Page 48 of Playing for Keeps (Seattle Hawks Ice Hockey #4)

I put an arm between the two of them and pull Tanner back with my free hand, holding him at arm’s length with my palm on his chest. The last thing we need is a brawl breaking out the night before his wedding.

I’d love nothing more than to smack this idiot in the face, but I don’t think that would be smart or productive.

“You’re Jade’s cheating ex?” I spit, looking the guy up and down.

Aaron holds up his palms, his attempt at surrender is entirely pitiful.

He’s not sorry. He’s a damned player in more ways than one.

It’s not hard to tell from the way he holds himself.

He has front row tickets to his own damned show, the way he stands here like his shit don’t stink.

That air of fucking attitude ripe with ignorance.

The guy thinks he’s something before he’s even made it.

“I can explain about that!” he protests towards Tanner. “I didn’t mean to hurt her, I loved- love!” he quickly amends. “I love her, Tanner. But she won’t return any of my calls. She blocked me before I could even explain.”

Hearing that makes my blood boil, my hand curls into a fist on its own.

“You don’t know what love is!” he seethes. “And you did mean to hurt her, otherwise why would you have done what you did?”

“How fucking dare you,” I but in, because fuck, don’t I want my one chance to say it. I’ve somehow managed to keep my fist by my side, but I don’t know if it will stay there. “To do that to her and make out it was her fault. You’re an asshole.”

He opens his mouth to protest and I feel a hand on my shoulder.

When I glance behind me, Tyler is standing there in a protective stance, noticing the commotion we’ve been trying to keep at bay by stepping away from the table.

Luckily, the other guys have their backs to us and don’t seem to have noticed the commotion over the crowds of people in the casino.

“Everything okay?” Tyler asks.

I flick my head in Aaron’s direction. “That depends if fuckface here wants to take it outside.”

The color drains from Aaron’s face, and just like the coward he is, he holds up his hands again, palms out.

“No need to get crazy. I don’t want to fight either of you.

I said I was sorry for what I did. You must know what it’s like.

” He stares at me with a raise of his brows.

“Being on the road all the time, there’s all kinds of temptations. ”

That makes my blood boil even more. I would never do that to a woman under any circumstances.

I may not be the best advocate in the world for relationships, but my past hookups were just that, I never promised any girl anything.

They knew what they were in for, and it was always just for the night.

There’s no way I would’ve cheated when I had a girlfriend, nor would I ever do that now.

It only tells me what an even bigger asshole this guy is.

In my peripheral I see Tanner’s fist clench, quickly pulling his arm back to his shoulder, and he’s about to swing when Ben steps in behind him and grabs him in a bear hug, dragging him back by the shoulders. “It’s not worth it,” Ben grits.

And as much as I wanna put this guy’s lights out, I don’t want to be arrested for assault and miss the big day tomorrow. Deep down, I know Tanner doesn’t want that either. Aaron seems like the kind of guy that would probably throw a lawsuit on us for our trouble.

“Don’t try to get me on your side. You’ve got no fucking clue what it’s like,” I hiss toward him.

“Being away on tour is no fucking excuse to cheat. Here’s a newsflash, asswipe, don’t be in a relationship if you aren’t going to keep your dick in your pants!

” If we weren’t surrounded by a room full of people, I’d swipe his head clean off his shoulders.

I don’t think even Ian Hartford could stop me.

Aaron backs away, just as all eyes from the blackjack table turn to look at us. The remaining Hawks guys all jump up when they see Tanner being held back and the ruckus Aaron has caused. Ian and some of the obvious other Laker guys are looking a little confused.

“We need to get some air,” I say to Tanner when Ben finally lets him go. “Everything’s fine,” I say to my guys, and towards the Lakers ones, too. I’m appreciative that any one of my best friends would step in if I needed it. They always have my back. “Tanner and I are gonna take a beat.”

I pull Tanner in the opposite direction to where Aaron just walked off to. The last thing we need is running back into him.

We head for the nearest exit and find ourselves under the eaves at the side of the casino, where there aren’t many people around. There’s a side garden, adjacent to the nearby alfresco that leads out from the bar, but we’re away enough from people that we can talk freely.

“Fuck that asshole!” Tanner’s anger is still radiating off him in waves, and I can’t say I’m much better. Everything just happened so damned fast, I’m still trying to take it all in. What in the ever living fuck are the chances of running into Jade’s ex?

