Page 15

We listen to music on the rest of the drive and we pull up onto the driveway much too soon. I stare up at the house that was my home for so many years and feel like breaking down already.

Can I really do this? So soon?

I shove my phone in my pocket and wait for the girls to join me before we head up to the door. I have my small ice chest in my hand, my purse hanging off my shoulder, and my phone in hand to call for an Uber if needed.

Caroline steps up to the front door and I feel like puking again. The porch lights are on, the glow from the lights in the foyer are brightening up the dark space out here in the fresh air. I breathe in the crisp air and try to let it calm my nerves.

“Come on, everything will be fine. We’ll eat, and then run the hell out of here,” Alyssa murmurs to my right and she shoves me lightly up the steps.

I chuckle and follow the girls into the house, shutting the door behind me.

It smells different. It smells like fake lemons in here, not like the real lavender cleaning products I used.

All of my décor is obviously gone, but it looks like Alex has been busy. Where there used to be a more rustic décor has now been transformed with expensive crystal vases, lamps, and a new chandelier above my head in the foyer.

Christ, how much is she spending?

I frown as I make my way to the dining room, finding James standing up and hugging the girls. Alex is scowling down at her phone, not even saying anything as she sits at the table, tapping her high heeled shoe against the hardwood floors.

The table is littered with platters filled with hotdogs, pasta, and steamed veggies covered in cheese. The type of meal we would have once a week when James had a rough game or practice.

I hold my breath as I sit on the opposite side of the table. None of that smells appetizing. I busy myself with my food in my ice chest, pulling out the containers of fresh vegetables, my hummus dip, egg salad, and crackers.

I smile to myself as I present it out on the plate and I glance up to see James frowning at me.

“I ordered your favorite pasta, do you not want any?”

I shake my head and look over to Alex instead of answering him. “Thanks for having us over… Interesting décor you’ve set up.”

She giggles and wraps herself around James, basically crawling into his lap.

“I just can’t wait for us to move into something…

bigger. I’ve been house shopping. I’m looking for something more modern.

Open, brighter… you know? This house is so dark and dreary, old fashioned.

Maybe a large pool with a guest house for when the… twins stay over or whatever.”

I blink over at James with a frown and tilt my head. “You’re not going to have rooms in the house for them?”

He clears his throat and tosses the whiskey from his glass into his mouth in one go.

“We’re still debating over the living situation.

I’m not planning on moving any time soon, definitely not before the girls are out of high school…

I want to downsize .” He sends a sharp look to his girlfriend and she just bats her eyelashes at him.

Caroline and Alyssa are silent as they plate up with some pasta and the cheesy vegetables and don’t say a word as they start to eat. I don’t blame them.

I hum and start on my own meal. “Well, probably something you want to iron out before some ten-carat monstrosity is on her finger, hey?” Caroline snorts into her glass of juice and Alyssa’s shoulders are shaking.

“Well, as soon as we’re done eating we’ll go start to pack up the rest of the girls’ rooms. No reason for having anything here if they’re obviously not welcome.

What a great woman you have there.” I wink at my best friend, who is now feeling more like my damn enemy.

Who the fuck does he think he is?

Sure, Alex is gorgeous. I don’t know jack shit about her, and neither do the girls, but she looks like she comes from money.

Everything about her, from her hair, to her makeup, to her clothes and heels, scream ‘money’.

But even I can feel from the vibes she’s throwing out that she wants James all to herself, even the girls, his fucking little twin sisters are being pushed away.

What a stand-up woman. Definitely wife material.

James stands up, the sound of the chair scraping on the hardwood floors is grating on my ears.

He slams his hands down on the table, leaning forward and glaring at me.

His sky-blue eyes are darkened with anger.

“They will move out when they make the decision to, I don’t need you forcing them to take your side.

What the fuck are you doing, Marie? You’ve lived with me since we were barely eighteen, parenting the girls right beside me for years before that, and now, what?

You’re threatened by another woman coming into my life? I never even asked you to move out.”

I nod and glance over to Alex. “Did you know I lived here with the girls? Would you have moved in if I continued to live here?”

She glares at me and clears her throat. “No.”

I smile at her and blink over to James who is turning a nasty shade of red.

“Exactly. I have some personal shit going on and the girls don’t deserve this.

They don’t remember how our lives were, James, and they sure as fuck don’t deserve any shit like this now.

They have me, just like they always have, and they should have you, too.

Go ahead and ask them how they’ve been feeling lately, right here, right now.

Ask them where they want to live and why.

I’m not forcing them into anything. They have said what they wanted directly to me.

Never have I told them or demanded them, or tried to sway them to anything else. ”

I sit back in my chair and cross my arms over my chest, waiting.

He glances at the twins with a frown on his face. “What is she saying, girls?”

Alyssa shoots her brother a nasty glare.

“You should know that already, and Marie is right. She hasn’t once made any decisions for us, only letting us know that her house is our house, too.

Way better than we felt since you brought her here, moving her in without even talking to us about it.

We don’t know her, and frankly, I don’t want to.

She’s said plenty of times that she wants you and the house to herself in several different ways.

You must be deaf. So yeah… I agree. I’m packing up the rest of my stuff and we’ll live with Marie.

The one that actually cares about and loves us. She needs us, too, anyway.”

Caroline nods and shovels her pasta into her mouth. “Good talk, bro. I’m done here.” She waves and stomps down the hall to her room and I wait for Alyssa to join her before I say anything more.

