Supernova

by Kate Stacy

  Instead, I lie through my teeth.

  “Things are good. We’ve both been super busy with work, so we haven’t spent much time together lately.”

  “No good. You should still be in the honeymoon phase. I remember when me and your grandfather were still newlyweds. We couldn’t keep our hands off each other…”

  A faint smile creeps across my face as the expression on hers goes dreamy. I listen as she reminisces about the good times with my grandpa. He’s been gone for years now, but she still loves him as much as she did when they married.

  I want that kind of love.

  I had that kind of love.

  Stupidly, I threw it all away and put a nightmare in its place.

  Even after years apart, I can still feel when she walks into a room.

  Heartbeat racing. Blood buzzing through my veins.

  It’s like all the air has been sucked from the room when our eyes meet across the crowded bar.

  She looks incredible, then again, she always does.

  I see a hint of something in her eyes but before I can identify it, the Douchebag tugs at her arm, dragging her attention away from me. Drying glasses, I watch as they make their way to the reserved table. Madalyn sits as he leans down to talk in her ear. She shakes her head, turning away from him with a frown.

  He heads toward the bar, leaving her by herself, and I can’t help but wonder what he said to put that look on her face.

  Shrugging it off, I head to the back to grab a few bottles. I need to distract myself. It seems no matter what I do, I can’t stop thinking of her as mine. I can’t get over the fact that she’s with someone else now. She’s not mine to worry about. She clearly made her choice.

  Douchebag is down at Noah’s end of the bar.

  At least he was smart enough to avoid mine. Little does he know, Noah can’t stand his ass either. Not after the incident with Zoey. If it weren’t for Holden, the rest of us would refuse to serve him.

  I busy myself serving drinks, sparing a glance at Madalyn every few minutes. I hate that I do it, but I’ve always been drawn to her. It’s a natural instinct ingrained in me after so many years. She’s a habit that’s insanely hard to break.

  It’s been at least fifteen minutes and she’s still sitting alone at that table.

  Looking down the bar, Douchebag is still propped up on a stool, only now he’s got a girl hanging on his every word. A girl that is obviously not his wife.

  I glance at Noah and lift a brow. Is this asshole really flirting with some chick when his wife is sitting at the back of the room?

  Noah stoically dips his head, confirming my suspicions. Sure as hell is, man.

  Fucking hell.

  The two of us watch as the girl leans in, whispering in Douchebag’s ear with a giggle. He palms her ass before leaning in, nuzzling her neck. I have to keep my jaw from dropping when he glances at me before slipping a card into the girl’s bra. The asshole has the audacity to smirk before he plants a kiss on her lips as he picks up drinks and turns toward Madalyn.

  “What. The. Actual. Fuck?” I say to myself.

  “That’s messed up shit, man.”

  I hadn’t noticed Noah appear at my side. We both stand, arms across our chests, and watch as he slides into the booth next to Madalyn. She accepts her drink but fidgets and tries to move away when he wraps his arm around her shoulders.

  “Is it just me or does she seem uncomfortable?” I ask Noah.

  “I see it too. Think she saw him?”

  “No clue. I was too busy watching that shit go down.”

  Running my hand through my hair, I curse under my breath.

  “I don’t even know what to do with this shit. Do I ignore it? Do I tell her? Shit. Maybe you should tell her.”

  “Look. I don’t know Madalyn like that. Yeah, we all went to the same school, but we ran in different crowds. Well, the two of you were your own crowd.” —he chuckles— “I think she’d probably take it better coming from you. Either way, she deserves to know. No one deserves that shit.”

  With that little nugget of truth, he walks back to his end of the bar, muttering something about a “slimy bastard” needing a beatdown.

  He’s right. Madalyn deserves to know, but I don’t necessarily agree that she’ll take it better coming from me. The only other option is to tell Holden and let him tell her, but he wasn’t here to see it happen.

  Fuck it. Time to man up.

  I need a minute alone with Madalyn.

  She needs to know her husband is scum.

