by Mary Smith
After swallowing it down like the shooters, she grabbed Mikayla’s water and did the same thing.
“Come on. The car is here,” Mikayla announced.
“I’m not ready,” Jenessa whined.
“I am. It’s almost three in the morning.” She turned the cell phone around and pointed at the time.
“But we’re having fun,” Jenessa exclaimed.
“But it’s late and if we leave now, we can get nachos.”
Gasping, Jenessa immediately clapped and jumped up and down in place. “Yes, food.” She saw Mikayla rolling her eyes at her outburst.
Jenessa had to lean against her as they made their way out of the club and to the car. Once inside, the alcohol hit her hard. Her vision blurred, and she continually giggled at nothing.
“Nes, are you going to be okay?”
She heard the question but was completely unable to process an informative answer. Closing her eyes, her world drifted away.
When Jenessa opened her eyes, she glanced around and realized she was on the bed in their hotel room. Instead of Mikayla being in her bed, she was curled up next to her. She couldn’t remember anything after she got into the car. However, someone—certainly her sister—had removed her dress. Currently, she was wearing one of her favorite nightgowns.
As she began to move cautiously, worrying how bad she would feel, her mouth tasted like nasty sandpaper and her head throbbed. Overall, she was not as horrific as she would have figured. Making her way to the bathroom, Mikayla had written a message on the mirror.
“Water in the fridge and aspirin on top of the table.”
After she finished in there, she went to get the water and aspirin. Now, Mikayla sat up in the bed.
“How are you feeling?”
“Not as bad as I thought.” Jenessa popped the pills in her mouth and cracked open the cold water.
“We’re going to be leaving this afternoon,” she informed her.
“Why? Do you need to go back?” Jenessa climbed back into the bed.
“No, and since you asked, I’m figuring you don’t remember our talk last night,” she said.
“The last thing I remember is getting into the car and leaving the club.”
“Glad I recorded it then.” She reached for her phone and tapped the screen. She turned it around to show Jenessa.
Taking a second for her to focus, it was her on the screen. She had a plate full of nachos on her lap as she sat on the floor of the room.
“I love Shade,” Jenessa said before shoving nachos in her mouth. “When I get home, I’m going to tell him how sorry I am. And, and, and, then tell him I was a bitch. A big bitch. But I won’t do it anymore. I won’t be anymore if he comes home with me.”
“What else are you going to tell him?” Mikayla asked out of frame.
Jenessa couldn’t answer because she burst into tears. Then the camera moved as Mikayla came over to her and sat down. Jenessa had been saying something, but it was drunken mumbles, and she couldn’t figure out she said.
“I want to go home.” Finally, she spoke clearly enough to be understood. “I want to see Shade tomorrow.” In a very, as her mother would say, unladylike manner, she wiped her nose with the back of her hand.
“We’ll go home tomorrow,” Mikayla said and the video ended with Jenessa crying on her shoulder.
Handing the phone back to her, she still couldn’t remember that particular part, but it obviously happened.
“Do you love Shade?” Mikayla asked.
“Yes,” Jenessa answered without even thinking. There had been no reason for her to hide it.
“Do you want him back?”
“Yes.”
“Do you want to go home?”
“Yes.”
The heaviness she continually felt on her chest seemed to be lifting. Slightly.
“Let’s go home.” Mikayla moved off the bed, and she followed.
Right now, she had only one thing on her mind. Getting back to Shade.
The plane seemed to take forever to get to Boston and the traffic to Manchester had been insane. But somehow, they made it. On the flight, Jenessa devised a plan to contact Shade as soon as she arrived home and have him come over. They would sit down, and she would lay it all out on the table.
Mikayla seemed to be overjoyed by the plan, even though it was terribly simple and not clearly thought out. Jenessa felt it should be more complex. Especially after the three years of shit he had gone through because of her. She even debated if she needed to give him some sort of gift when he came over. What do you get your husband whom you’re separated from and treated like crap?
When they arrived at the house, it was early evening. The sun hadn’t completely set. It just highlighted the sky with some of the most stunning colors. Even though Jenessa had a wave of nervousness around her, she knew this would get her and Shade back together. It probably wouldn’t happen instantly. They had to rebuild it slowly. Now, she was ready to do it. She wanted to make this work.
“Who’s that?” Mikayla questioned turning the car into the driveway.
At the front door stood an average height male with thinning gray hair. He seemed to be a health nut by his body-builder physique. When she stepped out of the vehicle and shut the car door, he spun around from the noise.
“May I help you?” Jenessa inquired, walking up her driveway, with a deep curiosity about his presence on her front steps.
“Are you Jenessa Wooten?” He glanced at the large manila envelope in his hands.
“Yes,” she answered.
“You’ve been served.” He handed her the envelope and rushed away.
“What is it?” Mikayla was now by her side.
Ripping open the flap, she pulled out several papers stapled together. Reading the title her heart dropped and tears burned her eyes.
“What is it?” Mikayla questioned again.
Clearing away the lump of sadness choking her, she said, “Shade has filed for divorce.”
