Juicy Rebound (IceCats Book 1)

by Toni Aleo

  My stomach clenches. “Which is why you freaked out when you hit me.”

  She nods. “I know, Chandler. I know you’d never lay a hand on me. But I was so scared you might.”

  “Never, Amelia. Never.”

  She squeezes her eyes shut, and I almost don’t think she heard my promise. I want to say it again, but she continues. “I called Shelli. I couldn’t call my mom or my uncle because we weren’t speaking. And I knew if they knew what was happening, they’d kill him. Since I didn’t want anyone going to jail for me, I called Shelli, and she came right away. She brought a journal my mom had kept of her and my dad’s life together. I hadn’t seen it before, and apparently, Shelli had told my mom she needed something to convince me that I didn’t have what my mom and dad had. I’ll never forget the way Shelli looked at me. She had such fear and anger in her eyes, but she was so loving. When we finished the book, I knew I wanted more. I wanted to love my life again, and I wanted to be with someone who would treat me like a princess. So, I left. It took almost four years, but I left him.”

  I slip my hand into hers, lacing our fingers together. Pride shakes me to my core as I watch her. Her beautiful face is so tear-stained that it’s killing me, but I am so very proud of her. She is a warrior.

  She looks down at my hands and whispers, “I know you probably think I’m pathetic and disgusting—”

  “I think you are the strongest woman I have ever met,” I say, cutting off her words. Her gaze snaps to mine, her eyes wide and drowning in tears. “It’s not easy to leave a situation like that, especially when you convince yourself it’s your fault. But you did, Amelia. You wanted more, you wanted to be happy, and you’ve done that.”

  “But I was weak.”

  “Was,” I stress. “You’re not weak now. You’re strong, you’re beautiful, and hell, Amelia, you blow me away. Why do you think I fell for you so easily? In the last four months, I’ve watched you find your happiness. I watched you grow from someone who was going through the motions to a woman who is living her life. Yes, it sucks what he did to you—and I’m extremely pissed off that you didn’t let me beat his ass—but baby, you aren’t that girl anymore.”

  Her lips quiver as she looks up at me. “Shelli said the same thing.”

  “Because it’s true, and like Shelli, I would go to jail for you in a heartbeat. You’re special, Amelia. You’re everything. You’re perfect for me.”

  A tear rolls down her face as her gaze stays locked with mine. “I am so embarrassed I allowed someone to do that to me. I thought that you wouldn’t want to be with me after knowing all of it, that you would think I was pathetic and not the woman you deserve, because, really, I’m not.”

  “You are, Amelia. And all this just makes me want to be with you more.” I step closer. “Just makes me want to prove to you that you don’t need a man to treat you like a princess, but instead, like the queen you are. I am going to do that, baby, because I love you. So much.”

  “You still do?”

  “I always will,” I promise, taking her face in my hands. I run my thumb along her jaw and then her lip. “You’re it.”

  A tremulous smile covers her lips. “Why couldn’t you have told me that when we first met?”

  I grin at her, pressing my nose into hers. “Because I was terrified of you.”

  She grins as she kisses my top lip.

  “And the truth is, I still am.”

  Her brows come together. “You are?”

  “Yeah, you’ve changed my life, and I know there is no going back.”

  Her eyes soften as she wraps her arms around my neck, pressing her lips to my chin. “I love you, Chandler.”

  I go to tell her the same, but then Shelli’s voice carries over the water to us. “I’m out, bitches! I’m hungry. Let’s get food!”

  Amelia’s eyes don’t leave mine. “I’m still scared too, but I’m okay with that kind of fear.”

  My lips quirk. “You are?”

  “Yeah, I know you’ve got me.”

  I do. I really do.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Amelia

  “Mom… Mom… Yes, Mom. Yes, I understand that I made a bad choice. Yes, I did learn from it too. When I hit someone, don’t wait for the cops. Run.”

