiden.
On my way to the emergency room, I called Mac and explained what happened.
He insisted I go straight to the medical center instead and he’d meet me there.
Blowing out a breath of relief, I drop down in an empty chair, propping my elbows on my knees and holding my head in my hands. The adrenaline I’ve been running on for the past hour wears off and the fear of what almost happened today takes over.
“Cole,” my mom’s gentle voice comes from somewhere in the room.
In a rush to get Willow to the hospital, I forgot to call them. Aiden must have. Aiden. If it weren’t for his quick thinking, the outcome could’ve been so much worse.
“Shhh.” She presses her hand to my back and moves it in a circular motion. It’s her way of soothing. She’s been doing it since I was a baby.
“I’m such a fuck-up,” I cry.
“Don’t you dare talk like that,” Mimi’s voice breaks in. Suddenly my hands are pulled away and Mimi’s cupping my face. “You are not a fuck-up. You are an incredible young man and an amazing father.” Tears roll down her cheeks. “I might give you shit for thinking with your little head instead of your big head, but I can’t hold that against you. You get that from your grandfather.” Mac bristles from behind Mimi and a small smile tugs at her lips. I snort softly. “You take everything thrown at you and handle it like an adult. You. Are. Not. A. Fuck-up. You are a Mackenzie, and I am so proud of you.” She lets go of my face and wraps her arms around my head, hugging me to her. “I love you, honey.”
“I love you, too, Mimi.”
MONDAY MORNING, ZACH walks into the locker room, grinning as he drops a hundred-dollar bill in my lap. “Best bet I’ve ever lost.”
At least someone had a good weekend. Though based on the goofy smile on his face, I’d rather not hear the details.
After the scare that took nearly ten years off my life, I spent the rest of the weekend watching Willow around the clock as she ate, slept, and played. Sunday, I took her back out to the pool and expressed to her how important it is that she never jumps in unless I’m watching her. I’m not sure how much of what I said she comprehended, but I’m confident that the events of that day will be on both our minds for a very long time.
Chuckling, I pass the bill back to Zach. “Keep your money. That was a bogus bet. I was messing with you.”
“What about the others?” He jerks a thumb over his shoulder toward the door where our teammates are filtering into the locker room.
I shake my head. “They were just going along with it.” I laugh. “I’m glad you two worked your shit out.”
“Me, too.” He blows out a sigh of relief as he drops down on the bench beside me and props his forearms on his thighs. “It was definitely a weekend of revelations.”
“What do you mean?”
He laughs once and shakes his head. “I don’t even know where to start.”
“Start somewhere,” I snap impatiently, and Zach gives me a look. “Sorry.” I drag my hands down my face. “Rough weekend.”
Zach’s expression turns to concern. “Everything okay?”
Leaning forward, I rest my forearms on my thighs. “It is now. I’ll tell you later. So what happened with Jay?”
Zach tells me that the reason Jay blocked him a year ago was because Reagan intercepted a phone call from her. Reagan told Jay that she was Zach’s girlfriend and to stop calling him. So Jay blocked him.
I don’t blame her. I would’ve done the same thing.
But now things are starting to make sense.
“HEY, HARPER,” JAY calls out as she catches up to me in the student parking lot. “You’re not working tonight, right? You wanna come to the game with Lexi and me?”
“Thanks, but I’m hanging out with my boyfriend tonight.” It’s Labor Day weekend and the first Friday I’ve had off since I started working at Mac’s. Josh is supposed to be back in town. He’s been out of town for weeks, dealing with some management issues at his club in Ft. Lauderdale, but he’s called me almost every night before bed to check in.
“Well if you’re free on Sunday, I’m having a barbecue at my house,” Jay continues. “I’d love for you to come.” She leans in and lowers her voice. “Bring your boyfriend if you want.”
Not a chance.
Josh is usually gone by noon on Sundays, though I’m not sure if that will change after being away for so long. “I’ll see if we can make it. Text me your address.”
“TALKING BODIES” VIBRATES through the walls as I step through the back door of JC’s. “Hey, sweetheart,” Tony, one of the bouncers and Josh’s right-hand man, greets. “How you been, girl?” He wraps his big arms around me. “How’s school?”
My ex-coworkers believe I left JC’s to go back to school full time. It’s not exactly a lie, though it’s high school.
“Great.” I pull back and look up at him. “How you doin’?” I say, doing my best Joey Tribbiani impression.