Chapter Eleven
Shade
The Bears’ crowd did the official growl as the countdown to the final buzzer began. When the sound rang through the air, the Bears had skated away with another win. The team congratulated each other as they moved off the ice and toward the locker room.
Shade sat in his stall, tugging off his jersey, pads, and skates. Even though he was thrilled about the win and moving closer to the top of the standings, his mind had been elsewhere.
According to his attorney, it had been a week since Jenessa had been served the divorce papers. Shade sat in the bathroom at Jarvis’s condo and cried once he received the news. Mikayla had sent videos and pictures of her and Jenessa in Las Vegas. He didn’t think she could get any more beautiful. He’d been wrong. He still had trouble knowing she just flew off to Las Vegas, but she deserved a break from her job. As he studied every photo on his phone, she never looked happier.
His leaving helped her, although it broke him.
“Shade.” Cat’s voice broke into his thoughts. “The media wants to speak with you first.” She flashed her bright smile at him.
“Fine.” He nodded keeping his tone even. Since coming back from Buffalo, Cat seemed to be everywhere he’d been. He did his best to keep it professional, but she’d definitely upped her flirting.
“Do you need any assistance?” She batted her eyes at him.
“No.” He stood putting his back to her. He knew it was rude but didn’t know what else to do to get his point across.
He moved out to the media center designed for them to be interviewed. Reporters surrounded him and began the barrage of questions. The Bears had seriously been the talk of the PHL since the beginning of the season and have continued to keep up the media momentum.
When he finished he went back into the locker room, showered, dressed, and left without hardly saying anything to anyone. In the truck, he didn’t even turn on the radio. The silence was loud enough for him.
Walking into the condo he was
greeted by the cold stare coming from Mikayla’s glare. Since Jenessa had received the papers, she had stopped talking to him. Tonight, he ducked his head down and rushed to the spare room. Almost like a dog with his tail between his legs.
After hanging up his suit, he crawled into bed and tried his best to fall asleep. It had grown harder and harder for him to have a restful night.
All because he missed his wife.
Shade strolled into the arena and felt a bit weird since there weren’t many people around. This morning he had to do some promo bits for the Bears’ social media. As captain, he was the unofficial face of the Bears’ team. This was all new to him. Yes, he had known this part would be a bigger role than he’d been a part of before. However, today he didn’t want to be here.
His shoulders deflated when he saw Cat talking to the cameraman. His lack of sleep had not prepared him for dealing with her today.
“Morning, Shade.” She bounced over to him.
Her low-cut shirt hadn’t gone unnoticed, even though he adverted his eyes. He had no desire to do anything with her or to her. Jenessa held his heart and forever will.
“Hey,” he mumbled moving over to the table where the new Bear’s merchandise laid. “Where am I starting?”
“Oh, you can start anywhere you’d like.” She cooed, moving closer to him.
Instantly, he moved away from her, feeling uncomfortable. “Which shirt, Cat?” he questioned firmly.
“This one.” She picked it up and laid it on her chest. “Do you need any assistance?” She gave him a sly smirk.
“No.” He picked up another shirt off the table. “We’ll start here.”
“I’m here to assist you,” she continued, unfazed by his abrupt answers.
“I’m fine.” He turned and began to rush away.
“You can change here,” she said.
He didn’t give her a response as he left to go to a nearby bathroom. He was going to have to talk with Kian about Cat. He didn’t want to be around her anymore. She truly was making him uncomfortable.
When he came back out, he avoided eye contact with her at all costs. He only listened to the direction of the cameraman. When Cat put in her opinion, he would only do it if he felt like it and never commented on anything she said.
After four more changes and what seemed to be ten thousand photos, the photo shoot was complete. Again, Shade hurried to get back into his original shirt and tried to leave before she could corner him. Somehow he managed to get out of the arena and into his truck. Checking the time, he knew there wouldn’t be any point going to the condo since practice started soon. Instead, he drove over to The Latte Bean to grab a flavored water.
He easily found a place to park, went in and ordered. He was pleased to find an empty table in the back. Staring out the window, he watched the people walk past. The weather slowly had begun to cool, which proved the holiday season would be upon quickly. This brought even more pain to his heart. It would be the first time in ten years he wouldn’t spend it with Jenessa. Prior to meeting her, the holidays didn’t mean much to him. Occasionally, he’d receive a gift but nothing of real value.
Until her.
Their first Christmas hadn’t been too long after they met. Even though they wouldn’t be together on the actual day of Christmas, they decided to celebrate the weekend before. Shade had to practice while on break but would spend every possible moment with her. Obviously, Jenessa told him not to get her anything. However, he wanted to give her the best gift he could think of. In between classes, practice, and games, he managed to pick up a few additional shifts at a restaurant as a dishwasher. They paid him cash, which Shade knew was wrong since he wouldn’t pay taxes on it. However, it wasn’t a large sum of money. Just enough to help with day to day expenses.
He went to a secondhand store and managed to find some Christmas decorations. Then he went to purchase a small tree. He took the rest of his money and rented a cheap motel room and ordered her favorite takeout. It took him all day to put up everything in the room. He knew it wasn’t high-end or fancy, he just hoped she would like it. Looking at the one gift under the teeny tree, it made him smile.
