Because It's You (Carolina Rebels Book 2)

by Lindsay Paige

  I stand up so fast, my chair falls backward.

  “Lizzy,” she keeps talking, calm as ever, “don’t freak out. I just wanted to let them know that it didn’t have to be all or nothing like they tried to make it.”

  “How many times a year and for how long?” I grit. “What do they call them?

  “Almost once a month since they were six months old,” she answers weakly. “They know them as Uncle Billy and Aunt Sherry, because we say they’re their great aunt and uncle.”

  “What the fuck, Sylvia?” I shout. My parents have seen those kids, yet they haven’t talked to me? Sylvia has let them around my kids for five and a half years without telling me?

  Except they aren’t mine.

  “Lizzy,” she starts, but I shake my head.

  “No. Don’t even try to explain this to me. That is wrong. How could you not tell me? And then to try to say it was only a few times when it’s not? That’s bullshit! God, I don’t want to deal with this. Tell the girls I’ll come play with them another time.” I walk out, ignoring her when she calls for me to come back and talk to her. My own parents, who refused to answer my calls when I finally got myself up off the floor, have been seeing the twins all this time? Why still ignore me? They are getting what they wanted! They aren’t grandparents to them, but they are in their lives, which is better than nothing.

  Fuck, I’m pissed! I tried to offer that to them, with Scott and Sylvia’s permission, in the very beginning, and they would have none of it! What changed? Why still abandon me? My phone rings on the drive home and I swipe without looking.

  “What?” I snap.

  “You aren’t supposed to be angry if you’re hanging with Sylvia and the girls. And to think I almost didn’t call you. I’m glad I did. What’s wrong?”

  “I’m not with them. I’m on my way home because apparently my parents have seen Stella and Stephanie every month since they were six months old, but heaven forbid they forgive me and talk to me! And Sylvia didn’t tell me! Then, she’s going to try to use the excuse that they are her kids now. Well, they are my parents! They stopped talking to me because they weren’t going to have grandkids, but apparently, they’ve had grandkids all this time! Well, nieces since they call them aunt and uncle, but still. What the ever-loving fuck!”

  Marc is silent for all of three seconds. “Wow, you’re pissed.”

  “No shit, Sherlock.”

  He ignores my comment. “But are you pissed at Sylvia or your parents?”

  “Both! My issue isn’t that she’s letting the girls have a relationship with them. It’s that she didn’t tell me that she’s letting my parents have a relationship with them. My parents who refuse to have a relationship with me! Yet, she thinks they want to talk to me. I call bullshit. If they did, they could call me. It’s bad enough that I had to work and beg and convince them to show up to my wedding, but now I’m supposed to be the one to reach out to them especially now that I know they’ve been seeing the girls? Hell no!”

  “Okay, okay. Calm down, little lady.” He adds a terrible Southern accent on that last bit, and I can’t help but laugh. “Much better. Go home, relax, bake something good, watch the game tonight, and I’ll come over once I get back.”

  I pull into my driveway and park. “Okay.” Staring at the house, I remember what Sylvia said about Marc moving in with me. “I can’t wait to see you,” I say instead of the question on the tip of my tongue. An idea hits me, and I know exactly what I want to do. “Play well tonight and I’ll wait up for you. I love you.” A smile pops onto my face automatically.

  “I love you too, Elizabeth. See you soon.”

  We hang up, and I get to work.

  THE STORY OF yesterday’s events were told to Scott and Noah at the same time to prevent me from having to repeat it. Scott went on a roller coaster of emotions while Noah soaked it all in and stayed quiet. Then, Noah and I both had to assure him that she was fine. He pissed me off because if she wasn’t fine, I wouldn’t have been on the trip with the team. But for Elizabeth, I let it go and reminded myself that I probably would’ve reacted the same way.

  The schedule has us playing the Liberty Eagles, and I think we’re going to win tonight. Thinking that is probably going to jinx us, but I hope not. There just seems to be a current of energy in the room, passing among all the players who are laughing and joking and in good spirits despite the five-game losing streak.