  About an hour later, I finally see my chance.

  I watch as Madalyn rises from the booth. My hands curl into fists at my sides when Douchebag grabs her arm, pulling her back to him. I don’t like the way he fucking touches her. He leans in close, saying something to her that sparks her anger. They argue for a minute before he releases her, and she storms off.

  Not wanting to miss my opportunity to get her alone, I catch Noah’s attention and motion toward the back. He glances toward the table Mads vacated and nods. I dip into the back and use the back hallway to get to the bathrooms. I feel like a total creeper standing outside the women’s room, but I need to talk to her.

  She exits a few minutes later. Eyes red and puffy. She looks absolutely miserable.

  “You okay, baby?” The endearment rolls off my tongue without thought.

  Mads ignores it. “I’m fine, Jaxson. Did you need something?”

  “I need to talk to you.”

  Sighing, she leans against the wall, dropping her head back. “Not again, please. I can’t do this with you.”

  “Mads, your husband isn’t a good guy. You deserve better than the way he treats you.”

  That was the wrong thing to say. She makes that blatantly clear when fire sparks in those gorgeous eyes of hers.

  “The way he treats me? You know nothing about my relationship and the way he treats me, Jax. Green really isn’t your color.”

  Fuck, I miss this girl’s sass.

  Ignoring the dig, I do what I came back here to do.

  “Nothing? Is that so? Then why did I just watch him flirt with some random girl at the bar and slip her a card. Why did I see his lips touch someone that wasn’t you? You don’t deserve that shit, Mads.”

  That fiery spark comes to life and she crosses her arms, pushing up her tits. I try to ignore it, but I’m only fucking human. I used to piss Mads off on purpose. She’s hot as hell when she’s all fired up. Always gets me hard. Even now.

  “Are you fucking kidding me, Jaxson? You come at me with this bullshit and I’m supposed to just believe you?”

  Something about the look in her eyes tells me that she does believe me, only she doesn’t want to admit it.

  “I don’t have time for this. I need to get back to my husband.”

  She starts to walk away. I refuse to grab her like he did, but I won’t let this go so easily either.

  “He’s cheating on you, Mads.”

  Stopping in her tracks, she slowly turns and stares me down.

  “This is pathetic, Jaxson. Even for you. What do you plan to accomplish by ruining my marriage? We were over a long time ago. It’s time for you to move on. You and I will never be together again.”

  Damn. That was pretty harsh.

  The Madalyn I love would never say something so hurtful, not to me.

  She starts to walk away again, but I push back the hurt and give her another dose of truth.

  “I’m not trying to ruin your marriage, Madalyn. I’m trying to save you. I once promised to always look out for you, to protect you. That’s all I’m doing now. It doesn’t matter whether or not we’re together. All I’ve ever wanted is your happiness. You’ll never be happy with him.”

  The hitch in her breath is audible over the noise from the bar, but she doesn’t respond. I watch her back as she walks away from me once again.

  It’s becoming a habit of hers.

  I can only hope that she’ll take what I said to heart. Conside
r the truth about the man she vowed to spend her life with. Deep down, she knows I wasn’t speaking out of jealousy. It’s not my style.

  She lashed out at me in anger because she knows the truth.

  I’ve done nothing to make her genuinely believe that I want to ruin her marriage and if she was with a man deserving of her, I would wish her nothing but the best. I tried one time to get her to come back to me. Only once. When it didn’t go the way I’d hoped, I stepped aside.

  It burns to know she chose him over me.

  But I’d never stand in the way of her happiness.

  Tonight, I’m only trying to save her from more pain.

  Blessings come in many forms.

  Perfect example. The girl with the adorable baby bump who’s currently talking to Grams at our favorite table by the window.

  Hailee Miller.

  She walked through the door of our bakery a month ago and we decided to keep her. New in town and in desperate need of a job, she came in to ask if we were hiring. Exceptional timing, since Grams and I had decided to hire a manager and hadn’t yet had a chance to advertise.

