Page 31 of War

Maybe? I don’t know. But we’re done either way.

Can I even blame him? He’s right. I was playing house, longing to be part of Josie’s family. I’d happily do it for the rest of my life. But when the subject of having a family with Xander came up after dinner, I practically recoiled. I thought he understood why I felt that way, though. Thought I’d sufficiently explained why having kids of my own is not in the cards.

War hovers close, his scent assaulting me. It’s not bad. Not at all. And that’s a problem. Because I want to sink into him. I want to bury my face in his soft white T-shirt and inhale the smell. Hold it in my lungs. Cling to the comfort it’s created.

“I’ll, uh—” I lift the phone. “Call an Uber and be out of your way shortly. Sorry.”

Jaw locked tight, War grasps my wrist. “It’s Christmas Eve.”

I lower my head and bite down on my lip. “I know. I’m sorry. I’m sure I’m the last person you want here right now.”

He slides his thumb across the inside of my wrist. “Ava.” His voice is soft, soothing.

I don’t dare look up. Not with the way my eyes are filling with tears.

“Ava, look at me.”

I steal all the courage I have, blink back the moisture in my eyes, and force my chin up.

“You’ll stay here. You’ll wake up tomorrow and have Christmas morning with us.” He smiles. “Josie will be thrilled.”

I give him a single nod. I can’t form words right now. I’m humiliated. Angry. And maybe the tiniest bit relieved.

Maybe more than a tiny bit.

Because Xander did me a favor by leaving me here. If I don’t have to leave yet, then I don’t have to say goodbye to Josie yet.

My heart lifts at the thought of her waking up and finding me here. “Yeah?”

I hate how hope teases my tone. Our history makes trusting War to not laugh and say “no, obviously I don’t want you to stay here” nearly impossible.

“Yeah.” He releases my hand. “Let me grab you something to sleep in.” Without waiting for a response, he turns and jogs up the stairs.

The second he’s out of sight, I wrap my hand around my wrist and rub at the spot he just stroked. I’ve always been particularly careful about the clothes I wear, making sure to keep my arms covered. Bulky sweaters, long sleeves even on the hottest days of summer. No one touches the bare skin on my arms. Not even Xander.

When my phone buzzes in my hand, I almost drop it. My mind is all over the place. It takes a couple of heartbeats for the name on the screen to register, but when it does, I immediately answer.

“Hey,” Hannah says before I can greet her. “Did something happen between you and Xander?” This woman. She has no trouble getting to the point. But how the heck does she know about tonight?

“Um…yeah, pretty sure we broke up. Why?”

“Ass,” she hisses, though it’s barely audible over the voices in the background. The sounds fade quickly, like maybe she’s walking away from a group. “I just got a text from a reporter who spotted Jasper at a strip club. Seriously, is it too much to ask to go a single night without having to clean up his messes? It’s Christmas Eve, for god’s sake.”

Jasper Quinn is the first baseman for the Boston Revs and the bane of Hannah’s existence. He’s constantly being caught in compromising positions, which means she spends more time than she should spinning stories for the jerk. If he doesn’t clean up his act soon, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that Beckett Langfield has traded him. If—or maybe when?—that happens, Hannah will probably go on a shopping spree to celebrate.

“I hate that you have to deal with him when you should be relaxing and celebrating.” It’s all I can think to say. I’m at a loss for how Jasper’s escapades are connected to Xander. Seeking comfort, I head toward the fire. I settle beside the large brick hearth, soaking in the warmth. “Are you with your family?”

“Yeah, the dads are all in town for the holidays and a few of my brothers too.” It sounds like she’s covered her mouth when she adds, “But I think she’s already tired of husband number five. He didn’t make the trip.”

I bite my lip to hold in my laugh. Hannah talks about all of her mother’s ex-husbands in such a funny way. There are four of them, and she’s remained close with all of them as well as their many sons. I’m not surprised at all. Anyone who meets Hannah would want to keep her around.

She clears her throat. “The reporter sent me a picture. Xander was in it too.”

Of course. Any time he meets a guy who plays for one of the Langfield teams, he cozies up to them in hopes that they’ll hire him to do their financial planning. He’s done a decent job with the rookies who don’t have ties to the area, Jasper being one of them.

My stomach twists at the idea of my boyfriend leaving me here to go to a strip club. At the idea that he planned to drop me off at home alone on Christmas Eve to go to said strip club. “Do I want to see the picture?”

“Probably not, but if I were you, I’d make myself look at it anyway. It’ll help you remember to never get back together with the ass. Oh! Now we can go on ahave a dayvacation!”

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