  Our heads are held high and we’re ready to play.

  Coach Mike clears his throat and the room quiets immediately. “The energy that’s in here right now? Carry it onto the ice. Forget about what we drilled into your head the past week. Go back to the basics. Play, enjoy yourselves, and let the game come to you.”

  Basically, he doesn’t want us overthinking ourselves and our decisions. Sometimes, starting small and with the basics is exactly what’s needed.

  Noah taps my leg with his stick as we line up on the ice for the anthem. “I heard you talking to Lizzy earlier. Just wanted to say, you’re a fucking sap, and it’s about time you told her you loved her.”

  I laugh. I hadn’t considered he’d try to pay me back for any shit I said while he’s been with Meredith. But if he starts hugging, kissing her cheek, or anything else like that that I do, no laughs will be coming from me. Yes, there is a double standard and no, I don’t care that there is one. The lady comes out for the anthem, so I close my eyes, bow my head, and listen to her sing.

  And then, it’s time for the game.

  Brayden is up for the face-off at center ice. The puck drops, our captain wins the face-off, sending it back toward Nathan O’Donnell, and Donny takes off. He skates along the right side of the ice, does one of his seemingly effortless wrist shots, and I’ll be damned.

  Twenty-eight seconds in and we’ve got a goal. I rush over and throw my arms around Donny.

  “Donny, I could kiss you right now!” I shout.

  He laughs. “Keep your mouth to yourself, Marco.”

  I tap my stick on his leg and pat his helmet instead. Our group begins to separate to skate down by the bench for fist bumps of congratulations from our teammates. Coach Mike has no expression on his face. It’s too early for that. I want to see that man grinning tonight, so let’s make it happen!

  Everyone seems to have the same frame of mind as I do. Rams is, well, ramming into those who get in the way while Bruiser and Z help keep those who seem to want to cross the line from doing so. Captain Hook does hook someone at one point, but no one sees it, so it doesn’t get called. There’s only that one instance, which is good. Hells is on the ice with Thing One and Two and those kids are killing it.

  Ha, I call them kids, but they are three or four years younger than I am.

  The point is they’re fast. They weave around those Eagles like they’re frozen and standing still on the ice. Collin makes a pass to Cal, but he quickly gets rid of it. The puck lands with a heavy thunk on Kellan’s stick. Kellan is wide open as the D-men were in the twins’ space, expecting one of them to attempt to score. It’s like he taps it in.

  Those of us on the bench hold our breath. He didn’t go top shelf. The goalie slides over as the puck glides through the air. Somehow, that piece of rubber slides under the goalie’s leg and into the net, the lamp lights up, and Hells’ arms go up. The score is two-zero, and it’s still the first period.

  The Eagles aren’t going to let Savage have another shutout, though. When the second period comes around, they have possession and they crash the net. We’re all in front of Savage, scrambling for the puck since he doesn’t have it covered. My stick is in the mix, trying to pull it out and away from the goal line, but I’m shoved. I lose my footing a little. Two seconds later, I see the puck trickle over as Savage tries to reach over to keep it out, but it’s too late.

  The horn sounds, their goal song blares, and their fans go crazy.

  Two-one.

  That’s their lone goal. Not for a serious lack of trying, though. The Eagles swoop in with energ
y and physicality, and we’re up and down the ice more and more, not spending too much time in any particular zone for the most part. Currently, it’s the third period and I’m in the penalty box for roughing. I glance up at the jumbotron. Fifteen seconds left until the door opens. I return to watch the play on the ice, itching to be back out there.

  The door finally opens and I bolt onto the ice. The puck is sliding by, all alone. Bad moment to try to dump and chase. I reach for it with my stick and take off, causing everyone to switch directions. I rear my stick back, send the puck flying forward, and grin when the goalie misses his could’ve-been glove save.

  Three-one.

