Boarded by Love

by Toni Aleo

  “That’s not fair!” I say, stomping my foot on the ground like a five-year-old. “Please, he really is special to me.”

  “If she cares for him, you should give him a chance!” Reese yells and Phillip cuts her a look that could kill. I don’t think it scares her much because she gives him one right back.

  “I don’t care. Move,” he says, trying to push me out of the way, but it’s obvious he’s not trying hard since I’m not moving much. He probably doesn’t want to hurt me, but I don’t think he realizes that he is by not giving Jude a chance.

  “Please, Phillip,” I basically whisper. “Please give him a chance,” I say hoping that if I ask nicely enough and bat my eyes at him, it will work.

  Looking at me, his eyes locking with mine, and I think I have him, but he says, “No.”

  He then pushes me hard to the side, knocking me out of the way, and he throws the door open without even giving me a side glance. As he steps through, I yell, “But Daddy, I love him!”

  He pauses mid-step and looks over his shoulder at me as Jude goes, “I knew you were my little mermaid.”

  I hadn’t realized he was there, and while I would love to grin at him since I am acting like a very dramatic Ariel, my eyes stay locked with Phillip’s. Taking a deep breath in, I say, “I love him, Phillip, like, a lot. If you love me, then please give the guy I love a chance. He means a lot to me, and I think that you’d actually like him.”

  He doesn’t say anything for a moment, only turns and places his hands on his hips. “You love him?”

  I nod. “Yeah, I do.”

  He looks at Reese and she shrugs her shoulders. “She’s right. If you love her, you have to give the guy she loves a chance, Phillip. It’s only fair.”

  “I don’t give a shit what’s fair. The guy is a delinquent.”

  “Actually I’m not,” Jude says then. “I’m really pretty awesome.”

  “And cocky obviously,” Phillip says and I smile.

  “Yes, very, but I love him,” I say, hoping to God that he gives Jude a chance. Phillip means the world to me, and I can’t have him not like Jude the way I do. I’m not saying he has to pick flowers and paint hearts with him, but I’d really like it if he would at least be in the same room with him.

  Shaking his head, he asks, “How long have you been with this guy?”

  “Almost a month,” I answer.

  “And you love him? Do you even know what love is?” he asks incredulously.

  “Yeah, I do. I learned from you and Reese.”

  I knew that would get him, but maybe I’m wrong because he’s still glaring at me. I’m holding my breath, my heart pounding, and I don’t know how this is going to go. Taking in a deep breath, I let it out as Phillip starts to shake his head. Then his eyes cut to where Jude stands and Jude quickly stands up straighter, his hands coming out of his pockets and dangling to his sides awkwardly.

  He wants Phillip to like him, and I find that incredibly sweet.

  “Fine, what’s your name again?” Phillip barks at him.

  “Jude Sinclair.”

  Phillip steps up to him, holding out his hand. “I’d like to say it’s nice to meet you, but I’m still on the fence about that.”

  “For fuck’s sake,” Reese mutters. “Can’t be nice, can you?”

  Jude takes his hand cautiously, and I don’t blame him, before shaking it in a manly way. “It’s great to meet you. I’ve followed your career since you started playing for the Assassins.”

  Dropping his hand, Phillip cocks his head to the side. “You like hockey? You aren’t one of those froufrou dancer boys?”

  Jude scoffs, “Heck no, I love hockey and I play too. I’m going into the draft next year.”

  “The NHL draft?”

  Jude nods, the smug grin I love on his face, and pride warms my chest. Yup, that’s my man going into the draft. “Yes, sir.”

  “No shit,” Phillip says. “I’m impressed, but I still don’t like you.”

  He then turns and heads to the living room without another word to any of us, and I swear I’m going to kill him. Jude looks at me, and I look at Reese. She shakes her head and then lets out a long breath.

  “Yeah, I got nothing, honey. Your uncle can be such an ass,” she says, heading after him.

  I let out a breath as Jude comes to me, wrapping his arms around my waist. I’m so mad I could cry, but I don’t have time for that. I have to figure out how to get Phillip to give him a chance. He was nice to another guy I went out with – well, I mean, as nice as he could be – but he’s being downright rude to Jude, and I don’t get that. Jude isn’t a bad guy.

