I get out of bed and immediately feel his eyes on my body. I dig into my wardrobe and pull out Jax’s high school hockey jersey which should be long enough to cover the important bits. “Here,” I say throwing it across the room to him.
“I wondered what happened to this,” he muses.
“Yeah, well, now you know. But I want it back,” I warn.
“Got any track pants or anything?” he asks.
“Why you afraid the whole campus is going to get a look at your manhood?” I ask, smirking across at him with a raised questioning eyebrow, “There’s really nothing to worry about, the majority of girls around here have already seen it, they know what you’re packing.”
He gives me an unimpressed look but I see a flicker of guilt behind his eyes, a look that only years of knowing him could be able to detect.
With a sigh, I give in. “None that would fit you,” I grin, digging through my drawers to find my largest pair. He pulls them on and I have to cover my mouth to avoid laughing too loud.
He steps over to the window and pushes it up before turning back to me. “We still have a lot to talk about,” he says, giving me a gentle kiss on the forehead before looking me straight in the eyes. “You know, they both loved you so much. They would be proud of you,” he adds, giving me a meaningful look.
“I know,” I say before he ducks out the window and over the back fence, giving me a strange feeling that I won’t be seeing him for a while, though I know eventually he will come searching for the answers he is still desperate to get.
With a sigh, I grab a nice outfit, throw my hair up and get ready to face my brothers.
And for the first time in a long time, I want to sing again.
“Oi,” I call out as I walk up the hallway to see Brianna lounging comfortably in Carter’s lap with his hand resting dangerously close to her vag. I narrow my eyes at them before focusing on the other idiots in the room. “I thought you guys were coming at eight? The freaking sun has hardly risen.”
“First of all, it’s nine,” Carter says, getting up before placing Brianna down gently on the couch and giving me a big hug. “And secondly, who the hell did you have in your bed this morning?” he asks, making Sean and Logan’s heads whip in my direction.
“Ahhh…What?” I ask.
“I’ve been playing that game since before you could walk, little sister,” he explains. “Brianna was way too desperate to be the one who woke you.”
At that Logan and Sean get to their feet and come to stand before me with their arms crossed over their chests and major scowls on their identical faces. “Chill out, brothers. Bri and I have been doing Naked Yoga each night before bed, it’s very relaxing and freeing. So I’ve been sleeping nude if you really need to know. I bet you all would have loved walking in to see that, huh?”
Logan’s eyes widen in surprise as he looks from me to Brianna, “You guys are Lesbians?” he asks.
“What?” Brianna laughs, “No, when she says Naked Yoga she actually means Naked Yoga, you know, Yoga in the nude. It’s not a code word for kinky lesbian sex,” she clarifies. “Though I have to admit, if I was going to go lesbian, it would be with Cass, I mean, you’ve seen her rack, right?” she grins.
I can’t help but chuckle at the awkward and uncomfortable looks on my brother’s face, though, pleased to see my lie has at least got Sean and Logan off my back, who both start making their way out the door.
“You may have those idiots fooled,” Carter whispers as we walk on behind, throwing his arm over my shoulder, “But I invented the Naked Yoga lie. I’ll figure out who was here and when I do, there’ll be trouble.”
“Oh please, by the time you figure anything out you would have forgotten what your goal was,” I scoff.
“Shut up and get in the truck,” he demands, opening the door for me and ushering me in. I giggle as I step past him but none-the-less, I do as I’m told. No matter how outrageous and foul my big brothers can be, they will always treat a woman like a lady, just the way my father raised them to.
“Alright, what do you want for brekky, Ass Face?” Logan asks.
“Pancakes,” I grin.
“You got it, dude,” he replies and pulls into the first 24/7 diner he can find.
Half an hour later, we’re munching down on our breakfast when Sean's eyes turn curious. “What?” I ask when he won’t stop staring.
“I don’t know,” he says, as if deep in thought. “You seem… different or something,” he adds, making the other two look at me in the same way.
