Jersey Girl (Sticks & Hearts #1)

by Rhonda James

  "I didn't set out that night planning to break up with her. But it was the right thing to do. We were headed in different directions. Ashley wanted to settle down and have kids within a couple of years. I'm nowhere near that stage of life. For the past two years we've practically been joined at the hip. If that's what marriage is like, I'm not ready for it. I love her, but I'm man enough to admit she deserves more."

  "I'm sorry. I know how that must hurt. Two years is a huge chunk of your life. But I understand where you're coming from. You're about to embark on a whole new adventure. You don't want to be held back by someone who's forcing you to be someone you're not."

  "Was that how things were with Justin? Was he a control freak as well?" He chuckles at this, but we both give a nod of understanding.

  "I'm glad you're finally doing something for yourself. Hey, if you ever get lonely you know the way to South Quad. My door is always open for you."

  Without warning, I'm pulled in for one of Scotty's bear hugs. The last time he gave me one was the day he left to attend Great Lakes. That fact is not lost on me, and soon I find myself crying. But not because I'm sad. These tears are falling, because for the first time in four years, I feel like I have my big brother again.

  Later that night, I pull out my phone and type out a message, wishing I could be there to deliver it in person.

  Merry Christmas, B. I miss you. Love, Dimples

  CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

  BRANTLEY

  "Are you sure you can't stay? It feels as if you've just gotten here," mom busies herself with straightening the bed, while I'm busy stuffing dirty clothes in my suitcase.

  "Mom, it's been two weeks already. I really need to get back and take care of my shit." I turn and give her a kiss on the cheek.

  Coming home had turned out better than I'd expected. It was nice to spend time with Chris again. For the first time in years, my status as a hockey player took a backseat and we were just two brothers hanging out and catching up.

  After a long talk with my dad, I have a better understanding as to what he'd been going through before his heart attack. Business had taken a nosedive and they'd been struggling to make ends meet. He'd been worried about letting mom down. Worried he wouldn't be able to provide. He was afraid she would wake up one day and see him for the failure he saw himself to be. He assured me nothing happened with the other woman. He said he just needed to confess his fears to someone other than mom because he didn't want her to think of him as weak. She'd listened thoughtfully and without judgement. She then told him a man will look at his failures and consider himself weak. While a woman is able to see not only the failures, but the strength it takes to overcome them.

  Mom continues to fuss. Rearranging items I've just packed. I head to the bathroom to collect my toothbrush and razor, and when I return I find she's dumped everything on the bed and is now in the process of refolding every item.

  "What are you doing? Everything was fine the way it was." I step in front of her and gently shoo her away.

  "Fine," her hands go up, "but don't blame me if you get home and all of your clothes are wrinkled." She reaches out and grabs one last shirt, unable to resist the urge to fold it properly. "What's this?"

  She holds up a thin rectangular box up for me to inspect. It's wrapped in black paper and adorned in blue ribbon that's been smashed beyond repair by the contents of my suitcase. Seeing as how I wasn't the one to pack it, I can only assume it's something Davis hid when I wasn't looking. He'd been the only one home when I'd stopped by to pick up my clothes.

  "No clue," I huff out a laugh, "probably something from one of the guys." My fingers work quickly, tearing at the paper with new curiosity. Tossing aside the lid, I fold back the tissue paper and reveal a comic book.

  "A comic book?" Mom's nose wrinkles.

  "It's not just a comic book. It's a Superman 1939 First Series collectible. This must have cost a fortune." Lifting it carefully, my eyes dart back to the box for any sign of a card.

  "Well, someone put some thought into that gift. I'm willing to bet something like that wasn't easy to find," her hand reaches down and lifts the tissue. "There's something else in here."

  "What is it?" I reluctantly set down the comic and stare at the T-shirt she's holding up. It's black, with a blue and silver design. The same colors as my GL uniform. The design on the front is a play on Superman's logo, but custom designed just for me. Only one person could have done this.

  Mom studies the design closer before turning to me. "Are those supposed to be skate blades?" she asks, tracing her finger over the diamond-shaped design surrounding the giant letter B.

