Boarded by Love (47 page)

“No, I didn’t see that in the paper,” I say and she smiles.

“Well, it needs to be there. Don’t pay any attention to him. He’s a big softy.”

Shea gives me a look that says otherwise, but I don’t think I should point that out.

“Okay, I gotta go do wedding crap. Can you believe they are pregnant?!”

I smile. “I’m guessing that’s huge?”

She nods. “Oh yeah, Reese never wanted kids, so yeah, big, huge deal. I’m really excited!”

“I can tell. That’s awesome, babe.”

“Yeah, okay, I’m off. I’ll come visit as I can. Everyone be nice,” she calls out to the table of Assassins, but by the way they are looking at me, I’m pretty sure they won’t be nice. Each guy is looking at me like I’m trying to steal her virtue, and all the women are looking at me like I’m a piece of cake.

It’s superweird.

Why am I sitting here again?

I bet this was Phillip’s doing, wanting to scare me. While he may be succeeding because I’m pretty sure Shea could squish me with one hand, I won’t let anyone know. Sitting up a little straighter, I take a pull of the new beer I was given before digging into the dinner that was magically placed in front of me. No one really speaks to me through dinner except for Elli; she talks to me and is really nice while her husband glares at me like I stole the last cookie.

“You play hockey, don’t you?” she asks and I nod.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“For whom?” Shea asks, looking over at me. He has his daughter, Posey, I think is her name, sitting in his lap, sleeping against his chest.

“The Bellevue Bullies.”

“Coach Moss?” he asks.

“Yup, you know him?”

“I do. I played for him when I was nine. Great guy, hard, you have a good coach,” he says, meeting my gaze. “Don’t waste the time you have with him. He is one of the greatest.”

“Couldn’t say it better myself. I went to Bellevue because of him.”

“Good, you’ll get better. Are you hoping to play for the NHL? Probably, huh? That’s basically any player’s dream,” he says, and everyone laughs around the table, nodding in agreement. The more I’m around real-life hockey players, the more I know I need to bulk up. When you see them on TV, you think it’s the pads, and while I have a great, strong body, it can be bigger, stronger. I need to get serious about it.

“I’m going into the draft this year,” I say, and he raises an eyebrow.

“What’s your name again?” he asks.

I take in a deep breath. “Jude Sinclair.”

“I think I’ve heard about you. They think you’ll go first round, top ten.”

I nod, a proud smile on my face. “Yes, sir. That’s the plan.”

“That’s awesome. I wish the best for you, but if you hurt Claire, you can kiss the draft goodbye,” he says, tipping his beer to me.

“’Cause I’ll be dead?” I ask.

He laughs as he nods. “Dead as a doornail. We’re big dudes, which, by the way, you might want to put some more muscle on those shoulders. Those boards are hard.”

“Duly noted, on both accounts. Claire is safe, I promise.”

I smile as I lean back in my seat, looking over my shoulder to find Claire laughing at something Reese has said. She leans against her, Phillip reaching across Reese to point his finger at Claire. They all look like such a happy little family. It’s an amazing thing to see, and sometimes I wish my family was like that. For that to happen though, my father would have to actually be a father, but I don’t want to think about him or that right now. Not when my girlfriend is probably the most gorgeous girl in the world.

She’s stunning in her blue gown, her hair so pretty, and I can’t help but be breathless when I look at her. Shea talks about being thrown into the boards and how I need to bulk up because they hurt; he’s completely right, but being in love with Claire is like being thrown up against them. She knocks the air out of me every time I look at her, and I can’t believe how much I love her. Never in my life did I think this could happen, but man, am I glad I was wrong.

A sigh escapes my lips; I go to turn back around but Claire’s eyes meet mine and a sweet grin comes over her face as she waves her fingers at me. A grin pulls at my lips as I cock my head toward the dance floor. A few people are dancing, and I need to be closer to her. I don’t like how far apart we are. Thankfully, she nods and gets up, saying something to Reese and Phillip. I stand as well, pushing my chair in and then meeting her halfway.