  Despite her lack of management experience, we hired her on the spot. I swear, the instant Grams told her she had the job I could see the relief wash over her. She may not have the qualifications we were looking for, but she knows her shit. It helps that she’s currently enrolled in college courses, working toward a business degree.

  After talking for a while, Grams sent her back into the kitchen and told her to surprise us. Not even an hour later, she presented us with lemon raspberry cupcakes. Moist, fluffy raspberry and lemon cupcakes topped with lemon cream cheese frosting. Lemon slices, lemon zest, and fresh raspberries sat atop the creamy frosting.

  They were almost too pretty to eat. Almost. We couldn’t resist.

  Absolute foodgasm.

  Hailee and I have become close friends in a very short time.

  She is one of the sweetest, most genuine people I’ve met in my life. Shy, mostly quiet, and obviously holding something back. Hailee holds the weight of the world on her shoulders, that much is easy to see. She was honest, about her need for this job. But there’s so much more to her story. I’ve gotten bits and pieces since she started here, but there’s more to learn. More for her to share.

  My initial impression of her barely touches the surface of who she really is deep down. I adore this girl. We balance each other so well.

  Her quiet to my loud.

  Her shy to my outspoken.

  Her calm to my crazy.

  Her order to my chaos.

  I’ve found my soulmate, in friendship anyway.

  As I’m finishing up with the last few customers of the day, Hailee disappears to the kitchen. She emerges as I’m locking the door, a baking dish, plates, and forks balanced carefully in her hands. Rushing over to help her, we place everything on the table.

  Grams’ eyes light up when she sees what’s in the baking dish.

  “You spoil this old lady. How did you know tiramisu is my favorite dessert?”

  Hailee dishes out a large serving of tiramisu to each of us.

  “I had no idea, actually,” she says with a laugh. “I’ve had a really strong craving for it.”

  A moan slips past my lips as the mixture of flavors from the creamy dessert burst across my tongue. Divine. Hailee makes magic in the kitchen.

  “This is so good, Hailee. You’re gonna make me fat.” I tell her.

  She only laughs, taking a bite from her own plate.

  It’s Grams’ turn to moan in delight when she tastes it for herself. Her eyes close as she relishes the flavors of mascarpone, espresso, and cocoa.

  Hailee waits patiently for the verdict. Like me, she’s always eager for Grams’ approval.

  “It’s wonderful, Hailee.” Grams smiles and enjoys another taste. “I’ve always said that tiramisu is the second-best thing in life. Right after sex.”

  Hailee and I both cough and sputter, almost choking on our dessert.

  I shouldn’t be taken aback by the things that come from her mouth, but sometimes Grams still catches me by surprise. Hailee wasn’t expecting it at all.

  We all burst into laughter, so loud that we don’t hear the footsteps coming from the kitchen.

  “Looks like I’m missing all the fun.”

  Startled by the voice, Hailee and I whip around in our seats and simultaneously send our elbows into the muscled abdomen belonging to the unexpected voice. When I realize it’s only my brother, my laughter returns in full force. Hailee looks horrified, which only makes me laugh harder.

  “Damn, that hurt,” Holden says, rubbing his abs.

  I snort. “That’s what you get for sneaking up on us. Announce yourself next time.”

  Kissing my forehead, he pulls out the chair next to mine and sits down.

  “You might have heard me coming if you weren’t laughing your ass off. What’s so funny, anyway?”

  “I’ll let Grams answer that question.”

  She speaks up, giving him a filtered answer. “I was just telling the girls about my love for tiramisu.”

  A mixture of confusion and curiosity cross his face. “Okay...I don’t see what’s so funny about that.”

  “That’s because you haven’t heard the rest,” I say.

  Grams gives me a playful look of warning, but I ignore it. If I had to hear what she said, so does Holden. I already know his reaction is going to be priceless.

  “Grams said that the only thing better than tiramisu is sex,” I say with a smirk.

  Hailee doubles over in laughter as Holden springs from his chair, a look of pure horror taking over his face.

