Page 69 of Stick Handled

I lean against the wall, panting, blood dripping from my nose and split lip. My whole body aches, but I don’t move.

I stay there, breathing hard, my nose bleeding, trying to make sense of the shit storm that just hit me.

Ares walks in a moment later, calm as ever, holding a wet towel and a bag of ice. “I fucking told you this would blow up in your face,” he says without a word, his eyes drilling into me.

I sit on the bench along the wall, my head in my hands, blood dripping from the corner of my mouth. My teammates linger at a distance behind the open door, pretending not to look, but I feel their eyes.

“You good?” he asks in that calm deep voice of his.

“Fucking peachy,” I mutter, wiping the blood away. “Where the fuck did you go?” I ask, my voice hoarse.

“To get ice,” he says, tossing the bag at me. I catch it mid-air and stare at it for a second. Of course, he knew I’d need it.

I can’t help it. I start laughing, the sound strained and bitter. The whole situation is so fucked up, and of course, Ares knew this was coming.

“How the hell did he find out?” I grunt and press the ice to my face.

“Someone saw you.” Ares pulls out his phone and holds it up, showing me the headline.“Damien Colton Getting Cozy with Rowan DiMarco’s Little Sister.”

“Shit.” I feel the ground slip beneath me. The words blur. And then I see it. A photo of Avery and me on the ice, my hands on her waist, and my face an inch away from hers. The second I see the picture, I immediately know who’s behind it. Flashbacks of blonde hair hurrying out of the rink doors flash through my mind.

Well, fuck me sideways.I’m surprised Rowan didn’t lunge at me as soon as he walked through the door. Despite seeing this, he still gave me a head start and a chance to explain myself.

Jesus.

I never thought I’d be in a position where I had to face this shit, not like this.

I close my eyes, the weight of it all crashing down.

Ares hands me the wet towel, and I take it from him before wiping my bloody lip. All I can think about is Avery. How the hell am I supposed to make this right?

He sits beside me, tossing his phone onto the bench. The headline glares up at me again.

“How did this get out?” I ask, my voice rough, though I already know. Jealousy and bitterness are how this got out.

“Does it matter now?” Ares shrugs.

“I need to fix this,” I say with a wince. I don’t feel any major arcades on my face, so that’s good at least. He took it easy on me. If Rowan wanted to, he would have left me with broken bones, but he was holding back. Even after all of this, he was still trying to protect me from himself.

“What you need to do is stay away from Rowan,” Ares says, his tone steel. “He’s not listening right now. If you show up, you’ll make it worse. Stay out of his way until I tell you otherwise.”

The logic lands, but it doesn’t make this any easier. I lean against the wall, my pulse still hammering.

“I’m in love with her, Ares,” I admit quietly. He doesn’t answer right away; he just takes a deep breath.

“Go home,” Ares says after a moment. “Let me deal with Rowan.”

“Do you think he’ll ever forgive me?” I ask, staring at the bloody towel in my hands.

“Love doesn’t ask,” he says instead of answering my question. “Rowan is neither stupid nor unjust. But he is stubborn. If you really do love her, it’ll take him some time, but he’ll see it eventually.”

I nod, swallowing the knot in my throat.

“I’ll make him see it,” I say finally. “I’ll make him understand.”

Chapter twenty-three

~AVERY~

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