  I snicker against Shelli’s arm as she talks to Aunt Elli. We’re on the bed in my room, and Chandler and Nico are in the kitchen, cleaning up the Chinese we stopped to get on the way home. I didn’t feel like going out, and thankfully, everyone else kind of went with it. This night was supposed to be so much more. We were going to enjoy a nice dinner after the guys’ stellar win, but then Shelli decided to hit my ex-husband and cause a scene. I still don’t know what the hell got into her, but I’m not surprised. She has always hated him and threatened many times to do just what she did.

  Kick him in the dick and try to break his nose.

  We actually took self-defense lessons from my uncle before a One Direction concert. He taught us those moves, and Shelli used them today. But instead of using them on an attacker, she used them on Drew. Her parents aren’t happy. If I’m honest, neither am I. It did more harm than good. I know Drew; he won’t let this go. It didn’t even please me to see his face full of blood. I don’t care about him. I just want him to go away.

  “I hate him. He deserved it. Oh my God. I have money. I can pay my legal fees. Can I talk to Dad? I’m tired of being yelled at.” She rolls her eyes as a long sigh leaves her lips. “You have seriously been yelling at me for twenty minutes, Mom. Yes, I shouldn’t have hit that scumbag, and yes, I am sorry for embarrassing you. No, I didn’t know Bleacher Report had a story about this already. They need to stick to what happens on the ice and not off it. This has nothing to do with y’all! Oh my God, do you want me to call and tell them you guys never laid a hand on me and didn’t cause me to have violent tendencies?”

  What a load of shit. Pretty sure it was trending on Twitter that got the attention of the NHL. I have to admit, #SlapshotShelli sure is catchy. I pull up Bleacher Report, and there it is—a photo of Shelli kicking Drew in the balls. I shake my head. Honestly, all I want to do is forget this ever happened.

  “Oh, thank God. I know, Dad. But seriously, I had no choice. Well, no, he did not hit me first, but I didn’t like his face or his words. Well, I disagree. Violence was the answer today. I really don’t know why y’all are surprised. I got kicked out for fighting girls who wore cages on their helmets. I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed.”

  I chuckle as I lean into her, closing my eyes. She’s been on the phone with her parents for a while, and I don’t think she’s getting anywhere with them. As much as I want to sleep with Chandler tonight, I think I want it to be just Shelli and me. She did go to jail for me; I feel I may owe her some candy and cheesy movies.

  When Shelli slaps her forehead, I glance up at her. “So I feel, in my soul, we’re just going round and round on this. I did what I did. I’m truly sorry for embarrassing y’all. Which, if stupid social media wasn’t involved, no one even would know about. But it’s over. I did it. We all gotta accept it. Yes, we do. It’s over, for the love of Pete. I do love you both, but I gotta go.”

  When she hangs up the phone, she closes her eyes and lets her head fall back. “Why do they insist on informing me that I did something wrong?”

  I shrug. “Some would say you did.”

  “Eh, I don’t agree.”

  She meets my gaze, and I shake my head. “You didn’t have to hit him.”

  “Yeah, I did.”

  She sounds so sure that I think I’m missing something. “Why?”

  “Because when I was nine years old, you got into a fistfight with Janice Kela when she called me fat.”

  My heart swells. “You weren’t fat.”

  “And you didn’t deserve to be hit by some jackass you never should have married or even walked across the street for.” She leans in and kisses my forehead. “Plus, you’re my best friend. I would basically give you my right toe.�
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  I give her a small smile. “But I wanted the left.”

  “Sorry, I need that one.” I rest my head on her shoulder as she leans her head on top of my mine. “Man, what a shitshow of a night.”

  “Exactly.”

  “That’s why I got so quiet at the game. I saw him on the ice, and I freaked. I should have just made you leave.”

  “Wasn’t like I was listening,” I remind her, and she nods.

  “Right? Jeez, so caught up in watching your dude.”

  I smile as I shrug. I was.

  “So, I assume you told Chandler?”

  I nod. “Yeah. Kind of had to when you called Drew a ‘wife-beating bastard’ or whatever you said.”

