Clipped by Love (Bellevue Bullies #2) (19 page)

Giving him a dull look, I ask, “What the hell would I say? Hey, Ja-Joe, why did you reject me when I thought you were gonna have sex with me?”

Making a face of pure disgust, my dad shakes his head. “Whoa. You could have left off that last part.”

I smile. “Sorry, but really, Dad, what would I say?”

“I don’t know, Bay. I just hate seeing ya hurt, ya know?”

I nod. “I just hate that I let him in so quickly. But Dad, if you would have seen him, you would have probably gotten a boner for him.”

“I highly doubt that,” he adds, but I ignore him, in my own dreamland, remembering every single detail about Jayden. The way his body moved. His quick grin and playful nature.

“He was so big and so great. He challenged me and made me work my ass off for every shot I took. I mean, it was like playing in game seven. And we were only playing some street ball. He didn’t care that I was a girl; he wanted to beat me and I don’t know why I liked that. When it was us, on the couch, it was just perfect. Ugh! I don’t like feeling like this!”

Chancing a glance at my dad since I’m sure he wants to puke, I find that he is nodding his head, obviously trying to find the words to console me. But what can he say? How can he fix this?

“I have a gun, Bay. I can find him and make him apologize.”

Dumbfounded, I can’t help but laugh before throwing my arms up. “Ladies and gentlemen, my father, River Moore.”

He grins at me, his eyes crinkling at the sides before he pulls me in close for a tight hug. Cuddling into him, I nuzzle my nose in the middle of his chest as his lips graze the top of my head. He smells like home, woodsy and musky all in one. He is a big, burly man. He’s my daddy.

Kissing me again, he whispers, “I know you’re hurting, Bay, but don’t.”

“Easier said than done, Big 50,” I say as my eyes shut slowly. Big 50 was his nickname when he played for the Bruins. His number was 50 and he’s huge, but now that’s my number. He sometimes calls me Little 50, and words can’t describe the feeling I get when that happens.

It’s almost like how I felt when Jayden kissed me.

“I know, but remember, this pain is temporary. When you’re playing for the best team in the NHL, scoring more than most men do, you won’t remember some guy from the beach who challenged you and made you feel a certain way. Will you?”

I shake my head, but it doesn’t feel right. I feel like I’m lying when I say, “No, I won’t.”

“That’s right, so erase him from your mind. We have bigger and better things in our future.”

He’s right, but the girl inside me, the one who craves love, chocolate, and sappy romance novels, misses Jayden and wants to know why. I want to beat her in the head and tell her to suck it up, but she’s a needy bitch. A part of me wants to succumb to her. I may even want to cry.

Insane, I know.

But I won’t tell my dad that. “Yeah, you’re right.

Pulling back, he takes me by my shoulders before meeting my gaze. “I’m always right.”

“Um, that’s highly debatable,” I say, and then I instantly regret that statement since I can still hear Jayden saying that to me. Holding in that emotion though, I smile back at my dad as he laughs.

“Anyway,” he says as his laugh subsides. “We need to talk about something.”

“I thought we were talking?”

He rolls his eyes before saying, “It’s more about the bigger and better things to come.”

My brow comes up. I’ve heard this before and usually it means we’re moving.

Again.

“I have an offer that is really hard to turn down. Head coach, mad money, and a winning team that I can make even better. Cliffy thinks it would be good for your game too to play with these guys,” he says, speaking of my agent.

Since I am always about making my game better to get to my ultimate goal, I nod. “Then there is really nothing to discuss,” I say with a shrug. “If it’s gonna make me better, let’s do it. But also, when I leave, you’re on your own and you have to be happy. If this job is it, then you take it.”

He slowly nods before looking away. “So you’ll come?”

“Of course,” I say automatically. “No one coaches me but my dad.”

He grins before looking back at me. “Then strap on your boots, Bay, because we are going to Nashville.”

It’s like he punches me square in the chest. “Excuse me? Nashville?”

His grin widens as he nods. “Yeah, well, not actually Nashville, but Bellevue, Tennessee. It’s right outside of Nashville.”

Holy. Fuck.

“Bellevue?” I repeat, my heart jackhammering against my chest.

“Yeah, you’ve heard of the Bellevue Bullies, right?” I nod automatically. “I thought so, and yeah, they offered me top dollar. Their coach went to coach the Wild. Which is great for us because we’ll have fun there. I’m actually really excited about it, but I was worried you wouldn’t want to leave Delanie and Mandie and the team here.”

“No, I go where you go,” I mutter, and then he is grinning, his eyes sparkling with eagerness.

And as I look up at him, I know I am doing right, not only by him but for myself. Leaving behind my friendship with the twins is the least of my worries, though. While I want to tell him, fuck no, we aren’t going, I can see he really wants to go, that he is excited. And who am I to dim that? He’s done everything for me. Made all kinds of sacrifices for me and my career. So I’ll go. And I want to say, what are the chances that I’ll run into Jayden Sinclair? But I think it’s pretty easy to say the chances are very good.

Really fucking good, since I’ll be playing right alongside him.

I
t took two months for us to get moved and settled in Bellevue, and I have to admit, I love it here.

