Total pages in book: 45
Estimated words: 41634 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 208(@200wpm)___ 167(@250wpm)___ 139(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41634 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 208(@200wpm)___ 167(@250wpm)___ 139(@300wpm)
As soon as she leaves, I know the time has come to get my secret out in the open. I can feel the secret pulsing under my skin, a rhythmic thrumming that demands to be let out.
"So," Ryan says, leaning back and eyeing me with his sharp intuition. "What's really going on? You've been weird on the phone the last few weeks. Please don’t tell me you’re dating some middle-aged doctor and you’re quitting work to be his sugar baby."
My brother would probably take that scenario better. "I'm not dating a doctor," I say, my voice steadier than I feel. I take a breath, feeling the air catch in my throat. "But I am seeing someone."
Ryan grins, completely unaware of the cliff we’re standing on. "Spill it."
I look up, meeting his eyes, knowing he isn’t going to like what I’m about to say.
"Ryan, I need you to listen to me before you react," I say, my tone shifting into the one I use with hysterical patients in the trauma bay. "I've been seeing someone. It's serious. More serious than I expected it to be."
Ryan’s smile falters, his brow furrowing as he senses the shift in the atmosphere. "Okay? Why the dramatic buildup? You're a grown woman, Harper. You don't need my permission to date some guy unless he’s a loser."
"It's Jaxson Thorne," I say. The name hangs in the air between us, a physical barrier, cold and immovable. I don't look away. I can't. "I’m in love with Jaxson." It’s a relief to get the words out.
The transition in Ryan’s face is instantaneous. The confusion drains away, replaced by a blank, terrifying stillness that I’ve never seen directed at me. He doesn't blink. He doesn't breathe. He just stares at me as if I’ve suddenly started speaking a language he doesn't recognize.
"Repeat that," he says, his voice dropping an octave, coming out as a low, dangerous rumble. "Slowly."
"I'm in love with him, Ryan," I say, and the admission feels like the first real breath I've taken in weeks. "I didn't plan for it to happen. God knows I fought it. I had the rule. I knew who he was. But the man you see on the ice… that's not all of him. He’s different with me. And your professional rivalry has nothing to do with me."
Ryan’s hands fist on top of the table, the knuckles turning a stark, bloodless white. "He’s my enemy, Harper. My fucking enemy."
"He’s a rival player," I argue, leaning forward, desperate to make him see the man who sends me silly memes and worries about the loneliness of his own success. “Not a mortal enemy.”
He stands up abruptly, his chair screeching against the floor like a dying animal. The waitress arrives with his burger, her eyes wide as she looks between us, but Ryan doesn't even acknowledge her. He’s looking at me with a mixture of betrayal and disgust that feels like a physical blow to my solar plexus.
"I can't believe you’d do this to me," he says, his voice trembling with a rage he’s barely contained. "You know my history with him."
"I’m not doing anything to you!" I shout, standing up to meet him. "For once in my life, I chose what made me happy, and it has nothing to do with you. You and Jaxson can have your rivalry on the ice, and it has nothing to do with my relationship with either of you."
"You're betraying me," he spits, the word landing with the weight of a stone.
“Maybe it’s time for you to grow up and get over yourself.” I can’t hold back. “No matter who I date, it has nothing to do with you. I could date every single member of every NHL team, and it still would have nothing to do with you. You have your life, and I have mine.”
“I can’t believe you’re doing this to me.” He pulls several bills out of his wallet and drops them on the table. Then he turns and storms out of the restaurant, the door slamming behind him with a finality that echoes in the sudden, ringing silence of the bistro. I stand there, frozen, my hands shaking so hard I have to grip the edge of the table to keep from collapsing. The waitress is still standing there with the burger, looking at me with pity.
"Do you… do you want this to go?" she asks quietly.
“No. But thank you,” I mutter as I grab my purse and stumble toward the exit. I walk to my car, my vision blurring as the first tears finally break free. I’ve lived my whole life hiding in Ryan’s shadow, following the rules of a rivalry I didn't choose, and now that I’ve stepped outside them, my brother hates me.
I sit in the driver's seat, the engine idling, and pull out my phone. My fingers are still trembling, but I find Jaxson’s smiling face in my contacts. I don't call. I can't trust my voice not to shatter. Instead, I type out a message, the screen swimming in front of my eyes.