by Ali Parker
“All right. See you soon.” I dropped the call and got up. “Come on. Teri’s not feeling too good, and I want to check on her. She was throwing up in the bathroom on Monday afternoon when we got here too. I’m not sure if she has a stomach bug or what.”
“Hmm, I hope it’s a stomach bug.” Layla rolled onto her stomach and moved up to her knees. She groaned and pushed up to stand beside me. “I think I fucked up my knee in practice last week.”
“Speaking of practice. How’s it going?” I leaned down and started to gather up our stuff.
“It’s really good. We have a strong group of freshmen this year. It should be fun for sure. I’m looking forward to getting the season over with though.”
“What? Why?” I rolled up our towels and put them in the bag she had open for me.
“Because being a junior with killer seniors on the team sucks. Our best player is Patricia Miles. She’s a senior this year, thank God, but playing relief pitcher for her means I barely get playing time.”
“That does suck.” I slipped my feet into my sandals as my phone buzzed in my bag. “I have to talk to McCraven when I get back. She wants me to try out for the lead in the spring performance, but I’m not sure I want it.”
“What? You’re crazy. You’re the—”
“Best dancer they have. I know, but I hate focusing only on ballet all the damn time. My feet are killing me, and my passion is modern dance.” I pulled my phone out and smiled. Lucas. Finally.
“That weird shit where you pretend you’re a tree in the middle of a violent storm.” She waved her arms wildly. “Go with it. Let your body tell the storm of devastation and—”
“Shut it. Jeez. I’m getting this.” I lifted my phone as she laughed and pushed at my shoulder.
“Hey,” I answered the phone and reached over to push her back.
“Man, I’m glad you answered.”
“Why? Is something wrong?” My heart skipped a beat in my chest. We’d agreed to not talk for a week just to try to get our feelings in perspective so that when we did get back together, we could make some sound decisions and move forward one way or the other.
“Not anymore.” He let out a soft sigh that affected me more than it should.
“You’re such a playboy.”
“Your playboy. Where are you? You alone?”
“I’m on the beach. Why?”
“Cause I was hoping to catch you alone.” He chuckled as warmth rushed up my chest and covered my cheeks.
“You, Lucas White, are deplorable.”
“Horny and missing you. Not deplorable. Just a man with far too much imagination and time on his hands. The girl of my dreams hopped a plane after giving me the most delicious sex of my life. Forgive me for recreating the night over and over and—”
“Stop. I’m with Layla. Shit.” I turned from her probing glare and took a shaky breath.
“Get alone. Go to the bathroom.”
“No. You’re going to be the death of me.” I laughed nervously.
“All right, but know that I can’t stop thinking about you.”
“You just want me for my body.” I nodded to Layla as she ran her hands over her boobs and down her sides, pretending to love on herself. I laughed.
“Nope. Your body is definitely of interest to me, but it’s your mind, your will, your fierce determination that keep me up at night. Not to mention the cute little way you snort when you’re tickled about something or the soft way you snore at night.”
I stopped on the other side of the road and pressed my fingers to my lips as gratefulness for him being the kind of man he was overwhelmed me.
“What?” Layla grabbed the phone as tears spilled over onto my cheeks. “What did you say to her?”
I reached for the phone as I laughed through my tears.
Layla jerked back from me as her expression softened and tears filled her eyes too. “Aww, Lucas White. You’re the best guy in the world. Clone yourself so I can have some sweet stuff in my ear too.”
I grabbed the phone and laughed. “She’s corrupt and needs to be saved.”
He laughed. “I know just the guy for the job, but he’s a nervous ninny. Always worrying about everyone and everything. My God. You should hear the way he goes on and on with his fucking threats over his sister. Ugh.”
I laughed again. “You’re in a good mood.”
“I’m talking to you. Get your fine ass on a plane and come home to me.”
I nodded and cupped the phone against my ear. “I’ll be there on Saturday morning. We can hook up after I get through with dance practice.”
