by Toni Aleo
“Wow. This is taking a while.”
“Yeah, but it’s okay. I have nothing else to do since my boyfriend is gone.”
He chuckles. “You like this boyfriend guy?”
“Oh, I do. A lot.”
“Good. He happens to think you’re pretty great.”
“Even when I forget everything?”
“That’s his favorite part. He made forty bucks.”
I laugh as I lean into the window. “That’s very unfair.”
“Eh, it’s life. Dollars make me holler.”
I snort. “That’s not the only thing that makes you holler.”
He groans softly. “Fucking hell, I miss you, Amelia Grace.”
I pause, unable to swoon back at my sweet boyfriend because I don’t know his middle name. “Chandler…”
He laughs. Hard. “I don’t have a middle name.”
“You don’t?”
“Nope, Mom and Dad couldn’t afford one after all the adoption fees.”
“Oh my God, shut up,” I giggle, and he laughs.
“I mean, that lie is better than my middle name, so let’s go with that.”
“Tell me!”
“Ugh. Fine.” I keep giggling until a red Camaro pulls up outside. I cock my head in confusion as a very leggy blonde gets out of the car. “It’s Eugene. Chandler Eugene Moon.”
The blonde walks up to the older man I talked to, and he hooks his thumb toward the house. She looks at the house, an irate look on her face.
Something isn’t right here.
“Why aren’t you laughing? My name is so unfortunate.”
“Hey, Chandler, do you know someone who drives a red Camaro?”
He pauses. “With black racing stripes?”
“Yup.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Who is it?” I ask as she walks up the steps in heels so damn high, they make my ankles hurt. Her face is all scrunched up, and she looks pretty upset before she pounds on the door.
“My ex-wife.”
Just as he says that, the lady yells very loudly, “Chandler! I know you’re there! Answer the damn door!”
Well, hell.
“This should be a blast.”
“Don’t open the door,” Chandler says quickly, but I’m already reaching for it, pulling it open. “What the hell is she doing there?”
Lana looks at me as I look back at her. Her eyes widen as I arch one of my brows. She is my total opposite in every way. She’s very tall, about Chandler’s height in those heels, and very skinny. Blond hair, brown eyes, and is slathered in all the makeup from Sephora. She’s wearing the tightest jeans I’ve ever seen, with a crop top that shows the bottoms of her breasts. I’m all for a crop top, but if my mom saw my boobs hanging out, she’d smack the shit out of me.
Doesn’t matter that I’m twenty-three years old.
“Who are you?” the woman sneers, which pisses Sadie off.
Sadie pushes between my legs, growling, so I hold her back by her hips.
“Who’s asking?”
“Chandler Moon’s wife.”
Well. Okay.
Chapter Twenty
Chandler
You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.
I’m five seconds from calling my mom to go over there and kick Lana off my porch, but then I remember she’s here in Houston with me. That would be a problem.
I hear Amelia laugh through the phone. “Y’all are divorced. Have been for a while.”
“I’m still part of him.”
“Actually, you’re not.”
“What happened?” I glance over at Nico as he sits on my hotel bed.
I move my phone to put it on speakerphone just as Lana says, “How so?”
“That paper you signed legally separated you two,” Amelia says, cool as a cucumber.
I hear Lana make her really annoyed growl that means she isn’t getting what she wants. “Whatever. That plumber guy told me Chandler’s wife was inside.”
Wife? Nico mouths, and I shrug.
“That’s me,” Amelia says.
Nico and I look at each other, him in shock and me totally okay with her statement. I’d marry her now. This second. Because I love her. God, I love her. I think I always knew I had strong feelings for her, but the day we danced outside my truck and then had sex inside was the day I fell for her completely. I just haven’t found the time to tell her, and since I’m on this massively long road trip, I refuse to tell her over the phone. I was going to tell her at Thanksgiving, but then she told me about that fucking asshat Drew, and I knew I couldn’t say the words. They’d be tainted by the memory of that fucker.
“He married you?”
“Yup.”
