Page 3

Three

Jade

The girls are huddled together and whispering when I approach with my whiskey. The excuse of not feeling well and needing to leave early is forefront in my mind until they part, and Aubrie leans closer to me.

“Oh my god, it’s Tweetie Sorenson.” She nods toward a table, and there he is—the Falcons’ left wing. Another player who also lives at The Nest. Of course he’s here, he lives upstairs.

“Are you guys hockey fans?” I look around the table.

“We are now.” One girl takes an extra-long look at Tweetie and licks her lips. With his longish wavy blond hair that’s darker at the roots, coupled with his height and his big strong body, he demands to be noticed. He’s one of the older players in the league, meaning he’s way too old for her.

Aubrie laughs. “They wanted to bring me here because of Henry. You know?” She sips her Vesper, the drink our moms love, and gives me a look to say I know how it is when you know a professional hockey player.

Last time I really spent any time with Aubrie was years ago when she was younger and just starting to get into boys. This is an entirely new version of her. Although I get it, and really, I have no idea how close she and Henry might be now. Then again, she clearly doesn’t have his phone number, otherwise she’d call him to say she’s here.

“She’s got a crush on Henry,” one of her friends says.

“I do not!” Aubrie glares at her friend then turns her alarmed eyes my way. “I promise.”

I laugh. “It’s okay, Aubrie. It’s been years.”

I’m not jealous, and Henry would never… well, at least the Henry I knew would never. He could’ve changed over the years. I take a quick peek at Tweetie. All I wonder is how much better he knows Henry than I do now. Could he be Henry’s best friend? Or his biggest confidant? Has Henry ever mentioned me to him?

Tweetie glances my way as I’m about to look back at the girls. Our eyes lock, and he holds my stare with a glint in his eyes as if he’s asking me whether I’m interested. My gaze strays away so I don’t give him the wrong idea and spots Aubrie talking in hushed whispers with her friends.

Then I hear her say, “They broke up. She went to Europe, and he stayed here.”

I sigh and sip my whiskey. “Telling my tragic love story, Aubrie?”

She leans back and cringes. “They asked… sorry.” Her lips twist.

I place my hand on her knee and shake my head. “It’s fine. Yeah, I’ve known Henry Hensley since he was seven. We were best friends. We were lovers. And now we’re nothing.”

All the girls groan and look at me as if I just told them that true love doesn’t exist. I really shouldn’t let my cynical side show.

“Is it someone’s birthday?” Tweetie interrupts us, approaching our table and eyeing Aubrie’s birthday sash.

“Mine!” Aubrie wiggles in her seat with lust-filled eyes for Tweetie.

Hell no. She will not be going anywhere with him. He’d better back off. This is exactly why Chelsea sent me, and I’m prepared to play bodyguard.

“Big ol’ twenty-one.” I sip my whiskey and give him a look over the rim of my glass.

“Well, shit. Can’t go to jail, ladies. I’m too pretty.” He holds up his hands and backs away.

“You should at least buy her a drink,” Aubrie’s friend says.

His gaze falls to me.

“I’m not her mother,” I say.

“Yeah, but you already gave me the ‘I’ll cut off your balls’ look, and I really like my balls.”

The girls giggle, showing their age.

“Rubes.” He swings his arm around the older red-haired woman as she’s passing by, stopping her. “Get this table a round and put it on my tab.”

She blows out a breath and points at me with a “I told you so” expression. Then she grunts before disappearing through the crowd.

“She’s not very nice,” Aubrie says.

Tweetie laughs. “She’s protective.” His gaze wanders to the closed door at the back of the bar.

“Can I ask you a question?” Aubrie leans over the table, and I’m thankful that Tweetie’s gaze doesn’t fall to her chest that’s now almost spilling out of her low-cut top. He really must value his balls.

“As long as it’s not the security code to The Nest gate.” Tweetie grins, eyes flashing.

The girls giggle again, and I down another sip of whiskey, wishing I would’ve made an excuse to leave right when I sat down.

“Is Henry Hensley back there?” Aubrie eyes the room. I guess everyone knows they hang out back there.

Tweetie widens his stance and crosses his arms. “You like Daddy.” He gives her a wicked smile.

A laugh bubbles out of me before I can swallow it down. How fitting of a nickname. Not because of his son, Bodhi, but because Henry always had his shit together. Tweetie’s eyes meet mine, and his eyebrows scrunch. Something crosses his face, but he says nothing.

“I love Henry. He’s like an older brother to me. Jade and I grew up with him.” She swings her arm around my shoulders.

Tweetie’s smile dims for a second, and his gaze floats up and down my body. Not in a suggestive appraisal, but more with a knowing look. Maybe Henry has mentioned me. “Jade? That’s your name?”

Sourness coats my stomach. How much does he know? Is he going to get the redheaded woman to throw me out the back door into some grimy alleyway?

I nod and down the rest of my whiskey. “Yes.”

“And she’s Aubrie.” One of the girls points at Aubrie.

A loud laugh bursts out of Tweetie, and he uncrosses his arms, holding out his hand to me. “Come with me.”

“Nope.” I press my lips together.

