Exposed: New Adult Sport Romance (The Boys of Winter Book 5)

by Violet Vaughn

  Chapter 26

  I force myself to stop crying when I get to the shop. I don’t have time to deal, and my friends don’t need to see me like this. I swipe at my face and sniff before pulling the heavy door open.

  Jason’s laugh is the first thing I hear, and it helps. It’s hard not to smile around him, and I walk toward the group. Kaleb and Nick came too, and my stomach sinks when beer bottles clink in a cooler as Kaleb reaches for one.

  Meagan asks, “Where’s Trevor?”

  “He’s still at the Gold Pan.” I sniff again and hope people think it’s because of the cold.

  Lori asks, “He took you there?”

  Casey says, “What’s wrong with that boy? I guess he doesn’t want to get laid any time soon.” But her frown says she’s not amused.

  “Yeah, he wanted me to meet his friends.” I shrug it off and say, “Looks like you got a lot done. What’s left?”

  “We finished tagging and set up the accessories. It’s looking good in here.”

  Chains tinkle in my hand as I look over the pendant display Lori did. I can’t think straight because my mind is racing about Trevor, so instead of pulling out more mindless projects I can easily finish tomorrow, I decide we should be done with work. “I think I need a break from everything. Anyone want to stay and have pizza with me? My treat.”

  Neal’s booming voice carries from Rhinestone Cowgirl as he comes toward us. “I’ll help you get it. What does everyone want?”

  I smile at my savior, because if my friends didn’t stay, then I would have plenty of alone time to be upset about Trevor. I’m hanging on by a thread to my sanity as it is, and a long crying jag over my love life would be counterproductive.

  ***

  The strong smell of garlic and slightly burnt cheese is usually seductive, but right now the aroma of Tony’s Pizza is turning my stomach. I must have made a face, because Neal asks, “Are you okay?”

  His warm hand is rubbing between my shoulder blades, and it would be so easy to lean against him and snuggle into the arms I’m sure would wrap around me. “Yeah, it’s been a long week. I think I’m just tired.”

  “My little introvert probably needs a lot of quiet to get back on her feet, doesn’t she?”

  That’s definitely part of my problem. Right now I want to crawl into a cave and not deal for a few days. I glance up at him. “Am I that transparent?”

  “You are to me, but I like to think I’ve gotten to know you a little better than most.”

  I offer a weak smile. “I’ll be fine. I have all day tomorrow to twirl around my store and get ready without any noise or people.”

  He grins back. “You know I can picture that twirling. Promise you’ll do it again for me sometime?”

  I hit his stomach with the back of my hand. “You’re teasing me.”

  He grips both of my arms lightly and lowers his voice. “Not really. I like the playful Ruby. A lot.”

  His tender words make my eyes start to water, and I blink back tears as I remember to take the compliment. “Thank you.” I’ve got to pull myself together if kind words are about to make me cry.

  A girl’s voice calls Neal’s name, and we both take stacks of pizza boxes in our arms. It’s only a short walk back to the store, but the heat seeping through the bottom of my stack is almost too hot by the time we return.

  Dinner with my friends was a good idea. I enjoy the easy camaraderie and find myself laughing. I even manage to eat a piece of pizza, and by the time things wind down, I’m back to my mellow self.

  Nika and I gather up bottles, and the antiseptic scent of baby wipes is in the air as Casey insists everyone wash the grease off their hands to keep the clothing clean. I’m chuckling when a heavy pounding sounds at the front door. Everyone stops talking to look, and I walk toward it, still holding bottles in my hand.

  Neal grabs my arm. “Let me.” I fall back so I’m behind him when the lock clicks, and he opens it to Trevor.

  Trevor stiffens and looks past Neal toward me. “So this is what you rushed back for? To drink with your partner?” His voice is slightly slurred, and the pizza in my stomach becomes heavy.

  He pushes his way by Neal to stand closer to me, and I begin to answer, “No—”

  He grips my arms, and the strong odor of alcohol blasts me in the face when he says, “What’s next? You gonna cheat on me to get even?”