I can hear the rage in Lana’s voice. “He never spoke of you.”
“Well, since he doesn’t talk to you, I don’t know how he could have.”
Nico beams. “I love her,” he whispers, and I nod.
“I talk to him daily,” Lana insists.
“No, you don’t. He changed his number.”
“Well, he gave the new one to me!” she yells, and Sadie barks. “You know he’s selfish, right? Won’t do anything for you.”
“I know no such thing. Chandler is very selfless and kind.”
“You’re lying. You’re just trying to save face in front of these people.”
“I’m not,” Amelia says, her voice smooth but stern. “You know, my dad always said, ‘The person who yells and gets upset is the person who’s more than likely wrong.’”
“I’m not wrong. Chandler was awful to me. Didn’t do anything for me, and he’ll do the same to you. He doesn’t love you.”
Now would be the perfect time to say I do, but I refrain. Again, I refuse to have an ex taint what Amelia and I have. “I don’t agree with you.”
“Well, I’m pregnant.”
I actually laugh. So does Nico. Amelia scoffs, and poor Sadie is still growling. “Not with Chandler’s child. I know for a fact he’s only had sex without a condom with me.”
Nico’s eyes widen, and I shrug. “I was cautious,” I whisper, and he chuckles.
“Loser.”
“Fuck off,” I throw back at him.
Another very frustrated noise leaves my ex-wife’s mouth. “How would you know that? We never used condoms.”
“Yes, you did. He told me, and I believe him. Also, when you feel a man come as hard as Chandler did the first time we were together, you’d know he’s never done it without a condom.”
Man, my girl is ruthless.
“But that’s neither here nor there. What did you need?”
“I wanted to see who was stealing my husband. Just some stupid whore he’ll blow through quick enough.”
I hate Lana. I do.
Amelia slowly takes in a deep breath and blows it out just as gradually. “So, nothing important? For someone who left him, you sure are obsessed with him.”
“I’m not obsessed. I just didn’t believe he’d actually moved on when my girl Gwen told me about you. So I had to see it for myself and warn you.”
I glare at the bathroom door where Kurri is taking a shower. Asshole.
Nico shakes his head. “I never did like Gwen.”
“Me either.”
With her voice strong and steady, Amelia says, “Well, no thanks. Don’t need your warnings. Chandler is wonderful. So toodle-oo.”
When I hear the door shut, I take the phone off speaker and stand as I put it to my ear. “Toodle-oo?”
Amelia laughs. “Pissed me off when Shelli said it. Figured it’d work on her.”
“I’m really sorry. She’s a fucking crazy person,” I say just as Nico starts singing the Psycho tune. “You know she was lying, right?”
“Can I call you back?”
“What? Why? Amelia—”
“I need to do something. I’ll call you back.”
When the line goes dead, I look to Nico. “She hung up on me. You think she believes Lana?”
&n
bsp; “Surely not,” Nico says as the bathroom door opens and Kurri comes out.
He looks at me and then Nico as we glare back at him. “What?”
“Gwen told Lana about Amelia.”
He makes a face, his nose wrinkling. “Why’d she do that?”
“I don’t know!” I yell, holding out my hands. “Lana just went to my house and told Amelia a whole bunch of lies, and now Amelia hung up on me.”
Kurri lets out a whistle. “Well, that sucks.”
“It does!” I fall back onto my bed, covering my face. “Ugh. I hate people.”
Nico pats my chest. “I hear you. Let’s go eat. Food makes everyone happy.”
“No, I’m gonna stay here and order room service. I gotta clear my head before the game.”
“You sure? It’s not a big deal. Amelia is a smart girl. She’ll know Lana is an idiot.”
But will she? My biggest fear with Amelia is that Drew was mentally abusive to her. That kind of shit is hard to recover from, and it’s a huge blow to your confidence. I know. I watched my aunt go through it with her ex-husband. Amelia reminds me so much of my aunt with how she apologizes and gets worried about whether I’m mad. I don’t want that for her; I want her to know that I am with her one hundred percent and that I love her.