I hated leaving Delanie and Mandie. They cried and fussed over me, and I may have even teared up a bit, but I promised to stay in contact and I have. The guys from the team, you know, I think they were glad to see me go. Maybe not my dad since he was going to mold them into these fantastic, amazing players, but they were glad to be rid of their biggest competition. They didn’t even say bye to me, which kind of hurt. I’ve worked with these guys for the last two years and I thought we were cool, but apparently only the twins care one way or another if I’m gone.

Dad told me not to let it bother me, but it still stings.

The great thing is I get a new start and a new chance to get noticed. Cliffy, my agent, is thrilled with me going to Bellevue to play. Scouts from all over come to watch the Bullies because the coach before stacked it. I’ve heard about some of the players, ignored the ones with the last name Sinclair, of course, but the others, yeah, they are lethal. A lot of them are prospected to go first round in the draft, and if I want any part of that, I’m gonna have to bust my ass. It’s sort of intimidating. I know I have my work cut out for me to shine and surpass these great players, but I’m gonna do it. And I’m gonna be the best. No matter what.

And I’m gonna completely ignore dudes with the last name Sinclair.

Yup¸ that’s my plan.

I’m still nervous, and when I told my dad that, he laughed since I don’t get nervous. He waved me off, telling me I shouldn’t be, but he doesn’t understand why and I’m not telling him. He’s Papa Bear, he doesn’t let anyone mess with his cub, and if he knows that Jayden was the guy in Florida, he’d make his life a living hell. I’m not exactly sure why I don’t want that, but I don’t. I believe in the guy, he needs his chance to make his life great because he’s worked hard for it. Who am I to ruin that because he didn’t want to sleep with me? So I’ve kept that little tidbit to myself. But it’s easy to say anytime Bellevue hockey comes up in conversation, which is about seventy percent of the time, I get butterflies.

Because I’m gonna see him. I’m going to be playing beside him. And I’m not exactly sure how that is going to go. It has me on edge for obvious reasons, and I should not want to see him. I should want to kick him in the throat, beat his ass on the ice and show him who’s the best, but I do want to see him. I just don’t want him to see me.

If that makes any kind of sense.

Since Dad didn’t want me to think too much about the impending hockey camp, we decided to do a mini-vacay before things became about nothing but hockey. I’ve always wanted to visit Nashville. But since it wasn’t really a big hockey city before, we never got the chance until now, and I love it. I love this city and I could honestly live here for the rest of my life and be happy. There is something about the people; they are so nice and welcoming. I love the land, the country, and all the quirky little shops. It’s just nice, and there is so much to explore. So for three weekends straight, since I do have school, Dad and I did all the fun tourist stuff.

We went to the Country Music Hall of Fame, and I got to see Carrie Underwood perform. Supercool, right? We went to the zoo, to some plantations, and shopping galore. We even went to the Jack Daniel’s distillery where Dad got drunk and I had to drive home. To say that was the adventure of a lifetime is an understatement. There aren’t very many moments when our lives aren’t consumed with hockey. We are two very busy people, but we needed this trip. We spent the whole trip home either yelling at each other—because apparently I can’t drive, according to his drunken ass—or having the music so loud I’m pretty sure my ears are still ringing a week later from his horrible singing. But it was great and something I’ll always remember.

Leaning back in the grass, I pull my cap down farther on my face just to be sure no one notices me as I people watch and take in my new home. The Bellevue campus is one of the nicest campuses I’ve ever been to. I don’t even have to go off campus to get what I need. Everything is here, even Dad was impressed by that. No one really drives except in the winter from my understanding, and everyone is nice for the most part, I guess. It isn’t like I’m going out and meeting people though, so really I have no clue. I’ve spoken to two people, the janitor at the ice rink and the other janitor in the weight room.

I’m such a social butterfly.

Since we moved into the house they gave my dad, I’ve kept to myself. I go to my classes and sit in the back, praying and hoping that Jayden, or even Jace, doesn’t walk in. Thankfully, they haven’t. I haven’t even seen them. Thank. God. I don’t know how I will handle that, but I better get ready. I’ll be seeing him sooner rather than later.

Camp starts Monday.

The house they gave my dad is right next door to the Bullies’ frat house, and the team will move in after camp. I thought that would exclude me, but then we found out that wasn’t the case. The board threw the mother of all fits because Dad just assumed I was going to be on the team. I mean, why wouldn’t I be? But apparently they hadn’t heard of me, so they said that I had to try out—which is really pointless since my dad is the coach, but whatever. Then they said if I’m gonna play on a team with boys, then I have to be a full member of the team.

Which means I have to live with them.

This wasn’t the case in Arkansas. I got my own locker room, shower, and housing with my dad, but apparently, there are a bunch of fucking assholes around here that want to make my life a living hell. In truth, they want to scare me off. But they won’t. I’ll be part of the team; it will be like I have a dick. And yeah, my dad is not happy about it, but no one is gonna ruin my chances of getting what I want. He threw a fit, threatened to quit, but I talked him off the ledge. I mean, really, it’s not a big deal. Dudes don’t bother me, I can handle my own, and if one of them touches me in a way I don’t like, I’ll kill him. But the main reason my heart is palpitating in my chest and I have clammy hands is because I’m going to be around Jayden almost all the damn time.