“You are unbelievable, Claire,” I say, taking her hand in mine.

A grin covers her sweet mouth as she cups our hands with her other hand. Leaning into me, she kisses my jaw before saying, “So are you.”

Kissing her temple, I take her to the dance floor and wrap my arms around her waist, holding her close, praying that I don’t ever have to let go. At least for the next couple songs, anyway. As we slowly sway to the crooning voice of Michael Buble, I cuddle my nose against her neck, taking in her soft, delicate smell. Running my lips up her neck to the spot beneath her ear, I say, “I love holding you like this.”

Pulling back, I see that she’s grinning, her eyes bright and intoxicating. Her lips press together in a pucker, and while I want nothing more than to kiss her, I can’t seem to get over the fact that her lips are a work of art. “I love your lips,” I say and she blushes.

“Good, kiss ’em.”

Cupping her jaw, I shake my head. “I rather stare at them. I should get them tattooed on me when we go to get your tattoo.”

She laughs, her eyes full of amusement. “’Cause that’s not crazy!”

I shrug. “It’s not.”

Her grin falls. “Oh, you’re serious?”

“Like a heart attack,” I say and I am. I want a piece of her on me, and I think the idea is golden. May be a tad bit crazy like she said, but that’s how I work.

“We’ll see,” she says, a grin pulling at her lips.

“I want them above my heart,” I declare, and her cheeks warm with color.

She gives me a shocked look, her breathing hitching as she whispers, “That is incredibly romantic.”

“I try, it comes in spurts,” I say offhandedly and she laughs.

“You’re actually super-romantic. It’s nice. I’ve never felt this special in my life.”

Locking my gaze with hers, I say, “Didn’t I promise to always make you feel special?”

“You did,” she says breathlessly, her eyes swimming with love.

“And I’ll never break a promise, Claire.”

Running her fingers through the hair on my jaw, she fixes her gaze on my lips and then she closes the distance, locking her mouth against mine. Slowly I kiss her, thoroughly, and with all the love and passion in my heart. I honestly dream of kissing this girl. Every second, I imagine her lips on mine, her body pressed to mine, and when it happens, I swear it takes me a while to recuperate from her. I love the feel of her heart against my chest, her lips so soft against mine, and the dreamy look on her face when we part for a breath.

It’s all so perfect. It feels like it’s meant to be.

Cupping her neck, I press my head to hers, sharing the same breath as we continue to move slowly to the music. Looking deep into her sparkling blue eyes, I know I don’t have to tell her I love her. She has to see it, to feel it, because I know I do. Her love for me pours out of her in waves, and I can’t believe I am on the receiving end of such a beautiful love.

Our love.

We dance for a little longer before Reese is pulling her away unexpectedly. “I’m sorry, Jude. We need her for a few pictures.”

I smile. “That’s fine. I’ll go get a drink.”

“I’ll be back,” Claire promises, and then she’s off. I watch her for a moment; she laughs and jokes with the women who stand around her before they all pose for the photographer. With a grin still on my face, I head for the bar, getting myself a beer before leaning against it. I people watch as I wait for Claire to come find me.

“Enjoying yourself, Jude?”

Glancing to my left, I find Phillip standing beside me, his own beer in his hand. He’s not looking at me, and if he hadn’t have said my name, I wouldn’t have known he was talking to me.

“I am. It’s a beautiful wedding. Congratulations.”

He nods, still not looking at me. “Thank you. I’m very blessed.”

“You are,” I agree and take a pull of my beer.

“Are you old enough to drink?”

I shake my head. “Nope, but they served it, so I took it.”

He laughs. “I should probably say something.”

I shrug my shoulders, taking another pull of my beer. The liquid has taken the edge off, and I’m not tipsy by any means, but I know this is my last one. I have to drive Claire home.

“Don’t drink and drive, especially with Claire in the car.”

“Wouldn’t think of it,” I say, hoping that he knows I am genuine.

