Page 72 of Stick Move

“She’s marrying you to get the resort back. It’s been her plan all along. She pretty much confirmed it yesterday.” She steps closer and pushes against me. She offers me her best sympathetic face. “Everyone but you can see that. She’s the same horrible bully she always was. You dodged a bullet if you ask me.”

I’m about to tell her I didn’t ask for her opinion, when Gemma adds, “Again.”

I push back, needing distance between us. “You guys have no idea what you’re talking about. Do you have any idea where she is?”

“No idea at all. But she got a call when she was at our place and scooped Camryn up to take her home before we could even have dinner. How rude of her.”

She received a phone call and took off? From who? If she ran out, stealing Camryn away from her playdate, it must have been a very important call. I have no idea why my brain is going to Allan. Maybe it’s because old insecurities are seeping in. I’m good for sex and sex only—a bucking good time—a hockey player from the wrong side of the tracks who falls short of society’s physical standards.

None of that is true with Brighton. Right?

I glance around the playground. “Julie, can you watch Camryn for a couple hours?”

“I’d be happy to,” Julie assures me and puts a comforting hand on my chest. “I’d do anything for you, Noah. I can have dinner ready for you later too.”

“Thanks.” I hurry to the swings to let Camryn know she’s going to be going with Julie for a few hours. A heartbeat later, I’m running to my car and speeding through town. If I don’t get a ticket, it will be a damn miracle. I pull up to my house in record time, and disappointment tightens my gut when I don’t see Brighton’s vehicle in the driveway, but the sports car parked there instead sets alarm bells off.

I climb from my car, just as the front door opens and out walks a man I’ve never set eyes on before. He has his own key, which makes my blood boil and lets me know it’s none other than Allan, Brighton’s ex.

I pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to piece everything together. No way were Julie and Gemma right. Brighton was not in this to get her resort back, right? If she was, why would she have left the ring on my nightstand and made herself scarce. That’s contradictory to getting the resort back. And why is Allan here again, and wait, if she changed the locks, how did he get in? Did she give him a new key?

Before I can confront the man standing in my doorway, Brighton’s vehicle eases into the driveway beside me. She hurries from her car, her face pale, and the dark smudges under her eyes inform me she hadn’t slept well last night. Was she faking it when I found her with my daughter?

“Allan…Noah…” Her voice comes out broken as her gaze darts back and forth between the two of us. “I…you…” She tries again, but it seems like she’s having a hard time stringing two sentences together. Is it me or Allan she’s surprised to see? She knows I spend Sunday afternoons at the park with Camryn, which makes me believe it’s me that’s throwing her off. Great, just fucking great.

“Why did you take the ring off?” I blurt out and hold it in my hand to show her. Her gaze drops and she crosses her arms as pain registers in her eyes. Why isn’t she offering me up some innocent explanation? The fact that she’s not instantly puts me on the defense.

“Because she doesn’t need you anymore, asshole.” Allan answers for her, but it’s not him I want to hear from.

Without looking at him, I yell, “Fuck off.”

He laughs and continues anyway. “Looks like the player was getting played. You were doing this for revenge. Brighton knew that, dumbass.” His words give me pause. She did say long ago that she thought I was in this for revenge. “But what you didn’t know was that she was playing you all along.” He chuckles. “Nice touch with the French maid outfit, by the way.”

How would he know about the outfit? Did Brighton tell him? Jesus Christ, have they been laughing at me behind my back? Have we not moved past high school?

“Brighton, babe,” Allan continues as she stands there staring at me on shaky legs. “I can’t believe you were going to go so far as to marry Crater Skater,” he adds with a laugh and my entire body stiffens.

I swing my gaze his way. “What did you say?”

“Crater Skater. That’s what she calls you.” His gaze moves over my scarred face. “If the name fits.” I take a step toward him and stop when he continues with, “Hey, come on, dude, you couldn’t possibly think a girl like Brighton could love a guy like you. This was a ploy to get the resort back. The only one who didn’t know that was you.”

As Julie and Gemma’s words bounce around inside my brain, I glare at Brighton, but her focus has shifted to Allan and her face is red, scrunched up.

“Allan, stop it!” she shouts, tears pricking her eyes. “I don’t want to ever hear you say anything like that again. So help me if you do…I’ll sue you or…or…something.” He grins and she shakes her head. “I want you to apologize right now.”

When he doesn’t say a word, I ask Brighton. “How did he know about Crater Skater?”

“When we used to date, I…I…I told him,” she begins, her words broken. “Because I hated myself for years for not speaking up. But I’m speaking up now. I won’t stand here and let him talk to you like that.”

I harden myself and a tortured laugh climbs out of my throat. “I love that you found your voice when it doesn’t even matter anymore. When it means nothing to me.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You were doing this.” I show her the ring in my palm before I squeeze my hand around it. “Because you wanted to get the resort back.”

“You…you believe that?”

“I didn’t, until Allan just confirmed it. What I still can’t quite figure out is why you took the ring off when it was contradictory to your plan.”

---