"Jack," she said. "What's going on?" She took a breath and crossed one arm over her chest to hold her other shoulder, trying to protect herself. "Look, is this about what happened with your mom? I didn't mean for any of it to happen, honestly. I had been over to see Andrew Corwin—"
"I know." Jack finally stopped pacing but he didn't immediately walk over to her. She didn't know why she expected him to. "I know because I went to see him too. My mom…" He clenched his teeth together and looked away. Lily had the sudden itch to play with her fingernails even though she had broken the habit back in her freshman year of high school. "I know. She told me. And I—"
"You shouldn't have." Lily didn't say the words like she was thanking him. She was scolding him like he was a child because he was! Jack couldn't go around beating people up. How ridiculous did that sound? It made him look immature, petulant, and Jack was so much more than that. "Jack, you can't just—you signed a major contract with an NHL club."
"I know, trust me, I know." He resumed his pacing.
Lily tilted her head to the side and stepped forward. There was something strange about the way Jack said that.
"What?" she asked. She put herself directly in Jack's path so Jack was forced to stop pacing lest he run into her. "What happened?"
"I beat the shit out of Andrew Corwin," he said. He had the same tone he might have used if he was talking about the weather.
"Jack!" she said. "Are you out of your mind? Andrew is a dick! He would press charges—"
"He did."
"What?" She didn't understand. "What do you mean he pressed charges?"
"I was arrested at the ice today," he said. His nonchalant tone made Lily want to strangle him. Before Lily could open her mouth and ask for more details, he continued. "Seraphina Hanson bailed me out. I'm pretty sure Andrew will drop the charges. I just, I had to see you. I needed to see you."
"Oh." Lily hadn't been expecting that.
Jack spun around on the balls of his feet and walked straight up to Lily until he was directly in front of her. "This isn't about my mom," he said. "Or what happened—though I am sorry for what she called you and how Alec found out. That wasn't her place. But I want to talk about something else."
"Okay," Lily said slowly. "What do you want to talk about?"
"I'm in love with you." It was like he was a ketchup bottle that had been clogged up until Seraphina Hanson turned him upside down and whacked him until he started spilling everything. Now that the initial words had come out, the rest wouldn't stop. "It's not just about the sex, Lily. I just, I'm in love with you." He ran his fingers through his hair. "I really…I don't know what else to say except for that. I'm in love with you."
Lily laughed. Her face had turned red the minute those three words were out of her mouth and she looked up at the ceiling to try to stop the tears from falling. She had no idea why she was emotional. She had no idea why she felt like crying and smiling at the same time. It made absolutely no sense. And yet, this was how she felt.
"What?" Jack asked. His voice was tentative, unsure. "I just assumed, I guess I just thought—"
"I love you too," Lily said quickly. "Oh, Jack, I'm sorry. It wasn't my intention to make you wait." She started laughing despite herself. "I just—"
Before she could finish, Jack swept her up in his arms and pulled her into a deep kiss. When they finally had to part for air, he rested his forehead against hers and rubbed her back up and down.
"I've been wanting to do that for a while," he murmured. "God, I've been wanting to do that for a while."
"Was it worth the wait?" Lily asked.
Jack grinned. "Definitely," he said. "How long is Alec going to be gone for?"
Lily scrunched her brow, taking a step back to think. It was as though Jack's nearness, his touch, clouded her judgment and she needed to step away in order to think properly.
Alec.
Her brother.
"I don't know," she said honestly. "Why?"
Jack pressed his index finger against his chin. "I'm just trying to figure out if we have enough time," he said.
Lily tilted her head to the side. "Time for what?" she asked. When Jack said nothing, just smiled, Lily playfully pushed his shoulder. "Come on, Jack, tell me. Please?"
"I would rather show you," he said. He took her hand and proceeded to lead her to the bed.
- - -
Lily stared up at the ceiling, trying to catch her breath. Jack slid one arm around her waist and buried his face in her neck.
