When the knock came at the door, Mekena eyed it suspiciously.

Mr. Right didn’t even move.

A part of her didn’t want to answer it; she wanted to ignore it. But if it was her mother, she knew she wouldn’t go away. If by chance it was Skylar, though, ignoring her may work. Before she could make that choice, the door cracked open and Libby popped her head in.

“Hey there, buttercup,” she said, sliding in and shutting the door behind her. “Still a no-go on dinner?”

Wiping away a stray tear, she nodded. “No-go.”

She hadn’t realized how much seeing her sister was going to hurt. She knew it would suck. She hadn’t laid eyes on the woman in over a year nor had she spoken to her, but seeing the smug grin, hearing her poor excuse for why she did it, her callousness to the situation sent Mekena into a tailspin of epic proportions. It was like her heart was breaking all over again.

And she still had to see him.

Man, she was screwed.

“You got your angry bun on top of your head, so I guess I should have known the answer, huh?”

Mekena scoffed, cupping her hair that was in a very messy and maybe a bit angry bun. “Guess so.” Pushing her black-rimmed glasses up her nose, she read the same sentence she had been reading in her book for the last ten minutes and begged her tears to stay back. Skylar didn’t deserve them. Nor did he. No, she had to keep those for herself.

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

She didn’t even look at her aunt. “Why in the hell would I want to do that?”

Libby laughed. “Hell, I don’t know. That’s what everyone always said to me.”

That made her glance up. Unlike Mekena, Libby wasn’t the least bit sad. She didn’t even look affected anymore about what had happened. Mekena guessed that since it had been over twenty-five years, Libby had healed. Did that mean it would take twenty-five years for her? Clearing her throat, she asked, “What did you say?”

Libby laughed. “I was an asshole and said to fuck off, that there was nothing to speak of, that I didn’t care. But I think Linda always knew I was a bit broken. I know she still blames herself, and it’s been eons.”

Looking away, Mekena swallowed hard. The story of how her father and mother got together wasn’t a secret. Aunt Libby and Stan dated all through high school and even into college. Everyone was convinced they’d get married, have little babies, but then they got into a huge fight and broke up. Two weeks later, he started dating Linda, and then a week later, they were married. It was nasty, and Mekena still remembered the way her grandma would speak of it all. How everyone hated Stan—and even Linda for a little while. Though they promised that nothing ever happened when he was with Libby, everyone was pretty sure that was a lie.

“Do you blame her?”

Libby shook her head. “No, I never did.”

“No?”

“No, I knew she wasn’t lying to me. I knew she wouldn’t do anything to hurt me. They clicked and we didn’t. I always knew they had something, I just didn’t think he would pursue her after me and that they’d get married so quickly. We were together for almost six years, so it hurt.”

“But you forgave her?”

Libby smiled. “She’s my sister, my blood. And like I said, I knew she didn’t do anything to hurt me. She followed her heart. I can’t blame her for that. I think I always knew that Stan and I wouldn’t work long term, that we were too much alike to actually make it last.” She paused, a grin sitting on her lips. “I think we got lazy, and the fear of starting over kept us from breaking up. But then we had that fight about the laundry soap, and that did it. Stupid fight, but if it hadn’t happened, I would be in a loveless marriage and I wouldn’t be an aunt to you, my sweet girl. So in reality, it worked out just right.”

Reaching out, she took Mekena’s hand and kissed the back of it. “Linda was made for all that mothering shit. Me, I’m the cool aunt who tries to stab your dad every other year. Good times, I tell ya.”

Mekena grinned. “Please don’t do that this visit. I don’t think I can handle it.”

“I know, my love. I’m sorry,” she said, her hand coming up to cup Mekena’s face.

Mekena’s book fell to her lap as she let out a breath. Libby’s eyes were knowing, almost like she wanted to say to forgive Skylar. But surely, Mekena was reading her wrong. A lump formed in her throat as she blurted out, “Please don’t tell me to forgive her.”

“Fuck no, not at all,” Libby laughed, shaking her head. “No, what she did, that was heartless and nothing but a betrayal. That girl has been jealous of you since you were born, and she’s a whore like your father.” She paused, holding her hand up. “That last bit might be frowned upon, so please don’t tell your mom I said that.”

