“Want to go down feet first this time?” he asked me.
“Sure,” I said.
“Okay then, sit down and we’ll push off with our arms.” He sat down on his sled and before I did the same, I gave him a hard shove that he hadn’t been expecting. Luckily he grabbed onto the handles or he would have fallen off the sled. I was still laughing when he reached the bottom and then looked up at me. I could see his grin as he shook his head at me.
I stopped laughing when I saw a girl walk up to him and touch him on the shoulder. It was a touch of familiarity and affection, even from a distance I could tell that much. All I could see of her was that she had long dark hair and she smiled at him. I couldn’t see his expression as he turned away from me to face her. I felt weird standing up on the hill watching the two of them, but I would have felt even weirder sliding down and interrupting their conversation. After a few minutes she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek before walking away. He watched her go before turning back to look up at me. I couldn’t read his expression, but he lifted his arm to wave me down.
When I got to the bottom and asked him about the girl, he just said she was just an old classmate from school who he hadn’t seen in a long time, but I thought something was a little off. I was probably just imagining it though, because after that he smiled and tackled me in the snow. I got away and scooped up a snowball and tossed at him, hitting him square in the face. We continued our little snowball fight until I was out of breath and couldn’t run anymore. I laid down in the snow and started making a snow angel. When I was done he reached out his hands to pull me up so that I wouldn’t have to ruin my perfect snow angel.
“I’ll be right back, I’m going to walk over to the bathrooms,” he told me. The bathrooms were at the opposite end of the park.
“Okay, I’ll carry our sleds back to the top.”
He nodded and walked away as I grabbed the sleds and started dragging them up the hill. They were really light weight so it was easy to carry both of them. When I got to the top, I set the sleds down and then sat down in the snow behind them. I pulled out my phone and took a few pictures of the park and all the sledders to send to Jax. She replied, asking me if I was having a good time. I was still texting her back when I felt someone standing over me. I looked up and recognized the bright yellow snow jacket and long blonde hair. It was the girl Ace had been talking to.
“Hi there,” she said sweetly, but there was something a little off about the smile she gave me.
“Uh, hi.” I pushed myself up off the ground and brushed the snow off my backside.
“You’re Drew’s friend, right?” she asked me. “I saw you with him the other night too.” The only other time we’d gone out was the night we went ice skating, but I didn’t remember seeing this girl, or did I? Something was familiar about her and I thought she could’ve been at the ice rink. It was possible she was who had caught Ace’s attention at the end of the night, right before his mood changed. I wasn’t really sure how to answer her friend question either, it felt like we were quickly becoming more than that, but we hadn’t really talked about it.
“I’m Sadie,” I told her.
“Nice to meet you, Sadie. I’m Jules.”
Holy shit! Jules? Friend from high school, my ass!
This girl was his ex fiancé! The satisfied smile she wore told me that she could tell I had recognized her name and that pleased her for some reason.
“Nice to meet you too.” It wasn’t really, but I didn’t know what else to say. I had no idea why she had approached me, but what bothered me even more was that Ace had lied about who she was.
“Yeah, I just wanted to come over to say hi and introduce myself. It’s been so great reconnecting with Drew and I told him it would be cool if he brought you tonight. I really want to get to know his friends,” she put a special emphasis on that word, friends, “since we’re going to be a part of each other’s lives again.”
“Oh.” I had no idea what she was talking about and I felt like a clueless idiot standing there while she rattled on.
“Yeah, it was just such a surprise to hear from him and see him after all this time, like fate was stepping in. When he asked me to dinner tonight it felt like everything was falling back into place, just like old times.”
“I bet,” I mumbled.
“Well, I don’t want to take up anymore of your time and I’m sure Drew will be back soon. He asked me not to say anything to you, but I just think that was rude of him. I’m sure we’ll be good friends if you’re going to be sticking around. Hope to see you tonight.” She smiled again and flitted away, while I just stood there. I still had no idea what she meant by ‘tonight.’ Nothing she said made any sense, but it sounded a lot like Ace was trying to keep her a secret from me and I could only think of one reason why he would do that.
Chapter 23
Ace
“I shouldn’t be that late. Are you sure you’re cool hanging out with Bree?” I asked her trying to ignore the tight knot of guilt in my stomach. I hated lying to her. I really hated it. I probably should have just told her the truth from the beginning, but it was too late now without making myself look like a complete lying asshole. I just needed to get this night over with and then tomorrow morning Sadie and I would head back to Boston and hopefully she’d be ready to really give us a shot.
Things had gone really well this weekend, or at least I’d thought so, but she’d been unusually quiet since we came back from sledding. She’d said she was just tired and needed a nap. I hoped that was the case and that she wasn’t coming down with something or rethinking things between us.
“Yeah, it’s fine. Have a good time,” she mumbled without actually meeting my eyes as she opened the door of the truck to climb out. Something was definitely off.