"Well," she murmured, more to herself than to Jack, as though she needed to remind herself that this was most definitely not a dream.
"Mmmm." Jack smiled into her skin.
Lily turned and brushed hair from his face. She leaned towards him, ready to kiss the tip of his nose, when a knock on her bedroom door startled them both.
"Alec," they both murmured.
Lily hopped out of bed and threw on clothes before going to the door and opening it a crack.
"Hey."
Alec let a breath out of his nose and waited for Lily to let him in.
"We need to talk."
She nodded her head. She supposed that was true. She glanced behind her at Jack and gave him her best impression of a smile. It was difficult for her to make it genuine—at least right now. Hopefully that would change in a couple of days.
"I'll be right outside," Jack said.
Alec didn't even look at Jack as Jack brushed passed him. He closed the door when Jack was out but he still refused to move from the doorway. His eyes were fixed on the floor. He shifted his weight and opened his mouth, before shutting it and shaking his head. He tried again, but still, no words came out.
"I don't understand," he finally said. "What's been going on between the two of you?"
Lily paced back to the bed and spun around so she could sit on the edge. She placed her hands over her thighs and began to run them over the smooth material of the pants. She still wanted a shower but it didn't appear she was going to get one any time soon.
"Please tell me Ronnie Ruby was not the one who outed my sister and my best friend," he continued. He reached up and started to rub his forehead with his fingers, wrinkling his brow as he did so. "God, I can barely even say it right now. My best friend and my sister."
"It wasn't like we expected it to happen," Lily said, looking up at Alec.
"Bullshit!" Alec snapped. He clenched his jaw to control himself just as Lily's door opened.
Jack didn't even say anything to Lily. Instead, he looked at her. She nodded her head, hoping he would understand that everything was okay and that she was handling the situation.
"I'm talking to my sister, man," Alec said. "Get out."
"You won't talk to her like that," Jack told him.
"And what are you going to do about it?" Alec asked, Lily could hear the challenge in her brother's voice and stood up. "You already got yourself suspended from the team. You really want to pick a fight with me? Hanson will kick you off, no question."
"I don't care," Jack said. "You think I regret beating up Andrew Corwin? I don't. No fucking way. Not after what he did. And if you talk to your sister disrespectfully, I'll do the same thing to you."
"Jack, I've got this," Lily said. She managed to cross her room in three strides and positioned herself in front of both of them. "Thank you, but I've got this. I want to talk to my brother about everything. It's fine."
Jack nodded his head. He cut one last look over to Alec before slipping outside.
The minute the door closed, Alec threw his arms out. "My best friend, Lil?" he asked. "You're hooking up with my best friend? Come on! First the videotape, and now—"
"Goddammit, Alec, for once in your life would you stop making everything about you?!" Lily hadn't meant to scream. In fact, screaming was something she never did. Her throat felt funny after the fact but she ignored the tickling sensation. "You think I wanted that video up? Honestly, do you think that was what I wanted?"
"Of course not," Alec said, looking away.
"Then why would you insinuate—"
"That was petty of me." He put his hands up. "I know, I know, okay? I know."
"You don't know shit," Lily said. "What's going on with Jack…" She let her voice trail off. "I care about him, okay? I would tell you I love him, but I know how you are. You would probably either laugh at me or you would call my feelings stupid. I care about your friend, and that's the way it is."
"So, what, am I going to see you snuggling on the couch, watching Nicholas Sparks movies now?" he asked.
"More like Will Ferrell movies," Lily said. "You know I don't do sappy romance movies."
Alec rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean," he stated.
"Even if we did that—and I'm not saying we would—so what?" Lily said. She crossed her arms over her chest and brushed past the edge of her messy bed. She wanted nothing more than to crawl under the covers and sleep—preferably for a long, long time. "Would it really kill you to see your sister and your best friend happy?"
"What if you two break up?" Alec asked. "Then I have to beat the shit out of Jack—"
"Actually, you don't—"
"—and I'd lose my best friend," Alec finished.