Mekena smiled. “I won’t.”

“Good.” She shook her head and looked down at her lap. “I get so mad when I think about it. You’re such a sweet girl, such a good heart, and I don’t understand how someone could hurt you like that.”

Mekena’s eyes filled with tears. “I want to forgive her,” she whispered, her throat closing. “She’s my sister. But I can’t. I feel such anger and hatred in my heart. I hate that. I don’t want to feel like that, but I can’t let it go.”

“I know, and I’m sorry, Kennie.”

Swallowing hard, Mekena closed her eyes. “What would you have done?”

Libby hesitated. “Well, eh, we all know I have a bit of a violent streak, so maybe I’m not the person to ask.”

Mekena looked up, smiling, and Libby laughed. “Just keep doing what you’re doing. You’re living, not letting this hold you back, and that right there is enough. Time will heal all wounds, my love, don’t forget that.”

“I am letting it hold me back,” she admitted almost in a whisper. “I ran. I sometimes don’t even feel like me.”

Libby paused. “Well, I didn’t know that, and that’s not okay.”

“I know, and I don’t know how to fix it. Maybe I should forgive her. Let it go?”

Looking up hopefully, she knew immediately that her aunt Libby was the wrong person for this kind of advice. Especially when she held up her hands, an evasive look on her face. “I mean, I would beat her ass and cut her. But again, you’re asking the most unstable person alive.”

“Yeah, but you’re my unstable person,” Mekena said softly, and Libby grinned before gathering her in her arms.

“Come here, sweetheart,” she said gently before holding Mekena close and kissing her forehead.

Leaning into her aunt’s embrace, she closed her eyes as Libby said, “Kennie, you’re amazing and beautiful, smart to boot. I’m lucky to have you in my life, but you’re killing me, Smalls. I can’t have you not being happy, so we need to find a solution here.”

Scoffing, her eyes stayed shut as she snuggled deeper into her aunt’s arms. “Not sure how to do that.”

“What do you want?”

She didn’t even have to hesitate. She knew what she wanted. “I want to let go of this anger. I want to live the life I want, and I want to love it.”

“Okay, how do we do that?”

“That’s the problem. I don’t know.”

“That is a problem,” Libby agreed, kissing the top of her head once more. “Do you think it starts with forgiving her?”

“Maybe, but I can’t.”

“Then don’t. You’ll know when you can,” she said, pulling away to look at her. “It took me three weeks to talk to Linda and over two years to talk to Stan. The only reason I did was because I wanted to hold Skylar, and he was holding her.”

Mekena smiled as she nodded, pulling out of her aunt’s embrace as she sucked in a breath. Her heart was heavy, her mind muddled with the hurt and betrayal by her sister.

After a moment of silence, she looked at Libby. “What if I can’t? Forgive her, I mean.”

“Then you don’t. Not everyone gets along, Kennie.”

“But I don’t want to live like that. I’ve never held a grudge, been this mad for this long.”

Libby shrugged. “First time for everything.”

Mekena laughed. “You are honestly the worst person to talk to about this.”

Libby grinned. “I know, but you’re welcome.”

Shaking her head, Mekena leaned against the wall of her bedroom, taking in her childhood room. Nothing had changed in it. Her old posters of Justin Bieber and other singers still graced the walls, along with an awesome Bill Nye poster and one from Supernatural. Her awards from school were still up, and there were pictures with all her high school friends. High school. It seemed so far away, but then, it was only three years ago. She didn’t even feel like that girl anymore. A part of her feared she didn’t even know the girl she was now, and she blamed that squarely on Skylar.

“I don’t hate her,” she whispered then, and Libby looked over at her. “I still love her. I’ll always love her, I know this. But I just can’t.”

“And that’s okay. It’s okay to be selfish sometimes, Kennie. It’s okay to be mad, not to like what someone has done to you. You’ve always lived in her shadow, always done what she said, always looked up to her and, honey child, that’s okay. It’s time for you to find who you are.”

Swallowing hard past the lump in her throat, she nodded. “That was good advice, Lib.”