  "Yep," I take the shirt and examine it closer. There's small tag stitched to the lower left side, and when I read what is written I start laughing.

  Designed by Dimples

  I feel a hand on my shoulder and turn to find mom smiling. "It looks good on you."

  "What looks good?" my eyes shift between the shirt I'm wearing and the one I'm holding.

  Her head cocks to the side as the smile broadens across her face. "Love."

  ***

  "Thank you for flying United Airlines flight 831 non-stop to Detroit. At this time, we are boarding all passengers seated in first class."

  I remain in my seat, knowing it will be a good twenty minutes before they call my zone. A text from Davis confirms he'll meet me in Detroit. Now I just need to figure out what I'm going to say to Cassie. I'm hoping she'll speak to me. The last time I heard from her had been a text to say Merry Christmas. My reply had been just as concise.

  There is one thing being apart taught me. I learned I'm much happier when she's by my side.

  They finally call my zone, and when it comes time for the attendant to scan my ticket, the damn machine starts beeping.

  "Uh oh. Mr. Cage, there seems to be a problem with the seat you've booked."

  "What sort of problem are we talking about?" I ask calmly. Though calm is not what I'm feeling at the moment. I need to get home.

  "It appears the seat was somehow broken during the last flight, and it was missed on the final walkthrough. Thanks to a last minute cancellation, we were able to bump you up to first class. I'm terribly sorry for the inconvenience."

  "No problem at all."

  I'm escorted to my new seat and stow my suitcase in the overhead bin. Nodding to the couple beside me, I buckle up and settle in for the three-hour flight.

  Every few minutes, I sneak a glance at the guy seated next to me. He looks familiar, though for the life of me I can't place him. A couple of times he's caught me checking him out. This time when our eyes meet, he reaches for the woman's hand. After that, I vow to keep my eyes trained forward for the rest of the flight.

  Well, maybe just one more glance.

  His hair is jet-black and wild on top. It looks pretty cool. His arms are covered in tattoos that extend past his knuckles. The ink is intricately beautiful. The last thing I notice is the flash of silver on either side of his bottom lip, and I find myself wondering if it hurt when he had them done.

  I take off my jacket and tuck it under the seat. Deciding music will be a good distraction, I pop in the ear buds and scroll through my app. Sam Hunt. James Bay. Paradox. It takes me a few seconds to realize this is the playlist of Cassie's favorites. My finger hovers over the song by Paradox before I scroll to a different playlist.

  "I've heard some of those Paradox tunes are pretty good. You a fan?" tattooed guy asks. His voice is deep. Much deeper than I'd expected.

  I stop scrolling and slide back to the previous screen. "I've only recently been introduced to their music. My girl—" Shit. What do I even call her? I've ignored her for two fucking weeks. She may not want me to call her anything at all. "Um... this girl I know. She's like their biggest fan. You should see her face when she talks about the lead singer," I notice that the blond beside him looks as if she's about to crack up, but I just keep babbling. "She goes on and on about his tattoos and lip ri—"

  I look
right at him and shake my head. Surely, I must be red in the face. I feel like an idiot. I knew this guy looked familiar. I just never thought I'd be seated next to him on a domestic flight bound for Detroit.

  "Sebastian Miles," he extends a hand and I take it.

  "Brantley Cage. It's an honor to meet you."

  "Sorry about that. Sometimes I just can't help myself." He smiles and now I totally get it. I'm comfortable enough with my own masculinity to admit this guy is pretty damn good-looking.

  "Don't let him fool you, Brantley. He just needs his daily ego boost," says the beautiful woman next to him. He presses a kiss to her lips and then introduces her.

  "Brantley, I'd like you to meet my beautiful wife, Brooke." We shake hands, and I catch Sebastian checking out my arm.

  "Nice ink. You get that done in Denver?"

  "Ann Arbor. Name Brand Tattoos."

