She was standing to stretch when the door opened and Jasmine appeared, looking as though she’d just rolled out of bed and rushed out the door. Her face was bare, she was wearing baggy sweats, and her hair was pulled up in a messy ponytail.
“What are you doing here, Jasmine?” Ava asked.
She didn’t bother to respond as she rushed to Eli’s bedside. “I went to sleep early last night. I just heard what happened. Is he going to be okay?” She hovered over him, her eyes filled with concern. “Please tell me he’s going to be okay.”
Eli’s eyes opened and a half-smile played across his swollen mouth. “Jamie,” he whispered. “You made it. Is this what I have to do to get your attention?”
Jamie? As in his ex-girlfriend?
A half-laugh, half-sob escaped Jasmine’s lips as she lightly smacked his arm. “You worried me half to death, you jerk. What the hell happened?”
Eli’s eyes drifted closed. “It’s a long story, babe. Can I tell you later?”
“Sure,” she said, pulling up a chair. “You rest. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be right here when you wake up, I promise.”
“You’re Eli’s ex-girlfriend?” Ava asked. She felt a headache coming on. It was no wonder. Sorting out the mess that was suddenly her life was proving impossible. Just when she thought she had a grasp on it, she had to scramble to catch another curveball. “And Brent’s ex-fiancée?” The pieces were finally falling into place. “You cheated on Brent with Eli, didn’t you?”
Jasmine grimaced. “It was not one of my finer moments.”
“How could you do that?” Ava tried not to be judgemental, but she couldn’t understand what would possess a woman to cheat on a man she’d committed to spending her life with. “If you loved Eli, why did you agree to marry Brent?”
“It wasn’t like that.” Jasmine pulled her ponytail loose and scraped her nails over her scalp. “Eli and I have been friends since high school.”
“According to him, you were more than friends.”
Jasmine shrugged. “We dated, but I knew I wasn’t going to marry him. We were just kids.”
Ava didn’t know anything about their relationship, but she knew it wasn’t her place to question it. Her only concern was Brent’s role. “So you remained friends with Eli, even after you and Brent got engaged?”
“Sure.” She looked at Eli, smiling. “I knew Brent wasn’t too happy about it, but Eli was my anchor, you know? My go-to guy when things seemed unbearable. I didn’t want to lose him.”
“Shouldn’t your fiancée have been the man you turned to?”
“Yeah, I guess he should have, but Brent was busy building his business. I didn’t want to bother him with my silly little problems.”
“If he loved you, I don’t think he would have seen it that way. He would have wanted to help you.” She knew there was little Brent wouldn’t do for the people he loved.
“Maybe that was the problem,” Jasmine said quietly. “I never felt he loved me, not really.” She looked at Ava. “I thought something might have changed, that’s why I came back.”
Ava’s heart began to race. “You came back to town hoping to reconcile with Brent?”
“I guess I did. I wasn’t willing to admit that to myself or anyone else, but when Tucker called and told me he was working on Brent’s new house, I jumped at the opportunity to get involved. I hoped spending so much time together would pave the way for us to get back together.”
Ava had to appreciate her honesty, even if she was beginning to despise her. “Maybe it will.”
“No,” Jasmine said, shaking her head, “that ship has sailed. He’s in love with you.”
“It’s over between us.”
“Is it really?” Jasmine scrutinized her, as though trying to read the meaning behind her words. “Why is it over?”
Ava gestured to Eli. “Isn’t it obvious? He doesn’t trust me. He’s a jealous, possessive, control freak, workaholic…” They shared a knowing smile. “And a pain in the ass.”
Jasmine laughed. “But you still love him.”
“I don’t know.”
“Yes, you do.”
“How can I just forget about what happened tonight? How can I be sure it won’t happen again?” Ava asked.
“I’ve never seen Brent get violent with anyone, Ava. He doesn’t have a reputation for being a violent man; quite the opposite, in fact. He’s always in control.”
“You can’t deny he’s jealous and possessive. We both know that’s not healthy.”
“I never saw that side of him.” She lifted a shoulder. “Sure, he questioned my relationship with Eli from time to time, but he never demanded I stop seeing him. If he’s that jealous over you, it’s only because he’s afraid of losing you. He has a lot of issues, I’m sure you know that. Maybe he just needs someone like you to help him work it out.”
“I don’t know if I can.”
Jasmine reached for Eli’s hand. “Only you can decide that. Brent wants what we all want: someone to love us. He wants to know he has someone to go home to at the end of the day and share his problems with. If you can’t be that person, then you’re right to let him go.”
Ava didn’t know if she was ready to let him go, but she didn’t know if she was strong enough to help him deal with his issues either. “I need to go home and take a shower, change my clothes. Will you be here a while?”
“I’ll be here as long as Eli needs me.”
Ava stepped into the hall and was surprised to see Keith getting off the elevator with two coffees.
“Hey, you look like you could use one of these. My brother can do without.” He grinned.
“Brent’s here?”
“Yeah.” He gestured toward a closed door just down the hall. “He’s here with our dad. You didn’t know?”
Oh, no. “No, I didn’t know. How is your dad?”