  “Trevor, please. I wouldn’t do that. I’ve forgiven you.” His fingers are digging into my arms, and I try to step back.

  “Nice. But I don’t believe it. I haven’t forgiven you.”

  Neal grabs him by the shoulder and pulls him away from me. His voice is stern. “I think you need to leave.”

  “Yeah, I’ll bet you’d like that. She’ll burn you too, you know.” He taps his head and says, “She keeps everything up here. It’s all secrets with her.”

  Jason has come over, and he speaks in a low voice as he holds his arm. “Hey, bro, we should go.”

  Kaleb takes his other arm, and they lead him toward the door. “Come on, time to leave.”

  Trevor stumbles and tries to twist back. He calls over his shoulder. “Ask her about the baby!” His face is red, and spit comes out like venom with his words as a wave of nausea passes through me.

  The muscles in Kaleb’s back are rippling under his tight tee, as his voice gets louder. “You’re done. Let’s go.”

  Trevor’s mumbling as the guys yank him out of the shop with the well-practiced ease of bouncers, and I begin to tremble at the last things he said on his way out. “You don’t know her…” I have no doubt the whole story is coming out of his mouth as they drag his drunken butt home.

  Shit. Nothing like having your dark secret laid right out there. What the hell am I supposed to do now? I turn to the counter, and the bottles thud when I set them down. I blink back tears and turn to my friends.

  Nika says, “Ruby—”

  I hold up my hand. They’re all looking at me, and I might as well be naked. I guess my happy little circle of friends is about to learn more about me than I ever planned. “I should explain.”

  Nika shakes her head. “No, you don’t have to explain a thing to us, Ruby. Whatever it is, we’re on your side.”

  Neal is behind me and starts to rub my back. He says, “We don’t need any explanations.”

  I step away without glancing back. “I need to tell you. Jason and Kaleb will know anyway, and I’d rather you hear it from me.”

  I imagine Neal’s disappointment as I focus on the girls. “Junior year of high school I got pregnant with Trevor’s baby. There was no way I would consider an abortion, and my mom whisked me away to Breck where nobody knew me.”

  I fiddle with the hem of my shirt and drop my gaze. “My mom homeschooled me for senior year. I had the baby and gave it up for adoption and never told Trevor. When I saw him again, I knew I had to make that right.”

  When I lift my eyes Megan steps forward and pulls me into a tight hug. “Oh, honey, that had to have been a tough time in your life.”

  I can’t help myself. Her immediate acceptance opens the floodgates, and hot moisture rolls down my cheeks. Within moments, Nika’s handing me tissues. I step back, and the flimsy paper is soft on my skin as I wipe my nose and force my tears to stop.

  Casey says, “Your mom’s pretty awesome.”

  I smile, but I still can’t look at Neal to see his reaction even though he has moved behind the girls, so I keep him in the distance as I focus on Casey’s face. “Yeah, she is. She saved me from a lot of humiliation.”

  Lori says, “You know, some of us have skeletons in our past, too. I think I speak for everyone here when I say we aren’t judging you for what happened.”

  Neal says, “I think what you did was courageous.”

  I glance over at him, and his gaze is sincere. Heat spreads through me, and I feel my cheeks flush. How could I have not known he would accept this about me?

  “No, I was a coward not telling Trevor. I shouldn’t hav
e kept it a secret.”

  Casey says, “Well, after that recent display I’m pretty sure it would have been ugly. I might not have told him either.”

  Meagan hits her, but they both smile when they see I am. I say, “Yeah, I think it’s safe to say we’re over.”

  Lori says, “We should go.” Nylon swishes as she gathers coats and hands them out. She hugs me. “We’ll be here for the grand opening Friday night.”

  Casey says, “Oh, yeah, free champagne gets me every time.” She embraces me quickly and whispers in my ear, “I think you were brave, too.”

  They leave through Rhinestone Cowgirl, and Christian and Nika walk them out. I turn to Neal. “Thank you for being so understanding. You haven’t known me very long, and it means a lot to me that you’re not horrified by what I did.”