Nothing is said for a moment and it isn’t an awkward silence like I would expect with us; it’s more of a relaxing one. Letting out a long breath, I watch as Claire talks animatedly with her aunts, and I smile when she does. She steals the show, even beside Reese, who is hands down the most gorgeous bride I’ve ever seen. Looking up, she catches me watching her, and I chuck my chin up at her. She sends me a grin before turning to look at Elli, the small smile still gracing her face.

“She really likes you.”

I look up at Phillip. This time he is looking at me, his eyes stern, and his jaw taut. “I know, and I feel the same.”

“Because she cares for you and I want her to be happy, I plan to be nicer to you.”

“Good to know,” I say, liking where this is going.

“But you don’t deserve her. Not in the least.”

Nodding my head, I look down at the ground, my heart in my throat. “I couldn’t agree more, but who does, Phillip?” I ask, turning to face him. His eyes turn to slits as he glares, and he goes to say something, but I stop him and say, “No one deserves that girl because she is the most beautiful and unbelievable person I’ve ever met. She makes me want to be a better man. She has come along and completely changed the way I think, the way I want my life to be, all with one smile and one little snarky comment. So, yeah, I don’t deserve her, but you best believe that now that I have her, I won’t ever take her for granted. I’ll love her until the day I die. I know you don’t trust me, or even like me, but it doesn’t matter. All that matters is who makes her happy, and I’m the man to do that.”

He’s still glaring, and I don’t understand that. I thought that speech was a good one. I meant every single word, it came from my heart, but obviously he must think it was all lies.

“You think you got it all figured out, don’t you? In only a month you think you are her forever?”

“I don’t think – I know. She is my forever and I’m hers.”

Shaking his head, he lets out a long breath. “I swear to God, you break her–”

“You’ll break me. Yeah, you’ve said that, your friends have said that, but am I running for the hills? Did I run when she told me about her past, about the men, about her shitty life before she got to you? No, I’m here. You don’t have to like me, Phillip, I get it, but you might want to accept I’m not going anywhere without her.”

Looking away, he takes in a deep breath and then looks back at me, letting it out. “I should kick your ass.”

I scoff. “Why?”

“’Cause you’re a smug bastard, and I don’t like the things you’ve said.”

“You don’t like that I’m basically latched on to that girl, and want to do everything in my power to make her happy?” I ask incredulously. “Shouldn’t you be thankful?

He steps closer to me, and I want to step back, but I know that would show weakness. So I stay where I am, meeting his angry gaze. “No, I can’t be because I know you tell her these things, these promises that have the chance to be empty. I know that she believes you and is probably planning her future around you, and when you decide that you don’t want this, you’re going to leave her in your dust. And who will be there to pick her up? Me. So no, I’m not thankful. I’m scared. She’s had it rough. I can’t handle you breaking her all over again, and you have the power to do that.”

Taking in a deep breath, I look away and gather my thoughts before glancing back at him. “I know there is no telling you that I’m not going to do that. You’ve already made up your mind about me, and all I can do is prove to you that I’m not going to hurt her. I love her, Phillip. I can’t stop that.”

“Whoa, this looks intense.”

Taking a step away from each other, we both look over to find Claire watching us. “Is everything okay?” she asks.

“Of course, just having a chat with Jude,” Phillip answers.

She looks at me and I smile. “Yup, talking about how gorgeous you are,” I say, bringing her in close and kissing the side of her mouth.

She giggles before looking up at me. “I don’t believe either of you one bit.”

“No worries, baby. Come on, let’s go dance,” I say, lacing my fingers with hers. Looking up at Phillip, I say, “Thanks for the talk. I got this.”

I can see his fists clenching, but I ignore them as Claire leans into me, her eyes locking with mine. I kiss her nose as Phillip’s words play over in my head.
She’s had it rough. I can’t handle you breaking her all over again, and you have the power to do that.

I get what he’s saying, but I wish he would realize that she has the power to do the same to me.

And still I love her.

More than words can define.