“The medication seems to be helping. We’ll know for sure whether he’s able to breathe on his own when they take him off the ventilator.”
“I’m so sorry,” Ava said, touching his arm. “I know this must be difficult for you.”
“Brent’s been a rock, as always.” He passed one of the cups to Ava. “I heard about what happened last night. I’m sorry you had to witness that.”
“Have you ever seen Brent like that before? I know you weren’t there, but--”
“I saw it.”
“What? How?”
Keith said, “Apparently one of the bartenders took video with his phone. He sold it to one of those rags. It’s all over the Internet.”
“Damn it!”
“Yeah, Brent’s P.R. people are going to have fun trying to spin this. How is Eli?”
“He’s going to be okay. It may take a while, but he’ll make a full recovery.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” He took a sip of coffee before he said, “To answer your question, I haven’t seen Brent fight since we were kids. When our mom left, he went through a bad period instigating all kinds of trouble at school. Our dad starting sending us to the local rec center after school. They offered martial arts, and Brent really got into it. It seemed to be a good outlet for him and helped him to regain control.”
“I wonder why he never told me about that.” Ava remembered telling him she was a black belt in karate the first night they slept together, but he hadn’t told her they shared that interest.
“You’ll have to ask him about that.” Keith smiled. “If you want a few minutes with him, I have to run back to the cafeteria to get him another cup of sludge. He’s a bear if he doesn’t get his caffeine fix in the morning.”
Ava smiled. “Tell me about it.” She raised her cup. “So am I, so thank you.”
“My pleasure. Listen, Ava, I know my brother is a hot mess when it comes to relationships, but I really believe he wants to make it work with you. Give him a chance. Please.”
Ava kissed Keith’s cheek. She’d always liked Brent’s younger brother. “I’ll think about it.”
&
nbsp; ***
Brent was checking his messages with his back to the door when he heard it open and close. “I should have asked for a double espresso. Of course, they probably don’t have that in this joint. Am I right?’
“I’m not sure.”
Brent turned around, surprised to see Ava in the doorway, looking uncertain. “Hi.”
“Hi.” She looked at his father. “How is he?”
“Holding his own.” Thank God. “How’s Eli?”
“He’s going to be fine. He’ll probably have to miss some games, but the doctors say he should be able to start practicing again in a couple of weeks. Nothing’s broken. I think the most painful part are the badly bruised ribs.”
Brent closed his eyes when he remembered the powerful kick to the mid-section that had knocked Eli off his feet. He still couldn’t believe he’d lost control like that. “I’m glad to hear he’s going to be fine.” Brent knew retribution was in order, but he’d deal with it later. First he had to figure out where he and Ava stood.
“Jasmine’s in there with him now.” She glanced at the window when a bird landed on a branch just outside. “Why didn’t you tell me she cheated on you with Eli?”
“I didn’t even know you and Eli knew each other.” Brent stared at his father as he focused on maintaining a neutral tone. “How’d y’all meet?” He was going to ask how long they’d been seeing each other, but he didn’t want to fuel the fire. She was talking to him. That was a step in the right direction.
“I told you he’s my Uncle Aiden’s teammate.”
“So Aiden invited him to the party?” Brent could tell by the way her eyes shifted back to the window that her uncle wasn’t the only one to issue the invitation. “You invited him, didn’t you?”
“Not as my date.”
Brent felt as if he’d been through the wringer in the past twenty-four hours. He buried his face in his hands and tried to come to terms with the mess his orderly life had become. The power he thought he wielded was just an illusion. His father’s illness, his mother’s confession, his unresolved anger toward Eli… He was powerless to control anything or anyone outside of himself. He could love Ava with everything he had, but he couldn’t force her to love him back. If she wanted to leave him, he would have no choice but to let her go.
He’d spent his whole life working to amass a fortune because he believed if he had money and power, he could decide what and who he wanted. He’d foolishly believed people would stay in his life if he could promise them the best of everything. But Ava didn’t want fancy houses or cars. She just wanted his love and trust, and he’d let her down.
“I wish you’d told me about your history with him,” she said, sitting in the chair on the other side of his father’s bed.
“Would it have mattered?”
“I don’t pretend to know what motivated Eli to sleep with your fiancée. Whatever the reason, I’m sure he realizes he was wrong.”
“Maybe he wasn’t. Maybe Eli and Jamie were meant to be together, and I was just the guy who got in the way.”
“But you were her fiancée.” She met Brent’s eyes. “It must have hurt you when you found out she betrayed you.”
“It hurt my ego.” He leaned over and laced his fingers. “I don’t think it hurt my heart. When I saw you with him, that hurt my heart.”
“It wasn’t like that,” she whispered. “I told you, I didn’t invite him to the party as my date. I thought he and Tara might hit it off.”
“I know what you said.” He didn’t know if it even mattered to her anymore, but he felt compelled to say, “I believe you.”
“Do you?”
“Yes.”
Keith knocked on the door before walking in. “Sorry to interrupt, guys.” He held up the take-out cup. “I brought you that coffee, man.”
“Thanks.” Brent reached for it.
