EIGHTEEN

Jared

“You cooked, I’ll clean.”

I watch as Mia takes my plate and hers to the sink and proceeds to hand-wash them. I guess I could tell her she can just drop them in the dishwasher, but I’d rather just sit here and watch her move around my kitchen. No need to speed things up.

“Perv,” Jordy hisses in my ear when she walks up, dressed, thank God, and hops up on a stool beside me. I shoot her an unapologetic grin before quickly looking at Mia, but she doesn’t appear to have heard her over the running tap.

What started off as a quietly reflective morning, propelled downhill fast when I noticed Griffin jumping up on a van in Mia’s driveway. In hindsight, rushing out there might not have been the smartest thing to do, given that they guy was likely looking for me, but I hardly took time to think it through. I know how these guys work. I’m used to having my every move scrutinized, and perhaps, I should’ve cared more before. I didn’t, and they ended up with plenty to write about. The bad boy image had worked for me, both on and off the ice, but not anymore. Coming here, invading my privacy, and worse, Mia’s sanctuary? Yeah, that’s not okay.

“Why did you call John?” Jordy interrupts my thoughts, and it takes me a second to clue in to who she’s talking about. Then I follow her gaze out the window, where a black and white OPP SUV is rolling down the drive.

“Because he’s local law, and I want to know what can be done to make sure shit like that doesn’t happen again. That guy was trespassing, and there’ll be more,” I answer, getting up from my seat and walking to the door. “Besides, I think he likes you, which hopefully means he’ll take this seriously.” Without waiting for a response I open up for LeBlanc.

“Morning.”

I step aside to let him in and note his eyes immediately searching out my sister. It takes all I have not to follow my instincts and trip him as he moves right past me to where she’s perched at the kitchen island, but the shy smile on my sister’s face holds me back. I don’t want to see her hurt anymore, but I also don’t want to hold her back from maybe finding something, or someone, that makes her happy. Right now, watching the big man bend close and talk softly to my sister, making a blush stain her cheeks, it looks like there could be something there. I guess she could do worse. Even the dog seems comfortable in his presence, he just sniffs his pant leg in passing before slumping back down by the coffee table.

By the time I’ve shut the door and joined them in the kitchen, Mia has already taken on the role of hostess and is sliding a steaming coffee in front of LeBlanc. She seems relaxed in his presence, too. He’s taken up a position on the other side of Jordy, leaning his elbow on the counter and a foot on the rung of her stool. Very close. Very protective.

“You want another coffee?” Mia’s sweet voice breaks through my observations. I turn a smile on her and nod.

“So what happened?” LeBlanc asks me, his eyes all business when they meet mine.

It doesn’t take long to get him up to speed, with the help of Mia. His questions are quick and all business, except when he addresses Jordy, then his voice softens perceptibly. I wonder if I’m as obvious when I’m around Mia.

“Why the interest in you?” LeBlanc wonders out loud. “Why now, I mean?” I shrug at the question, and hesitate to answer in front of Mia, but she’s already seen that part of me so it won’t be a surprise. Still, I step a little closer behind her stool and rest my hand in the crook of her neck, stroking her throat with my thumb.

“I guess I’ve always been an interesting subject for the press.” Jordy snorts and I shoot her a glare. “Especially when real news was slow.”

“What he means to say is that his escapades rarely failed to rate interest. Not just from sports journalists, but also from mainstream paparazzi,” Jordy adds helpfully, with a smirk on her face. “Sex and violence sells. And my brother knows how to sell both.” I roll my eyes to the ceiling as the cop chuckles softly, while Mia’s body noticeably tightens. I give her neck a little squeeze.

“I’ve been off the radar since my injury and they’ve mostly left me alone, until my agent made the announcement a few weeks ago; I definitely would not be returning to hockey. Guess that sparked up interest, since his phone’s been ringing off the hook, looking for sound bites. The number of people who know I moved here is very small,” I explain.

“If that’s so, how was Quarles able to find you?” he wants to know. Good question. Both our eyes focus on Jordy.

“Don’t look at me; I’d be the last person.” She shrugs her shoulders dismissively.

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” Mia, who’s been rather quiet, says. “But is it possible one of your friends let it slip?” She addresses me when she asks, but she flicks a glance over at my sister before her eyes come back.

“Brian wouldn’t,” I point out.

“Lesley and Phil wouldn’t, they hated Nick. And Tina...” Jordy’s voice trails off before her eyes snap to me. “Tina,” she whispers. “I never would’ve thought...”

“You’re shitting me!” I drop my hand from Mia’s neck and start pacing. “I thought she was your friend? Why...” I stop talking when Jordy hops off her stool, snatches up the phone and stabs angrily at the numbers. “Jordy,” I try to get her attention, but she bats me away with her hand.

“Tina? Yeah, it’s me,” she says, the knuckles on the hand holding the phone turning white. Her voice sounds deceptively innocent. So far. “Why? Why would you do such a thing?” she demands to know before I’m sure Tina has even had a chance to speak. “Why what? Are you serious right now? You are the only person, who still has occasional contact with Nick. Are you telling me it wasn’t you who gave him my address?—Right, like I believe that.—You know what, Tina? You’re a sore loser. Like I told you many times before, Jared’s not interested. But maybe you need to hear it a little clearer: he doesn’t want you because he can barely stand to be in the same room with you. Besides, he already has a gorgeous, intelligent, successful woman, why the fuck would he even look at you?” She slams the phone down with a bang, wiping the hair out of her face with a jerky motion, her face red with her temper. In the background, Ole starts crying and this time it’s Mia who jumps up and rushes to the nursery, while Jordy is still huffing and snorting like an angry bull.