“You’re the one fucking up, James. I moved out for several reasons and would have talked to you about it if you didn’t blindside all of us with her.

” I nod over to the smug bitch across from me.

She’s smiling as if the drama is feeding her inner demon.

Hell, it probably is. “You’re throwing away your entire family, and you better pray that we will still be here when it crashes and burns.

” I stand and pack up my uneaten food. “I’m going to go help the girls pack.

I’ll call Nolan to come help us move everything to Caroline’s car since he’s the closest.”

James’s gaze darkens on me again and he shakes his head. “You still fucking him? Really? You’re hurting him, Marie. He really loves you and you know it.”

I shake my head. “I haven’t touched him in a year, but we still talk.

I still talk to Landon and Logan, too. Sometimes Blake and Morgan.

I’m Just not recently, but I don’t just abandon people out of my life or blindside them for no reason.

Just because I want nothing to do with you doesn’t mean I don’t care about our friends and the team.

We still watch your games at home, but I’m sure as hell not going to sit in a box with your girlfriend.

” I sigh and pull out my phone to call Nolan.

It barely rings before he picks up. “Marie! Finally!”

I chuckle and shut myself into my old room, right beside Caroline’s.

“Hey, we’re over at James’s house. Can you come help us out and then come over to my house to help us unload?

The girls are packing up the rest of their belongings and moving in with me.

Some shit is going down and we need some backup anyway. ”

He groans and I hear him grab his keys. “You’ve barely talked to me for weeks, so all I’m good for is my muscles?”

I laugh and grab the empty boxes and some tape from my closet that I left here from when I moved. “I’ll talk to you about everything when I’m ready. When you come to my new house, you have to promise to keep the address to yourself… please?”

He sighs deeply and I hear his truck start up. “Fine. Why me? Why not Logan or Landon?”

“Because they’re busy with their significant others, I assumed.”

He snorts. “Landon is single again, shocker I know. I’ll give him a call if there’s anything that doesn’t fit in our vehicles. See you in a few.” We hang up and I drag the boxes to the hall and knock on the girls’ doors.

“I have boxes!” I call out and lean against the door.

Caroline opens up and smiles at me. “I really don’t have much to take, we’re leaving our furniture here, right?”

I nod and hand over some boxes and tape. “Yep. Nolan’s on the way. Just pack up the rest of your clothes, toiletries, and books. Anything else you need we’ll shop for.”

I say the same to Alyssa and I slide down against the wall and hang out in the hall as they pack.

I feel like crying… I can’t believe that James said that shit to me. He knows me better than that. I thought I knew him better than that.

Nolan shows up within minutes and I hear him and James talking down the hall. I try not to overhear but I can’t help it. The voices carry.

“I don’t know what the fuck is going on, man.

But you’re fucking up. It’s showing on the ice, it’s obviously showing in your personal life.

Next you’ll lose the guys and any respect on the team.

Take a look around, bro. All you have to show for yourself is a woman that your sisters and your best friend refuse to be around.

I have no idea what the fuck you did, but I’m staying out of it all after tonight.

Marie needs help and I’m here for that… I’m here for you when you get your head out of your ass, too. ”

He makes his way down the hall to me and throws me one of his smirks. “Looking good, M. How’ve you been?”

I shrug and look him over. His dark brown hair is hanging down into his eyes, but his brown eyes are happy and shimmering. This man is always happy, always ready for a good time. Sort of like Blake, but less annoying.

And a good time he is indeed.

“I’m okay. The girls are packing up, thanks for coming to help.”

He shrugs and taps his finger against his plump lips. “Who helped you pack?”

“I hired a company. They even set up all of my new furniture at the new place.”

He nods and then turns when Caroline steps out and waves.

“All done… Get me out of here.” We both frown at her and he immediately gets to work. Caroline shoots me a look when I move to grab a box so I just hang back and let Nolan and the girls do all the work.

Nolan ends up calling Landon to help out and we get everything into Nolan’s truck in no time.

He said he didn’t want to carry all of the boxes on his own but I think he wants backup.

I mean, it’s smart. Who knows what James has been telling them.

They said they didn’t see Alex anywhere in the house, so maybe she went to hide out in James’s bedroom.

Landon hasn’t even looked at James since he showed up and he slammed the front door when we were ready to go. He came straight up to me and wrapped me up in his strong arms.

“I don’t know what the fuck is happening, but we got you, love. If you want to come to a game and not deal with anyone, I’ll get you some tickets out of the box if you want?”

I nod against his chest and try not to cry. Fuck I missed this guy. And Nolan. Hell, I missed all the guys. They have always been there for me and I feel like I took them for granted. I was always so hung up on James.

“Thanks. Maybe for Wednesday’s game? I think I’ll already be at the rink with Dr. Patterson by then anyway. Who knows, I might be working that game anyway.”

He leans back and smiles at me. “Perfect. Want to go out to dinner sometime this week? We all miss you.”

“Sure.”

He hops up in his truck and Caroline drives to my house with Nolan and Landon following. I just hope they keep their word and don’t tell James where we live. I don’t need his girlfriend showing up to my safe space.

It’s still mind boggling that James either didn’t hear what she was saying, or he thinks he can change her mind.

Can’t wait to see what she does next.

I just have a feeling that it’s not going to be pretty.