  “Eh, I don’t remember what I said, but it was something along those lines,” she laughs as she shakes her head. “What did Chandler say?”

  “Not much, but he didn’t think I was weak or anything like I was worried he would.”

  “Because everything you convinced yourself he would do was stupid. Chandler is way different.”

  “So different.”

  “And good.”

  “Agreed.”

  She looks over at me. “Seriously, Amelia. He’s wonderful. When we were getting the food, he leaned over to me and thanked me for having your back. He thanked me for getting you out of that situation and for being so supportive. No one has ever thanked me like that. It wasn’t an act. He was genuinely thankful. While I know that Mom or Dad or Aunt Grace would be happy, they wouldn’t pull me aside to tell me so. He’s nice.”

  I swallow past the lump in my throat.

  “He reminds me of Uncle James. That kind of goodness, ya know?”

  I press my lips together as I nod. “Yeah.”

  I already thought of Chandler like that, but the fear of the unknown freaks me out. I don’t want to be hurt again.

  “You always said you wanted someone like your dad.”

  A silence falls over us as I get lost in my thoughts. I am still trying to process the fact that my cousin went to jail for me, and now I need to handle the truth that Chandler does remind me of my dad. My dad was always very kind and supportive. He loved hard and made sure I knew it. I don’t think I can even recall a day when he didn’t tell me he loved me. He worshiped my mom and shaped Ryan into the man he is now. He set some really high standards for me when it comes to men.

  “I don’t want to get so caught up in Chandler, though.”

  She gives me a weird look. “Why not?”

  “I don’t want to make the same mistakes.”

  “You won’t, because he isn’t Drew.”

  She says it so matter-of-factly, and I know it’s true, but it’s hard to grasp. I thought things were so great at first with Drew too, and then it went to shit. These last few months have been a fairy tale in a sense, and it terrifies me that a happily-ever-after might not be in my cards.

  But what if it is?

  “I always dreamed of hitting that bastard, but I never thought I’d do it.”

  I shake my head. “I wish you hadn’t.”

  “Why?”

  “Because it makes it all messy again. We got rid of him, and now we have to deal with him in court.”

  She waves me off. “Eh, it won’t make it to court. We’ll settle, or he’ll drop it. I think he was just embarrassed a girl kicked his ass.”

  “You’re ruthless.”

  “He’s a jackass,” she says simply, and then she sits up. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going home with Nico for mind-numbing sex.”

  I widen my eyes. “Shelli! I thought we’d cuddle.”

  She scoffs. “No, I need sex to get all this frustration out. My parents really got on my case.”

  “The headline on the article is ‘Nashville Assassins Owner’s Daughter Breaks Wild Player’s Nose.’ They have a right to be upset.”

  Shelli rolls her eyes as she gets off the bed. “I hardly broke it. Such fake news. Though, I may add #SlapshotShelli to my Instagram bio.”

  As she grabs her shoes, I ask, “Shelli, what are you doing with Nico?”

  “Having sex, I hope.”

  “He likes you.”

  “I like him, but nothing will come from it. I can promise you that.”

  “Why not?”

  “He’s not someone I’d ever marry.”

  “He’s not Aiden?”

  “That. That exactly.”

  She looks back at me while I’m rolling my eyes. “Maybe give up on that fairy tale and hit it up with Nico instead?”

  “Nope. We both know what we want. Sex—and that’s it.”

  “So did Chandler and I, and now look.”

  She shakes her head. “It was never just about sex with you two, and you know it.” She reaches for the door.

  “I thought it was, though. And now, it’s all so fast and so real, and there are so many feelings.”

  “Yup, no feelings but lust between Nico and me. So, you have fun with that,” she says as she opens the door. “Nico, want to take me back to your place?”

  “Sure the hell do,” I hear him say just as Sadie comes barreling in and jumping on my bed. She heads right for me, laying her head on my chest before the rest of her body settles into the comforter. I slide my fingers through her silky hair as I listen to Nico and Shelli leave. I’m not sure how I feel about the two of them hooking up, but really, why do I care? She’s happy, and that’s all that matters. I watch as the lights are shut off, and I hear the doors being locked. It’s all so natural. So perfect. Like Chandler has been doing this every night of my life.