“Promise?”
“Of course. I have a million things to say to you anyway.” I took Layla’s hand that she extended to me and let her guide me back up to the hotel room.
“Are some of these things moans and grunts?” He laughed.
“It would seem that Layla isn’t the only corrupt one around here.”
“Come save me?” His voice softened, and desire filled every cell of my body. It wasn’t just about lust but about the type of love I thought maybe I could only find in my dreams. It was thrilling and scary as hell, all at the same moment.
“I plan to. I’ll see you this weekend.”
“All right, baby. Be safe and no drunken parties for my girl, right?”
“Never.”
We said our goodbyes, and I stopped outside of our hotel room and pressed my back to the wall as a long girlie sigh left me. “I’m so in love with him.”
“Did you tell him?” She pulled the room key out of her bag.
“No. I figure we’ll talk about things and get the Frozen Four over with. If things are still going good, then I’ll tell him after the tournament. Jayce said that his future is riding on the tournament outcome. I don’t want to divert his attention.”
“Sister, it’s a little too late for that.” She smiled and pushed the door open.
“Hey.” Lizzy walked up to greet us before we could make it into the room. “So, we have a problem.”
I groaned and glanced over at Layla. “What now?”
“I thought maybe it was food poisoning or Teri overheating, but it’s not.”
“What is it?” Layla reached out and touched the side of Lizzy’s shoulder, surprising me a little with her softness.
“Yeah, she’s pregnant.”
Chapter 29
Lucas
“You sure this is a good idea?” Jacob leaned up from the backseat of Jayce’s Mustang and glanced over at me.
“Yeah. My mom and dad act like civil people when others are around. I’m not ready to go out there by myself yet.” I shrugged and rolled my window down, needing some air.
“Everyone’s parents do that.” Jayce glanced over at me and turned onto the freeway just outside of campus. “The girls come back today. You glad?”
“Fuck yes,” I mumbled, feeling far moodier than I wanted to let on. Having the guys with me for the afternoon was the only way I would possibly leave my dad’s house with a few scrapes and not completely bent over.
“You dating one of those girls or just boning her?” Jacob tapped the seat in rhythm with the rock song playing from the radio.
“I’m thinking about dating Jayce’s sister.” I glanced back at him as he went rigid.
“Are you fucking kidding me? Aubrey Moore?” He leaned back up in the front seat, and Jayce backhanded him in the face playfully.
“Get out of here with that shit. Don’t come near my sister.” Jayce pulled the car off the freeway and headed to the ritzy side of town. My dad made more money than God and probably swam in it at night when no one was watching.
“She’s like prime real estate.” He laughed. “One of the hottest—”
I jerked around and punched him in the thigh. “Lay off. Seriously. She’s soon to be mine, and you know Jayce is sensitive about her.”
“Yeah, but the question is why?”
“Why what?” I turned back around as we pulled up to the long ci
rcle drive at my parents’ house.
“Why are you so sensitive about her, Jayce? Something happen when you were younger? You’re like over-the-top protective of her.”
Jayce put the car in park and let out a short sigh before shrugging. “I don’t know. I just know how you guys treat women, and she’s my damn sister. My twin. If she ever got hurt by one of you, it would ruin everything. I’d kill you.”
He turned his attention toward me as Jacob laughed loudly and popped me in the shoulder.
“Right, so make sure you heard that shit. It was directed at you.” He got out of the car and walked toward the house like he owned it.
“Why did we bring him? Am I not enough for you?” Jayce smirked as we got out of the car.
“He’s a good diversion. My father loves hockey, but soccer is a close second. He talks about Jacob like he did Bret.” I glanced over at Jayce and wagged my eyebrows. “We’re feeding him to the shark.”
“Excellent. I think everyone would be thrilled to hear that.” He moved up beside me as I shoved Jacob out of the way and opened the door to the three-story mansion.
“Mom. Dad. I’m here. I have some friends with me.” I nodded toward the kitchen as my mother called out to us. “Behave, and no mentioning my brother. Got it?”