“It comes and goes,” she laughed, and Mekena’s lip quirked at the side. “But really, don’t feel like you need to forgive and forget, no matter what the parent folks say. They don’t know what you’re feeling, only you know. So you do what is good for you, okay?”

Before she could answer, she heard yelling in the kitchen. “What are they arguing about?”

“Well, that’s what I came in here for,” she said wryly, and Mekena’s heart dropped.

“Ugh, what?”

“Skylar has nowhere to go and wants to stay here since it’s her home as much as it’s yours. Her words, not mine. Stan is fine with it, but Linda is worried about you.”

Mekena didn’t understand. “She doesn’t even live here.”

“Ah, apparently, she does.”

“I thought she was moving out to Vegas?”

“Yeah, I don’t know, honey cakes. I’m just telling you what I heard.”

Mekena’s heart was pounding, and her stomach clenched as she shook her head. “I’m not staying here if she is.”

“Don’t blame you. Do you want me to go with you?”

“No, it’s fine,” she said, waving her off. “I know you want to see Mom.”

“I do,” she agreed. “But I don’t want to see your dad or Skylar. So I can leave, take Linda with me.”

Mekena smiled. “No, it’s fine. You stay. I have a place to go, and I could use some time alone. Gather my thoughts.”

“Good idea.”

“Yeah, it’s out in the wilderness. A cabin. So, yeah, that’s good for me.”

“A cabin?” she asked skeptically, and Mekena laughed.

“Yes, the groom rented like forty cabins for all the guests and got me one, but I chose to stay here. But it’s fine. I’m going,” she said, deciding then that it was the best idea for her. Standing up, she started to gather her things, but then she paused. “Mom’s gonna be pissed.”

“Oh, yeah. I’ll go warn her and maybe trip Skylar on my way,” Libby said, getting up, and Mekena laughed.

“Don’t hurt anyone,” she warned, and Libby smiled back at her, a little bit of mischief in her eyes.

“You’re a good girl, Kennie, better than me,” she called to her before reaching for the door. As it shut, though, Mekena fell back onto the bed, looking up at the ceiling. Tears gathered in her eyes, and her chest felt heavy as she sucked in breaths, letting them out slowly. She was pretty sure she was supposed to feel like a weight had been lifted off her after a long heart-to-heart with her aunt, but if anything, she felt more confused. More unsure of herself and even more confused over what to do about Skylar.

And him.

God, he had her in knots. She knew she would have to face him. Knew she would maybe even have to talk to him. Would she be as angry with him as she was with Skylar? She wasn’t sure, but one thing was for sure, she didn’t trust herself to see him. She yearned for him, wanted him, but at the same time, she was scared shitless of him and so upset that he’d broken her heart. It was all so complicated, so indecisive of her, and it was driving her mad.

She just wanted this week to be over. She wanted to go back to her life in Florida and ignore Tennessee all together. But even that was a lie and left her wondering what she even wanted.

Who she even was.

Maybe a week in a cabin, out in the wilderness of Tennessee, would do her some good. Clear her mind, find out who she was. Maybe even come back and forgive her sister. Or him. It could happen.

Or she could take Libby’s advice and cut them all.

 

 

“Honey, I’m home!”

Throwing the door of Jayden and Baylor Sinclair’s home closed behind him, Markus smirked. He was home. Well, his living situation was a little up in the air, but he was home in Tennessee, and that had him grinning like a fool. Even with it being a shit-ass morning, he was happy. He had to be. Though, the long meeting with the coaching staff of the Assassins really had him in knots. Markus realized very quickly they didn’t expect him to be there long. They offered him a hotel. Not housing, not an offer to stay with a teammate, but a hotel.

They didn’t want him. Elli wasn’t kidding, and because of that, he was fighting an uphill battle.

But what they didn’t know was he was ready to win.

When he didn’t hear anything in the large, contemporary-style home, he considered the fact that maybe he should have called. But he never called, he always just showed up.

Just then, Baylor looked around the corner, a grin on her face as she started for him. “You’re here! I thought you would go to Autumn’s first since Jace is there.”