  "Yeah? I've been there. Jeff did this for me last year when I was in town." He lifts his sleeve to show me the chef's knife on his bicep. It looks as if it's coming out of his arm. He hooks his head toward his wife. "She's a chef." I look at it more closely and see her name is scripted on the handle of the knife.

  "I hope this isn't the part where you tell me she actually stabbed you one time and that's your memento," I joke, and thankfully they both laugh.

  "Nah, nothing like that. But she did pierce me. Right here," his fingers tap over his heart, "first time I met her. When she looked at me, I swear I felt it right in my heart. After that, I was hooked."

  "Aww, sweetie," she gives him a chaste kiss, "you're such a romantic."

  Watching the two of them makes me miss home even more. I wonder if Cassie and I ever looked like that together? Davis once said we were obvious.

  "So, Brantley. Tell me more about this girl." Sebastian turns to me.

  "Which girl?" I stall.

  "The one who may or may not be your girlfriend."

  "Ah, that one." I fidget with the leather bracelet Chris gave me for Christmas. "Her name is Cassie, and we were really good friends who turned into something more."

  "Why do I get the feeling there's more to this sad story?"

  This is strange for me, because I've never been in a position to open up to a complete stranger. Yet, I find myself wanting to tell him more. I take solace in the fact that Cassie likes his music, so in a way it feels as if there's a connection of some sort.

  "Probably because there is," I huff out a nervous laugh. "She's my best friend's kid sister." They both give a knowing nod. "And I fell in love with her."

  "Ouch." Sebastian's brow raises and he claps me on the shoulder while laughing. "How bad of a beating did you take?"

  "Dude, you have no idea." I join him in laughing at my own expense. Then, I find myself sharing our sordid tale, finishing with the discovery I made this morning.

  "Oh, Brantley. My heart aches for you. I can see how much you love her. Trust me, I know what it's like to love someone again after heartbreak. I had the same worries about Sebastian. I wasn't sure I had enough of my heart left to offer. I used to think the shattered pieces wouldn't be enough for him. Once I trusted myself to give as much love as I'd been given, the broken pieces were finally made whole," Brooke exclaims through teary eyes.

  "Baby, don't cry. It all worked out." His arm goes around her in a show of love and support. "Brantley, you said you fell in love with her, but what have you done to prove it? If you can't answer that just yet, then here's what you need to do. Go home and get reacquainted with your romantic side. Go back to the beginning, to whatever it was that brought you together in the first place. Text her. Shower her with gifts. Do something for her and expect nothing in return. You get my point? She needs to know you'd risk anything to have her. She needs to know no matter what, you'll always be there for her."

  I lean forward and lock eyes with Brooke. "Is that how he was with you in the beginning?"

  "Yes, except with Sebastian, it was the beginning, middle, and everything in between. He's the most romantic soul I've ever known."

  Later, as we exit the plane, he shakes my hand and tells me to keep in touch. It isn't until I watch them leave that I realize I never got a picture to show Cassie.

  Back to the beginning, huh?

  I can do that.

  Me: Hey, Candy. Was hoping u might have time 2 discuss guitar lessons.

  I pocket my phone. Not expecting a response, but still hopeful.

  To my surprise, one comes right away.

  Her: Depends. Who's Candy?

  Me: Oh, she's this sexy blond I met.

  Her: Then ur out of luck. I have red hair and look like a cartoon character.

  Me: No prob. I think cartoons are sexy.

  Her: Weirdo... So, if I'm Candy, who ru?

  Me: How 'bout you just call me Superman?

  Her: Gee, I don't know.

  Me: Uh oh... Sounds as if u doubt Superman's existence.

  Her: I don't know. Seems kinda silly. Don't u think?

  Me: What if I told u Superman IS real and he's very much in love with u?

  Her: If that's true then I guess I would tell him to prove it.

  CHAPTER FORTY

  BRANTLEY

  Operation Dimples was already in motion.

  She asked me to prove my love, and that's what I intend to do.

  For starters, this morning I had her favorite breakfast delivered to her dorm. French toast with powdered sugar, the syrup heated, and extra sausage.

