Page 66 of Oathbreaker

“Remember the Frozen Four Championship in Buffalo?” I take a pull of my beer as she throws her head back and laughs.

“The one time my parents made an effort to show interest in Dash and hockey.” She shakes her head. “We got that freak March blizzard, and they couldn’t leave town for two days and they were soooo mad.”

“Meanwhile, bad influence that I am, I was sneaking you shots of Goldschlager.”

She laughs. “While sledding down that hill at two in the morning!”

I grin. “Fucking epic.”

“Atlas wiped out, and he had to walk all the way up the hill again.”

“He was so pissed…”

She rests her head on the cushion, so she’s looking up at the sky. “We had so much fun. Sometimes I miss those days. Before life got complicated.”

“Same.” I lie back so we’re in the same position, staring up at the stars.

“You cold, Briar?”

“A little.”

I slide my arm around her, and she doesn’t protest, merely nestles against my side and continues to look up at the stars.

“I missed you,” she whispers in a tiny voice.

“I missed you too, baby.”

Twenty-One

Briar

I smile at West from across his kitchen table.

He smiles back.

Silence—something that’s not been unusual tonight, but something that’s seriously unusual with West and me in general—falls.

Typically, it’s easy with West.

Conversation flows and it’s not a struggle to find things to relate about.

Hockey and work, funny stories with the team and drama at the office. Frankie’s latest Frankieisms and the fact that the young kids on the Vipers don’t know what a floppy disk is.

Tonight isn’t that.

I don’t know what it is—or maybe I don’t want to allow myself to accept what it is.

But deep down I know. With so much certainty it’s filling the room.

And I’m not so naive as to think that West hasn’t picked up on it too.

He took one look at my face when he answered the door then leaned in and kissed me on the forehead.

Then hugged me tightly.

No words. Just West.

And…cue guilt.