Page 88

Story: Triple Power Play

Instantly, I’m on edge. “Babe?—”
Ethan shoots me his signature deep scowl. “I got this.”
Instead of pushing the issue, I pay close attention to how he handles her. I’ve never been great at responding to her anxieties, and he deals with twenty of us idiots daily without murdering anyone.
He also coached for the Special Olympics and an underprivileged peewee team in Harlem, where he grew up. FuckingHarlem.
I may have used my stalker tendencies to find dirt on him. Unfortunately, I found only killer defensive skills and a mean penalty record.
He tucks an unruly wave behind her ear. “Tell me what you need. Do you need your name on the deed? Ownership?”
“I don’t know.” Her fingers wring the hem of her hoodie. “I have other things to pay for.”
I’ve witnessed a few of her panic attacks, and she appears to be heading in that direction.
My eyes shift to the arm where she needed stitches after I shattered a bottle against a wall, aiming for a bastard interested in her. Visions of her gasping for air, blood pouring from the wound, flash through my mind, and my stomach churns.
She should’ve never been there.
“You’re overwhelmed.” Ethan’s deep voice breaks through my spiraling thoughts. “You can’t trust anyone because everyone has failed you. I understand that. Believe me, I do. But you have to trust me.” He places a hand on her abdomen. “This child is mine too. I want to see you. I want to see the baby. And I know Jackson wants that too. Can we at least try to live together before you dismiss the idea?”
“I can’t live off someone.”
My heart hurts knowing I’m the reason she’s this way.
In the beginning, I paid for her time and trust. I forced her to depend on me, and whenIfailed and she naturally wanted distance, I threw it in her face. Intoxicated, I’d told her I must not be paying her enough.
She should’ve told me to shove it up my ass. No amount of money is worth staying with a drunk asshole. But she never did.
“Someone made you feel that way. Right? And what did you tell me? It doesn’t make it true. I love the idea of you needing me. I’d love to take care of you. I love it when you cling to me. You don’t even know how much it means to me.” He takes a deep breath and blows it out slowly. “But I get the feeling, no matter what I say, you’re going to put boundaries between us.”
A tear slides down her cheek, and he brushes it away.
“You both have hockey. You’re both successful. I’m only getting started, and if I quit now, I’ll always be the gold-digging whore Jackson’s father calls me, or?—”
“Aurora,” I growl.
But her anguished eyes silence me.
“No. You repeated similar words. It doesn’t matter if you were drunk or if you’re sorry. I still feel it.” She places her palm on Ethan’s chest. “I still feel like the escort you dreaded getting pregnant or the woman you’re ashamed of.” She takes a ragged inhale. “I can’t do this.”
She covers her face with her hands, and my heart shatters. Words cannot express how much I regret hurting her. I only wish I knew how to fix it.
“Look at me.” Ethan lifts her chin. “Nothing I say will erase the past or convince you you’re worthy of the life we want to give you. What do you need? A photoshoot where you’re crawling all over me on the beach? A ring on your finger? Will that help? Think about it.”
Aurora shakes her head, which sucks, since I coincidentally have a ring.
“Say what you need instead of pushing us away.” After pausing to search her eyes, he says, “Tell him. I won’t let anything happen.”
THIRTY-TWO
JACKSON
Ice runs through my veins,and my panic skyrockets, fearing Aurora wants to be with Ethan—onlyEthan.
She winces. “I need to work. I need to go to New York. Maybe elsewhere.”
They’re not the least desirable words, but close. She’s leaving me, and I doubt I’ll get her back. It’s a repeat of our breakup. Only this time, she’s pregnant and traveling across the country, and I’m sober, feeling everything.