The lack of sleep Megan had been so concerned about showed on his face. His skin was pale, wan and drawn. His icy blue eyes were flat, nearly lifeless, the skin beneath bruised with dark circles.
He didn’t say anything, just stood there, watching her. Silent. Alone.
Miserable.
Jenny grabbed the towel from her shoulder, started twisting it in her hands. Indecision battered her, twisting her insides as tightly as she was twisting the poor towel in her hands. She glanced down at it, frowning, then looked back at Jason.
And made her decision.
She stepped back, holding the door wider. “Did you, uh, want to come in?”
Jason hesitated for so long that she didn’t think he had heard her. Then he finally nodded and stepped across the threshold. Stopped and looked around. Jenny closed the door, the click loud enough that Jason whirled around, a look of panic on his face. His expression cleared, becoming unreadable.
“You can have a seat if you want. I need to turn off the stove—”
“I didn’t know you were busy. I can come back.”
“No!” The word was too loud, almost desperate. Jenny cleared her throat. “No, it’s fine.”
She hurried past him into the kitchen and turned the stove off. Turned to go back to the living room then hesitated before opening the refrigerator. Would he want something to drink? Soda or water? Or maybe beer instead?
And why was she so nervous? This was her brother. She shouldn’t be so nervous.
So awkward. So uncomfortable.
She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply through her nose. Held it, released it slowly. Just like Tyler had taught her. Relax. Focus. Searching for that elusive balance she always teased him about.
But there wasn’t balance. There was just…sadness. Deep, hollow. And pain. Not as sharp as it had been that night, or the few nights following it. But it was still there, a dull ache always lurking under the surface. Not the pain of anger or hurt, but the pain of separation.
Six weeks—but it felt like a lifetime. So much had happened since then.
The end of winter’s last hold.
The end of a season.
The end of a friendship.
But there had been beginnings, too. New friendships. A new place to live.
A new life.
Jenny’s gaze dropped to her hand, to the gold band glinting in the kitchen light. Yes, there had been new beginnings. And maybe there would be another one tonight.
She grabbed two bottles of beer, quickly uncapped them, then moved back to the living room. Jason was standing in front of the open patio door, the late afternoon sun bathing him in dark gold. The breeze coming in through the door ruffled his hair, the only sign of movement. His hands were jammed into the back pockets of his jeans, his shoulders slumped in misery.
Jenny paused, took another deep breath, and tried to force a smile into her voice. “I, uh, I brought you a beer.”
No, that didn’t sound right. It was too forced. Too stiff and formal. She breathed in, released it, tried again. “I figured you probably need one as much as I do.”
Jason’s head turned to the side, a brief flicker of life flashing in his eyes. She moved toward him and held one bottle out, a peace offering of sorts. He stared at her left hand for so long, she started to wonder if he would take it. She was just about to move away, to take the beer back into the kitchen, when he finally reached for it. He took a quick sip, frowned and looked down at the label.
“It’s a grapefruit beer. German.”
He raised his brows, took another sip, frowned again.
Jenny moved deeper into the living room and took a seat on the sofa. Would he sit, or would he keep standing there, staring at her? She waited, holding her breath until he finally moved—and took a seat in the stuffed chair across from her.
“You look—”
“I just—”
They both stopped talking at the same time, their gazes meeting and holding. Jason blinked and looked away, ran a hand down his face with a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry, Jenny. I—I’m sorry.”
She swallowed against the lump in her throat, tried to blink away the burning in her eyes. “Me too.”
Jason looked at her again, his eyes widening in surprise. “What the hell are you sorry for? You didn’t do anything.”
“I—” Her mouth closed with a snap. She leaned forward, her brows lowered over her eyes. “I can be sorry if I want to be.”
“But you didn’t—”
“Are we really arguing over this?”
“Jenny, I—” He hesitated, the muscles in his throat silently working. He raised the bottle to his mouth, took several long swallows, put it down with a grimace. “How can you even drink this shit? It’s awful.”
