Bracing the Blue Line

by Lindsay Paige

  * * * *

  Bracing the Blue Line

  Copyright © 2014 by Lindsay Paige

  Editing by K² Editing

  Cover Design by Damonza

  Print and eBook Design by JT Formatting

  All rights reserved.

  Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products, bands, and/or restaurants referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Title Page

  Definition

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  DAMN, THAT GAME was brutal. Going up against one of the best teams around will do that to a defenseman. I'm nearly too tired to head to the bar with the team, but I'm going anyway. It's better to go and deal with it than to hear shit about me going home early. So I tag along and by the time we get to the bar, I'm not as tired. I'm probably going to regret going though because it's a three game week with one today that we just finished, tomorrow, and Saturday.

  We take up two booths and I, along with a couple of other guys, pull a chair up to the table for all of us to have a seat. A pretty waitress walks over with her low-cut white t-shirt and red bra underneath to take our drink order. She knows us because this is where we usually come to hang out after a game when there isn't a party. Her smile is friendly and flirtatious, particularly aimed at one of my teammates. They have this weird non-relationship, but almost a relationship thing going on.

  “What time do you get off?” Vincent Taylor, another defenseman, asks her.

  “Around the time you all end up leaving.”

  Vincent grins and subtly nods. “Good.”

  “Who I go home with, if anyone, is debatable.”

  His smile quickly disappears, and her comment obviously pisses him off. They insist on this cat and mouse game it seems. I have no idea why. Once she walks away, I look up from my phone and am about to open my mouth to say something to him when arms wrap around my neck. Who the fuck is this?

  “Winston Brooks!” a voice that I haven't heard in a long time squeals in my ear. Her voice immediately makes my stomach drop and my heart rate increase.

  I turn in my seat as her arms loosen to see my best friend's baby sister and my sort of ex-girlfriend. “Maddie? Wow, you look...” my voice trails off. This girl doesn't look anything like I remember. She looks even better. Maddie was always pretty, but wow. She's wearing tight, olive green skinny jeans that, in combination with a skin-fitting black top, shows off a figure I never knew existed.

  “Hot as hell, right?” she grins. Did she cuss? Wait, she's smiling at me? I can't believe she would even come up to me. Not after what happened, not after what I did to her.

  “Who's this?” Grant Faison curiously asks. He's our goalie, a junior like me, and rarely goes out with us. He likes to study too much, but tonight, he decided to come.

  Before I can introduce her, Maddie sticks out her hand. “I'm Maddie, a friend of Winston's from back home.”

  A friend. We were way more than friends, but only we knew that. It almost hurts that she called me an old friend. It shouldn't, especially not after how I hurt her. They shake hands before she brings her attention back to me.

  “What are you doing here?” I ask, slipping my phone into my coat pocket.

  She laughs. “Haven't you talked to Dave lately? I go here now.”

  Dave Evans is her brother and my best friend, who goes to another university. “Yeah, but he never mentioned it. Here,” I say, sliding out of my seat so she can sit down. Once I grab another chair for myself and sit next to her, she leans over to hug me.

  “I've missed you! I kept hoping I would run into you. How have you been? Dave only talks to me like once a month, and you're never on Facebook, so I've been out of the loop.”

  “I've been good. What about you?” I ask, trying to get my brain to catch up from the girl I left behind to the girl she is now. She's small, probably only five feet tall, a stark contrast to my 6'1” height. She used to be heavier, something her brother teased her about endlessly. She was gorgeous, still is. Not to mention that she actually seems happy to see me. Maybe Maddie didn't hold a grudge.

  “I've been great. It's fun making new friends, going to parties, and exploring this place.”

  “You've been going to parties?” I question with disbelief. “What parties? What happened to you?” I joke. According to Dave, Maddie never went to parties when we were in high school, although we were a little older than her and she did go to one, but only briefly. His baby sister was too good for that kind of thing. If he only knew.

  Before she can answer, Neil Lawson, our captain and a senior, saddles up next to her, laying an arm around her shoulder. He's grinning one of those smiles that always makes girls want to go home with him. It makes me want to punch him because that smile doesn't need to be directed at Maddie.

  “Who might you be?” he asks.

  “Maddie.” She smiles, but turns to me, effectively ignoring him. “We should catch up sometime. We're still friends, right?”

  And there it is. The first acknowledgement of our past together has softened her voice, showing a vulnerability I'm responsible for, and it makes me want to fix things between us. Not to get back together, but to right a wrong. I never truly apologized.

  “Yeah, of course,” I struggle to say.