“Duh, dumb ass. We know.” Jacob rolled his eyes and elbowed Jayce.
I couldn’t help but smile at the guy. Some girl was going to get him by the balls one day and change everything for him. I only prayed that I could be there when she had him emotionally pinned to the ground, gasping for air.
“Hi, boys.” My mom actually had color in her face for the first time in years.
“Hey, Mom.” I walked over to her and kissed her cheek as she worked on sandwich stuff in the kitchen.
“Hi, Mrs. White.” Jayce moved up and gave my mom a quick hug before stealing a piece of cheese.
“Mom, you remember Jacob Wright? He’s the—”
“Captain of the soccer team and a gold medalist at the Olympics. Wow.” My dad rounded the corner and stuck his hand out toward Jacob. “What an honor to meet such a great athlete.”
“Thanks, sir.” Jacob shook his hand and gave us a side glare as a chuckle lodged in my throat. He was going to get me back good, but it was worth it.
“Come in here and let me show you all my trophies. Let’s see if you have Lucas’s old man beat on accomplishments on the field.” He put an arm around Jacob and walked with him back into the hall.
“Well, that worked.” Jayce smiled as my mom shook her head.
“Is that poor boy supposed to be cannon fodder?” She pointed to the plate. “Grab one and make you a sandwich. I have all of your favorites and some extra stuff just in case.”
I picked up a thinly sliced strip of cucumber and flapped it around. “Mom. Who eats cucumber on their sandwich?”
She glanced back from the open fridge and smiled. “The English do. I wasn’t sure who you were bringing.”
I laughed and made a large sandwich before walking to the table and sitting down. Jayce took the seat on my right, and my mother set two sodas in front of us and took the seat to my left.
“How are you?” She smiled and reached out, brushing her fingers over my forearm. The look on her face told me that she’d come a long way in her healing process. Our time together a week or so back at Bret’s grave had done us both good, but I was still scared as hell that it wouldn’t stick. That we would both crawl back into our shells, and life would go on as it had for as long as I could remember.
Looks like I was wrong.
“I’m good. We’re leaving on Thursday for the Frozen Four.” I turned as my dad walked back in and gripped the back of Jayce’s chair.
“The Frozen Four. Man, those were good times.” He walked into the kitchen where Jacob was already working on a sandwich. “Have you been in the gym this week? On the track? You know Coach Billows is going to ride your ass if you don’t get to it.”
I would usually have responded with a snarky comment, but the need to do so wasn’t there. I felt calm. Peaceful for the first time in nine years.
“Yeah, I got in there this week. It was good.” I licked at my fingers as Jayce nudged me in the side.
“Tell them your good news.” He nodded toward my mom.
Jacob sat down across from us and laughed. “Yeah. Wait, though. I wanna see your dad’s face.”
“What good news?” My mom dropped her hands in her lap as her eyes widened a little. “Carl, get in here. Lucas has news.”
“Yeah, yeah.” My dad walked in and took the seat across from me. He picked up his sandwich and lifted an eyebrow at me. “Spill, kid.”
“It’s not set in stone just yet, but Coach said that Washington has me as their top pick in the draft.” I glanced over at my mom as she let out a holler and started to bounce in her seat.
“Wow. That’s a big deal, Lucas.” She reached over and pulled me into an awkward hug.
I chuckled and moved back to my seat to see my dad sitting in stunned silence.
“Um, Dad? Did you hear me?” Of all things I knew my dad wanted in his lifetime, this was one of them. For one of us to go pro.
His lip lifted in a sad smile as he nodded. “Yeah. Can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Sure.” I stood up as my stomach twisted into knots. I avoided my friends’ worried stares and grabbed the other half of my sandwich as I followed him into the den. I licked at my fingers after taking the thing out in three bites. I needed the moment to be casual between us. I wasn’t ready for the pressure he was going to apply or the ass chewing I might possibly receive for not calling him with the news sooner.