“Remind me never to piss you off,” LeBlanc remarks softly, taking his life in his hands. My sister, not one to be poked when she gets like this, swirls around and pokes her finger in his chest.

“You just did!” she yells, before turning away from him with her hands in the air. “I can’t even.”

I’ve never really known what that means; I can’t even. What? Can’t even what? Comprehend? Manage? Believe it? Whatever it is, I’m not about to ask for clarification. I value my life.

“She says it may have slipped, when she ran into him last week. Not bloody likely. She probably got her panties in a twist and called him right when she left here.”

Best thing to do is to let my sister blow off steam, in my experience, so I fold my arms over my chest and only nod occasionally while she does. LeBlanc seems highly amused by the drama. Something that I hesitate to admit, bodes well for him. It doesn’t escape me either, that when Mia walks in and hands Ole to his mom, the guy’s features soften.

“You okay?” Mia says, sidling up to me with her eyes on my face.

“Better, now that Jordy got that out of her system,” I respond dryly, making Mia giggle.

Mia

Surreal. This whole situation is so far outside my frame of reference, I’m not quite sure what to do with it.

Instead of agonizing over it, I busy myself in Jared’s kitchen, listening with half an ear, while the other three talk. I can’t help but pay attention when Jordy starts yelling into the phone, and I shoot a quick glance at Jared when she mentions Jared already has a woman. He is looking straight at me. Yikes.

I’m grateful to hear Ole cry, it gives me something to do, because I’ll start wearing down the granite if I wipe the counters any more.

“Hello, little man,” I coo, walking into the nursery and lifting him from his crib. A quick diaper change later, I bring him to his mom. The boy is hungry.

“Okay,” John Leblanc starts, his eyes still on Jordy. “Your properties start at the top of the hill, where the road splits into your respective driveways. I suggest starting with a gate. It’s not going to stop everyone, but at least the cars won’t be able to get down and it may deter the fainthearted. I can’t afford to assign someone to you, but I can include regular patrols in the schedule. I have no idea how bad this can get, you’re the better judge of that.” He nods at Jared. “But I suggest maybe hiring your own security, in the short term. Until things settle down. If you need recommendations, I have a few contacts of security firms that work around here. You’re not the only celebrity with a place here.”

My head is spinning, listening to him talk, and I can feel anxiety rising in my body. Apparently so can Jared, because I suddenly feel his arm slip around my waist, pulling my back tight against his front.

“Set me up with your best suggestion,” Jared says over my shoulder. “As soon as possible. Mia will stay here so we’re easier to cover. I’m sure it’ll blow over soon enough. Not like I’m that newsworthy anymore.”

I freeze when I hear him simply decide for me, but I’ll keep my lip zipped until John is done saying his goodbyes. My heart warms a little when I watch him bend over Jordy and rub Ole’s bald head. Jordy flushes a little when he says a few words to her, still bent close. I almost laugh when I feel the protective brother growl from behind me.

“Give me twenty to get back to the office and I’ll call you with details,” John promises Jared.

“Sounds good,” is his rather brusque response.

The moment the door closes behind him, I step out of Jared’s hold and swing around.

“I will not stay here,” I snap, my temper flaring even more when I encounter the smug grin on his face. “And I don’t find this in the least amusing. I’m not some kind of hapless creature, who’ll let herself be bullied around.” I know the instant I see Jared’s lips press in a thin line and his eyes go dark, that I’ve hit a nerve. Inadvertently I take a step back.

Jordy, who chuckles softly behind me, apparently finds all this very entertaining. I don’t, and apparently, Jared doesn’t anymore either.

“Let’s get some facts straight here, shall we?” he bites off with a heavy dose of sarcasm. “You freak out when some lowlife comes to invade your carefully guarded privacy, because he’s after some juicy intel on me. This after you jumped in, delivered, and cared for my sister’s baby, been roughed up by her asswipe ex, and been questioned by police, and you don’t think I should take some responsibility for you? You’re far from a hapless creature, and you damn well know it. Just like I’m not a bully: I’m protecting my family in a situation I created,” he says, slapping his hand on his chest for emphasis.

“Actually,” Jordy pipes up. “Tina and Nick created it.”

“Hush,” he tells her, but his eyes stay on me.

“I didn’t freak out,” I offer meekly, my temper duly deflated, and watch Jared grab his neck and tilt his head back, his eyes rolling up to the ceiling.

“Fuck me,” he groans, before turning his attention back on me.

“That’s what you got out of that? Mia—you were blowing chunks in your plants, for Christ’s sake. Tell me that’s a standard reaction you have to visitors?” I struggle to hang on to my snit, but Jordy makes it really hard when the sound of her giggles follows her as she walks out of the room.

“Euonymus. It’s a shrub, not a plant. Burning bush,” I mutter defiantly, when I’m suddenly bent back in a pair of strong arms and kissed stupid. Tilted precariously backward, all I can do is grab onto Jared’s wide shoulders for balance. As his tongue slips in my mouth and slides along mine, his hold keeping me steady, my arms snake their way around his neck, and my fingers tangle in his hair. Any thoughts I had disappear under the onslaught of his lips on mine, and I can’t help the groan that slips out when he slowly straightens me and releases my mouth. By the time I’m set back on my feet, my lips are bruised, my legs can barely hold me, and I’m sure my brain is leaking from my ears.

“Only way to shut you up,” Jared growls, giving me a little shake.

Since I appear to have misplaced the last of my facilities, and no longer have the capacity for independent thought, I guess there’s only one thing to do—give in.

“Okay.”