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I longed for his powerful arms around me and his promises to ease my troubled mind—if only I trusted him.
But I know Jackson. When he wants something, he moves fast. He obsesses, he love-bombs, and when he has what he wants, he becomes controlling and possessive.
He’s my weakness, and I can’t let my loneliness lead me to heartache, not when I have more than myself to think about.
NINETEEN
ETHAN
We’reon a private jet en route to our first game. All around me, the team is a buzz of excitement, bordering on obnoxious. Their mouths haven’t quit yapping, and it has nothing to do with the start of the hockey season.
It has something to do with my pain-in-the-ass captain, who hasn’t stopped grinning. It’s infuriating.
“How’s thegirlfriend?” Grant asks, and a few of the guys snicker.
My attention is piqued, and I eavesdrop from a row ahead.
“Much better,” Jackson says, a smile clear in his voice. “Doctor said everything is fine with her and the baby.”
Baby? He has a girlfriendanda baby? Holy shit. I was way off.
“They think she’s stressed,” he continues. “They’ll monitor her blood pressure, and she’s staying at the resort while I’m gone.”
“Are you sure that’s safe?” Hoosier chimes in. “After all those videos went viral? People will know she’s your girlfriend.”
Someone scoffs. “She’s not his girlfriend.”
“Doesn’t fucking matter,” Jackson barks. “I hired a bodyguard to watch over her and spoke with the manager this morning. She’s been moved to my penthouse. It has a private elevator and staff.”
“Leave him alone.” Grant chuckles. “We all know Jackson is still hung up on Aurora.”
I’m lost. Jackson isn’t in a relationship with the mother of his child because of lingering feelings for Aurora? He hasn’t mentioned her in over a month. He has been dedicated to hockey and getting clean.
But this is Aurora we’re talking about, bikini supermodel with the heart of an angel. Who could forget her? Not me, and apparently not Jackson.
“The one who got away,” another player sings wistfully.
“Enough, assholes. Aurora is pregnant by some dickhead and needs a lot of support right now.”
His words hit me like a bullet to the chest. My world stops. My vision blurs. The chilling grip of shock knots my insides, the air frozen in my lungs.
Aurora is pregnant.
The girl I slept with months ago.
My body moves in slow motion, my limbs numb. With trembling fingers, I reach for my phone and search for the videos that captured Jackson’s moment of elevator fury. My heart ceases to beat until I find what I’m looking for, what I already know I’ll see.
Sure enough, it’s an unconscious Aurora falling into Jackson’s arms.
I scrub the video and watch it over again, blinking at the sight of her slightly rounded stomach.
Everything in me screamsmine.
My girl. My child. The realization is so intense, pure adrenaline surges through my veins.
Pieces of a puzzle I didn’t even know existed snap into place.Of course,it’d be a threat to Aurora that’d have Jackson losing his shit. How did I not think of that?
“Dude, are you sure it’s not yours?” Grant asks.