“Why not?” He arches his eyebrow as if in challenge.

“We’re celebrating Aubrie’s birthday.”

He nibbles his lower lip and looks around at the girls then shakes his head. “Sorry, girls, you’re way too young to be back there, but…” It’s as if he’s thinking on the fly. “I’ll take Jade back there, then I’ll send out some rookies.”

The girls’ eyes light up, widening to saucers.

“Really?” the one who has come off as the most boy crazy asks.

“As long as Jade comes with me.” He challenges me with a look.

I narrow my eyes. He’s putting me in a position I don’t want to be in.

“Please, Jade.” Aubrie grabs my sleeve. “And Henry will be so happy to see you anyway. It’s like a win-win.”

“Yeah, Jade, a win-win,” Tweetie repeats.

I jut my jaw out at his sarcasm, but he only laughs because he knows something, and I feel as if he could be playing a game with me.

“What a birthday gift for Aubrie,” one of her friends says.

I glare at Tweetie, and the cocky smirk never leaves his lips. He has that whole sexy, “spend the night with me, and I’ll pay for your Uber home afterward” vibe. Not my type at all.

“Maybe Henry can come out here with the rookies?” I ask, crossing my legs, relaxing back into my seat even though I feel anything but relaxed.

Tweetie’s tongue slides out of his mouth and across his bottom lip. One of the girls at the table moans. He’s a player like no one I’ve ever seen. Almost as if he’s perfecting his moves in a mirror every night. “Daddy doesn’t come out of the back room.”

“Why?” Aubrie asks, leaning over further.

Good job, Tweetie, keep those eyes up.

“He’s quiet.” He lowers his gaze to mine. “You know what they say about the quiet ones, but you probably already know that to be true, right, Jade?”

The way he says my name assures me he knows something about my past with Henry.

“Yeah, he is kind of reserved,” Aubrie says. “But I haven’t seen him in a couple years.”

If she hasn’t seen him, where is he spending his holidays? He’s always spent them with Mom and Reed and my brothers. Usually, Aubrie and her parents come as well. He’s probably been avoiding it in case he runs into me. I hate that I have no idea what’s going on in his life. Where are his grandparents? God, I hope nothing happened to either of them. But I’m sure my mom would have told me. Then again, I told her three years ago—when I was being childish and hurt—that I didn’t want to hear anything about Henry anymore, and she’s kept her word. Probably because of all her issues with us back in the day.

I inwardly groan. Eventually, our paths will cross, and I don’t want to spend the entire time I’m in Chicago worrying that one day I’ll come home to find Henry in Reed’s home office. I’m a big girl. I can do this. Might as well get the awkwardness over with. He’ll know I’m home, and that will be that.

I slide off the stool and stare up at Tweetie. Shit, he’s even taller when we’re both on level ground. “Buy me a whiskey first.”

“Done,” Tweetie says, holding his arm out for me to go first.

I turn to Aubrie. “You don’t leave this bar without me, okay?”

“Okay, Mom,” one girl says, but I keep my gaze locked on Aubrie. I really don’t want to be chewed out by Chelsea in the morning.

She nods. “Okay, I’ll stay.”

I walk toward the bar, weaving through the tables, while most eyes are on the man behind me.

“I get it now,” he says from behind me.

“What?” I ask over my shoulder.

“Nothing.” He steps in front of me and leads me to the bar.

Tweetie puts my whiskey on his tab, and I wonder for a moment how big a tab he has here. Then he walks to the door and turns toward me, his hand resting on the handle, eyeing me with a teasing smile to suggest he doesn’t think I have the nerve to go through with this. But Tweetie knows nothing about me. Sometimes I hate the side of me that loves to prove people wrong.

I break the distance and inhale a deep breath.

“Ready to be reunited?” he asks, laughing and opening the door.

My eyes are like heat-seeking missiles, and I spot him immediately. The back of his head faces me, but I’d recognize that dirty-blond hair my fingers have weaved through millions of times anywhere. He’s staring up at the television, drinking a beer, and talking with friends. Hurt, anger, and guilt suddenly swamp me.

I step back to flee, but Tweetie swings his arm over my shoulders and propels us forward.

“Hey, everyone! We have a guest,” Tweetie says.

No one pays him much attention, meaning they must be used to him bringing girls in here. It’s all Falcons players I recognize and a handful of women. I don’t belong here. They’re like a little family, all cozy and close, and I feel like the evil stepmother with a basket of poisoned apples about to ruin everything good.

Tweetie moves us forward, and the door closes behind us. “This is Jade.”

I don’t bother looking at anything but the back of Henry’s head and his dark-blond hair that’s slightly mussed. He whips around, standing. Our eyes lock, and my breath halts in my chest. The corner of his lips starts to tip up until he notices Tweetie’s arm around me.

“Jade?” Henry asks.

“Get your ears cleaned. I just said that.” Tweetie removes his arm from my shoulders as if his job is done and he’s brought the lost item back to his owner. “I’ll cash in my reward later.”

“Hi, Henry,” I say.

Everything in the room fades, and it’s only Henry and me. I realize my feelings for him never waned like they were supposed to. I’m in deep, deep trouble.