“I happen to like it.”
“Yeah, if you say so.” He looked away, ran a hand over his eyes, leaned forward. “Jenny, I—”
He stopped mid-sentence, interrupted by the door opening. Jenny’s head turned, her heart racing as her eyes met Tyler’s. The smile on his face grew as he pushed the door closed behind him.
“They didn’t have—” His voice trailed off, the smile disappearing from his face when he noticed Jason. Tyler’s body stiffened, his hands curling into loose fists as the two men stared at each other. Tension descended over the room, thick and suffocating, stealing Jenny’s breath.
She jumped from the sofa, placed a gentle hand in the middle of Tyler’s chest, trying to calm him down with just a single touch. His body vibrated with anger, his heart pounding under her palm. Tyler placed his own hand over hers, warm and gentle. But his gaze never left Jason’s. Warning flashed in the depths of his eyes, cold and dangerous.
How many times had the two almost come to blows? Before practice. After games. At little Noah’s birthday party. But not here. Not now. Not if she had anything to say about it.
“Tyler. Please.”
He must have heard the plea in her voice, the emotion behind those two simple words. He pulled his gaze from Jason and looked down at her.
Protective. Loving.
Some of the tension left his body, a gradual seeping that relaxed the set of his shoulders. Minutes went by as they looked at each other, a world of silent communication flowing between them.
He’s my brother.
I’m your husband.
Please. For me.
Tyler finally nodded then bent his head, claiming her mouth with his. Was he sending a signal to Jason? Letting her brother know that she was his, as much as he was hers? Possibly.
No, not possibly—definitely.
He pulled away, gave her hand a gentle squeeze before releasing it. “I’ll be in our bedroom if you need me.” He tossed one last look of warning in Jason’s direction then moved down the hallway, his steps silent against the thick carpet.
The tension remained. Not as thick, not as suffocating, but it was there just the same. Jenny sat back down, perched on the edge of the sofa, and stared at her clasped hands. Silence stretched between them, as awkward and uncomfortable as it had been when Jason first arrived.
It shouldn’t be like this. It should have never gotten to this point.
If Jenny had told him what had happened…
If he hadn’t said those hurtful words…
If they had just talked…
But they hadn’t, and Jenny wasn’t sure if they’d be able to bridge the chasm between them.
“I shouldn’t have come. I’m sorry.” Jason stood up, his leg brushing against hers as he stepped around her. Panic swept over her, replaced by anger, swift and certain. Anger at herself. Anger at Jason. Anger at what they had both allowed to happen.
She stood, reached out and caught his arm.
And felt the breath rush from her at the look on his face. At the tears in his eyes. She didn’t think, didn’t hesitate, just threw her arms around him, refusing to let go.
He stiffened in surprise. For one horrifying second, she was afraid he’d pull away. Afraid h
e’d turn around and leave. Then his arms came around her, stiff and awkward at first, like he wasn’t sure what to do. Like he was afraid he’d hurt her.
She didn’t hold back the tears, let them flow as freely as her choked words. Words of forgiveness, regret. Pain and hope. And love, the love of a sister for her older brother.
“I’m sorry, Jenny. I should have never—can you ever forgive me?”
She nodded, hiccuped, nodded again and wiped her face against his shoulder. He made a strangled sound, a cross between a groan and a laugh, and pulled away. Something almost like a smile teased one corner of his mouth, there and gone in the space of a heartbeat.
“Don’t cry, Jenny-Benny. You know I hate that.”
“I know.”
He swallowed, cleared his throat. “I hate it more when I’m the cause of it.”
“I know.”
“I—I should probably leave. Let you get back to dinner—”
“No. Don’t go. Please.”
“I don’t think Tyler wants me here.”
Jenny laughed and tugged on his hand, leading him to the sofa. “My husband will get over it.”
