Page 45 of Playing for Keeps (Seattle Hawks Ice Hockey #4)

Jade

The first period goes by in a blur. Jay is interchanged here and there with the new guy, Adam, reminding me his coach didn’t want to be taking too many chances when Jay has to stand up and be the best man on Saturday.

I haven’t been able to take my eyes off of him since he first skated out and that dance on the ice was next level.

“I’m just going to the ladies,” I whisper to Mom, who has Luca jumping around on her knee.

“Okay, Honey.”

I slip out and join up with Em and Cindy, who are heading the same way as me. We walk up towards the exit together while the ten-minute break takes place.

“Can you believe the boys initiated that dance!” Cindy exclaims when we’re out of the noise of the stadium, heading to the bathrooms. “I mean, Tyler doesn’t dance for anyone.”

“I heard you and Jay have been taking a few lessons for the wedding coming up?” Em says as we pass a group of Hawks clad women; hats, hoodies, flags, the works.

“We sure did,” I reply. I can’t help but laugh when I think about all five of them doing their little thing on the ice before the game. Holy shit, that was unexpected. “Seems like the guys know about it, too.”

“So that’s why they were egging Jay to get involved.” Em practically jumps up and down happily, then her hands fly to her stomach. “Ohhh—” She stops in her tracks.

“Are you okay?” We pause just outside the bathrooms as Em catches her breath, suddenly looking a little pale. An almost green flush comes over her as she rests back against the wall.

“I’m fine,” she says, though she’s holding one hand to her stomach and another to her throat. She and Cindy share a glance, and after she catches her breath, a smile ripples over her lips as she flicks her eyes back to me. “Can you keep a secret?”

I curl my lip under my teeth, nodding with excitement. “Yes, of course.”

Em glances down to her belly, which, even under layers of clothes, including the signature purple Hawks hoodie, and a jacket over the top, is pancake flat. “Taylor put a bun in my oven,” she whispers.

I stare at her wide-eyed, while Cindy bounces on her heels happily. “Oh, my god! Congratulations!” I whisper-shout.

Tears brim her eyes as she swallows hard and takes a few breaths. “I keep getting these waves of nausea at weird times of the day. Luckily, I haven’t been throwing up just yet.”

“I’m so happy for you.” I can’t contain my smile. “Taylor must be over the moon!”

“Well, he was as shocked as I was. We’ve only been back together for six months,” she says. “The June wedding could well and truly be put on ice, literally.”

“So, you’ll be a sexy pregnant June bride, it doesn’t matter,” Cindy says, rubbing her friend’s arm soothingly.

“That’s so true,” I chime in, it warms my heart to see how happy Emmerson is.

I heard that she and Taylor spent years apart from each other when Em moved to Florida because she wanted him to succeed in the NHL without any distractions.

Recently, they rekindled things when she came to a Seattle Hawks game with Maddison.

I guess you can’t deny or extinguish some people’s love, no matter how long it’s been.

“You two are too kind.” Em smiles. “I’m thinking we may need to bring things forward before I get too big to fit into a wedding dress.”

“Tay will love it,” Cindy says as Em pushes herself off the wall, seemingly recovered from the nausea episode.

We all giggle as we make our way into the ladies.

But my smile is short lived when I catch sight of a familiar face as I pass by.

My heart races at seeing her here as I quickly walk by to the end of a long line of cubicles.

Long blonde hair to her waist, talons for nails, the most perfect breasts you’ve ever seen in your life bracing themselves at the rim of her cropped shirt, showing off a very toned torso.

Janice.

I quickly look away. Thankfully, she doesn’t see me as I duck into the cubicle and lock the door. God! What is she doing here? She’s always chasing Jay when she sees him, is she here for him again? Somehow she always seems to get backstage as well.

Jealousy rears its ugly head in a surge and sends a flush of hotness up my neck, staining my cheeks and making my heart hammer. He slept with her. Okay, he slept with a lot of women. But I know she was more recent, and she’s in the same freaking bathroom!

I haven’t been in his life or spent enough time with him to know the score, and I’m not sure I want to know. But being faced with it just beyond the door I’m leaning against is a little out of my comfort zone.

Knowing he took her back to his place and had sex with her at some point in the recent past makes me ball my fists up in a fury.

I mean, it shouldn’t bother me, he wasn’t with me then, but it bothers me the way she’s all over him whenever she sees him.

Just like the last time I saw her when she wrapped her arms around him from behind.

I take a few breaths and quickly use the bathroom. Putting myself back together, after a few moments, I hear some girls cackling as they walk into the bathrooms.

“Oh my god, did you see those gorgeous Hawks boys waving those sexy hips around,” one girl coos and that makes me mash my lips together in humor while I’m thinking about that whole dance again.

“Looks like they’d been practising,” says another. “I’d love to get under one of those guys. I think Jake and Jay are the only single ones, unfortunately. Maybe the new guy, Adam, too. Not that it stops some of the hockey guys from perusing the menu, even if they’re taken.”

“Did you see that last ad campaign for Tommy Hilfiger,” the first girl continues. I only know it’s the same girl because of her high-pitched squeaky voice. “Jay Jefferson must have several inches down those boxer briefs. I dig the lucky girl who gets to bang that.”

The fever soars again, hearing Jay’s name and the way they’re talking about him, and describing his dick! Then my blood almost drains from my entire body when I hear someone else, it's gotta be Janey. I don’t even know if she’s still in here.

“I’ve banged Jay Jefferson,” she says proudly, and I don’t have to be looking at her to hear the spark in her voice. “And let me tell you, he can go all night long!”