“Probably the dick she got last night,” Carter murmurs, making me elbow him in the ribs. “I’ve noticed it has a way of relaxing a chick.”
“Shut up,” I scold. “There was no dick. And for the record, I feel better, I finally got a few things off my chest.”
“Yeah,” Carter scoffs, “Your clothes.”
Everyone ignores his comments as Sean and Logan push for details. “Well?” they ask.
“Jax found out I was on campus,” I start.
Logan groans, cutting me off. “Ugh, what did that little prick want?”
“He just wanted to talk,” I explain. “He has a few unanswered questions about why I left.”
“Yeah,” Sean scoffs, “and I have a few unanswered questions about why the fuck he didn’t bother showing for the funerals. They were his parents too.”
Logan and Carter both grunt their approvals. “Stop it,” I scold them as a wave of anger comes over me. “Have any of you seen him at home in the last three years?” I ask. “No,” I answer, not giving them the chance to jump on the defence. “Did you check in with his parents only to find out they haven’t spoken to him since the day he left for college? No. You all know damn well that I haven’t spoken to him since I left so did any of you call to let him know about mum or dad?” They all give guilty looks but I continue on. “No, you didn’t. None of us did, so how was he to know? I had to break his heart all over again telling him that the two people he actually considered to be his parents are now dead.” I cry. “So yeah, he didn’t come to the funerals because he had no freaking idea they were gone, which means, you can all lay off him and forgive him now because he hasn’t done anything wrong. He is just as torn up as we are.”
They each give their different versions of guilty curses and I know exactly what they are feeling. Since the day Jax had moved in next door, he became an unofficial member of the family, Hell, I’m pretty sure he was there more than the boys were. “He really didn’t know?” Logan asks, looking the worst as out of the triplets, Logan and Jax were the closest, especially when Jax started showing an interest in hockey and Logan took it upon himself to teach him all the tricks of the trade, still to this day their skating styles are so similar, it’s almost comical.
“Had no idea. Last he heard, mum was in the clear.”
“Shit,” he sighs.
“Come on, there’s nothing we can do to fix it right now,” Sean says, just as devastated. “Let’s go visit Mum and Dad. We can make good with Jax later.”
Sean gets up and fixes the bill while Logan slips out quickly to make a call, probably to the new girlfriend.
“It was Jax, wasn’t it?” Carter asks as I scoot out of the booth.
“What?” I ask, a little confused.
“The guy in your bed this morning. It was him.”
“Maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t,” I tease with a knowing smirk.
“Cass. Answer the damn question. Do I need to kick his ass or not?” he asks, following me out of the booth.
“Oh, well, in that case, you should have kicked his ass back when I was fifteen,” I grin, turning around and giving him a teasing wink, only to see him stopped in his tracks, his jaw hanging open, unsure how to respond.
I laugh as I push through the door and snatch the keys out of Logan’s unexpected hands and climb into the driver seat of the biggest truck I’ve yet to drive, locking the driver’s door behind me. “Get in boys,” I holler out the window, as I bring
this beast to life, feeling the rumble of the engine beneath me, “We got a date with the parents.”
Chapter 6
Jaxon
I get up on Monday morning and met the boys for our daily run. As usual, being the first one here I get some stretches out of the way.
“Hey,” Bobby says, the next to arrive. “Where the fuck have you been all weekend?”
“Nowhere,” I grunt.
“Really?” he smirks. “So, you weren’t stalking Cass at the library and then fucking her all night?”
“Don’t know what you’re talking about?” I say as the memories of Cassie’s naked body riding me like I’ve never been ridden before come slamming back to the forefront of my mind. The soft curve of her body, her back arching as she threw her head back.
“Oh, well, Brianna called yesterday, she said, and I quote ‘it’s was so fucking intense that I nearly came just from listening’.” I can’t help but smirk which has Bobby scowling at me. “Seriously? You had to fuck her with my sister in the house?”