“Are you sure you feel alright Sadie? I don’t have to go out with the guys.” That was the lame excuse I’d given her, that some of the guys I used to play ball in high school with wanted to get together for a guys’ poker night. I was such a fucking dick, but I didn’t want Jules messing things up when they were finally so good. Still, I couldn’t help but feel like going to meet her was a bad idea. I reached over and grabbed Sadie’s hand to stop her from getting out of the truck. “We can just go back to my parents and watch a movie or something.” A part of me, a huge part of me, wanted her to tell me not to go, to ask me to take her back to my parents and stay with her. For a second she hesitated and I thought she might, but then she looked away and hopped out.
“I’m fine. You should go.” She closed the door behind her and I watched her walk up the path to my sister’s apartment. Bree was waiting for her with the front door open. She gave me a wave before shutting it behind them. I sat in my truck staring at the door, contemplating going after Sadie and telling her the truth, no matter how bad it made me look, but I didn’t. A part of me needed to do this, to see Jules and find out what she wanted. I threw the truck in drive and pulled away from the curb.
I’d told Jules to meet me at a small diner in New Haven. When I pulled into the parking lot, I could see in the large windows that lined the front of the building. I spotted Jules already seated at a booth inside. Again, I was tempted to turn my ass around and go back to Sadie, but I parked the truck and got out. It was fucking freezing out so I hurried to get inside. The door chimed when I opened it and Jules looked over at me. Her face brightened and she flashed me the smile that at one time had been enough to bring me to my knees. She used to own me with that smile, but now I felt nothing. I didn’t smile back at her as I walked over and slid into the seat across from her.
“Hey, I hope you don’t mind, but I already ordered for us. I got you your favorite, the bacon and egg sandwich with potatoes and a strawberry shake.” Yes, that used to be my regular order when we would come here, but it had been a long damn time and if she was expecting some big thank you or for me to be impressed that she had remembered, she was going to be disappointed.
“Whatever, I don’t
really care. This isn’t a date and I didn’t come here for the food. What did you want to talk about?” Her face dropped only slightly.
“Come on Drew, don’t be like that. It’s been such a long time, we should catch up a little.” She batted her lashes and tried to use that smile against me again, but now it only annoyed me.
“How about you just get to the reason you asked me to meet you, before I change my mind and walk out of here.” She made a little pouty face that I’m sure she thought was cute, but it wasn’t. I don’t know why I’d ever thought it was.
“I don’t understand why you’re being so mean. Can’t we just share a meal like old friends?” The waitress showed up at that moment with the food, but I wasn’t hungry.
“We’re not old friends Jules, we’re not anything,” I said after the waitress was gone.
“No, we’re so much more than that. We were engaged. You used to love me, or have you forgotten?” She reminded me.
“I haven’t forgotten Jules,” I said and the corners of her mouth started to lift. “It just doesn’t mean shit anymore,” I finished, effectively wiping away all traces of that smile. Good. She needed to get that this wasn’t going to be some happy reunion.
“I don’t believe you,” she said like a petulant little child.
“I don’t really care. I haven’t thought of you in years Jules. The only reason I’m here is because you said you had something important we needed to talk about, and we never really got closure. That’s it, so either say whatever it is that’s so important or I’m gone.”
“I screwed up Drew. I made the biggest mistake of my life when I left you.”
Was she fucking serious? This is what she wanted to say? I laughed and started to stand. I didn’t need to hear this shit. It was a waste of my time. “Wait,” she stammered, “please, just hear me out.”
“Why the fuck should I?”
“Because we belong together. You used to know that. I’m so sorry for what I did. I was an idiot not to wait for you. It was just so hard being here alone while you were gone. I missed you so much. I still do.”
“It’s been seven damn years Jules. What happened to Mike or Mark or whatever his name was? I heard you two got married.”
“It didn’t work out. It wasn’t meant to work out. It was supposed to be me and you. You’re the only one for me, it’s always been you. I was just too young and scared to see it, but I see it now. We deserve a second chance to get things right.”
I let out a dry laugh. I couldn’t believe we were actually having this conversation. It was way too damn late. “The only problem, Jules, with the little fantasy you’ve cooked up, is that I don’t want a second chance. You’re right about one thing though, you were young. We both were, but I don’t think what we had was ever real.” I wasn’t trying to be cruel, but it was the truth and I saw it now.
“Don’t say that,” she whispered pleadingly, on the verge of tears. I almost felt bad for her. Almost.
“I’m sorry Jules, but it’s true. You were right to end things between us. What you did, that betrayal, it hurt. It hurt for a long time, but I’m over it and I’ve got something good going for me now, something I’ve never felt before so maybe I should thank you.”
“Don’t,” she snapped this time. The tears were gone now. I doubted that they were even real. “Just fucking don’t. I don’t want to hear about how great things are for you with her. She doesn’t know you like I do, and for crying out loud, when did your type become prissy little good girls? I seriously doubt she’s able to please you like I used to.” The claws were out now and I preferred them over the fake tears.
“The key words in there were ‘used to.’ You don’t know me anymore and you sure as fuck don’t know anything about her.”
“I don’t need to know her. One look at her and I could tell she’s the quiet, mousy type. I seriously doubt she has a wild side like you and me, or that she’s a screamer, and I seem to remember you enjoyed making me scream.”