She’s gonna freak if she knows he’s here.

“She told me what happened,” I say. “And I agree with you. I can’t believe the nerve of that guy.”

Tanner paces for a few seconds in a bid to calm himself down. “How the hell I didn’t punch him in the face will be anyone’s guess.”

“Trust me, I wanted to knock his block off, too. No one deserves that kind of treatment, especially Jade. I wish we’d met him some other time, not here the night before your wedding. Then you might have gotten a swipe at him, after me, that is.”

He stops pacing and blows out a breath. “Thanks, man.”

“For what?”

“For having my back. You always do.”

I kick the ground with my foot, guilt washing over me again in waves. I don’t know how much longer I’m going to keep this up. But if I blurt everything out now, he might just knock my block off. “We’re best friends,” I say. “You’d do the same for me.”

“That’s true. Always.” He sighs and glances up, looking me square in the eye.

His mouth parts like he’s going to say something, then he hesitates.

I feel a thrum deep in my chest from the stretch of silence between us that neither of us rushes to fill.

“So, you were gonna say something to me before Aaron showed up?”

Oh, fuck, he remembers that with all the commotion. “Yes,” I sigh. “But I don’t know if I should right now.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t want you to be pissed.”

There’s a long pause between us. Tanner folds his arms across his chest and lets out another breath. “How long has it been going on?” he finally asks.

A stiffness tightens my body like he’s struck me with a sharp object. My back straightening like a metal rod. “What?” Our eyes still lock as Tanner leans back on the stone wall, his arms still folded.

“You heard me.”

“How long has what?—”

“The jig is up,” Tanner says with a sigh. “You and Jade.”

I stare now, open-mouthed, eyes wide, which I’m sure are bulging out of my head. He knows?

“How did you?—”

“Come on, what kind of fool do you take me for?”

I drag my hand through my hair and start to pace up and down myself now. “Fuck, Tanner. I’m not gonna be an even bigger dickhead and try to deny it. That’s what I wanted to say before, when the LA guys walked up. I’ve been wanting to tell you.”

Tanner nods, pursing his lips while he thinks. That’s worse in some respects, because he’s thinking about his reaction. At least he hasn’t punched me yet, that’s gotta be a bonus. “You were gonna tell me?” he eventually asks.

“Yeah. However inappropriate timing it is, I was gonna tell you. How did you know about us?”

“I didn’t. I just suspected. Deb mentioned how good you guys look together and how happy Jade seems since she returned from Seattle. At first I thought she was crazy, but I think Jade has always held a torch for you.”

“I think I may have always held a torch for her, too.”

Tanner lets out a breath, and I risk a glance up at him from my shoes. He looks me dead in the eye again.

“I really wish you guys had told me.”

“I’m so fucking sorry. This is honestly brand new,” I quickly say.

“Nothing was going on in Seattle, I fucking swear to God.” I don’t think the bar thing counts a few months back as neither of us realized at the time who each other was, that’s what I’m going with, anyway.

“Jade wanted to wait until after the wedding.”

He runs a hand through his hair now. It seems our news has taken the heat off his reaction to Aaron, at least. “I can’t believe it.”

“We never meant it to happen,” I admit. “And in all truth, Tan. I’m struggling with myself at the moment, I want to be the guy who’s good enough for her.

I’d never hurt her, but you know how I grew up.

My mom fucked me up good and proper. It’s made it hard for me to form adult relationships. Growing up like that was no picnic.”

“I get shit happened,” he says. “I really do. But I believe you are good for her, Jay. When I can see past my best friend and my little sister together, I guess I can see it objectively. Just don’t hurt her. Then we’re gonna have a big fucking issue.”

“I would never,” I say. “My careless wild ways are over. They were over the minute I realized I had feelings for her.”

“Fuck, I think I need another tequila to digest all this,” he says.

“That can quickly be arranged. And again, I’m sorry you found out like this the night before your wedding.”

Tanner pops a shoulder, and I’m kinda shocked at how cool he is being about all of this. “It’s probably better this way,” he says. “I’ve got time to deal with you after the honeymoon.”

I laugh now, I can’t help it. I reach my hand out to him and he takes it; we clasp hands and I pull him into a pound hug. “You know I fucking love you,” I say. “Let’s make tomorrow the best day of your life.”

“I love you too, man. Just don’t, for God’s sake, tell the other guys I said that.”

We both laugh until we can’t anymore. “Same, same.”