Page 67 of College Hockey Bully

“Don’t you dare walk away from me!” She grabs my arm and pulls me back. It’s so unexpected that I lose my balance and fall flat on my ass. She stands over me menacingly and for thefirst time, I see how deranged she is. Shaking my head, I push to stand.

“His actions are getting to you, Mom. Walk away before you lose it all. Before you lose me.”

She scoffs harshly, her eyes filling with tears. “Bullshit. You’re not going anywhere without that money.” She closes the gap, her chin tilting. “Which is why you’re going to help me fix this. You’re going to dump that bitch and get Casey back. You hear me?”

For a long, painful moment, I stare down at her. My brain struggles to connect this desperate figure to the woman who gave me so much love. “I don’t know who you are, but I want my mom back.” I ease past her.

This time, she follows me. “I’m not bluffing. Aiden. You dump that girl or you won’t see a cent from your trust fund—”

“Keep it.” Sick of that threat, I stop at the foot of the stairs. “What you saw wasn’t a stunt. I like Scarlett and I’m going to be with her. If keeping that money makes you happy, go right ahead. I’m not going to be your pawn anymore.”

A sob breaks from her lips, then another, until she’s crying uncontrollably in front of me. I try to harden my heart but fuck, I’m a sucker for my mother’s tears. She cries even harder when I pull her into my arms.

“Aiden, please. Just give him what he wants. Save our family. Did you notice how much he changed when I told him our plan?”

“Stop being naïve, Mom. He didn’t change.” I ease her back gently. “He’llneverchange. Divorce him or he’s going to destroy what goodness you have left.”

“I helped him build this empire. I’m not walking away from it,” she replies fiercely.

“You’re entitled to half—”

“I don’t want half. I want it all!” She pushes away from me. “I’m not going to let some tramp inherit what I worked so hard for.”

She’s a lost cause. I’m not going to let her drag me down with her. “You’re on your own,” I reply, moving up the stairs.

“What are you going to do after college, Aiden?” she calls after me. “Do you think your father will want you working for him when he finds out? He’s going to kick your ass to the curb for not helping his business when you had the chance.”

Halfway up the stairs, I turn to look down at her. If Mom had bothered coming to one single game, she would know that comment doesn’t affect me one bit. I’d love to burst that bubble, but it’s not yet time.

“I hope you see reason, Mom, because I hate this for you.”

Her sobbing follows me the entire way, but this time, I put a wall around my heart.

Chapter 25

Scarlett

“Seriously. Come over,” Theresa prompts, her excited eyes boring through my phone screen. “I need the details live and in living color.”

“This is live and in living color,” I point out.

She scoffs. “I don’t want to hear the details of your first time on a video chat—”

“It wasn’t my first time.”

Theresa gapes. “What? You weren’t a virgin? All this time… when did you…?” Her jaw slackens again. “You sneaky little bitch!”

I laugh out loud and fall back into bed, the phone still raised in my hand. It feels good to talk about last night to someone who’s happy for me.

“He wasn’t my first, but God, it felt like it—”

“No, come over. I don’t want to hear it over the phone.”

“You’re only saying that because you’re lonely and looking for company,” I reply. Her husband is still working the night shift.

“Fine. You got me. Now, get your ass over here.”

“Give me ten.” Enough time to change from this old housedress into something more acceptable. I don’t want tocredit my awareness of how I dress to Aiden, but I must admit, I do put my clothes on with him in mind these days.

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