She’d love it.
Laying out the take-out food on the paper plates on the small table, a knock came to the door. Shade became slightly nervous as he opened the door. On the other side, Jenessa stood with a bright smile and a Christmas bag in one hand.
“What are we doing here?” she asked with a giggle.
“Close your eyes,” he said.
She did.
He took her unoccupied hand and led her into the room. Guiding her into the center of it, he left her side for a brief second to shut off the light.
Coming back to her side, he said, “Open them.”
Jenessa’s mouth dropped as she slowly turned around, studying every part of the room. “This is beautiful, Shade. I love all of this.”
“I know it’s not much.” He shrugged, even though pleased with himself on being able to accomplish it all.
She gently kissed his lips. “It’s perfect.
“How about we eat?” he suggested.
“I do believe I smell my favorite fried rice.” She giggled again. “Oh, I’ll put this under our tree.”
‘Our tree’. The two words made his heart race with elation.
They went over to the table with only one chair. He planned to sit on the bed, but Jenessa picked up both plates and went over to the bed. Shade grabbed the drinks and followed her. As they ate, they discussed their day, hockey, and the upcoming semester. Shade always enjoyed the ease they had to converse with each other.
When they finished with the food, he moved everything off the bed.
“Do we get to open presents now?” Jenessa gleefully asked.
“Sure.” Shade tried to hide the apprehension in his voice. He knew his gift was not going to be anything spectacular. She’d probably think it was a dumb idea. Picking up the rectangular box he handed it to her.
Ripping the paper away in a flash and opening the flimsy box, Jenessa gasped. Shade’s cheeks burned because he couldn’t tell if it was a good or bad gasp.
“You gave me your favorite hoodie.” She beamed, pulling out the navy blue hoodie with the word ‘State’ across the front. “I’ve been trying to figure out a way to steal this from you.” She laughed, hugging the hoodie to her chest.
He smiled. “You always said it has a lot of great memories.”
“I love it.” She leaned over and kissed him. “Your turn.” She rushed over to get the Christmas bag and handed it to him.
Inside was a much larger rectangular box. When he pulled it out, he inspected it first. The plain white box had no special design, but it felt expensive. Much better than the cheap one he gave her.
“Open it up, Shade,” Jenessa said, practically bouncing next to him on the bed.
Carefully, he removed the lid. Red tissue paper covered whatever was hidden inside. Pulling back the paper, he froze.
“Tada,” she exclaimed. “What do you think?”
Shade had no words as he stared down at the highly expensive black leather winter coat. A winter coat. His fingertips softly touched the cool material. He instantly moved it away, afraid he’d mark the perfectly untouched leather.
“What’s wrong?” Jenessa’s enthusiasm left.
“This had to cost you a lot,” he managed to say.
“Well, no…not really,” she stammered over her words. “If you want to know the truth, it was on sale.”
He remained silent.
“Hey.” Jenessa’s concerned tone matched her touch as she placed her hand on his upper back. “What’s wrong?”
Suddenly feeling embarrassed, he stood up and set the box to the side. Normally, he never let his emotions go out of whack. However, they were all over the place right now.
“Shade,” she said his name more firmly.
He leaned against the wall.
“Talk to me, please.” She moved closer to him.
Crossing his arms, he hung his head.
“Don’t shut me out, Shade,” she begged, putting her hands on his crossed forearms.
“My gift wasn’t as good as yours,” he confessed. Saying the words left a bad taste in his mouth.
“This is the best Christmas I’ve ever had,” she admitted.
Shade shook his head. “The tree should be bigger. All the lights should match. We should be in a hotel in a better neighborhood. I should have gotten you jewelry.” He ticked off all the reasons in his head as he said them out loud.
“This is an incredible night. You put so much thought and love into all of this. It’s much more than I could ever imagine.” She moved her hands to cup his face, forcing him to look at her. “I got you a winter coat because the one you have is thinner than a bedsheet. I love you, and I don’t want you to freeze to death. If I knew your shoe size, I would have gotten you boots too. You run around in gym shoes and there’s two feet of snow outside.”
He glanced at his coat hanging on the hook near the door. He’s had it for over five years. The jacket was too big, and the lining had been worn away from the previous owner.
“You deserve better.”
“I deserve you.” Jenessa kissed his lips.
At that moment, Shade truly felt at home and truly loved.
“You look like someone just kicked your puppy.”
The memory had been startled away by Mikayla’s voice.
His reality came back. He sat in The Latte Bean with lemon and lime infused water in front of him. Untouched. The world had continued to move around him as he sat there.
“I figured you were still giving me the silent treatment,” he said.
Mikayla took a seat across from him. “You’re still an asshole for filing those papers.”
Since she’d returned from Las Vegas, Mikayla had given him nothing but glares.
“Jarvis is an asshole but you speak to him.” He tried to joke with her.
“I’ve trained him a bit to be less of one,” she commented.
Shade smirked because Jarvis had grown up a lot since they’d gotten together.