  “That went great,” he says, but I can see in his eyes that what Phillip said sort of hurt his feelings, and that makes me even madder.

  I roll my eyes as anger eats me alive. “I don’t get him. I’m sorry. He’s so good to me, but when it comes to me dating, he can be such an ass.”

  “He’s protective and probably hopes to scare me away. But you know what?” he asks and I look up, my eyes meeting his.

  “What?”

  “While I will admit that I’m scared out of my mind of him, I’m not going anywhere. He will like me.”

  A grin pulls at my lips. This is classic Jude: he isn’t a giving-up kind of guy. That’s something Phillip would like if he’d give Jude a chance!

  “That’s good to know. But why are you scared of him?”

  “’Cause he’s probably the only person who can take you away from me,” he says so quietly I almost don’t hear him. “I can’t let that happen, so I’m going to make sure he can at least tolerate me.”

  “He can’t take me away, Jude. I’m yours,” I say with the hope of reassuring him.

  But he’s shaking his head before I even finish the sentence. “No, he can. I know that because I know how much he means to you. Don’t worry, I’ll grow on him.”

  He’s probably right, but I don’t want to accept that. I want to think that I’ll be with Jude for the rest of my life, even if Phillip hates him.

  “But he isn’t even giving you a chance,” I say, letting out a breath, my eyes itching with tears.

  “Don’t worry your pretty little head about it – it will work out.”

  Running my hands up his chest to his neck, I lace my fingers together and bring him down to where my lips almost touch his. Looking deep into his eyes, I smile and can’t believe how much I love this guy. The fact that he’ll face my uncle even though he’s scared of him speaks volumes about him and also makes me feel like a complete asshole. I wasn’t strong enough to say no to Ms. Prissy and the money she offered. Instead, I caved and now I’m continuing to lie to the person I love. While I know it’s wrong, I just can’t seem to tell him. I need the money, and hopefully I can get through this last month and after that quit and never look back. But sometimes when I get lost in his green eyes, I wonder what he would say if I told him. I wonder if he would love me enough to accept it.

  Bringing his lips to mine, I close my eyes tightly and let the kiss show how much I love him. I’m about to deepen the kiss when I hear, “Yeah, you kissing her in my house isn’t going to help me like you.”

  Parting, I find Phillip watching us, and of course, he’s glaring.

  “Sorry, sir,” Jude says then, taking a good step away from me.

  I roll my eyes and let out a breath as I stomp toward Phillip. “I am so mad at you,” I say as I pass him.

  “You’ll thank me one day,” he calls to me.

  “The hell I will,” I say, whipping around to look at him. “You claim to love me, that I mean the world to you, but you can’t even give Jude a chance. That’s screwed up.”

  “I do love you, Claire, more than anything in this world, but this guy is not it for you.”

  “How do you know? You haven’t even talked to him!”

  “’Cause he’s dating you,” he says like it answers all.

  He’s so frustrating! I want to strangle him!

  “I love
her,” Jude says just as I’m about to say something. I look at him and Phillip does the same as Jude walks up beside me, lacing his fingers with mine. “And I know that means nothing to you. I know you see me as some punk kid off the street, but I am actually a good guy, and I love her so much. I don’t ever want anything bad to happen to her. I would like nothing more than to have the opportunity to prove that to you.”

  I squeeze his hand, and he looks down at me as I smile. When I glance at Phillip, he’s looking at us, shaking his head. I think he’s going to say something amazing, like “Yes, Jude, I accept you,” but instead he says, “Dinner is ready.”

  As he heads to the kitchen, I shake my head and say, “What an ass!”

  Jude kisses my jaw and then whispers, “It’s going to work out.”

  Pulling back, I meet his gaze. “I hope you’re right.”

  “Aren’t I always?”

  He gives me a goofy grin and I laugh. “Sure,” I say offhandedly and then pull him to the living room where we discard our jackets before heading to the dining room. Phillip is sitting at the head of the table, his phone out, as Reese brings out the food.

  “Do you need help?” I ask and she shakes her head, sending me a grin.

