Page 5

ISABELLE

MONTHS LATER

A strange text from Harper woke me up super early this morning.

Harper: SOS. Just landed in NYC see you soon.

This can’t be good. She’s supposed to be in Italy with Felix for Pierre’s wedding.

As soon as the message comes through, I check her socials, then Felix’s, and as a last resort, I check Kitty and Pierre’s to see what is going on, but there doesn’t seem to be anything.

Of course, there wouldn’t be, they’re probably in the middle of getting married.

I heard they got a million dollars from some magazine to shoot their Italian wedding so I doubt they will post anything online to jeopardize that.

I don’t know what’s going on, and my anxiety is in overdrive.

Heading into the kitchen, I grab a bottle of champagne from the fridge because if it’s bad news, like she’s broken up with Felix, she is going to want to drink her sorrows away no matter how early it is.

Then I order a breakfast platter from the café next door.

I don’t cook. I’m hopeless at it. They should probably revoke my Italian citizenship hearing that.

I know my nonna is turning in her grave hearing I can’t cook.

Look we can’t be good at everything all the time.

I hear the front door open and rush out of the kitchen to greet Harper.

I still.

No.

This has to be a nightmare because there is no way in hell I am staring at Pierre St. Fucking Pierre in the entrance of my home, all six foot five inches of him. Harper wouldn’t do this to me. She wouldn’t bring this man into my home.

“Don’t freak out,” Harper says.

Don’t freak out? Oh, I’m most certainly freaking out.

“Nope. No. Get the hell out of my home,” I yell, pointing at the front door.

“Issy,” Felix pleads.

I shake my head. “No. I don’t care what the reason is, he needs to go.”

“Issy, give me a sec …” Harper says as she tries to advocate for this asshole, but I’m not interested.

“Aren’t you supposed to be getting married?” I stare at the man I swore I would never see again. The man who broke my na?ve heart into a million pieces. The man that I can’t seem to let go of.

“Yeah, about that,” he answers awkwardly as he rubs the back of his neck.

This was always his nervous tell growing up.

My eyes narrow and that’s when I notice the disheveled dark hair as if he’s run his fingers through it all night, the dark circles under his eyes, the tie on his suit is loosened and pulled to the side haphazardly, his square jaw is covered in stubble, and those hazel eyes look haunted.

“Welcome to operation runaway groom,” Harper states, giving me jazz hands.

I stare at my best friend, the traitor. “Oh my god, you left Kitty at the altar. And you two helped him?” I’m dumbfounded.

Who the hell does that to a woman? Who am I kidding, it’s fucking Pierre, of course he would do that.

What I don’t get is Harper entertaining the illusions of this fuckboy.

I get why Felix would help him as his brother but her, she’s my friend.

“It’s not what you think,” Harper argues.

“You have no idea what I’m thinking,” I tell her before glaring daggers at Pierre, those familiar hazel eyes quickly looking away from me. Good, I hope I make you pee your pants in fear.

“I can see it on your face,” Harper says.

Of all the people, she is the one who knows what this man did to me. The pain he caused, and now he’s doing that to someone else. I will not be a part of it. I’m not helping this man wreck another woman.

“Come on, let’s go to that party,” Harper pushes.

“I’m tired.” I groan.

“We are going, come on. You don’t want to leave Pierre with all these puck bunnies prancing around,” she warns me.

“I trust him.” I glare at her. I know Harper doesn’t, but I’ve been with Pierre for years now. We love each other, we are planning a future together, he wouldn’t jeopardize that.

“You might, but I sure as hell don’t trust those girls that hang around the house.”

I roll my eyes and reluctantly get off the couch and get ready.

Moments later, we head into the frat house. People spilling out of the house onto the street, and the music is pumping. Harper takes my hand and pulls me through the crush of people.

“Do you see him?” she screams over the music. I shake my head because I can’t, and usually it is easy because Pierre towers over everyone. “What does his location say?”

Pulling out my phone, I stare down at the app. “He’s here.”

Harper nods and pulls me up the stairs toward his bedroom. He’s probably in his room, Pierre takes his hockey seriously and doesn’t usually party with the other players, his sole focus is to be the best. “Which room is it?” she asks.

