Total pages in book: 132
Estimated words: 125213 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 626(@200wpm)___ 501(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125213 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 626(@200wpm)___ 501(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
“He’s not going to fuck this up, Mia,” Isabella assured me, like that was the issue. “Giana and I are on the same page. He’s in this, too. He will behave himself.”
I nodded but felt my skin heating at the thought of what behaving himself would entail.
It wasn’t unusual for me to have butterflies any time I knew I was going to be in the same place as my best friend. I knew he’d pick me up in a big hug, knew we’d rag on each other and give one another shit. I knew it would feel easy, just like it always did — even if, under the surface of that calm water, there was a stormy past threatening to take me down with the current.
But this time was different.
This time, I didn’t have a boyfriend, nor was I freshly out of a relationship and so heartbroken that I couldn’t be interested in another man even if I tried.
And this time, Aleks would be putting on a show for every camera aimed our way.
He wouldn’t just hug me like a little sister, he’d hold me like a girlfriend. He’d lace his fingers with mine.
God… would he kiss me?
My stomach did another violent roll at the thought, enough that I squirmed in my seat and groaned a bit.
“Dude, what the actual fuck is going on,” Isabella asked on a laugh, sliding me her glass of water when she realized mine was empty. “You’re being so weird. You’re acting like…”
Her voice faded as I chugged the water, and then her mouth popped open as she blinked a few times.
“Oh shit… are you in love with him?”
“Stop,” I said, sucking my teeth and swatting her arm. I looked around the small jet to make sure no one else on our team had overheard her. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“You have a crush on him?”
“Absolutely not,” I said with more insistence. “He’s like a brother to me.”
Lie.
Big, fat lie.
Did I sell that big fat lie?
Judging by my publicist’s face, the answer was no.
“Stop bullshitting me. Was there something between you two when you were younger?”
“No,” I answered immediately. “Yes. No, not really… but kind of?”
Isabella’s eyes nearly bulged out of her head, and she looked around, too, before tugging on my sleeve so I was leaning down toward her and could hear her whispering.
“Okay, bitch. You need to tell me everything — right now.”
I sighed, pulling my hood up over my head and tugging on the strings that tightened them until I was looking at Isabella through a tiny hole of thick fabric.
“I may or may not have had a little tiny crush on him,” I admitted.
“Mia! Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because it’s not a big deal,” I said. “It’s fine. Really. We… I don’t know, I thought we had something. I thought maybe he liked me more than a friend. So, one night, when I was drunk and young and stupid, I tried to kiss him.”
“Tried?”
“He turned me down.”
“He what?!”
“Calm down,” I said on a laugh. “He was right to do it. First of all, I was hammered. Secondly, it would have messed everything up — our friendship, our family. He’s pretty much like a son to my parents.”
“Okay, that’s kinda ew, considering we’re now about to convince the world you’re engaged.”
“Mom and Dad know it’s fake,” I assured her. “Because trust me, otherwise? Dad would have a lot to say about it.”
“He doesn’t like Aleks?”
“He loves Aleks,” I refuted. “But… he’s also very protective of me.”
“Ah, and he doesn’t think Mr. Bad Boy is the right choice, huh?”
I fell quiet instead of answering because truthfully… I didn’t know. All I did know was that there was some sort of silent understanding between my father and Aleks, something they shared that only the two of them knew about when it came to me.
“I still don’t really understand how he came to live with you,” Isabella remarked.
“We were his billet family.”
“Which means…”
“It’s pretty common in hockey. Basically, when a teenager exhibits major talent, they might get the opportunity to play in a major junior league like the USHL or OHL. But there are only a select number of teams in the junior leagues, and they’re in certain cities. Aleks was in Switzerland, and he definitely could have stayed there and gone on to be very successful. But… I think he wanted out. I think his foster mom wanted him out. They both knew he needed a fresh start, and besides — Aleks didn’t want to just play hockey professionally. He wanted the NHL. And his best shot at that was in the States or Canada.”
Isabella nodded, following along. “So, how did he end up with you?”
I shrugged. “My father loves hockey, always has. And since he never went past playing in college, he wanted to find a way to be involved. After years of being a sponsor for our local USHL team, the coach asked him if he’d be interested in billeting. Coach said he had his eyes on this kid overseas whom he just knew would be a monster scorer for the team.”