Keith inclined his head toward their father. “Any change?”
“Still the same.” Brent didn’t know if that was a blessing or a curse. The doctors kept telling them to wait and see, but patience had never been his strong suit, especially with his father’s life hanging in the balance.
“I should go,” Ava said, standing. “I’ll say a prayer for your father, guys.”
“Can I call you later?” Brent knew he may be crossing the line, expecting too much, too soon.
“Um, why don’t you just focus on your father’s recovery for now? We’ll have time to talk… later.”
Judging by the look in her eye, Brent feared that day may never come.
***
Brent was grateful they were alone when he entered Eli’s room. They needed to talk without an audience.
Eli opened one eye. The left eye was badly bruised and swollen shut. “You come to finish the job, Armstrong?”
“No.” Brent closed the door. He knew their conversation was long overdue, but that didn’t make it any easier. He’d never been one to run away from his problems, but he’d denied what happened with Eli for too long. They were both paying the price. “I came to apologize.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah.” Brent claimed the chair beside the bed. “I lost it, man. I’m sorry.”
Eli was quiet a long time before he said, “You’re not the only one who’s sorry. I am too. I shouldn’t have slept with Jamie.”
“Why did you?”
“I loved her. Still do.”
Brent had suspected as much. Eli hadn’t done it to hurt Brent or just to prove he could. It wasn’t about sex. It was about his love for a girl they both thought they wanted a future with. “Does she know that?”
“What’s the point of telling her? I’ve already humiliated myself enough over that girl. It’s time to move on.”
“Is that what you were trying to do with Ava? Move on?”
Eli tried to smile, but his puffy lips made the feat impossible. “You think I’d tell you even if I was? Hell, I’d be leaving this hospital in a body bag instead of a wheelchair.”
Brent grinned. “My days of fighting you for a girl are over.”
“Thank God for that,” Eli said, wincing when he tried to shift in the narrow bed.
“So, are you gonna press charges, or what?” Brent knew that was still a possibility, and given the damage he’d inflicted, he wouldn’t blame Eli.
“That’s not my style. Hell, I get into half a dozen fights every month on the ice. If we threatened assault each time one of our opponents went too far, we’d kill the game.”
Brent smiled. “At least let me pay your medical expenses.”
Eli chuckled. “I may not be a billionaire, but I’m not exactly a charity case either. I can handle my own hospital bills.”
“Yeah, but you wouldn’t even be in here if it weren’t for me. You’re gonna be off the ice for a few weeks and--”
Eli held his hand up. “Don’t think I don’t know this was long overdue, man. If the situation was reversed and you’d slept with Jamie while she was engaged to me, I would’ve come after you with everything I had. Besides, I knew I was stepping into the line of fire when I dragged Ava into this.”
“What do you mean ‘when you dragged Ava into this’?” Brent felt his whole body tense. “Are you telling me you sought her out because of her relationship with me?”
“I wanted to know if you really were off the market, if what you felt for Ava was the real deal.”
“Why?”
“You must know Jamie still has feelings for you. I didn’t want to see her get hurt again.”
“She’s not the victim in all this.”
“I know.” Eli closed his eyes. “Let’s just say I still feel protective of her. I don’t wanna see her set herself up again.”
“There’s nothing between me and Jamie. Even if I can’t convince Ava to take me back, Jamie and I are through.”
“Good to know.” Eli pointed to a cup of water on the table, and Brent passed it to him. “You want me to talk to Ava? I can explain to her that I share t
he blame.”
Brent was surprised he would even offer. “Thanks, but if she’s going to give this thing with me a shot, it’s got to be her decision. If there’s anything I can do for you--”
“There is.” Again, Eli tried to smile. “Stay the hell away from me.”
Brent laughed for the first time since he learned of his father’s condition. “That I can do.”
Chapter Sixteen
Several days had passed since Jerry was admitted to the hospital, and he was well on his way to a full recovery. When Brent came to visit him in the hospital again, he knew he had to ask the question that had been haunting him. “Why didn’t you tell me you and Mom remained friends?”
Jerry looked at him, a scowl on his face. “Who told you that?”
“She came by the night you were admitted. She told me.”
“I didn’t tell you ‘cause I knew how you’d react. It’s no secret you can’t stand your mother.”
Brent was pacing the floor, but his father’s words stopped him in his tracks. “I never said I couldn’t stand her.”
Jerry shook his head. “Sure you did, dozens of time. When you were a kid, later as a teen. You may not have said it when you matured, but your need for revenge spoke for you.”
“I hated him.” Brent thought of his stepfather and the smug smile on his face every time their paths crossed. Brent could finally buy and sell him and the company he’d worked a lifetime building, but the man would still have something Brent didn’t: a relationship with his mother. Brent hadn’t even realized how much he’d wanted it until he saw the loving, compassionate side of her that he remembered from when he was a boy.
“I know you did, son.” Jerry adjusted his hospital bed so he was sitting up. “You hated him for taking her away from us, but she left on her own because she wasn’t happy. I know that made you angry. I was angry too, for a long time. But eventually, I realized something.”
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