  When Chandler pushes the bedroom door open, he has a smile on his face. He moves through the room, removing his clothes and then climbing into bed with me. He wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me back into him. He kisses up my shoulder before planting a wet kiss on my neck. “You okay?”

  “Yeah,” I whisper as I lean my head back into his chin. “You?”

  “I’m great,” he says into my hair. “But I’m not the one who had to stir up the past.”

  “That wasn’t fun, but lying here with you makes it better.”

  I feel his grin against my head. “Shelli is okay?”

  “Shelli is insane.”

  “Seems about right,” he laughs as he kisses my neck. “I do have some questions.”

  “Questions?”

  “When I was cleaning, I found a drawer full of checks from your ex-husband.”

  I close my eyes as I stroke Sadie’s head. “My hush money so I don’t talk about what he did.”

  “You didn’t cash them?”

  “I don’t want them. I feel that if I take the money, it’s giving life to what he did, and I don’t want that. I want it all to go away. Make like it never happened. But each time a check comes, it’s a reminder.”

  He nods. “Maybe we can cash them and donate the money to a women’s shelter?”

  Tears flood my eyes. “I’d really love that.”

  “I’ll go with you.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Anytime,” he whispers before kissing below my ear. “Who else knows? I’m sure if Ryan knew, Drew wouldn’t be alive.”

  I bite into my lip. “Only you and Shelli know. Please keep it that way. With the way Shelli acted, I can only imagine that my family would do worse. Especially Ryan.”

  “I won’t tell them.” He kisses my hair. “Why did you stay, Amelia?”

  “Pride and hope,” I say automatically. “I wanted so badly for it to work out because I thought he was the one. Even when he was punching me in the gut, I would convince myself it was my fault.”

  Chandler’s nose moves through my hair. “But weren’t you unhappy with him? Even when he wasn’t hitting you?”

  “I was.”

  Silence threatens to suffocate me as I wait for more of his questions. I figured he’d have some after enduring my emotional breakdown. When he takes in a deep breath, I tighten my grip on Sadie.

  “Promise me something.”
When I don’t answer, he continues. “If you’re ever unhappy with me, tell me so I can fix it.”

  I blink a few times as I bring in breath after breath. “What?”

  I roll onto my back to look up at him.

  His eyes are full of such compassion. “I don’t ever want you to feel like anything we disagree about or that upsets me is your fault. Talk to me. Tell me what you’re feeling, and I’ll do the same. I didn’t with my marriage, and I think that was a big problem. I just let her act like a fool, and I made excuses for her.”

  I nod. “I did the same.”

  “I don’t want to make that mistake with you. I love you too much to lose you.”

  I feel as if I’m flying in the clouds. “Yeah?”

  “Yeah,” he says, kissing my nose. “I don’t want this to end because we can’t communicate. What we have is real, Amelia, and I don’t ever want you to feel unhappy or unloved when you’re with me. Because when I’m with you, I don’t feel that way.”

  Tears well up in my eyes as I gaze up into his sweet topaz ones. No one has ever said that to me except my dad.

  When I was twelve, I thought about quitting gymnastics because I couldn’t get a flight series on beam. I fell every time. My dad asked me if I was unhappy, and I told him yes, but mostly with myself. He asked if I felt unloved when I was there, and I didn’t. My coaches were wonderful, and so were my teammates. He asked if I still loved the sport, and I did; I loved it so much. So he asked me to believe in myself and the sport. Instead of quitting, I landed my flight series. Though, I think I accomplished it because he went to practice with me for three weeks. That was over thirty hours a week on top of his forty-hour-plus workweek. He would bring work to do in the stands, and when I looked over at him, he would mouth he loved me. When I finally nailed the series, he made such a fuss, screaming and hooting and hollering for me, that I cried. He asked why I was crying, I had done it, and I told him that he’d made me feel so important and so loved that it was overwhelming.