“Oh, my god!” The other girls squeal in tandem. “What the hell! Is he an easy lay? How do you snag an NHL guy? The Vegas guys are hot too.”

“It’s not that hard,” Janey says. “It’s all about who you know. I wouldn’t waste your time on Jay Jefferson. He used to be an easy lay, but not anymore.”

“Huh? Didn’t you just say?—”

“You guys should really stop gossiping,” I hear Em’s voice suddenly stop everyone short from their little Jay story time at the bathroom sinks.

“Who the hell are you?” One of the girls balks.

“I’m Taylor James’ fiance,” she says, and if I wasn’t hiding in the cubicle, I could bet she has her hands on her hips, towering above anyone who dares talk about any of the Hawks guys, since she’s five foot ten or more.

That shuts them up for at least five seconds.

“Fiance!” the squeaky voice croons. “That’s so cool, maybe you could introduce?—”

“Tyler is taken too, and Ashton,” I hear Cindy next and I know I have to come out of here at some point.

“I was meaning Jay Jefferson,” the other girl says. “He’s hot, and… what was your name again?”

“Janey,” I hear after a slight pause. My heart really plummets to the floor then. I mean, I knew it was her, but hearing her say it is like swallowing lead.

I’m wanting to run out of here as fast as I can, I feel sick about hearing them talk about Jay like this. Maybe Em could be the distraction while I bolt. Or maybe I should face them and tell them I’m his girl? I mean, am I his girl?

“I was about to say they needn’t bother with Jay, there’s only one girl he has on his mind, and on his dick.”

That’s it! I’ve just about had it as I unlatch the door and swing it open. I don’t think they even see me as I step towards the sinks.

The other girls laugh and Janey gets sight of me in the mirror, her eyes widen with shock.

The thing is, she isn’t laughing at all.

She almost gives me a resigned look, soft even.

I’m expecting her to scratch my eyes out, since she clearly remembers seeing me, and we both know she’s been sniffing around Jay again.

“And who would that be?” Cindy asks, hands on hips.

“That’s her there,” Janey says, thumbing over to me as I stop in my tracks, five pairs of eyes are on me; two strangers, Em, Cindy and Janey.

I swallow and open my mouth, then clamp it shut as Janey continues.

“I was just saying they needn’t bother fawning over Jay, he’s head over heels for some little yoga girl,” Janey’s words surprise me, they’re not full of malice or contempt at all.

She smiles and shrugs her shoulders. “I didn’t know you two were a thing that day on the ice,” she says in my direction.

“I’m not for cutting another girl’s lunch, even if I might want to. ”

I snap myself out of my daydream as Em and Cindy step aside for me to walk over and wash my hands. Pulling out a paper towel from the rack, I quickly dry them off and throw it in the wastebasket. “We were just friends then,” I say. “It’s new, but thanks.”

“He’s crazy about you,” Janey says. “Trust me. I tried to nail him again multiple times, but he kept blowing me off. I figured out why eventually.”

I glance at my friends, who looked pretty shocked beyond belief that we’re even here talking to puck bunny Janey, and she’s actually being nice to me, not trying to cause a scene because she can’t have Jay.

Her words are strangely warming and kinda nice to hear, considering what Aaron did to me while he was away with his team.

“That’s, um, sweet of you to say,” I reply with a small, shyish smile. I’m not prepared at all to answer questions or explain Jay and I. We haven’t even discussed it ourselves.

“Well, now that’s all sorted out,” Em says after a beat and a clap of her hands. “We better get back to it.”

The two hopefuls wanting to snag an NHL guy go on their merry way into a cubicle each as Em and Cindy turn to exit the ladies’ room.

“Thanks for saying what you said.” I nod towards Janey, who’s putting the final touches to her hot pink lips. She smacks them together and gives me a wink in the mirror.

“I’m a truth teller, honey. And Jay is hot for you, so grab him with both hands, lucky girl. He’s really not like other guys.”

I almost feel bad for her, knowing Jay slept with her and she clearly wanted more and refused her. Almost. But not enough to really see that through.

I smile as I turn to follow my friends. “No, he most certainly is not.”

Em and Cind are waiting outside when I finally join them. Neither of them can believe the exchange, but we have to get back to our seats for the second period.

“I can’t believe that!” Cindy’s face is a picture of a thousand words, mainly bewilderment, as she shakes her head and presses her lips together, as we hurry back to the stadium doors.

“Me either.” Em gives me a nudge. “And you heard it straight from the horse’s mouth, or rather, Janey’s in this case.”

“Thanks for trying to stop the gossiping,” I say to Em, smiling gratefully.

She shrugs a shoulder. “Any time. It happened to me many years ago, and set the course of my future with Taylor, not in a good way. I hate gossiping.”

“She definitely got tough as time went on.” Cindy smiles at her friend.

I can’t help but smile along with them. My fears about him wanting someone better, bustier and sexier than me, all fall out of the window. He thinks I’m sexy. Look what he did to me last night!

I’m just about jumping off the rafters with anticipation and excitement as we head back into the stadium. The roar of the crowd as the players skate out once more only amp up the fuel inside me. I want him so damned much.

He had more than one opportunity to bang Janey again and he refused her. She said it in her own words.

It’s everything I needed to hear, and from the most unlikely source.

I know I need to tell Tanner everything. I want my family to know Jay is the one I’ve fallen for, the one I love. The one I would move mountains for. I want a chance to be with him, and Janey just cemented it.

When we get back to our seats, I plop down and Luca reaches for me for a cuddle.

“Is everything okay, Sweetie?” Mom asks.

“Perfect.” I smile. “Everything is perfect.”