Page 35 of Double Play

TWENTY-EIGHT

ARDEN

I pushthrough the door of the condo, making my way toward the kitchen with Jackson hot on my heels. I don’t know what his deal is, but the make-out session followed by nothing but coldness and rejection for the rest of the day really pissed me off, and the last thing I want is to be around him right now.

“Arden, talk to me,” he pleads as I open the cupboard, take a glass, and step toward the sink. I turn on the tap, letting the cold water run before filling my cup halfway and taking a small sip. He slides in next to me and I roll my eyes, setting the drink down before angling my body toward him and crossing my arms over my chest defensively.

“About what?” I spit. “The way you were hot one minute, then acted like you didn’t want to be near me the next? Is that what you mean?” I lift a brow, giving him the green light to speak, even though I’d much rather punch his stupid, handsome face.

“I’m sorry,” he says with a resigned sigh, his posture stooping as he leans his hip against the counter. “I got paranoid. When I spoke to Tara, she said the non-disclosure agreements had been emailed to my lawyer, but when I saw all the workers moving around on the other side of the glass, I worried that maybe their presence was an oversight. I didn’t know if they had phones on them, so I backed away to avoid pictures or videos being taken of us.”

I narrow my eyes, shifting from one foot to the other as I consider his words. I went the entire day, truly thinking he didn’t want to hold my hand in public when all he had to do was explain why he was putting distance between us. It doesn’t make it any easier of a pill to swallow, considering the fact that we’re in a new and exciting stage of our relationship, and we can’t even fully enjoy it. But at least my anxiety wouldn’t have run away with the idea of him having second thoughts.

“Why didn’t you just say that?” I ask. “It would’ve been easy enough to pull me aside and let me know instead of making me think you didn’t want to hold my hand in front of our friends. Because even though they’ve already seen it and are completely supportive, that’s exactly what it felt like.”

He hangs his head, bringing his hand up to the back of his neck as he stares at the floor. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. This isn’t easy for me, either. I finally have the girl I’ve been in love with all my life, and I feel like I have to hide her. I hate it.”

I freeze, my eyes going wide as I suck in a quiet gasp. I’ve assumed for weeks that he felt the same way I do, but this is the first time he’s said it out loud.

“What?” he questions, looking around the room before bringing his focus back to me for an answer. His brows are pulled tight, genuine confusion blanketing his expression as if he has no idea that he just uttered the most monumental words a person could ever say.

“You’re in love with me?” I ask quietly, unable to stop tears from welling in my eyes. My breathing quickens and butterfly wings tickle the inside of my stomach as a soft smile blooms across his face. He steps forward, gliding his hand across the exposed skin above the waistband of my shorts.

“Of course, I am. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t.” He brings his free hand up, using the pad of his thumb to smooth away the wetness that’s running along my cheek. “It started in the hallways of that elementary school and grew into something I tried to live without, but just…couldn’t.” He releases a slow exhale. “I love you more than anything in this world, Arden Levine. And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”

“I love you too,” I reply, smiling up at him with a sniffle. He laughs, dipping down and taking my lips in the sweetest kiss. My heart beats like a drum, feeling so full that it could burst at any moment, but I don’t care. Jackson Blake—my rock and safe space—loves me, and I’m keeping him forever.

He tilts his head, and I open for him, his tongue immediately sliding against mine as I savor his familiar taste and smell. My arms instinctively wrap around his neck, and he lifts me off my feet, sitting me on the counter while he continues devouring me. He swallows every soft moan that works its way up my throat, showing me exactly how he feels without a single word at all. I can’t believe I could’ve had this with him all along. We missed out on so much, but we have the rest of our lives to make up for it—because now that we’re here, I refuse to go back to the way things were.

I pull away reluctantly, resting my forehead against his while we both catch our breath. His gaze finds mine and I’m filled with complete certainty because, as scary as it seemed before, the thought of what comes next has never been clearer. “It’s time,” I murmur. “We need to tell them. I’m sick of hiding.”

He nods, rubbing reassuring circles on the smooth skin of my thighs. “You’re right. I want to come clean about everything—Hawk included. They may not like it, but we both love you, and neither of us is willing to let you go. Whatever their reaction is, we’ll deal with it together.”

I swallow thickly, because I can’t think of anything I want less than to have that conversation with my dad and Gina. But the longer we go without telling them, the longer it’ll be before we can show the world how we feel about each other. Not to mention, it’s only a matter of time before one of us slips and gets caught. This is such a delicate matter, and the worst possible outcome would be for our parents to find out from some shady gossip magazine or website. “Okay,” I say. “I don’t think we should do it over the phone. Let’s invite them to come down here, and we’ll tell them in person. Maybe if they see that we’re serious about each other, they won’t hate the idea as much.”

Using his thumb to free my bottom lip from where it’s trapped between my teeth, he bends at the knees so he can look straight into my eyes. “It’s going to be okay,” he reassures me. “We’re adults. If they don’t like it, they’ll have to get over it. We’re not leaving you. Ever.”

“They could lock you up in a tower, and I’ll rip that fucker down brick by brick to get to you, Hellcat,” Hawk adds, catching our attention as he moves toward us, stopping when he’s close enough to reach out and touch my hand. I almost forgot he was here. He disappeared up the stairs as soon as we walked through the door. I assume it was because he wanted us to have time alone to sort shit out, but I’m not really surprised that he ended up back down here. This is how I always want it to be. The three of us, making our way through life’s ups and downs together. “We’re not going anywhere.”

“That was a little dramatic,” Jacks mumbles under his breath, making me giggle. I can always count on them to cut through a heavy moment with their banter. I’m not sure they’ll ever know how happy they make me, but I’ll certainly do everything I can to show them.

Hawk rolls his eyes. “I wouldn’t expect you to understand. You’ve been in love with the same girl since childhood, and you blurted it out like you were reading a grocery list. At least I gave her a big, romantic story when I did it.”

“Oh, yeah. That’s you,” Jackson throws back. “Mr. Fucking Romance. Your first kiss was to snap her out of a panic attack.” My eyes bounce between them as they verbally beat the shit out of each other, masking my amusement as they land one expert blow after the other, until finally, I can’t hold it in any longer. I bark out a laugh, holding my hand over my mouth as they both slide their eyes my way. Freezing, I slowly pull my lips in to suppress the outburst, but it’s too late.

“You think it’s funny when we fight over you, Princess?” Jacks asks as I nod my head rapidly with guilt written all over my face, becausefuck yes, I do. They exchange a knowing glance, and in an instant, I’m lifted from the counter and thrown over Hawk’s wide shoulder. I squeal in surprise, squirming in a half-hearted attempt to break free when an open palm collides against my ass with a loudcrack.

My jaw drops, and I suck in a harsh breath. “What was that for?” I yelp, flopping like a ragdoll against him as he climbs the staircase. Jackson, who’s hot on our heels, reaches out, taking my cheeks gently between his thumb and fingers before lifting my head. A playful smirk tugs at his mouth and his emerald eyes sparkle with mirth, eliciting a dull ache between my legs.

“Bad girls get spanked, baby,” he says. “And then, they get fucked.”

Yes. Please.

TWENTY-NINE

HAWK

“DoI really have to wear this shit?” Jackson whines, glaring at the colorful outfit that hangs from his closet door. As soon as I saw Arden walk by with the couple’s costume she picked out for tonight’s annual Daytona Fury Halloween party, I rushed up the stairs behind her so I could enjoy his real-time reaction. As expected, it didnotdisappoint.

---