Markus scoffed as they wrapped their arms around each other. The last time he had hugged his best friend, she was swollen and still recovering from the tough birth of her son. But now, only a couple months later, she was back to her normal shape and glowing with excitement. “And not see my best girl and my new godson? No way!”

She pulled back to look up at him, and his grin was unstoppable as she held his gaze with knowing eyes. “Or, you know there is no room at Mom’s house, so you came here?”

He nodded. “That too.”

Grinning, they embraced once more before letting go of each other just in time to see Jayden coming toward them with his new son. “Bro! Didn’t know you were coming so soon. Thought you were going to Mom’s,” he said, but then he paused. “There was no room for you there.”

Markus grinned. “This is true, but you guys act like I didn’t want to come here. I always come here.”

“But Jace is in town,” he added, coming up beside Baylor before she took their son. “He’s all changed.” Smiling brightly, she kissed the little baby’s head as Jayden looked back at Markus. “Figured you’d want to stay there with your best friend.”

“No room, for one.” He paused to take Dawson from his momma, cuddling the little baby against him. “Plus, I might need somewhere long term.”

Jayden’s brows pulled together as Baylor looked up from Dawson to him. “What? Why? Didn’t they find you housing?”

“You mean the hotel?” he asked, running his finger along Dawson’s nose. Cute little thing, but to him, he was just a baby. All babies looked the same. “Yeah, not gonna happen.”

“Hotel?” Baylor asked. “That doesn’t sound good.”

“Exactly,” he said simply, sitting down, and they followed suit. The living room was full of new pictures from their wedding that Jayden had thrown a couple months ago, along with pictures of their new family. Great pictures, lots of beautiful black-and-white shots of baby Dawson. So beautiful that he had to look away because he knew who’d taken them. He knew her work, her style. He had been stalking the studio she worked for over the last year.

They were Mekena’s.

“Great shots,” he said, nodding to the wall.

Baylor smiled as Jayden nodded. “Yeah, it’s the same girl who did Ashlyn’s pictures. Jace and Avery said I had no choice but to go with her. I flew her up here, she took them, and then I flew her back. She’s from here, actually.”

“He knows,” Baylor said slyly before giving Markus an uneasy smile.

Looking at his wife, confused, Jayden asked, “Huh?” And then it was like a lightbulb went off. “Ah, yeah, my bad.”

“Anyway,” Baylor demanded. “What in the world is going on? With the Assassins, I mean. They need you.”

Thankful for the subject change, though he’d much rather talk about baby poop, Markus shrugged. “At least someone thinks that because they already have one of my feet out the door. I just have to prove them wrong.”

“Yeah, they aren’t happy with your performance down in Florida. I had to fight for you, bro, so don’t fuck me over,” Jayden said sternly, and Markus nodded.

He already knew that.

“You know, I don’t understand. You don’t suck,” Baylor said, leaning into Jayden. “I don’t get it. You’re a great, smart player.”

“I’ve been struggling,” he admitted as Dawson yawned, his little face wrinkling up in a sweet way. Little babies were like old men in his opinion. Looking up, he met his friends’ gazes. “I’ve been sucking because I hate it there. I want to be where you guys are.”

Jayden rolled his eyes. “So you let that affect your game? Why did I go to bat for you?”

“Wow, thanks, dude,” Markus threw back, but even Baylor shook her head.

“He’s right, Markus. You’ve given up because you don’t have what you want? That’s what children do. You are an adult, wanting your place. Act like it.”

Letting his shoulders fall, he looked back down to Dawson. “I hear you guys. I fully own up to my sucking, but that’s going to change.”

But when he looked up again, Jayden didn’t seem to agree. “So because you’re getting your way, you’re going to fight for it? What will happen if you get traded? Or don’t get called up? You gonna give up? That’s insane, and I didn’t take you for that kind of person. That kind of player. I wouldn’t have fought for you if I had known.”

Taken aback by that, Markus’s face scrunched up. “Whoa, what the hell? Is it Attack Markus Day?”

“Dude, you just sat here and told me you have been sucking because you don’t like it there. Do you know how pathetic that sounds?”