Jason shook his head, that small smile appearing and disappearing once more. “Husband. I can’t believe you got married.” Disappointment flashed in his eyes and he looked away. “And I wasn’t even there to see it.”
“Jason, we ran away to Vegas. Nobody was there to see it.” It had been a small ceremony, just the two of them, the week after the Bombers’ season had ended. A whirlwind week of love and laughter and happiness, just being together.
“Are you happy?”
“Yes, I am.”
“And you love him?”
“With everything I am.”
Jason’s pale gaze studied hers, searching. He must have seen the truth of her words in her eyes because he finally nodded, a ghost of a smile hovering on his lips.
“Then I’m happy for you.”
They spent the next hour catching up, rebuilding bonds that had come so close to being severed.
Tyler reappeared, a scowl on his face as he watched them. Then he disappeared into the kitchen and finished cooking dinner, even managed to offer Jason a plate without throwing it on him.
But Jason refused, saying he had to get back home, that he was going out with Megan. The truth? Possibly. But Jenny could tell he didn’t quite trust Tyler’s cooking.
Not that she could blame him.
She walked Jason to the door, pulled him into another hug as she blinked back tears. He brushed her cheek with a quick kiss then leveled a glare at Tyler.
“Don’t ever hurt her, or I will come after you.”
Jenny opened her mouth, ready to tell Jason to stop, to let it go. But Tyler spoke over her, his voice as low and dangerous as her brother’s.
“The same goes for you.”
The two men locked eyes, a silent battle of wills as each threatened the other. As each promised to protect her.
Jason finally nodded then looked back at her, his gaze softening. He pressed another kiss to her cheek and stepped away. “We’ll get together soon, okay?”
Jenny nodded, her throat too thick to speak. Then Jason was gone and she was left staring at the closed door, blinking back tears.
Strong arms wrapped around her from behind. She leaned against Tyler’s chest, her head tilted to the side as he grazed her neck with his mouth.
“You okay?”
“Yeah. I am.”
“Good.” He spun her around, held her close. “I meant what I told him.”
“I know.” She pressed a lingering kiss against his mouth, smiled when his hands cupped her ass. She rocked against him, felt her body heat in response to his. “And he meant what he said, too.”
Tyler groaned, long and loud, his dark eyes flashing. “Can we not talk about your brother right now?”
“Okay. How about we talk about how hungry I am?”
“You really want to eat dinner now?”
“I’m not about to eat your cooking.”
Disappointment flared in his eyes but he blinked it away. “I guess we could go out—”
“I was thinking more along the lines of dessert.” Jenny slid her hands under his shirt, dipped her fingers into the waistband of his jeans.
“Is that a fact?”
“Mm-hm.” She swallowed a sigh as Tyler claimed her mouth, his tongue sweeping in and finding hers. Deep, slow, as if he had all the time in the world.
She pulled away with a soft moan, stepped out of his arms, and walked backward, heading to their room. “Definitely dessert. I’m thinking of something sweet and gooey.”
Passion flared in Tyler’s eyes as he followed her, his steps slow and deliberate. “I can handle gooey.”
“Can you? Really?” She ducked into the kitchen and came back out, a can of whip cream in one hand and a bottle of chocolate sauce in the other. She waved both in front of him, a teasing smile on her lips. “Are you sure you can handle it?”
His eyes darkened even more, interest flaring in their depths. Heat washed over her as Tyler rushed her, pulled her into his arms and lifted her off her feet.
“As long as I’m with you, I can handle anything.”
Epilogue
Eighteen Months Later
Jenny glanced around the dining room, nerves fluttering in her stomach. At least, she was fairly certain the fluttering was simply nerves, given the time of day.
And she had plenty of reasons to be nervous. This was their first Thanksgiving dinner in the new house. The long table in the formal dining room was already set with the holiday-themed tablecloth and semi-formal china. The house was filled with the aromas of cooking food: turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, sauerkraut—which she didn’t really understand but Tyler insisted on it. The food was ready, warming in the oven.