But fucking Lana may have ruined that.
I hate her.
I shake my head, covering my face with my hands. “No. I’m good. Go ahead.”
Nico groans. “Want me to stay?”
“No. I’m okay.”
“Fine,” he says, and when the door shuts behind them, I let out a heavy sigh. I’m half tempted to call my mom, but what would she do? There is really nothing I can do but wait for Amelia to call. I can only pray she didn’t believe Lana. But if that were the case, why didn’t she want to speak to me? I consider calling her back, but I don’t want to crowd her. She will call me back.
Fuck, I hope she calls me back.
I order a big bowl of pasta and chicken, forcing it down my throat because I need fuel. I don’t want to eat; I want to talk to Amelia, but that’s out of my control. I take a huge forkful of pasta, shoving it into my mouth and chewing as I watch my phone. I feel pathetic, silly even, but I’m worried. I think about calling Lana and telling her she’s an asshole, but that won’t do anything. It won’t fix this. It would only fuel her fire to ruin what Amelia and I have. Amelia already told her off, so there is really nothing more for me to do.
Except wait.
I’m stuffed once I finish my pasta and then my two pieces of garlic bread. I usually pass out after my lunch on game days, but I find myself staring at my phone. For the first time in my hockey career, I might be worthless tonight. That can’t happen, so I force myself to close my eyes. I know I need the sleep. I can’t fail my team due to one little miscommunication. Amelia and I are meant to be together. It’s fine. She’s just busy, figuring out whatever she—
When my phone rings, I sit up and almost drop it as I try to answer it.
I put it to my ear, but before I can say anything, Amelia asks, “Why am I staring at your ear?”
I pull my phone away from my head to see her staring back at me with tears streaming down her face. My heart stops in my chest as I stare at her. “Why are you crying? I’m telling you, she’s a fucking liar, Amelia—”
Before I can finish, though, she moves the phone to show me a sign.
GymMasters.
My jaw actually drops as she starts to speak. “I quit the coffee shop and came here to see if they would hire me.” She pauses as a sob escapes her beautiful lips. “They did. I start tonight.”
“Oh, Amelia,” I say, emotion clogging my throat. “I am so incredibly proud of you.”
“I am too,” she says, wiping the side of her face. “I was standing there as Lana was spewing all that hate, and I knew they were lies. I knew everything she said was wrong because I know you. I trust you. I believe in you. After I shut the door, I didn’t understand why I could believe in you but not in myself.”
“I don’t know why either.”
“Right? So I knew what I had to do. I wasn’t happy at the coffee shop. I hated it. My biggest goal after leaving Drew was to be happy. Now I’m happy.”
The most gorgeous grin covers her sweet face, and my heart takes flight. “Fucking hell, you’re amazing, Amelia.”
Tears still stream down her face, but she is grinning from ear to ear. “Thank you.”
“For what? You did this.”
“For believing in me when I didn’t.”
The words are right there. I want to scream them at her, but I want to do it when I am able to wrap my arms around her and kiss the stuffing out of her. “Anytime.”
She beams at me before doing a little dance. “I gotta go. I need to run Sadie home and pay the plumbers and then get ready for my first night. I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to be napping.”
“You’re right, but I was waiting for you.”
“You’re too good to me, Chandler Eugene Moon.”
I grin. “Because you’re perfect, Amelia Grace Justice.”
Her lashes touch her cheeks as she laughs. “Call me after the game?”
“We are getting on a plane right after the game, so I may have to text since it’ll be so late.”
“Okay. Where are you going?”
I pause. “You don’t know my schedule?”
She gives me an exasperated look. “Chandler, come on! All I know is I’m going to your game this weekend.”
I smile, though I don’t know if I should tell her where we are going next. “Columbus.”
Shit. I just lied. But I did it for a good reason. If she knew I was going to Nashville and that I would be having drinks and dinner with Ryan, she’d beg me not to tell him about us. The thing is, I need to tell him.