  “No, babe, I’m done. Y’all have a seat,” she says.

  Jude pulls out my seat for me, and I look to see if Phillip saw that, but whatever is on his phone must be very important. “Thank you,” I say, giving him a wide grin as I sit down.

  He squeezes my shoulder and then sits in the seat beside me which is also across from Phillip. When Reese is finally seated, Phillip says grace and then we dig in. Nothing is said as we all prepare our plates, but then Jude says, “I love breakfast for dinner. It’s great, Reese.”

  She smiles proudly. “It’s Claire’s favorite meal.”

  Jude smiles back at her. “Yeah, we eat a lot of Waffle House.”

  I grin as I pour syrup all over my waffle before taking a huge bite. Looking up, I see that Phillip hasn’t touched his food; he’s staring across the table at Jude. I look at Jude, but he doesn’t seem to notice. He’s eating, not paying any attention. I kick Phillip under the table, and I glare when his gaze meets mine.

  “What?”

  “Stop staring,” I mouth and his scowl deepens.

  Leaving my gaze, he looks back at Jude and says, “So the draft?”

  Jude looks up from his plate and nods. “Yes, I have four teams looking at me now.”

  “Must be pretty good then,” Phillip says, cutting his waffle and sausage up before mixing them together and drenching them in syrup.

  “I think so,” Jude says.

  “He’s really good,” I say. “Reminds me of you – he has a good game. You should come Friday, watch him play. I’m dancing too.”

  “Oh, that sounds like fun. Doesn’t it, Phillip?” Reese says brightly.

  He gives her a look and then shrugs. “I guess.”

  “We will be there,” Reese says with a grin. “Remember we have the wedding rehearsal that morning, though.” Both Phillip and I groan, and she says, “Oh, shut up, I told you it won’t be bad. Take ten minutes, tops.”

  “I’ll be there,” I say, and Reese smiles at me before taking a bite of sausage.

  “So what are you going to school for?” Phillip asks, looking straight at Jude.

  He takes a swig of his orange juice and then says, “Sports medicine.”

  “Are you going to keep up with it once you get picked up?”

  Jude shrugs. “Not sure yet. My mom wants me to.”

  “You should. I did, and I like the security I have in case something happens.”

  “Thanks for the advice. I’ll consider it.”

  “You should,” Phillip says and then he crosses his arms. “Your family lives here?”

  “Yeah, about an hour from here. My brother goes to school with me. He plays too and then also our younger brother. My older sister is going to design school.”

  “How long have you played?”

  “Since I was old enough to skate. My dad played.”

  “That’s good. The NHL is no joke, though. So you need to be ready. Be strong, work hard.”

  Jude nods, and I can tell he’s hanging on every word Phillip says. “I plan to.”

  Phillip nods and I thank the heavens above that he is actually talking to Jude. Yeah, it’s something so impersonal like hockey, but then again, this is what they are: hockey players. I knew that would be the one thing to bring them together, and I trust that Phillip is giving him a chance. When I glance at Reese, she seems to be just as happy as I am, a grin sitting on her face. Reaching out, she takes his hand in hers, and when he glances at her, she smiles and mouths, “Thank you.”

  Phillip shrugs and then glances at me. I do the same, and he smiles before taking my hand in his. I never thought that another man could protect my heart the way Phillip has, but as I look from him to Jude, I know that my heart is safe with him.

  After dinner, I figure that we should leave. Not only do I have to work tonight, but I want to leave on a good note, and so far things are good. Let’s just hope they stay like that and hope that Phillip hasn’t been pretending he likes Jude just to make me happy.

  “Come back anytime, Jude. This was so much fun,” Reese says, and I don’t miss the look Phillip gives her.

  “I’d love that. Thank you for having me. I look forward to the wedding this weekend,” he says, and I smile as he places his hand on the small of my back. Holding his hand out to Phillip, he says, “Thanks for having me.”

  I hold my breath as I wait for Phillip to take it, and finally he does, shaking it as he says, “It wasn’t that bad. I still don’t like you, though.”

  I want to punch him dead in the throat, but before I can, Jude goes, “I’ll grow on you, ’cause I’m not going anywhere.”