Tyler was out back in the yard with Ethan Kincaid and Kenny Haskell, two of his teammates from the Banners. They were supposed to be deep-frying the turkey but the last time Jenny looked, the trio had been leaning against the deck railing, drinking beer and laughing about something.
Cindy and Lauren—Ethan’s wife and Kenny’s fiancé—were in the kitchen, organizing the overflowing platters of food.
The boxes she hadn’t yet gotten around to unpacking were shoved against the wall of the empty formal living room. Why they needed a formal living room, Jenny wasn’t sure. She still thought the house was too big, especially after living in a two-bedroom apartment. But it was in their price range and close to both the Banners’ practice arena and the main arena where the team played. And Tyler had wanted it, telling her it gave their small family room to grow.
He had no idea.
Yes, everything was as ready as it was going to be. Jenny was just waiting on the last two guests.
She glanced at her watch. Shouldn’t they be here already? No, it was early still. And they were coming from York, well over an hour away. There was still plenty of time for them to show up.
Maybe.
Or maybe they wouldn’t show up. Maybe Megan hadn’t been able to convince Jason to come today.
Jenny had to stop thinking like that. Megan would come through—she’d promised, after all. She had just as much at stake as Jenny did.
And both women were tired of the feud. It had been going on for too long. It was time—past time—for it to end.
But they were both taking a chance and they knew it. That’s why this was a small gathering. Cindy and Lauren were familiar with the feud—so were Ethan and Kenny. Having them here would act as a buffer. And if things got out of hand—
No. They wouldn’t get out of hand. Maybe Jason and Tyler were still feuding, but they’d at least been civil to each other on those rare occasions they were together.
Which wasn’t often, especially since Tyler was now playing for the Banners.
And if you could call angry silence and menacing glares civil.
Jenny jumped when the doorbell rang. She pressed the palm of one
hand flat against her belly and glanced at her watch again. Right on time.
Muttering a quick prayer that they were doing the right thing, that this crazy plan wouldn’t backfire on them, Jenny rushed to the door and threw it open. The smile faltered on her face, but only for a second. No, Jason didn’t look happy at all. Fair enough, because Tyler would probably be livid when he realized they had two surprise guests.
Jenny ignored her brother and leaned forward to accept Megan’s hug. The other woman was just as nervous as she was, Jenny could tell from the slight trembling in her arms.
They separated, exchanged a shared look of encouragement—and worry.
Well, it was too late to back out now.
“Ignore the boxes in here. I still haven’t gotten around to completely unpacking.” Jenny led them past the formal living room and into the large kitchen for introductions. “Cindy, Lauren, this is my brother Jason and his wife, Megan.”
Niceties were exchanged, followed by meaningless small talk. Jenny watched as her brother glanced out the patio door, saw the way his jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed. She shot him a warning look then busied herself with taking food from the oven.
She heard the patio door open, felt Tyler’s eyes on her. “Jenny, I think the turkey—”
His words died, the temperature in the room dropping several degrees. Not because of the open door or the weather—it was mild outside. No, it was because he’d seen Jason.
Jenny removed a baking dish from the oven and placed it on the counter, taking a deep breath to calm her racing nerves. This would either work—
Or it wouldn’t.
She pasted a huge smile on her face and turned around. Doubt filled her as soon as she saw Tyler’s face. She had expected confusion. Maybe even a little anger or hurt. She hadn’t expected the fury that flashed in his eyes when he looked at her.
He blinked it away, glanced at Jason, then turned back to her. “What’s going on, Jenny?”
This was it, the moment of truth.
Cindy and Lauren squeezed past Tyler on their way outside, each of them offering her small smiles of encouragement before sliding the door closed. And then it was just the four of them: Jason and Megan, her and Tyler.
Playing For Keeps: A York Bombers Hockey Romance (The York Bombers Book 3) Page 18