  Five grueling minutes later, the game ends and so does our losing streak. Thank god. Coach Mike does indeed have a grin on his face. Now, if only I can get home to Elizabeth.

  The lights shine through the closed blinds at Elizabeth’s house, and I smile. She did stay up and wait for me. It’s three in the morning. Good thing our day off for the week is tomorrow. When I walk inside I see that she did not stay awake. She’s leaning over on the armrest of the couch, sound asleep. Wanting something to drink before I carry her to bed, I go to the kitchen.

  There’s a cake on the table. Glancing into the living room, like I might get caught, I carefully lift the top of the cake box to check it out.

  Holy shit.

  The design is phenomenal, but the message is distracting me. There’s a house identical to Elizabeth’s, and on one side, there’s a girl peeking around the side, calling, “Marco?” On the back corner, you can see the shoulders and head of a boy as he shouts, “Polo!” But to the right, she scribbled, Move in with me?

  I pull out a chair and sit down. She keeps shocking the hell out of me. I mean, I thought she loved me from her half-asleep admission, but her saying it like she did surprised me. And now, she’s the one posing the question that I should move in? Maybe she’s more ready for things than I thought. Damn it, where is an engagement ring when you need one?

  The search for the perfect ring for her will officially start tomorrow and if she isn’t sick of me by June, if I can wait that long, that woman is so mine! There might just be two weddings this summer. That’s my new goal. My cheeks start to hurt and I realize I’ve been smiling this entire time. I put the lid back on the cake, stand, push the chair under the table, and finally get something to drink. A few quick sips, and then I turn off the light.

  In the living room, I look down at Elizabeth. The bruises on her neck stand out through the strands of her hair. My jaw locks and I take a deep breath. They’ll fade soon. I crouch to pick her up, but then, considering the incident with my dad, I don’t want to scare her.

  “Elizabeth, rise and shine, sweetheart.”

  Her eyes flutter open. I grin as she begins to smile.

  “Hey.”

  “Hey,” I reply, finally picking her up.

  “I tried to stay awake. I really did,” she mumbles, leaning her head on my shoulder.

  “A-plus for effort.”

  “I feel so old for not being able to do it. I used to be able to stay up all night. How are you awake? You must be superhuman.”

  “Damn straight.”

  She giggles as I set her on the bed. She watches me shed my clothes and then she pats the empty space next to her. “You’re going to be cold. Where are your pajamas?”

  “Came straight here. You can keep me warm.” Once I’m under the covers, I pull her against me. She throws her leg over my hip and an arm over my waist and comes even closer. “Let’s get some sleep. I have a busy day tomorrow. Lots of things to do.”

  “What do you have to do?”

  “Start moving my things over here.”

  She’s frozen for all of a second before she sits up and slaps my shoulder. “You looked? You snoop! You weren’t supposed to look! I wanted to see your face!”

  “Sorry. Want me to reenact my reaction for you?” I don’t wait for a response. I sit up, pretend to glance into the living room, and lift the imaginary lid. I gasp loudly, cover my mouth, and grab Elizabeth, rolling us around until she’s on her back. She’s already laughing, and I haven’t even gotten to the good part. “YES! YES! The answer is yes! Not only does she love me, but she loves me soooooooooooo much that she can’t bear not to have me invading her space for a moment longer.” I pause. “Wait a second. What’s wrong with my house?”

  “I own this house, and it is fully decorated. Less work this way.”

  “Oh, and she’s smart! Oh, boy, did I get lucky! What ever would I do without you?” She laughs, and I decide to get serious. “I have one condition, come to think of it.”

  “What?”

  “You start making plans for your cake shop, or whatever your dream is. You start doing that and I’ll move in.”

  “I don’t know anything about business.”

  “You can learn,” I quickly interject. “And if you love it, it’ll be fun and worth it. You deserve this, Elizabeth.”

  She squeezes her eyes closed. “Okay,” she says as they open. “I’ll do that.”

  “Good.” I lean down to kiss her slowly, savoring the moment because today is such a good day. “I love you,” I whisper.