Tony chuckles. “Better now that I got to see your pretty face.” He wiggles his brows. He’s such a flirt.
I snort a laugh. “Is the boss man in his office?”
“Sure is.” He waves me off. “Go on back.”
“Thanks.”
“Don’t be a stranger,” he calls out.
“I won’t.” I smile over my shoulder as I approach Josh’s office.
Josh’s door is closed, which isn’t unusual; because of the bass thumping through the walls, it’s hard to hear, much less get any work done. I don’t bother knocking before opening the door. Josh is leaning back in his desk chair with his hands clasped behind his head, smiling up at a woman situated between his parted legs and his desk.
The woman is wearing the required short black wig, a burgundy and black lace corset, booty shorts, and fishnets. She’s leaning back with her hands planted behind her on the desk, and one of her stiletto-covered feet is propped up on his chair in the space between his thighs.
I’d have to be an idiot to think this is just an innocent meeting with an employee. Josh is so entranced by this woman that he hasn’t even noticed the rise in the noise level coming from the club as I stand in the open doorway. I tap lightly on the door as I push it all the way open and step into the room. Both pairs of eyes snap to me in surprise.
“Hey, babe,” Josh greets, standing from his chair. My gaze drops to the erection he’s sporting in his dress pants. “What are you doing here?” he asks, walking stiffly over to me, clearly trying to hide it.
My gaze shifts to the woman who is now standing up straight, wearing a guilty expression and looking everywhere but at me.
“My study group was canceled. I thought I’d surprise you.” I tighten my grip on my purse strap. “I guess my plan worked.” I stiffen when he embraces me and kisses me on the mouth.
I don’t kiss him back.
Josh pulls back with a frown and turns to the other woman. “Tiffany, you can go.”
She nods once before brushing past us with her head down, out the door without a backward glance.
Once Tiffany is out of sight, Josh asks, “What’s wrong?”
I jerk my head back and curl my lip. “Seriously?”
He takes a small step back, shoves his hands in the front pockets of his dress slacks, and raises his brows. “Yes.”
“I’m not an idiot, Josh. I know what I saw.”
“I didn’t touch her,” he declares.
“Not yet.” I gesture to his erection. “But if I hadn’t shown up, you would have. Admit it.”
He exhales through his nose and lowers his head. “No. I don’t know. Maybe.”
At his confession, my heart free falls into the pit of my stomach. I knew there was no way a girl like me could keep a man like Josh happy forever. “Tell me the truth, Josh,” I demand. “Do you want her?”
“Jade,” he says in a soft tone, reaching for me.
“Don’t.” I take a step back.
“I swear I haven’t touched her, but if you want the truth, I’ve thought about it.”
“And if I hadn’t shown up tonight?” I ask, my voice trembling.
> He takes in a deep breath. “I was tempted. I’m sorry.”
“Okay.” I nod, fighting back the tears. “I appreciate your honesty.” Blowing out a shaky breath, I turn for the door.
“Where are you going?” He grips my elbow but I jerk it away.
“You just admitted that you wanted to screw that woman,” I reply incredulously. “And if I hadn’t shown up here when I did, you’d probably be screwing her on your desk right now.”
“I said I was tempted. You asked for the truth and now you’re pissed? I didn’t cheat on you.”
“But you would have!” I shout.
“But I didn’t!” he shouts back.
“Well lucky me.” I throw my hands up in the air, then let them fall by my sides with a smack. “I showed up just in time to stop you from sticking your dick in another woman,” I say, poking him in the chest. “You’re free to do whatever you want because I’m done.” I turn to leave, but Josh’s hand shoots past me, slamming the door closed.
With his hand firmly planted flat on the door, he leans down, his mouth close to my ear. “You’re not done,” he growls as he grabs my arm and spins me around to face him. “You asked me to tell you the truth. I did. And now you’re ‘done’? So, what, you’re leaving me? Where are you gonna go? The loft is mine. Everything in the loft is mine—”
“Then I’ll move out.” I shove at him and he stumbles back a step.
“The hell you will.” He charges forward and I instinctively step back, right into the doorknob. Squeezing my eyes closed, I scream out in pain, arching my back.
“Fuck, Jade. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—” He takes a step toward me.
“Get away from me,” I cry, and Josh pales.
The door swings open and I stumble to the side as Tony fills the doorway. His eyes move to me. “You okay?”
“She’s fine,” Josh answers.
“JC, dude—”
“I said she’s fine!”
“She’s not fine.” He turns to me. “You okay, sweetheart?”