He turned and sat on the edge of his large cherry-wood desk. “Take a seat, Lucas.”
“Yes, sir.” I sat down and tried to relax, but no position felt comfortable.
“Your mom and I talked a lot this last week about everything.” He glanced down at his shoes and let out a tight huff. “About Bret and you too.”
“All right.” I crossed my arms over my chest, not knowing what the fuck to expect from the man in front of me. He’d been my hero up until Bret’s death, but when my brother died, everything changed. He was harder on me than anyone else, mean, condescending, and controlling.
He glanced up and smiled. “I’m really proud of you. Let me get that out first.”
“Awesome. I was hoping you would be.” I shrugged as if it didn’t mean much to me.
“I am. I wanted to play for the Caps so fucking bad when I was your age.” He stood up and ran his fingers through his hair. “I just wasn’t good enough. I couldn’t skate as fast as you or hit as hard as you can. I wasn’t the captain either. My focus was more on girls and half-assing my time on the ice.”
“Really?” I sat up and moved to the edge of my seat. I was shocked by my dad’s confession. I didn’t know much about his time on the ice. My brother did, but I was kept in the dark about everything.
“Yeah.” He smirked. “Your mom saved me from myself. She always has.”
“She’s a good woman.”
“The best.” He turned his attention back to me. “I need you to know that if you decide that you don’t want this opportunity, I’m good with it. This is your life. Your one life, Lucas. Live it how you feel will bring you the most pleasure and fulfillment. I have. Your mom is working on it. Your brother didn’t get that, but you do. Don’t live for us anymore, all right, son?”
It was my turn to sit in stunned silence.
Chapter 30
Aubrey
“I don’t understand why you have to go up to the studio today.” Layla gave me an exasperated look as we all worked to get our luggage into her truck outside the airport.
“Because the tryouts for the spring production are coming up.” I shrugged, not too concerned with having to spend a little bit of the day dancing. I hadn’t done much of anything all week at the beach. It would feel good to get moving again.
“Why so damn late? I
t’s mid-March. When is the event?” Teri tossed her bag on top of mine and pulled at her long blond hair.
My heart broke every time I looked at her, but I hid it as best I could. Being pregnant and knowing who the father was as a junior in college was hard enough, but she’d slept with just about everyone on the team. Well, hopefully not everyone.
I was going to have to pull my brother and Lucas aside to see if they’d been with her. Nausea rolled through my stomach at the thought of it being either of them. It would change all of our lives. Sadly enough, someone’s life was about to change for sure.
“It’s May twenty-fifth. They never give us much time for this one, and from what I understand, it’s on purpose. It’s one of those events where you either have your shit together because you’ve busted your ass over the six weeks you have to pull the production together, or you’re out next year. It’s our final exam.” I closed the trunk and walked to the passenger’s side of the car. “I’m used to it at this point.”
“Are you dancing the lead part?” Layla asked before getting in the car and buckling up. “Or do you know that yet?”
“I haven’t tried out yet. That’s what’s coming up.” I popped her in the arm softly. “Stay with me here.”
“Yeah, sorry. I slept like shit last night.” She shrugged and pulled out into traffic. “I’m worried about Teri and the guys.”
“Teri is worried about Teri.” Teri stuck her head in the front seat and gave us a weary smile.
“We’ll figure it out together.” I turned and ran my hand over her forearm. “Any idea whose it might be? Who have you slept with in the last month?”
“Who hasn’t she slept with?” Lizzy laughed, but the sound fell flat. “Yeah, sorry. Too soon?”
I rolled my eyes and turned my attention to Teri. She was pretty enough to be a model, and where Lizzy was ditsy, Teri was just slutty.
“Jessie and Parks mostly. I was with William twice.” She pressed her hands to her face. “Maybe I should just get rid of it.”
“I think before you make any decisions at all, you need to have the guys take a paternity test.” I squeezed her arm. “Lean back and rest. We’ll work through it.”