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)
“I’ve been better,” she tells me, not wanting to give anymore. “You?”
“Confused,” I admit. “What are you doing here, Cass?”
She studies her hands as she replies. “You mean here on campus? Or Denver?”
“I don’t know,” I say looking over at her, those big brown eyes tearing at my chest. “Both?”
Cass lets out a shaky breath. “I missed my family. It was time to come home,” she explains, giving me a half-assed, rehearsed answer.
I nod, staring at the wall to keep from shaking the answers out of her. “So, you’re back for good then?”
She hesitates before glancing at me, unease flashing in her eyes. “Is that going to be a problem?” she asks.
I shrug a shoulder, not able to give her a proper answer. “I guess we’ll see,” I tell her honestly.
Cassie gives a slight nod before moving along. “How are your parents?”
“Wouldn’t have a clue,” I admit with a shrug. “After you left, there wasn’t anything there for me. I haven’t been back since I started college.”
“What?” she gasps, horror in those wide eyes. “You haven’t gone home in three years? What the hell, Jax? I know your parents were assholes, but three years?”
“You don’t get to judge me, Cass,” I say, my stare hardening and having to force myself to try and calm down. “As long as I’m playing hockey, I’m nothing but a fuck-up. They haven’t spoken to me since the day I accepted my scholarship. But you watch, they’ll come running back to me when I sign with the NHL.”
“Shit, Jax,” she says with a sigh, her hand flinching at her side as though trying to keep herself from reaching out to me. “I didn’t realize it had gotten so bad.”
“How could you?” I grunt, feeling like a prick the second the words escape my lips.
“I guess I deserved that,” she mumbles, focusing her eyes back on her hands.
I cringe, knowing that would have hurt, but I don’t dwell on it. “How are your brothers?” I ask to keep her talking.
“They’re okay, I guess. Sean’s getting married in a few weeks,” she says, a proud smile pulling at the corners of her lips.
“Sara?”
“Yeah,” she smiles.
“And Logan?”
“He’s good. Apparently, he has a new girl that we’ll be meeting at the wedding,” she explains. “He’s been offered another four years in the league.”
“Shit,” I laugh in surprise. “Good on him. What about Carter?”
That proud smile quickly morphs into mirth. “Well, you know Carter,” she scoffs. “Still the biggest manwhore around. Just like you,” she quips with a hint of jealousy in her voice. Her comment stings, but I don’t let it show. “I’m waiting for the day some girl comes and knocks him off his feet.”
“That’d be the day,” I chuckle. “What about your parents?”
She falters, that beautiful smile falling away as pain rockets through her stare. She drops her gaze to her hand, and I look over at her, unsure of the sudden change. She blinks back tears and something inside me has me reaching for her hand. Her fingers instantly fold into mine, the movement feeling so right. “What is it, Cass?” I murmur quietly.
She looks up, her broken stare meeting mine. The heartache in her eyes kills me. “Jax,” she whispers, gently shaking her head as the tears begin to pour down her face. “I’m so sorry. I thought you knew.”
Dread settles in my stomach. I know without a doubt that whatever comes out of her mouth next is going to shatter every piece of my already fractured soul.
She lets out a shaky breath, and I give her hand a squeeze, prompting her to continue. “They’re gone, Jax. They’re dead.”
Chapter 5
CASSIE
Jax reaches across and scoops me into his strong arms, pulling me down on top of him so I’m straddling his lap, and I fold into him as though this is exactly where I belong. He holds me close, looking at me with pain in his eyes, begging me to tell him this is a sick joke. “How?” he asks in a broken tone, his head falling to my shoulder, making no secret of the fact that all this time, he had no idea.
I take a deep breath, preparing myself to break his heart all over again. “Mom was nearly two years ago,” I start with a shaky voice, but I push on. He needs to know. “The cancer came back, and she was gone within a few months.”
He curses, the pain clear in his voice as he pulls me in tighter, urging me to continue. “Dad was taken by a heart attack six months ago,” I murmur as the tears stream down my face.
We sit in silence, finding comfort in each other. “Fuck, Cass. They were my family too. I should have been there for them. For you.”
I drop my head into the nook of his neck and breathe him in. I would have given my world to have been able to have his comfort on the tragic days I buried my parents. “I’m sorry,” I cry as my lips move against his skin. “I miss them so much.”