Game Changer by Kelly Jamieson Page 0,86
the wedding and she wanted to get out of town.”
“He tried to talk me out of it,” I put in. I know this is bad for Jax. Steve can go jump in Lake Michigan, for all I care. “He encouraged me to stay and talk to you and maybe go for counseling. Really.”
“Counseling?” Steve’s eyebrows fly up and his face gets even redder. “What the fuck?”
“I was trying to help.”
“You call this help?” Steve shoves the phone in Jax’s face. “I can’t fucking believe this!”
“Where did you get that picture?” I ask, as if that even matters.
“Rico showed it to me. He just stumbled across it on Instagram. Somebody tagged the Aces because of the festival today.”
“I saw it yesterday,” Jax says quietly.
“Shit,” I say, dropping my head forward.
“You were just going to keep this secret?” Steve says. “Forever?”
“It’s over,” I say, but unexpectedly my throat closes up. I try to say more, but I can’t get any words out. To my horror, tears prickle the corners of my eyes.
Jax watches me with concern, and jumps in. “It’s over, Chucky. It was just a summer fling.”
If possible, Steve appears more outraged at this. “You fucked her and it was just a fling?” he yells.
“Shhhh.” I cast a nervous glance around. We sure don’t need anyone else hearing this.
“She’s better than that, goddammit!” Steve roars. “You’re nothing but a manwhore, fucking everything in sight! But Molly? Jesus!”
Jax’s expression becomes alarmed. He’s been doing so well at staying calm. He holds up his hands, palms out. “We both knew what it was going in,” he says quietly. “Calm down, Chucky.”
I shove at Steve’s shoulder. “I can have a summer fling if I want to!” I speak up, now able to talk again.
He stares at me in disbelief. “That’s what it was?”
No. That’s not what it was. My chest fills with emotion and I want to burst into tears. I’m scared and wretched and…and I’m in love with Jax and I can’t admit it. But I can’t deny it, either.
Steve gets it.
His jaw drops. A vein in his temple pulses. “You fell in love with him?”
I swallow painfully and give a tiny nod.
Steve’s lip curls as he turns back to Jax, who’s staring at me open-mouthed. “You motherfucker! You broke her heart!”
Jax shakes his head quickly, but his gaze is fastened on me, not Steve, who’s lifting his fists.
“Don’t hit him!” I cry, grabbing Steve’s arm.
“I’m gonna break his fucking nose!”
“No! No, stop. It’s not his fault, Steve. We agreed it would just be a summer thing.”
“You fell in love with me?” Jax asks quietly, putting out a hand to shove Steve away. Apparently Steve’s fists don’t concern him.
“I—I’m sorry.” A tear tracks down my cheek. “I didn’t mean to. I thought it was a fling. I thought it was a rebound fling. But I—I can’t get over you.”
“Jesus.” Now Jax is cursing.
Steve’s coming at him again.
Jax turns to him. “Fine,” he says with resignation. “Get your shots in. I deserve it.”
“No!” I step between them. “This is ridiculous!”
My heart is racing, my hands shaking. Every coherent thought has spun out of my head. All I know is I can’t let Steve hit Jax.
“Stop this,” I order Steve. “This is ridiculous. This is none of your business, Steve.”
He goes still, slowly lowering his arms. He scowls at Jax. “You need to apologize to her.”
Jax scowls back at him. “Are you fucking kidding me? You screwed around on her. You broke her heart. You two were done. It was crystal clear. I know I probably shouldn’t have fallen for the ex-girlfriend of a teammate, but I did, and I’m not sorry.”
My eyes fly open so wide I’m amazed my eyeballs aren’t bouncing on the ground. “What?”
“So go ahead and hit me,” he prods Steve.
Steve stares at him, his eyebrows pulled down low over his eyes. “You fell for her?”
Jax lifts his chin and clearly says, “Yeah.”
Steve looks at me. “Are you two still together or not? You said it was over.”
My bottom lip quivers. “I don’t know what’s going on,” I whisper. I twist my fingers together. My gaze bounces back and forth between the two men. Steve seems to be calming down. Jax is…unruffled.
“I don’t either.” Steve scowls.
“I do.” A slow smile slides over Jax’s face.
Someone appears around the corner of the tent. “What the hell are you doing back here? You guys are up. Get out here and sign some autographs.”
“Oh my God.” I press the heel of my hand to my