“Enough,” I barked. I was done with this, done with her. “I don’t understand what the hell you were thinking, asking me here, but whatever game this is, whatever you’re trying to pull or hoped to get out of this, it’s not happening. We’re over, we’ve been over for a long time and you need to move on because I sure as hell have.” I stood and tossed a couple of twenties on the table. I didn’t look back at her as I made my way out of the diner.
I didn’t really know what the hell I’d been thinking agreeing to meet with her. I didn’t need to see her or talk to her to get closure. I already had my closure and that had been a waste of time. I also didn’t buy a word of what she’d said. The bitch liked to play games and manipulate people. I saw that now. She’d always been that way, even though I’d been blind to it back then. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised that she’d tried to come crawling back now that I was famous and had money. I was confident that those were the only reasons she wanted me back. Even if Sadie wasn’t in the picture, I’d never be with Jules again. Well that wasn’t exactly true. Before Sadie, I probably would have screwed her one last time just to spite her, but I was trying not to be that guy anymore. I didn’t want to be that guy anymore.
More than anything, I just wanted to get back to Sadie. I wanted to take her back to my parents and curl up on the couch with her and watch a movie. I wished I would have just done that in the first place. I wish I had told Jules to fuck off. Now I felt like shit for keeping this from Sadie, but as much as I wanted to, I couldn’t rush back to her now. She’d know something was up if I said I changed my mind about poker night, and if I admitted to lying to her, she wouldn’t trust me. Trust was a big deal with her, and already I knew she struggled with being able to trust me because of my past and my lifestyle.
Since I hadn’t eaten anything at the diner, I pulled into a little bar I knew had good food to kill some time before picking Sadie up. I pulled my beanie down low and the hood of my sweatshirt up. I didn’t want to be recognized by anyone. Inside I took a seat at the bar and when the old guy behind the bar came over, I ordered a beer and a burger with fries. I sat there for a good hour just watching the people around me and listening to bad karaoke before I finally decided enough time had passed. I paid my bill and got the hell out of there.
Even though it had been two hours since I dropped her off, Sadie still seemed surprised to see me when I showed up. “You’re back already?” she asked.
“Yeah, I saw the guys and hung out, but if we’re gonna drive back early tomorrow I don’t want to be out too late.” Asshole, I thought to myself. After tonight, no more lies.
“Oh,” was all she said, but she was looking at me curiously.
“You ready to go back to my parents’? We can watch a movie or something.”
“Sure, that’s fine,” she said flatly and once again I was left the impression that something was wrong.
My sister was disappointed that I was stealing Sadie back so soon, but the two of them made plans for Bree to come to the city soon so they could do some shopping, and then we said goodnight. Sadie quietly followed me out to my truck and climbed up inside.
It was barely a ten minute drive back to my parents, but after five minutes of nothing but the radio playing softly in the background, I couldn’t handle it. “Did you and my sister have a good time?”
“Yeah, we just hung out and talked,” she answered.
“You mean she didn’t try to convince you to go out and do shots or dance on a bar and strip for strangers?” I was kidding but Sadie frowned at me.
“You know, your sister isn’t really as wild or reckless as you all make her out to be, she only lets you guys think she is, but it’s not true,” she defended my sister.
“What do you mean she lets us think that?” Now I was frowning. I loved my sister and I was pretty sure I knew her better than Sadie, who had only known her for all of two days.
“I mean that she doesn’t party as much as you guys think. The whole party girl image is j
ust a way to get attention.” She said it like it should have been obvious to me.
“Why would she do that?”
She let out a frustrated sigh, “Think about it. Zander is the oldest and he’s got a successful career and a family. You’re a famous rockstar and Marcus is a freaking super genius. She’s the only girl and feels overlooked and like she doesn’t measure up to you guys, so she goes to extremes to be noticed.”
Her words completely bowled me over and at the same time, they made so much sense that I wondered how I had never realized it before, and how the hell Sadie had picked up on it in such a short time. I’d always just thought Bree was … well, Bree. I’d made excuses for her and thought of her as free spirited and even a little unstable, but never bothered to try and figure out why she acted that way.
“How do you know all that?”
“I listen and I watch people. It wasn’t that hard to figure out after spending time talking with her tonight. She’s a lot smarter than you give her credit for being, and I don’t think she likes the image she has, but she thinks it’s her role.” She looked away and leaned her head against the window and was quiet for the rest of the drive. I thought about my sister and how often we all made jokes about her never holding down a job, changing her major repeatedly and going through boyfriends like she went through bottles of wine. We never took her seriously, so it was no wonder that she acted the way she did. I wondered if my parents knew. I doubted it. We all treated her the same way, and shrugged off her ridiculous behavior. Along with not lying to Sadie, I added, be better brother to my sister, to that list of things I needed to do.
When we got back to the house, I asked Sadie if she wanted to watch a movie, but she gave the excuse that she was tired and just wanted to go to bed because she had to work the next day after we got back. We said goodnight, but it was a while before I was actually able to fall asleep. I was still pissed at Jules, pissed at myself and worried that Sadie was shutting me out. Again.
Chasing Ever After Page 22