  Maddie doesn't notice, though. She smiles and almost looks relieved before reaching into my coat pocket for my phone like she has the right to stick her hand into my pocket and retrieve whatever she wants. She used to do that all the time, so her action doesn't completely surprise me. While she does whatever with her eyes on the screen, she adds, “We can get to know each other again.” She glances up at me with her brown eyes and smiles.

  Just then, a guy walks up and says, “Here you
are.” Maddie beams a smile at him, one I used to get all the time, but before she can even say hello, he kisses her in greeting. And not just a simple peck on the lips. I'm talking about a full blown, tongue-filled kiss. That definitely isn't something I've ever seen Maddie do in public.

  A streak of jealously runs through me. It shouldn't, but it does anyway. She pulls away from him and with a nervous laugh glances at me. I want to tell her that I don't care if she kisses some guy, that I'm happy she's moved on and has seemingly forgiven me, but I don't say a word. She slips my phone into my pocket once more as she stands. “It was great seeing you, Winston. I should get back to my friends.”

  She walks away with her boyfriend in tow.

  My gaze follows her all the way across the bar where they take a seat with her friends. What just happened? I watch Maddie for a moment as she laughs and leans into the guy.

  “She a friend of yours?” Neil asks, bringing my attention back to my own table.

  “Sort of.” He raises an eyebrow, so I add the half truth, “We grew up together. She's my best friend's little sister.”

  “She's not little anymore,” he laughs.

  Ain't that the truth. Dave and I have been friends for as long as I can remember. It helped that we've lived next door to each other since I was five. Maddie was always around us because their mother used to make us let her tag along. She was like a silent follower, though. Honestly, she was kind of boring. As we grew older, she broke out of her shell almost. Maddie was different around me than with her family. I liked her, thought I loved her. She was fun and a serious flirter, but eventually, Maddie got her own friends and stopped hanging out with us. Dave never saw that side of her. The fun, normal girl.

  All Dave has ever said about his sister is that she's basically an angel. She never got into trouble, and she was the sweetest, purest girl who was probably a bit on the naïve side. According to him, the girl could do no wrong and never did either. Dave was the troublemaker while Maddie was the golden child. I glance over my shoulder one more time.

  That girl is more like the one I knew, but so much more grown. Her clothes are flaunting her body, she kissed that guy like they were alone in the bedroom, and she cussed earlier! Dave probably wouldn't recognize his own sister or believe it was her.

  If it wasn't for my stupidity, Maddie could still be mine. She looks happy, which makes me glad because it means I didn't ruin her trust in other guys. My mind flashes back to the night that changed everything for us.

  I don't know how we started really. She was hanging out with us less, starting to break away from us to be with her own friends. There were times when I found myself alone with her, either waiting on Dave or taking her home from school for him. She would laugh so much and turn into this girl whom no one in her family saw. She called me once after a date had gone badly, asking me to pick her up, but not to tell Dave. Maybe that was when things started happening between us.

  She didn't want to go home yet because she was still upset, so she asked me to take her to a piece of land her parents' owned. There was an old barn there and that night, she confessed to sneaking away to that barn sometimes when she wanted to get away from everyone. I felt bad for her, like I shouldn't leave her, so I asked if she wanted company.

  The barn became our secret place. Maddie had transformed the inside to make it more comfortable when she did go there. You could almost forget what type of building you were in. I knew, as Dave's best friend, his sister was off limits. That was completely fine until Maddie started turning into someone who was more than a friend to me.

  We were nearly inseparable, as much as we possibly could be while keeping our relationship a secret. I knew all too well how Dave saw his baby sister, and I didn't want to lose my longest friendship. So we didn't tell anyone. I thought I loved her. God, I had to have. She was everything to me. I wanted to call her with good news or to recount a good or bad day before anyone else. I kissed her first. I touched her first. I made all the big moves first. I wanted to give her everything.

  Except the one thing she ended up wanting the most.

  Maddie wanted to go out on dates with me in public instead of sneaking an hour away. She wanted to be able to hold my hand and kiss me without caring who saw. I wanted that too, but not enough to tell her brother. Dave and I are close. We know nearly everything about each other and we always have the other's back. I couldn't risk losing him. Losing his friendship would make my relationship with Maddie even harder. I just knew that I would lose them both and in turn, lose the family I had come so close to after all these years.

  Dave was dating some chick and was out with her one night. My parents were out of the house, attending some fundraiser. Maddie snuck over and one thing led to another, and we slept together. I was her first. I was happy that she trusted me, loved me, and believed in us enough to give me that part of her.

  It only made things worse in the end.

