Page 56 of Wild Blades

One, because I’m a nosy bitch.

And two, I’m slightly jealous she’s been on the receiving end of his hands and his mouth and his tongue. I suddenly feel very hot, images I don’t want to think too much about pop into my head, sending a pulse so strong between my thighs that I have to squeeze them together to regain control. I try to convince myself that I want to know about her and why they split up. According to Wade’s social media statement, it was a mutual decision, but I have my suspicions.

“You don’t have to tell me.” I should have kept my mouth shut. The silence between us grows louder by the second.

“It’s fine.” I’m relieved when he speaks but his words drip with pain. “Amelia and I dated all through middle school, high school, and when she went off to study in Vancouver. Shepromised me we would last the eight years of study she would be away for and were strong enough to survive the distance. But itwas all lies. I flew to Vancouver to surprise her between games one weekend and caught her in bed with another man. Her study buddy turned out to be her fuck buddy.” Tearing pieces of the label off his water bottle, he fiddles with it.

I reach out to lay my hand on top of his, then think better of it, instead placing it on top of the table. “I’m so sorry, Wade.” I know how that feels when someone blows your heart into smithereens like tiny pieces of confetti.

Dropping his voice, he says, “She wanted something different. A dentist it would appear.”

I jump in because fuck Amelia for cheating on him and making him feel like he wasn’t enough. “I’d choose an elite hockey player over a dentist any day of the week.”

“Nah, she wanted someone stable who could offer her the American dream. Someone who didn’t have a crazy schedule. Someone who had a perfectly straight nose, which I don’t have.” He points to it. “Had a fight with a hockey stick when I was fifteen.”

“It gives you character.” I lightly chuckle and then he finishes up by explaining, “And of course the one thing she hated the most, which she mentioned several times is how much she wanted someone whodidn’t train on and off the ice until you’re a dead weight and unable to string a sentence together. I couldn’t give her what she wanted.”

My heart breaks for him.

“I still feel like a dick for not seeing what was in front of me all along.”

I feel the same way about Michael. I didn’t see it either. I was a fool.

“She wasn’t meant for you, Wade. You need someone who will stand by you regardless of your profession. You wantsomeone to cheer you on from the side of the rink, someone who loves what you do and loves you for you.” Isn’t that what we all want and need?

“She didn’t love me in the same way.”

“Do you still love her?”

“Do you still love Michael?” he bites back, surprising me with his question.

“No.” My response is firm.

“We split over a year ago.” Avoiding my question, he doesn’t confirm or deny if he still loves Amelia. My guess is, he does.

“Haven’t thought about Amelia for a few weeks, since we started to work together actually.” Face serious, I think that revelation comes as a surprise to him.

“I try not to think about Michael.” Which is difficult when he constantly slides into my DMs, texts me, and keeps turning up when I least expect him. If he opens a rival talent agency, he’ll be difficult to avoid because we’ll work in similar circles.

Wade peels the last of the label from his bottle, scrunches it in his hand, and drops it on the table. “Your ex is an asshole.”

I don’t disagree. “He’s with Darcy now, and I’m guessing they’ll get married soon if they are having a baby together.” Maybe not though, knowing Michael, he’ll take off at the first sight of baby puke. “Is Amelia still with the guy she cheated on you with?”

“Myles told me last night they’re getting married.”

Music drifts through the speakers as we let Wade’s news settle between us.

“I loved Amelia,” he finally says.

His use of the past tense doesn’t go unnoticed.

“But looking back, I think it was the familiarity of her that I was mainly obsessed with. She knew me, I knew her, we shared friends, and we could reminisce about our childhood. All of itwas history-based, but she had no intention of spending her future with me.”

I understand what he means. “I think I feel the same about Michael. It was more of a convenient partnership. He was a good traveling buddy and kept me company, but there was no spark.”

“There was a spark once, or never had there been?”

“Never had been.” I lick my lips, feeling guilty. I’ve never told anyone that before.

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