“Yes, I do! But that doesn’t mean to throw it in my face.”

“Someone needs to. Someone needs to wake your ass up. Since we’re the closest thing you’ve got to family, to brothers, I’m gonna do it. Because you have to work for what you want. It can’t just be handed to you,” Jayden said, shaking his head, and Markus agreed completely. He had worked for everything he had, and Jayden knew that. They might not be as close as he and Baylor, but Jayden knew Markus’s story, knew how hard he worked and how much he wanted this. He was the brother Markus didn’t have but always wanted. Jayden was the one he looked up to. He was strong, smart, and he didn’t play around. This was classic Jayden.

“You know what, I don’t believe your excuse,” Baylor said then, shaking her head and bringing his attention to her. “My dad coached you too, just like us, and he didn’t coach some entitled asshole. He wouldn’t have fought for someone like that. He wouldn’t have written those recommendation letters if he had known this was who you were. This isn’t you. I know you. So what the hell is going on? Because I know you’re lying.”

Diverting his eyes to Dawson, Markus swallowed hard before running his tongue along his teeth. “I have no clue what you’re talking about. I hated it in Florida, and my performance reflected that.”

“Or,” Baylor said, her voice full of knowledge. “You’re still torn up about Mekena, and it’s fucking with your head. Either way, you’re better than this. I know you are.”

“What? Really?” Jayden gasped, but Markus ignored him.

“No!” He laughed, shaking Dawson awake. “Ha. Please! I haven’t seen or heard from her in over a year. I don’t even think about her.”

Lie.

“Yeah, okay,” she laughed, and he really didn’t like Baylor Sinclair any longer. “You loved her, Markus. I know that, everyone knew that. And I get it, it hurts, but are you going to throw your career away because of it?”

“Baylor,” he said sternly. “I’m not throwing my career away. I got a little distracted, maybe derailed a bit, but I can get back to where I was. That’s not the problem. The problem is no one believes in me.”

Silence filled the room, the only sounds those of Dawson breathing softly. Markus felt like a failure, and he was. It was that simple. His parents didn’t care about him or his career. The girl he loved, he lost. He wasn’t with the people who cheered him on, and everyone was moving on but him. He was stuck.

They were both right. He was acting like an entitled little child, and that wasn’t who he was. He worked for everything he had, with no support or love from his parents—or anyone, for that matter. He graduated with decent grades and a degree in sports medicine because he wanted it. He didn’t have to do it, but he did because he wanted something to fall back on. He was a smart guy, so what in the world was he doing?

He knew the answer. It was there, flashing in his face.

He had gotten lazy.

It was time to go back to what he knew, and that was how to work for what he wanted. Before he could express that to the people he was closest to, he looked up to see Jayden watching him.

“That’s not a problem at all,” he said simply. “We believe in you. We love you and know you are one of the best players and people we know. If that weren’t the case, would we let you be the godfather of our child? The answer is no. I don’t know when you lost the confidence in yourself, but I need you to find it, bro. I need you to be the man, the person, I know and love. I can’t play with the person who is sitting across from me holding my son, a boy who one day will look up to you.”

Wow. Jayden wasn’t holding back.

“He’s right,” Baylor agreed, her eyes full of love, but also hardness. She was one of the toughest chicks he knew. “You know he is right.”

Swallowing hard, Markus looked back down to Dawson. The little guy was just looking back up at him, a tiny gleam in his sweet green eyes. No clue how hard it was to be an adult or the future of shit he would have to deal with. The heartbreak, the betrayal, and the unknown of life. Unfortunately, Markus knew exactly what had made him lose his confidence.

Or better yet, who.

“Jayden is absolutely right,” he said softly, looking up to them. “And I’m going to prove them wrong. I’m going to get into the NHL because I’m going to work my ass off. Nothing will hold me back. I will be the player you know I am. Don’t worry. I got this.”

“We know you do,” Baylor said, her lips curving.

Nodding his head, Jayden smiled. “You belong with us, Markus. We all know it, we all believe that. Do you?”

“I do.”

“Then prove yourself.”