  “I love you too.”

  I roll us to our sides and close my eyes. The tiredness is starting to settle in. Sleep sounds pretty damn good.

  “Do you know what I just realized?”

  “What?” I ask without opening my eyes.

  “I don’t know anything about your past relationships.”

  “They all sucked.”

  “Marc.” She laughs.

  “What?” I open my eyes. “Compared to you, they most definitely sucked. There were a handful of dates and a couple of girlfriends. Sure, they were good women, but they weren’t it for me. You are. What more is there to know?”

  She rolls her eyes. “What’s wrong with being curious? You know about Roger.”

  “I do believe that on our first date, you said I had to know about him. I don’t believe I’ve ever asked without him already being part of the conversation.”

  Elizabeth seems to digest this. She must not be able to think of an instance when I brought it up because she curses under her breath and I laugh, closing my eyes again. “Fine. Keep your girlfriends a secret. I didn’t really want to know about them anyway.”

  “Elizabeth?”

  “What?”

  “Who am I in bed with? Who have I told that I love them today? Who did I come see as soon as I landed? Who am I moving in with? Who have I spent all my time with since she started letting me? Who have I been thinking about since the Halloween party? Who is in my arms right now? Who makes me happier than anyone else ever has, including when I annoy Rams? Because it’s you, Elizabeth. The answer is you. Stop thinking about ex-girlfriends because I can promise I don’t even remember the last time I thought about any of them.”

  When nothing is said, I peek an eye open. She’s grinning. “I was only curious, but that’s a really good answer.”

  “Good. Go to sleep and reward me in the morning before you go to work.”

  And reward me she does. At first, I think I’m dreaming when I feel hands working my dick, but when something hot and wet envelopes it, my eyelids lift to see her bent over me.

  I groan as she goes down on me again. “Another condition. This every morning.”

  She pulls away from me to laugh. “Keep dreaming.”

  “I’d return the favor.”

  “I bet you would.” She smirks. “Still saying no.”

  “Fine. Come here.”

  “I thought you wanted a reward? I’m not done.”

  “I want you.” I grab her wrist and tug, releasing her just as quickly so she can crawl up to me.

  “You’ve pretty much had me since I saw you at the Halloween party.” She quickly wiggles out of her shorts and panties.

  “I would disagree,” I mutter as she straddles my hips, grabs the hem of her shirt, and removes it.

  “Wh
y?”

  “Had to work for you because you fought against me. I didn’t feel like I truly had you until you made me feel like I almost didn’t when you said you weren’t sure if you saw a future.” My eyes are locked onto her breasts, which sway as she rests her hands flat on my chest as she leans forward until we’re face-to-face.

  “I see a wonderful future; I did then. Difference is it doesn’t scare me anymore.”

  That right there might just be better than her wake-up call or what we’re about to do. Just because she said that.

  Me: Bring boxes and come to my house. Moving in with Elizabeth, and trying to get some stuff over there today. You get to help me.

  Noah: I don’t see a question or a please in that message.

  Me: Don’t be a dick, or I’ll have to tell Meredith you refused to help her favorite Rebel.

  Noah: Say please or I’ll tell her that you and Lizzy don’t want to come over tonight for dinner.

  Crap. He’s walked me into a corner. Which, I could just text Meredith and tell her we’ll show up, and bypass Noah altogether. But he deserves to think he’s won something every now and then.

  Me: Please. Bring breakfast, too. I’m hungry.

  Noah: I’ll think about it.

  When he shows up with breakfast, I grin.

  “Don’t even say it,” he starts.

  “You really do love me, don’t you?”

  He throws the bag at me. “I loved you more when you were shy and reserved.”

  “Whatever. What time are we supposed to come over tonight?”

  “Mere should be home by five-thirty, so let’s say six. That means I need to be done helping you at a decent time because I have to cook. What are you going to do with your stuff?” Noah glances around the house. This is the first time he’s been inside. “What little of it you have,” he adds.