  Phillip’s eyes become slits, and it’s almost like he’s challenging Jude. “We will see about that.”

  “I swear to God,” Reese mutters and I roll my eyes.

  “Yeah, we will,” Jude says, pulling me close to him as Phillip continues to glare.

  “And we thought the dinner went well,” I say, pushing him out the door with only a wave to my uncle and aunt. I feel their gazes on us as we mount the bike, and when I glance up, I’m right, they’re watching us. We wave and then we’re off, heading back to campus. I lean my head against Jude’s back as I let out a long breath. I don’t know what Phillip’s problem is, but I hope to God he gets over it and gives Jude a chance. I don’t want to believe that he could break us up, but I think Jude is right. Phillip’s opinion matters, but I know I can’t live in a world without Jude. I know I can’t live in one without Phillip either, so I’m gonna need him to pull his big boy pants on and like my boyfriend.

  When we pull up to my dorm, my legs are frozen again but I don’t mind it much. I love riding with Jude; I feel free when I’m on this bike with him. He takes off his helmet and then gets off before helping me. I take my helmet off as he leans against the bike, watching me.

  “So that went well?” he asks and I laugh.

  “As well as it could, I guess,” I say, letting out a breath. “He’s so damn overprotective, it’s pathetic.”

  “It’s nice ’cause you are worth it.”

  I smile and step between his legs, wrapping my arms loosely around his neck. “Why do you love me, Jude Sinclair?”

  A grin pulls at his lips as he wraps his arms around my waist, resting his chin against my breast as he looks at me. “Because you are the most beautiful person, inside and out, that I’ve ever met.”

  My heart warms as I bring my hands up to cup his face. “Sometimes I feel like I’m not worth it.”

  “Well, I need to work a little harder then ’cause you should feel like the most important person in the world every moment of the day.”

  After I run my thumb along his bottom lip, my eyes lock with his. The words are there and I know I should say them, but how can I risk a love like
this for something that isn’t going to be a big deal in a month’s time? Instead, I ask, “You’ll support me no matter what I do, right?”

  His brows come together. “What do you mean?”

  “Like whatever job I want.”

  He smiles. “You don’t want to be a dancer anymore?”

  “No, I do, but what if I can’t find a job?”

  “That’s crazy. We both know you will, but yes, no matter what, I’ll support you. You wanna work at Wendy’s? I’m down, babe, as long as you are mine. I know that you’ll always support me, so you have my support.”

  Letting out a long breath, I lean my head against his and whisper, “You’re right. I will.”

  “Good,” he says, and then his eyes meet mine. “Why? What’s going on?”

  I shake my head. “Nothing. I’m just thinking about the future.”

  He smiles. “The future is me and you, babe. The world is at our fingertips.”

  Or me alone.

  I smile, not wanting to think that way. I lean into him, brushing my lips slowly along his before whispering, “You’re right.”

  “I know, and I also know I love you, Claire.”

  Closing my eyes, I say, “I love you more.”

  “If you say so, baby.”

  As his lips meet mine, I don’t know why his words and actions aren’t making me feel better.

  Because they should, shouldn’t they?

  Chapter 35

  Claire

  I’m running late.

  So fucking late that I’m embarrassed, but surely Mrs. Sinclair and Jude will understand that Reese’s “ten minute” wedding rehearsal ran over. I swear! How hard is it? Erik and Phillip walk down, then the billions of Assassins kids go, then me, and then Reese and her dad. It isn’t that hard! Jeez! Instead, Phillip and Erik are making jokes and chasing the kids down the aisle, Reese is throwing up because she’s so damn nervous, and I’m standing there, yelling at everyone because I have a lunch date with Jude and his mom.

  It was your typical Assassins wedding rehearsal.

  I should have known better.

  Pulling into the parking lot of Moss, a southern-cooking place, I shut the car off and pull down the visor to reapply my makeup and then do something with my mass of hair that looks stringy and icky. I had a late night, didn’t get to shower, and then having Dimitri and Journey pull and yank on my hair didn’t make it look any better. To top that all off, I drove with the windows down, so it’s safe to say my hair is a freaking mess. I really should have planned this better. I am hopeless.