  “I wasn’t just trying to make you feel better. I really do think you’re courageous. It couldn’t have been easy to go through with a pregnancy and give your child away.”

  I sigh. “It wasn’t.”

  Neal is close to me now, and he tips my chin up so our eyes meet. His cheekbones are prominent, and they beg to be sketched. “Mistakes in life happen. It’s what we do about them that matters. You do the right thing, and that impresses me.”

  Yet again tears threaten to fall. But this time I don’t fight them when Neal pulls me against his chest. Because with him, I don’t need to be strong. I only need to be me.

  Chapter 27

  Neal says, “Now I remember how I know you.” We’re at Ruby Raines, and he’s about to show me how to use the cash register. I’m a little anxious today expecting a call or text from Trevor since I haven’t heard from him since last night.

  My tea is lukewarm when I sip it, and I remind myself I want to buy a microwave for my office space. “What?”

  “I met you a few years ago. I use Anna Devine for tailoring, and you pinned my pants for me once. He reaches over and tweaks the pencil in my hair. “You were beautiful, and I remember thinking you’d be a fun mother.”

  I worked for Anna when I was pregnant. I snort. “How could you know that from the fat version of me?” I try to remember him but can’t. Probably because I was anti-male anything at that point in my life.

  He winks at me. “It’s the hair. You had takeout wooden chopsticks in it that day. I knew you didn’t take yourself too seriously.”

  “Ah, what the random things in my hair mean is that I’m forgetful and don’t bring anything with me most of the time.”

  I glance at the cash register that’s similar to the one at Rhinestone Cowgirl. “Tell me this isn’t much different than what I know, please?” I’m feeling a bit brain-dead today and am not sure I can grasp anything complex.

  It beeps when Neal hits a key and the cash drawer slams open, making me jump. He shows me how the machine works, and fortunately there’s nothing difficult about it.

  Neal asks, “Do you have a lot left to get done today?”

  I wander over to the clothing display, and the fabric of a skirt is slippery in my hands as I arrange the ruffles. “Not really. I got unexpected help yesterday, and I only need to tweak things and set up for the opening tomorrow. The sales girls are coming tonight for a quick training on the register and to see the clothes, but that’s it.”

  He’s leaning against the counter with his arms crossed and doesn’t seem too in a hurry to go anywhere.

  I ask, “Is there a reason you’re hanging around?”

  “I don’t have much to do today. I blocked it off to help you.”

  I squint at him because something is off about his voice, and it hits me. “Wait a minute. You’re here to keep me safe in case Trevor decides to show up, aren’t you?”

  He opens his arms and turns his palms up. “Yes. Sorry, but after last night, I don’t trust the guy.”

  I sigh and walk over to him. “He never hurt me, Neal. I don’t think he ever would.”

  “Oh, Ruby, he did hurt you. Maybe not physically, but from what he said last night, I know he cheated on you. And there must have been a good reason you didn’t trust him enough to tell him about the baby. If I had my way, he’d never be around you again.”

  “It’s sweet that you care, but I’ll have to talk to him eventually. We haven’t officially ended things.”

  “I can’t help but worry. He makes me want to protect you.”

  “Thank you for that, but I’m sure I’m fine here.” I lean against the counter and bump against him. “You can stick around if you must, but I’m going to put you to work.”

  “Don’t you always?”

  I grin as I push off the counter and walk toward the back of the store. “Yes, I believe I do. C’mon. We’re going to make the office a pleasant place to work.” That’s saying something, because right now it’s a catchall for random things that I’m not sure where to put.

  At lunchtime, Neal refuses to leave me alone and sends me to Down Under to get us food. I walk up to the bar, and because it’s still early in the season, the restaurant isn’t very busy, so I get the bartender’s attention right away.

  Cola fizzes over ice as she talks to me. “You must be Ruby. I’m Bianca.”

  Bianca has the kind of body that makes me want to design corsets for her. She’s tall, with slim hips and luscious breasts, which she’s showing off in a tight, button-up shirt. “Hi. Nice to meet you.”

  “Neal can’t stop talking about you. It’s nice to be able to put a face to the name.” She hands me a paper bag. “Here you go.”

