Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 84294 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84294 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
“Damn it,” he groans, slowly getting to his feet then thinking better of it and collapsing back on the couch. “Fuck it. I can’t be bothered today.”
“Fine by me, but keep in mind, a skipped class equals a benched game in Coach’s book and you can bet your ass he’ll be checking up on it this year,” I remind him.
“Shit.” He gets to his feet again with a look of pure defeat on his face. Just as well, the kid needs as much time in a classroom as he can get. I think he took one too many pucks to the head as a kid.
With a satisfied smirk, I bound up the stairs and launch myself into the shower, before getting dressed and scarfing down some breakfast. Hell, I even manage to get to class before the professor begins his lecture.
From then on, the day drags by with images of Cassie’s sweet ass circling my brain, which are then overtaken with devastating memories of her parents. By the afternoon, I welcome hockey practice with open arms. I step into the locker room and start grabbing my shit out of my bag to get suited up.
The boys are busy giving one of the freshman kids a hard time for striking out with one of the figure fairies out in the lot, and I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face. This year truly is going to be amazing. Assuming I can get Cassie out of my head, of course. Give me a few weeks and a long list of fresh chicks to screw, and I’ll be just fine.
I step onto the ice and the boys follow suit, instantly jumping into our routine and getting started on our warm-up. The boys are already working up a sweat and pushing themselves to their limits when a figure by the entrance catches my attention.
I bring myself to a stop, spraying an avalanche of shavings across the ice as I stare back at him.
What does this fucker want?
Coach notices the newcomer and watches him as though he’s seeing a ghost before a bright smile cuts across his face. Coach makes his way to meet him, but the newcomer’s stare is locked and loaded on me, daring me to step forward. Anger flares through me, and I clench my jaw as I begin slowly gliding forward.
Coach notices and with a nod, lets the scene play out. I rip off my helmet and make my way toward the edge of the barrier, completely unsure what the hell could be going on. Though I have one nagging idea that circles my head. I hear the sound of the boys’ drills slowly come to a standstill before the gasps and shocked curses begin. But all that matters is the face staring back at me and the desperate need to pummel my fist into it.
“You lost?” I ask Logan as he watches me with a strange mix of unease and brotherly affection. I pull my gloves off and set them on the edge of the barrier just in case it comes down to a fight. After all, you never know with this guy. We’ve been known to get into it a few times, though for the first time, the playing field is finally equal.
He raises his chin and ignores my snappy attitude. “Sorry, kid,” he says with his heart on his sleeve, stepping up before me to keep as much of our conversation as private as possible. “We thought you knew.”
I cross my arms over my chest, knowing he’s talking about his parents. Shit, the people I classify as my parents. I know this is not a conversation I want to have in front of my boys, but it’s here, and it’s happening right now whether I like it or not. “How could I have known? None of you fuckers have spoken to me in three years,” I grunt, taking an angry breath as my voice raises. “Fuck, man. I haven’t even been home since I left. How the fuck was I supposed to know?”
“We know that now. We all fucked up. Cass, too,” he says, honesty shining through his eyes.
“Seriously?” I ask, not impressed.
“Shit, Jax. I’m trying to apologize here. Lose the fucking chip on your shoulder,” he says, putting me back in my place, the same way he used to when Cass and I would get up to no good. “We fucked up. None of us reached out. We wanted to give you space when you left for college, and before we knew it, the cancer was back and we were all preoccupied. Our minds were solely on Mom and helping her get through it. We assumed that you would know. I don’t know, I guess my thoughts were your parents would have said something. But then you didn’t show, and you know how we get. We all took it as you telling us to get fucked.”