  “What the hell, Grams?!” He shakes his head, backing away from the table. “Mads, why would you even tell me that?! There are some things I don’t need to know! That’s one of them!”

  Grams sits in silence, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

  Hailee has tears streaming down her face, still laughing her ass off.

  I’m fighting laughter, but it’s hard to hold back. I lose it completely when Holden continues.

  “I can’t unhear that Madalyn!” He tugs at his hair, like he’s seriously stressed. “As far as I’m concerned, none of you even know what sex is!”

  Hailee and I both quiet for a split second, look down at her stomach, look at each other, and lose ourselves in hysterics.

  Finally giving up, Holden plops back down in the chair, leaning on the table with his head in his hands.

  When we finally calm down, Holden looks exasperated.

  It amuses me to no end. In fact, I’m feeling better than I have in too long. I can’t remember the last time I laughed that hard. I needed this. Needed them. Needed to get out of my head for a while, to escape the stress, hurt, and heartache from home.

  Holden has always been a source of comfort. Now I have Hailee, too.

  “I hate you,” he says, shooting me a glare.

  Grams reaches over, smacking him on the back of his head.

  “Holden Orion Sterling! Don’t say that to your sister.”

  Properly chastised, he looks to me and apologizes even though I know he didn’t mean it. Holden could never hate me. He doesn’t have it in him.

  With a soft smile, Grams grabs her purse from the chair beside her and stands to leave.

  “Time for me to go. Thank you, Hailee, for the delicious dessert.” —she winks, making Holden groan— “I’ll see you ladies tomorrow.”

  She walks to the door, turning the lock to pull it open. Looking back, she narrows her gaze at my brother. “Remember Holden, if not for my knowledge of sex, you wouldn’t be here.” And with that, she lets the door close behind her.

  My jaw pops open in surprise. Grams totally mic dropped.

  Holden drops his head to the table, muttering a string of curses under his breath.

  Hailee chuckles, and Holden lifts his head, turning his attention to her.

  “Hi, gorgeous.”

  She cocks a brow. �
�Hello, Holden.”

  “You should let me take you out,” he says, eyes roaming her body. Her baby bump doesn’t faze him in the least.

  “Ha. I don’t think so.” Rolling her eyes, she starts to clear the table, quickly gathering everything and taking it with her to the kitchen.

  Once she’s through the door, Holden looks to me. In a whisper, he asks, “What’s her deal? Why does she always shoot me down, or play it off when I ask her out?”

  “Seriously? She’s pregnant with another man’s baby, Holden. I don’t know the whole story, but he obviously did her wrong. I think dating, in any way, is the last thing on her mind right now. Besides, you don’t exactly have the best reputation.”

  And he doesn’t. He’s only ever had one serious woman in his life. She really messed with his head and he hasn’t been the same since. I don’t believe that he sleeps around as much as people think he does. I’m convinced it’s all just a front, a way to prevent himself from getting hurt again.

  And Hailee, well...she’s doing the same. The little she’s told me about her ex, I understand why she would avoid the advances of a guy like Holden. He has a heart of gold. Deep down, even Hailee can see that. She sees how he treats me, and our sisters. Even how sweet and protective he is of our mom and Grams. None of that matters. The hurt Hailee is dealing with is still too raw. She won’t be open to anyone for a long time.

  “I wouldn’t hurt her, Mads.”

  He wouldn’t hurt her. Not in any sense of the word. He’s not that kinda guy. He’s too protective, too caring. Not like David.

  “I know you wouldn’t, but she doesn’t. She’s not ready to trust someone new right now. If you really like her, you’re going to have to give her time.”

  “I hear you, sis.”

  He wraps me in a warm hug, reminding me that I’m always safe with him.

  Hailee returns from the kitchen, hoodie on and her purse in her hand. She tries to hide her smile when she sees me wrapped in Holden’s embrace, but I see it.

  “I don’t know about y’all, but I’m ready to get out of here. I can’t wait to get home and put my feet up.”

  My good mood vanishes when I think about going home. It’s the last place I want to be.