  I put a ten down on the counter for her. “Thanks!” My feet pounding up the steps echo slightly off the tile lobby walls, and I wonder what Neal says about me. I assume it’s good by the way Bianca smiled.

  My phone dings in my pocket when I get to the top of the stairs, and I pull it out before going outside. I tense because it’s a text from Trevor.

  “Baby, we need to talk. I’m so sorry.”

  I hit call and step outside so my words don’t echo throughout the lobby. The phone rings as I set the bag down on top of a covered garbage can. After I yank my coat around myself Trevor answers.

  “Hey, whatever you do, don’t yell. I feel like shit.”

  “I bet.” I kick at a chunk of ice and watch it bounce into the street.

  “I’m so sorry. I had too much to drink and said things I shouldn’t have.”

  “You did.” I don’t want to make this easy for him as I used to, but I can’t seem to help myself. “I had to tell everyone about the pregnancy because I figured you told Jason and Kaleb.”

  “Oh.” He sighs heavily, and I picture him rubbing his chin. His voice gets soft. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

  My tone is bitter. “No. You shouldn’t have. Lucky for me, my friends don’t think I’m a horrible person.” I sigh too. “But I think you do.”

  “No. I really don’t. You disappeared last night, and I thought you might be mad. When I saw Neal I kind of lost it.”

  “I didn’t disappear. I thought we were on our way out, and you got sidetracked by shots. Don’t you remember?”

  There’s a pause, and he says, “Well, yeah, but I thought you’d wait for me to walk you back.”

  “You’re kidding. You thought I would want to watch you do shots when I needed to get back to work?” A couple is walking past me and turns at the way I raised my voice.

  “It didn’t take long, and you could have had one too.” A hint of pleading is in his voice, and I refuse to let him reel me in and feel as if this is somehow my fault.

  I huff. “I think that’s our problem right there. I didn’t want to and can’t imagine I will in the near future. I don’t party anymore. And you do.”

  “Yeah, what happened to you?”

  I grew up. I recall all the times he thought something was wrong with me because of my introvert ways. Trevor never understood how I craved being along or needed quiet. I’m not going to try to change that for him like the old days. “It’s just who I am now. Look, we gave it a good tr
y, but I think we’re too different to make this work. I’m sorry.”

  “Right. I’ve been thinking the same thing. I need someone who wants to have fun and isn’t so serious. You couldn’t let loose last night. You’ve got your shop, and that’s more important than being with me. I need to be more. You know?”

  We’re really doing this over the phone? Yes, somehow it seems appropriate. “Yeah. I do.”

  “What we had was pretty hot though, right?”

  He’s such a guy, and I can’t help but chuckle before I say, “Yeah, it was.”

  “So can I be tacky and say, let’s be friends?”

  I think he was going to end things with me if I hadn’t brought it up first. I step out of the way of a group of girls that are too busy talking to notice me. “Yup. Let’s be friends.”

  “Cool. I’m gonna go.”

  “Okay, bye.”

  I pick up the bag of lunch and hug it against my chest. Sadness settles over me as I walk slowly. I’m not heartbroken over our relationship not working, but I do feel a sense of loss for what was. Trevor was my first and only love, and he’ll always have a special place in my heart. But that place stopped aching a long time ago, and I can pull off the bandage now, because I think I have my closure.

  Chapter 28

  Neal is on his phone when I return. Paper rustles as I take our lunches out of the bag and set them on the counter. When he glances my way he rolls his eyes at me, and I grin because other than a few “uh-huhs” he hasn’t said a word yet.

  He goes into our office and comes back with two seltzers to have with our meal. Mine fizzes when I open it, and he speaks in the phone. “Love you too. Bye.”

  His cell clicks off, and curiosity is getting the best of me. Did he get involved with someone that I don’t know about? A sexy vision of Bianca flashes through my mind, and I hope I’m wrong.

  Bubbles dance on my tongue when I take a sip of my drink and wait for Neal to give me a clue.

  “My sister.”

  I nod as I chew the bite of chicken salad I just took.