“I will,” he said confidently, and for the first time in months, he believed the words. He believed in the person who was saying them. Nothing was going to stand in his way; he was going to get his dream. He wouldn’t think of that night. He wouldn’t think about how he woke up with a girl in his bed he had never intended to sleep with. And he definitely wouldn’t think about the pure betrayal in Mekena’s eyes when she came to see him the morning after, finding her sister with him. He couldn’t. He had a goal. He had an endgame, and he was going to get there.

Doing it the only way he knew how. Work: pure and simple.

No distractions.

No worrying about the past.

Only the future.

His future.

The NHL.

“And you’re more than welcome to stay here,” Baylor said then, and he looked up, meeting her gaze. “You’re always welcome here. But how about you get on the team and get your own place?”

“That’s the plan,” he said, a sigh of relief leaving his lips.

“But we’re heading to the cabins tomorrow. I’m pretty sure there’s a free one you can have. Let me text Lucy and make sure,” Jayden said, pulling his phone out. Only a second passed before he nodded. “Yeah, there is one available, and she says she can’t wait to see your punk ass.”

Markus grinned. “Cool, tell her, ‘back at ya.’”

A smile settled on Jayden’s lips as he typed away, leaving the room. Baylor watched as her husband left and then looked back to Markus. “Don’t take his candor to heart, you know how hard he is on everyone.”

Markus waved her off, careful not to drop Dawson. “He’s right, and we all know how serious he is about hockey and his word. I can’t let him down.”

“You’re right, but I also know that you’re better than this.”

“I know.”

“Then what’s going on?”

He shrugged, unsure what to say. The only person who knew the whole story about that night was Jace. Markus hadn’t gone into detail with Baylor. He only told her that he had cheated. While he knew her heart wasn’t as broken as Mekena’s, Baylor was sickened about it. Markus wasn’t a cheater; he was the commitment type. And for a long time, Baylor wouldn’t talk to him. She was so upset and disappointed in him. He couldn’t blame her, yet he couldn’t tell her the truth. He wasn’t even sure what he could say. That he had sex with someone he didn’t want to have sex with, and he didn’t even know how he did it? How he didn’t remember anything about the night? It was embarrassing, and he felt like a total piece of shit. He couldn’t tell her that. No, he’d stick by his story.

“I can’t let go of what I did to her. I feel like shit.”

“Then tell her that.”

“She deleted her Facebook, changed her phone number, and when I called the studio she’s working at in Florida, her aunt told me to fuck off.”

“She’ll be here all week.”

“And she’ll stay far away from me or behind Avery.”

Baylor nodded. “Maybe you can pull her aside?”

Baylor was a no-holds-barred kind of gal. She got what she wanted, when she wanted it, and did it fully with all her heart. She loved like that too. She was fiercely protective of Markus, as he was of her, but he couldn’t take the pity that was in her eyes. He knew she just wanted to fix the situation, to make things better for him, but as his mama always said, “You made your bed, now you have to lie in it.” He never should have been close enough to Mekena’s sister to allow it to happen. He should have run the other way. He knew her reputation, and he knew that she was jealous of Mekena because of how smart and classically beautiful she was.

He didn’t try hard enough, and because of that, he lost a girl he really cared for. If he saw her this weekend, he’d try. He’d talk to her, apologize for breaking her heart. He’d ask for her forgiveness, though, he doubted she’d ever give it to him. He didn’t deserve it. He didn’t deserve her. But maybe, just maybe, he’d get what he asked for. And if he did, maybe it would help.

Maybe he could finally move on.

Swallowing hard, he shrugged. “If I even get a chance, I will. Maybe I’ll use my main man Dawson as a distraction.” He smiled down at his godson, and the baby just gazed up at him as Baylor laughed.

“He is a damn good distraction,” she said proudly, and he grinned.

“Yeah, he is,” he agreed, planting a soft kiss to his head before looking back to his momma. Even with the fact that her child almost killed her during his birth, she was still smiling. Still glowing. She had so much to worry about. There was no reason to add his stresses and issues to that. “Don’t worry about me, Bay. I got this.”

She scoffed. “I have no doubts. I only hope you get what you want.”

“I will,” he answered.

He just hoped he was right.