  After lunch, I had two dozen pink roses sent to the lecture hall where her music theory class meets. I paid the delivery guy twenty extra bucks to personally walk them up to her seat.

  And thanks to my connections on campus, I arranged to have the campus radio channel play only music by Paradox all day. They were even able to pipe it into every hallway and outside the buildings.

  I also send short text messages to her throughout the day.

  My lips miss you

  Heard the train today and got aroused. Is that weird?

  3f"(x) + 5xf(x) = 11

  I throw the last one in just to make her laugh. I don't want her thinking I've only missed her body. But that doesn't mean I haven't. Because I've missed all of her so fucking much. Being apart is killing me.

  I head into practice early to try and connect with Coach before he heads into a meeting. I need to thank him for the heart-to-heart he shared with me before Christmas. Not only do I have a great deal of respect for the guy, but what he said really hit home.

  Traffic on State is bumper to bumper, and by the time I park and head inside the arena his meeting has already started. I've got another forty-five minutes to kill before I have to suit up. I don't feel like getting caught up in the traffic jam outside, so I figure I'll just head to the weight room and knock out a few hundred sit-ups. As I round the corner, I see Cassie coming down the hall.

  My god. Why does she have to be so beautiful? It's really not fair to think I can resist her. Telling myself I'll just ask for one kiss, I duck back behind the wall and wait for her. When she rounds the corner and finds me there, she lets out a startled gasp.

  "Goddammit, Brantley, you scared the crap out of me." She raises a delicate hand to her throat.

  "Sorry, I just... I had to see you." I reach out and tentatively brush the back of my hand down her cheek. "You okay?"

  A contented sigh passes her lips as she leans into my touch.

  "I've had an interesting day." Her eyes lift, and she peers up at me through long lashes. "The roses were beautiful."

  Has it always been this easy between us?

  "Not nearly as beautiful as you." I hook my pinky with hers and a ghost of a smile lifts the corners of her mouth.

  One kiss. That's all I need.

  "Thank you." Her smile widens, until the little divots appear. And I'm done for.

  "Do you have any idea how I feel about you?" Her head shakes gently from side to side, but a twitch of her lip tells me she has a small idea. "I am so deeply in love with you." I
allow myself to get lost in her a little longer, our pinkies swinging gently to and fro. "Would it be alright if I kissed you?"

  "I was kinda hoping you would," she answers breathlessly.

  My lips brush over hers. Hesitantly at first. Sampling her as if it's the first kiss we've shared. She tastes of strawberries and cream. Just as I remember. My tongue passes over her bottom lip, but doesn't seek entry. I kiss every inch of her lips. From top to bottom and side to side. Over and over I kiss her lips until we pull apart and we both let out a whoosh of air.

  "Wow," she fans a hand over her face, "that was..."

  "Yeah." My thumb traces the gentle curve of her kiss-swollen lip. "It was."

  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

  BRANTLEY

  Packing your shit to leave the home you've shared with your best buddies is not an easy thing to do. Screw that. It's fucking hard. It's a wonder someone doesn't write a country song about it. Hell, it has all parts that make up a tale of woe. Memories made. Memories forgotten. Leaving behind those you've come to call your family. Heartbreak. It's all here, and currently being thrown into the boxes laid out on my bed.

  John's older brother has an apartment just outside of town, and he said I could crash with him for a few months until graduation. It's not where I want to be, but it's better than staying at the frat. I'm not sure I can handle too many more nights of sleeping on a futon. It's seriously starting to mess with my performance on the ice.

  I'm in the bathroom, sorting through my junk drawer, when I hear the knock. I don't bother getting up, I just call out for them to come in. It's probably Masterson; he's the only in the house who still thinks of knocking before entering.

  "Hey."

  I lift my eyes from the drawer to find Scott standing in the doorway. He looks dejected and uncomfortable. For some reason, this doesn't make me feel happy. It makes me sad that this is what we've become.

  "Hey." I stand, just in case things turn ugly again. "Sorry, I thought I'd have the place to myself while I packed. I'll get out of here as fast as I can," I tuck the box under my arm and brush past him.