I hate the way he describes it as a ‘fuck’, it was definitely not just a fuck, it was something more, something on a deeper level, a connection between two people. “Dude, sorry,” I laugh. “I had no idea she was home.”
He rolls his eyes but moves right along. “You really think going there with Cass was a good idea?” he asks.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask, standing up a little straighter and turning to face him. I mean, what the fuck is it his business what goes on between me and Cass? She’s not his girl for fuck's sake.
“Dude, it’s clear you both still have some sort of feelings for each other. I just don’t think she’s a one-night-stand kind of girl.” He continues at the blank look on my face. “Does she want to get back together?” he asks. “Cause you and I both know that’s not who you are anymore.” Yeah, that’s for damn sure, the person I used to be died three years ago, leaving behind a shell of a man with abandonment issues who screws random chicks just to fill the void.
“I don’t know,” I shrug. “I doubt it.”
“Do you want her back?” he asks slowly as his eyebrow raises, curiosity gleaming in his eyes and once again making me wonder what the fuck it is to him?
“I used to, not anymore,” I grunt. “I’m not the same person she once knew. A lot has changed since then.”
“You know chicks man, sleeping with her is probably giving her false hope that something could happen between you. If you’re not planning on getting back with her then you should back off,” he suggests, probably so the fucker can make room for himself. “She’s a nice girl and you’re going to hurt her.”
“Fuck man, it was one night. She knows what’s up.”
“You sure?” he asks with a raised eyebrow as the rest of the guys reach us.
My mind swirls. The last person on earth I would ever hurt is Cass but maybe Bobby is right, maybe sleeping with her wasn’t the best idea but what can I say, we were always so good together, especially when it came to sex and I can’t say that I’m disappointed, Saturday night she absolutely rocked my world, just like she has a million times before. Call it taking a stroll down memory lane or for old time’s sake.
But… Bobby is right, if I go back she might think that something could happen. Sure there is a shit load of unresolved feelings and sure, I might screw every brunette I come across just trying to get her out of my head but when it actually comes down to it. Me and Cass are over, she made sure of that three years ago and because of that, I’m done. I’ll get my answers and that’s it, she’s out of the picture for good. Sure, it will suck seeing her on campus, moving on and dating other guys but it’s only one year and then I’m out of here, to the freaking NHL.
“Yeah, man. She knows.” Or at least, she will. I let out a sigh before taking off and putting an end to the conversation. The boys fall in behind me and we get right into our training.
An hour and a half later, I’m pushing through my front door with Shorty and Aaron on my heels. Shorty and I collapse in the lounge room while Aaron detours to the Kitchen. He comes back with three bottles of water and tosses one to each of us.
“Thanks, man,” I murmur as my heart rate begins to drop back to normal.
“Hmm,” he grunts as he falls into the space beside Shorty and puts his feet up on the coffee table.
Shorty instantly falls into a deep sleep and I roll my eyes as I pull my phone out of my pocket. My eyes bug out as I check the time. “Shit,” I hiss as I get to my feet and launch myself over the back of the couch. Aaron watches me with a questioning, clueless, raised eyebrow and I decide to do him a solid and clue him in. “Our Business lecture starts in twenty minutes, dude.”
“Dammit,” he groans, slowly getting to his feet then thinking better of it and collapsing back on the couch. “Fuck it. I can’t be stuffed today.”
“Fine by me, but keep in mind a skipped class equals a benched game in coaches’ book and you can bet your ass he’ll be checking up on it this year,” I remind him.
“Shit,” he groans, getting to his feet again with a look of pure defeat on his face. Just as well, the kid needs as much time in a classroom as he can possibly get. With a satisfied smirk, I bound up the stairs, launch myself into the shower, get dressed, scoff down some breakfast and even manage to get to class before the professor begins his lecture.