“Okay, well, text me,” she says then blows me a kiss. Like the dorky, pathetic guy I am, I act like I catch her kiss, and she loves that. “I miss you.”
“I miss you. Have a great first night, and text me everything.”
“I will.”
“Okay, bye.”
“Bye.”
Once I hang up, I feel awful for lying. I should have been honest, but I didn’t want her to tell me no. I want to tell my best friend that I am completely head over heels in love with his baby sister.
I just hope he doesn’t kick my ass.
Chapter Twenty-One
Chandler
When I first met Ryan Justice, I was eighteen and he was nineteen. Fresh-faced, young, stupid, girl-crazy dudes who were motivated to make it to the NHL. I remember when I walked into the room we would share in the Bullies House, our hockey fraternity, and he turned around to greet me. He didn’t size me up like the other guys did. He greeted me with a huge smile and a backslapping hug. I had never met the guy before in my life. We had played each other in the travel leagues, and while everyone knew of Ryan Justice, Shea Adler’s nephew who was a shoo-in for the NHL, no one really knew him.
But I was given that pleasure.
We became fast friends. It was so easy, and he was funny as hell. We had such a drive to push each other to achieve our dreams. We helped each other in school, on the ice, and we played the field of ladies like champs. He was my wingman, and I was his. I was there for him when he struggled with grief over his dad, and he was there for me when Lana left me. There hasn’t been a time where I didn’t think Ryan had my back. He is just a great guy. When Amelia came to Bellevue on a gymnastics scholarship, I remember how excited Ryan was. His baby sister would be in the same school, and he could keep an eye on her. For his dad. It was sweet, and I was excited to meet her.
I just didn’t expect to find her totally irresistible.
Ryan, of course, shut it down quickly. No one could date his sister. I understood where he was coming from, even though I didn’t have a sibling. You always hear of those protective big brothers, and Ryan fit that role perfectly—to the point it drove Amelia insane. But in
his defense, most of the guys at Bellevue weren’t the dating kind. Surely, he could see I would be great for her. He didn’t. Couldn’t. He wouldn’t even entertain the idea, and since he was my best friend, I tried to resist her.
But then she kissed me.
I was completely hers, ready to give her my life, but then she chose Drew. It saved me from a very uncomfortable conversation with her protective older brother. But at the time, I wanted to have that talk just for the chance to kiss her again. While the conversation I’m about to have is going to be difficult and a bit nerve-racking, there is no way in hell I can give up Amelia now. I can’t. I love her, and nothing will change that. I just hope I don’t lose my friendship with Ryan over her.
That would make holiday dinners a bit awkward.
As I gawk up at Ryan and his soon-to-be wife’s new house, I can’t help but think how everything has changed. But at the same time, I can’t help but be jealous of the asshole I call my best friend. He bought a damn mansion for his wife. The house is massive. Huge marble steps lead up to dark cherrywood double doors that have two huge Christmas wreaths on them. The gray and white bricks of the house complement the cherrywood in a stunning way. There is a huge window above the doors that shows off an enormous chandelier. This is my first time at their new home…and wow. I blink a few times and then shake my head. All I’ve got is a little bungalow. Amelia likes it, though. I think.
I pull out my phone and text Amelia.
Me: Hey, you like my place, right?
Amelia: Considering it’s the twin to mine, I’d say so.
Me: You don’t want bigger?
Amelia: What’s in your pants is big enough.
When she sends me the winky face emoji, my grin takes up my face.
Amelia: Gotta go. My TEAM of girls just walked in. Text you in a few.
She then sends me the kissy face emoji, and my heart aches in my chest. Funny how a simple emoji can make my heart race. She loves the gym. It’s only day two, but she is in heaven. We spent the night going over everything and how excited she was to get started. Pretty sure neither of us slept. She went over lesson plans and how she can’t wait to get on the equipment. Her excitement filled me with such overwhelming emotion that it was killing me not to scream into the phone that I loved her. I can’t wait to see her and tell her those words. I’m not even scared she might not love me back, because she will.