Lily opened her mouth, ready to defend herself, when she paused and tried to look at this from Alec's point of view. She took a deep breath.
"Look," she said. "I know this is the last thing you want to hear right now. All I'm asking you to do is to trust me and to trust Jack. I honestly don't know what's going to happen between us. All I know is I love him and I want to be with him, and I want your support. I'm not saying it's going to be easy, but I want you to at least try."
Alec shook his head. "I trust you," he said. "I know Jack, Lil. I know how he is with girls."
"Good," Lily said, crossing her arms over her chest and giving her brother a long stare. "Because I'm not a girl, Alec. I'm a woman. And I don't think Jack has had much experience with a woman just yet."
19
Jack
Jack didn't like that Lily had to handle her brother on her own. He would have preferred it to be both of them, like they were a team, but he also respected the fact that she needed to handle certain things on her own.
When Alec finally left the bedroom, he stopped when he saw Jack pacing. He pressed his lips together and looked away. Typically, Jack knew that meant that Alec didn't like what he heard but there was nothing he could do about it. Alec wasn't the sort of guy to get mad under normal circumstances. However, with everything that had happened in the past couple of days, he couldn't blame Alec for his feelings. He didn't even hold it against Alec when Alec had punched Jack. Hell, Jack probably would have done the same thing if their positions were reversed.
Alec stepped forward and pointed a finger at Jack. "If you fucking hurt her—"
"You'll beat the shit out of me," Jack said with a nod. "I know."
"No." Alec shook his head once, a sardonic look on his face. "She'll beat the shit out of you and I will gleefully watch as I eat popcorn and spit the kernels out at you."
Jack felt the corners of his lips twitch up. If Alec was joking, that was a good sign.
"I didn't mean for you to find out this way." Even though Jack wanted to go to Alec, he forced himself to stay where he was in the living room, in case Alec still needed space to digest everything. "But I want you to know I care about your sister, Alec."
"I know," Alec said. His shoulders hunched forward slightly.
Jack furrowed his brow. "You do?" he asked. Had he been that obvious? Or did Alec just pick up on it? Alec and feelings didn't exactly go hand in hand, especially when it came to love.
"Look, man," Alec said, taking a step forward and then another. "Anyone willing to go to jail for Lily after what that motherfucker did to her obviously cares about her. Hell, you beat me to it. I was going to do the same thing until you got back and explained you already took care of the problem." He looked down at the floor, his eyes searching for something. Jack kept his mouth shut, not wanting to interrupt anything. "It's just…I have to get used to this. I can't…look, it's not my business, okay? Lily is a grown adult and I trust her to handle her adult life more than I can handle my own adult life most of the time. But would you consider doing me a favor?"
"Sure, man," Jack said. He didn't want to sound hopeful, but he couldn't help it. "Anything."
"Don't make it obvious that you guys are sleeping together, okay?" he said. "I know I'm not the brightest guy alive, but I'm not an idiot either. Don't start moving your shit into her room or make jokes about, I don't know, her underwear—"
"Her underwear?" Jack asked. "Why would I joke about that?"
"I don't know, man. I'm just saying." He bristled and all but dropped on the couch. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, hands holding his face. "Jesus, God, what the hell is happening to my life right now?" He looked up at Jack. "You were arrested for what happened between you and Corwin, huh? You went after him."
"You would have done the same." Jack stepped towards the coffee table once, then twice, until he was directly in front of Alec without crowding him.
"Fuck yeah, I would have. Jesus, Jack, what the hell am I going to do? My sister having sex with a piece of shit is all over the Internet and—"
"Seraphina is going to take care of it," Jack interrupted.
"Wait," Alec said. "What?" He turned his head to the side.
"Seraphina bailed me out," Jack said. "Without going into detail, I told her what happened and she offered to help. But anyway, yeah, I beat the shit out of Corwin and I would do it again, even if it meant losing my spot on the team."