From then on, the day drags by with images of Cassie’s sweet ass circling my brain which is then switched with devastating memories of her parents. By the afternoon, I welcome hockey practice with open arms. I step into the locker room and start grabbing my shit out of my bag to get suited up. The boys are all giving one of the freshman kids a hard time for lucking out with one of the figure fairies out in the lot and I can’t help the smile the spreads across my face. This year truly is going to be amazing, we’ll as long as I can get Cassie out of my head. Give me a few weeks and a long list of fresh chicks to screw and I’ll be right.
I step onto the ice and the boys follow suit. We instantly jump into our routine and get started on our warm up. The boys are in the middle of running drills when a familiar figure walks into the ice rink.
Holy shit. What does this fucker want?
Coach notices the newcomer and watches him likes he has seen a ghost before a bright smile takes over his face. He makes his way to meet him but the new comer’s eyes are solely on me, daring me to step forward. Anger flares through me as I begin slowly gliding forward.
Coach notices and with a nod, let’s the scene play out. I rip off my helmet and make my way towards the edge of the barrier, completely unsure what the hell could be going on, though I have one nagging idea that circles my head. I hear the sound of the boy's drills slowly come to a standstill before I hear the gasps and shocked curses.
“You lost?” I ask Logan as he watches me with a strange mix of unease and brotherly affection. I pull my gloves off and set them on the edge of the barrier, just in case it comes down to a fight, after all, you never know with this guy. We have been known to get into it a few times, though for once the playing field is finally equal.
He raises his chin and ignores my snappy attitude. “Sorry, kid,” he says with his heart on his sleeve, stepping up before me to keep as much of our conversation as private as possible. “We thought you knew.”
I cross my arms over my chest, knowing instantly that he is talking about his parents, shit, the people I pretty much classified as my own damn parents and I know this is not a conversation I want to have in front of my boys but it’s here, it’s happening right now, whether I like it or not. “How could I have known, Logan? I haven’t spoken to any of you in three years,” I grunt, taking an angry breath as my voice raises. “Fuck, man. I haven’t even been home since I left. How the fuck was I supposed to know?”
“We know that now. We all fucked up, Cass too,” he says with honesty shining through his eyes.
“Seriously?” I ask, not impressed.
“Shit, kid. I’
m trying to apologise here, lose the fucking chip on your shoulder,” he says, putting me back in my place, the same way he used to when me and Cass would get up to mischief. “Yeah, we fucked up, none of us reached out. We wanted to give you space when you left for college and before we knew it the cancer was back as we were all preoccupied, our minds were solely on mum and helping her get through it. We expected that you would know, I don’t know, I guess my thoughts were your parents would have said something. Then you didn’t show and you know how we get, we all took that as you giving us the big ‘fuck you’.”
“You’re shitting me, right?” I practically growl. “Had I known she was that bad, I would have been there every day. She was my mum too. You guys were my brother’s and Cass, well, who the fuck knows about that but either way, I would have been there. But instead, she passed thinking that I wasn’t there for her, that I didn’t bother to come and visit and what the fuck was I left with? Fucking no one. Each and every one of you turned your backs on me, I had nothing. I was left with no one.” By this stage, I feel like curling up into a ball and crying like a fucking baby as all the old scars are torn wide open, right along with the new ones.
The thoughts had been running through my head since the moment I found out Cass’s parents had died and fuck, does it feel good to finally get it out and be able to point my anger at one the people who deserve it the most. I thought I’d never see this guy again and never get the chance to let this out and even though my heart still aches for them, it also feels like a weight is finally being lifted off my shoulders.
As soon as the words settle between us, the anger disappears with it, leaving behind only the ache of missing the people I loved as parents. Logan notices the change within me and instantly steps forward and wraps his arms around me, pulling me in tight. “I’m sorry, brother,” he says with sincerity as he holds me against him, not letting me go. “I don’t know how, but I promise you, we’ll make it up to you. I swear to you kid. We were blinded by everything that was going on, we had no clue you were hurting so bad. We could have taken that away but instead we stabbed you in the back in the worst way.”
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