“That one.” I point to his door.

Harper continues to pull me toward it, but instead of knocking, she barges right into his room. Before I have a chance to stop her, she flicks the light on, and I gasp at what I see. Missy Jenkins giving my boyfriend a blowjob.

“Hey, assholes, don’t you knock, I’m kind of busy.” Pierre groans before looking up. “Shit, Issy,” he curses, pushing Missy off his dick. I can see her spit glisten across his cock. I’m going to be sick.

“And this is why I don’t trust him. She’s not the first,” Harper informs me.

“What the fuck, Harper?” Pierre screams at her as he tries to get himself dressed.

I am in utter disbelief. I can’t believe he would do this to me.

“Issy, please, it’s not what it looks like,” Pierre pleads.

“Not what it looks like? It looks a hell of a lot like you’re fucking over my friend,” Harper tells him.

“This is none of your business, shut the fuck up,” he screams at her.

“Whatever lame ass excuse he’s going to give you, remember she’s not the first,” Harper says to me.

I stare at Pierre, and I don’t see the boy who held my heart anymore, I see nothing but a stranger.

“Issy, please, let me explain,” he says.

But I don’t want to hear it, nothing he says can make me forgive this, nothing. And with that, I turn and disappear out the door in tears as my heart breaks in two.

“Babe, I’m so sorry,” Harper says, running after me.

“You knew.” I stare at her as tears run down my cheeks.

“Not one hundred percent. I had heard girls boasting about it around campus, but I could never catch him. I knew you wouldn’t believe me unless I showed you the proof,” she explains.

My stomach turns. “Do I know these girls?”

Harper nods. “Some are friends,” she confesses.

Oh.

My stomach sinks. “Friends?”

“Obviously, not real friends,” Harper adds.

“Why did he do this? Was I not enough? Am I not pretty enough? My boobs not big enough? Am I bad in bed? What did I do?” I sob to her.

“Nothing, you did nothing. It’s his ego. He’s got caught up in the hype of himself. He thinks he’s a fucking king,” Harper explains to me.

“I don’t know that guy in there,” I say, pointing toward the frat house.

“That’s the real Pierre when you’re not around. The womanizing hockey star,” Harper adds.

“If that is what he wanted, why didn’t he break up with me?”

“Because boys are assholes.”

“I never thought he could be one.”

“He has a dick, they are born that way,” Harper adds.

I never understood Harper’s men-hating attitude, but I guess I’ve never had my heart broken before.

“I thought he was different,” I sob to her. Harper comes over, wraps her arms around me, and pulls me into a tight hug.

“I’m so sorry,” she says, holding me as I break down.

“It’s not what you think, he’s not the asshole doing the cheating this time,” Harper explains, pulling me from the past.

“Hey,” Pierre protests, but I glare at him, and he shuts up.

“We caught Kitty screwing someone in the garden the night before the wedding,” Harper explains.

I’m dumbfounded.

“Not just someone but Bill Reeves,” Felix adds.

As in the owner of the South Dakota Devils. That Bill Reeves. Isn’t he like sixty-something, and she’s late twenties? Hasn’t he been married forever? I just stare at them all. They must be messing with me.

“I have video,” Harper adds.

I scrunch up my face, I don’t need to see that.

I reach out, grab Harper by the arm, and pull her into the kitchen.

“What the fuck were you thinking?” I hiss at my friend.

If what she is saying is true, why the hell is she bringing this to my doorstep, especially him? I want no part of this. No way.

“I was thinking of what was best for my client and bringing him somewhere the media wouldn’t look for him,” she whisper yells at me.

“In my home,” I say, thumping my hand on my chest.

Harper’s brows pull together. “It made sense in my head, but I see now, in practice, it might not be such a great idea.”

“I can’t believe you did this to me.” I try to hold in the emotions that are threatening to erupt.

“I had no choice,” she argues.

Of course, she had a choice. She has a house. Her family own a fucking hotel empire there are so many other options. “And why should I do this for him?”

“For closure. Because I don’t think you have ever gotten over his betrayal, and I don’t think you will ever be able to move on until you do.”