  The next night, Dave and I were at a party. It was a big one, because summer was only three weeks away and this was our last high school party before we left for college. Maddie and I had been arguing about her wanting to tell people we were together. She, for the first time, showed up at the same party as us. Things would have been fine if she hadn't walked over to us, standing next to me.

  “What are you doing here, Fatty Maddie?” Dave had asked her, using his own personal nickname for her. She wasn't overweight, but she was a little chunky and he liked to tease her about it. His stupid nickname caused some of the guys to laugh. It wasn't funny and hasn't ever been funny, especially not when I found out how much it bothered Maddie.

  “Same thing you are.” She took the cup of beer from my hand and took a swallow before handing it back to me. When we were alone, she was always doing that. Taking a sip of my drinks, eating from my plate, taking my phone from my pocket if hers was dead.

  “This is for seniors. You don't need to be here. And it's a beach party. People wear bathing suits to these things,” he told her as a girl walked by in a skimpy bikini. He was right. Everyone was in a bathing suit except Maddie. She wore shorts and a tank top instead. There wasn't even a bathing suit beneath her clothes. She was probably too self-conscious because of Dave's fucking comments. “Maybe if you lose some weight, you can go to your own senior party. Go home, Fatty Maddie.”

  My free hand balled into a fist by my side. Since Dave picked on his sister, one of the other guys made fun of her too.

  “Yeah, no one wants a fat girl here.”

  Dave didn't say anything. Not even an 'I'm the only one who can pick on my sister'. Maddie glanced up at me with glassy eyes. She waited for me to defend her, to stand up to them, to put her and her feelings first.

  I hated myself before I shrugged like I didn't even care and added, “They're right. You should go.”

  That's when things ended between us. Until tonight, Maddie hasn't spoken to me since. I tried to apologize to her later, tried to call her, text her, talk to her through every method except the one that mattered the most. I wouldn't go to her house and make her talk to me. I couldn't risk letting Dave know about something that no longer existed. Now, Maddie's going to the same college as me and she's skinny. I can't help but wonder if there's a reason why she lost weight.

  “I'm heading out. I have an early start tomorrow,” Grant says, bringing my attention back to the table.

  “Yeah, I think I'm going to go too,” I add, wondering if Dave knows about Maddie's boyfriend. She's on my mind the entire way back to where I live off-campus with Grant, Neil, and Bo, another teammate of ours and a senior as well. After I've changed, I power up my laptop and start a FaceTime call with Dave.

  His face pops up almost immediately. “How'd the game go?” he asks.

  “Good. They were a tough team, and I'll probably be sore tomorrow, but good.” After a pause, I blurt out, “I saw Maddie.”

  “Really? Where? I forgot to tell you that that's where she decided to go.”

  “Yeah, I was surpr
ised when she came up to me...in a bar.”

  Dave's eyes widen. “Seriously?” I nod. “She probably saw you go in and wanted to come say hi. Hey, you need to send your schedule to me again, so I can pick a weekend to come up. I accidentally deleted the first one, and I don't feel like searching for the schedule online.”

  I laugh. “Lazy much?”

  “Lil bit.” Dave's eyes flick to something behind his computer as I hear a door open and close. He grins, looks down at me, and says, “Gotta go.” I would bet five bucks that his girlfriend just walked in. The call ends, and I close my laptop.

  A glance at the clock shows that it's almost one. The game wore me out, so I start to change into pajama pants and get ready for bed. As I pull back the covers, there's a knock on my bedroom door.

  “Winston! I have a present for you,” Neil yells from the other side. What the hell is he up to? With a sigh, I walk over, open the door, and look down to find Maddie standing next to Neil. What is she doing here? Neil gives me a grin before walking away.

  “Hey, Winston.” Her eyes survey my bare torso before coming back to my face. “This is sort of a long story. Can I come in?” She gives me a hopeful smile as she rocks on her heels.

  “Of course,” I answer, moving aside for her. It's not like I can say no to Dave's sister, especially if she needs something. Hell, it's not like I can say no to Maddie. Period.

  “You still wear something on your head all the time?” she asks, glancing around my room before taking a seat on the edge of my bed.

  I reach up and feel the fabric of a beanie on my head. I'd forgotten I was even wearing it. “Why? Does it bother you?” Sitting down next to her and feeling slightly awkward having her in my bedroom, I take off my beanie and drop it in her lap.

  Maddie reaches over and ruffles my hair, laughing softly. “No, it doesn't. It was only an observation. I'd almost forgotten that you have perfect, dark brown hair underneath it.” Her hand falls back into her lap. “Ready for my long story?”

  I scoot back on my bed to lean my back against the headboard and spread my legs out behind her. Once I clasp my hands behind my head, I say, “Okay, I'm ready.”