"Are you?" Alec asked, leaning back against the couch. "Losing your spot, I mean?"
Jack shook his head. "Nah, man," he said. "Seraphina understood. But I have to make better choices."
Alec nodded his head. Jack couldn't be sure, but it seemed as though he was relieved.
"I just want to make sure you and me are okay," Jack said, gesturing between the two. "I feel like I need to let you know that I'm in love with your sister."
"Man, I don't want to hear that." Alec's face scrunched up and he stood, trying to put distance between the two of them.
"You need to," Jack said. He didn't move, wouldn't go after Alec. If Alec wanted to run from the truth, then that was on Alec and Jack couldn't do anything to stop it. But that didn't mean he would go pretend his feelings for Lily didn't matter and he definitely wouldn't hide them anymore to make Alec feel more comfortable. "I want you to know that Lily isn't just another girl in the line of girls. She's—"
"If you say ‘the one,’ I'm going to sock you," Alec said. There was no glimmer of mischief in his eyes. Jack knew he meant it.
"Why?" Jack asked. "It's not like I'm thinking marriage or anything, but if I think she's the one I could actually be with for a long while, why is that so difficult for you to understand? Why not accept it?"
"You have to remember that I know you better than anyone else. I know the types of girls you like, what you like to do with them. I know what you say when you're ready for the next one. I know how your mind thinks. Lily is clumsy as fuck and her hair frizzes easily and she blushes all the damn time. She's not perfect but she's my sister and she's way too good for you. The last thing she needs right now is you making her feel like she isn't worthy."
"That's fair," Jack said. He stuck out his hand. "Are we good?"
Alec looked at the outstretched palm for a long moment before placing his hand in Jack's. "For now," he said. "I need to know what happened between you and Seraphina. Actually, you need to tell me what happened between you and Andrew. I don't want to know what happened between you and my sister, but I just want to know she's okay with you.”
"Of course she is," Jack said. "Look, when I found out what Andrew did, I left my mom in the apartment. I wasn't thinking straight, and that's my fault."
"I didn't even mention your mom, bro," Alec said. "I couldn’t care
less about her—no offense. It's just…" He shrugged his shoulder. "I always thought my mom was more of a mom than she was. Which is why I never really asked about your own, and maybe that made me selfish. Lily likes to use that word a lot when she talks about me. Also delusional. But kicking your mom out of your life is a big deal. And I didn't make it any better by focusing on Lily and what's going on between you guys." He shook his head. "I just want to apologize for that."
"No apology necessary," Jack said. He clapped Alec on the shoulder. "And you are right, you know. I may call her Mrs. Sinclair, but I still see her as Mom."
Alec grinned. He stepped away from Jack and went into the kitchen. "So, Corwin," he said, opening up the fridge and grabbing a beer. "Did he scream like a little bitch? Please tell me he did."
"Eh." Jack shifted uncomfortably. As much as Andrew deserved the beating, he didn't feel right glorifying it. Instead, he took Alec's offered beer. "Where'd you get these?"
"I told you, the girls you didn't meet," Alec said. "They bought me some alcohol. You were just too wrapped up in your own drama to notice." He took a long sip. "So, Hanson says you're still on the team?"
Jack nodded. "She's going to help get that video removed," Jack said. He had yet to drink his own beer but liked the cool feel of the glass in his hand. "I don't know how yet. Basically, she told me not to fuck up again. It helps that she let me tell her my side, you know? And that she believed me. I'm still supposed to keep my fighting outside of hockey to a negative one now, but I'm still on the team, and a nurse is going to check on everything tomorrow at morning skate."
"Dude, I can't believe she bailed you out," Alec said, shaking his head. "That's fucking awesome."
Jack nodded. "It is," he said.
"So," Alec drawled. "You and my sister. I know something is happening but what exactly is that something?" He snapped up his hand. "I don't need details, just the basics. I already heard her side—"
Rookies Do It Better: Book 1 in The Minor League Mayhem Series Page 11