I can’t believe she said that to me. I don’t need anything from this man. “Don’t you hate him?”

“We’re friends now,” she says, giving me a smile as if everything is okay in the world. I’m stunned. “Honestly, it’s going to be the best therapy. Face your fears.”

I glare at my friend. Is she so dickmatized by Felix that she would do this to me? “You’re asking me to shock therapy myself with my ex while he is hiding from his ex because she’s been boning his boss,” I throw back at her.

“I can tell you it’s not a visual you would want to see,” Pierre says, stepping into the kitchen and interrupting our conversation.

“This is a private conversation,” I snap at him.

“About me,” he argues.

Felix walks in behind his brother. “Sorry, I couldn’t stop him,” he says, giving us a guilty look.

“He’s your client, why can’t he stay with you?”

Pierre crosses his arms and glares at me. “You’re going to have to get used to me being around you, Issy, seeing as my brother is dating your best friend.”

“No, I don’t have to.”

“I’m also going to try to get picked up by The Mavericks,” Pierre declares.

“You’re doing what?” Have I fallen into The Matrix or something.

He wants to jump ship when he probably has years left on his contract and at his age, but now wants to move to a team that just signed his brother, his much younger brother.

I turn to Felix because this is crazy. “I didn’t think you ever wanted to play on the same team as him.

You said he was too competitive against you. ”

“I push him to be better,” Pierre argues.

“You bulldoze over him because your fucking ego is uncontrollable. And it looks like nothing has changed since college,” I yell at him.

“My life has blown up. I was supposed to be getting married this weekend. My career is circling the drain over this. Everything I have worked for could vanish,” he says loudly.

We glare at each other. Silence falls around us.

I hate his stupid face. “Please, Issy, give me one week and then I’ll be out of your hair. I promise.”

One week. One hour, no, one minute is too long. “Can’t you go back to Quebec with your mom?”

“She’s staying in Italy with my sisters, they are having a holiday,” he explains.

“I don’t feel comfortable,” I tell him.

His face softens. “I promise you won’t see me.

I’ll stay in my room.” Just his presence alone is enough.

I can’t have him roaming my home, my private space.

I shake my head. No. This man is not staying here with me.

Pierre’s face tightens. “Fine, I’ll play hardball then.

I thought my agency would try to help their client get out of a contract and find them a new one. That’s what managers do, don’t they?”

Is he fucking serious? My eyes narrow on him.

The asshole. How dare he use my business against me.

“One week and then you are fucking out of my house.” I point my finger at him in warning before I turn and leave the kitchen.

I have to get away from this man. I hate the stupid spicy cologne that he’s wearing, which swirls around my head, messing it up.

And I still hate his stupid, perfect face.

“Oh, one more thing,” Pierre calls out to me. Seriously, there’s more? I stop and look at him angrily. “I need to go get Frankston.”

“Frankston? Who the hell is Frankston?” I ask.

“My dog.”

“Your dog.”

“He’s my baby, I can’t leave him,” he explains.

“And you want to bring him here, to my home?”

“He’s house-trained. He’s a good boy.”

Pierre’s being serious. He wants to get his dog and bring it to my house. My house. But I’m not a heartless bitch and it’s not the dogs fault his dad is the world’s biggest asshole. “Fine, but if he destroys anything you are paying for it.”

“Promise.” He grins as I walk out of the room.

“Issy, wait,” Harper calls after me.

“Don’t talk to me, you traitor,” I say as I stomp through the house trying to get away from everything just as the front doorbell rings.

Shit. That’s breakfast. I head over to the front door and greet the waiter, I grab the platter and shut the door behind me.

“I ordered food, I knew you would be hungry. I even had champagne chilling because I thought you might need it. I thought you and Felix had broken up, and I knew you’d be sad. ”

Harper’s face softens. “You did that for me?”

“Of course I did, because I’m a good friend, unlike you.”

“How about I take this from you?” she says, walking over and taking the platter from my hands. “And we can talk. I’ll explain everything.”

“Fine, but bring the champagne, I think I’m going to need it,” I say, rolling my eyes.