Page 25 of Replay
“Sam is right,” I mumble before eating some more popcorn. My phone vibrates against my leg and I reach for it, hoping that Jax has finally given me a time to talk. I am not prepared for the name that does pop up on my phone, considering it has been blocked for the past four years. “Son of a?—-”
“Who is it?” Sam leans closer and her eyes widen. “I thought he was blocked?”
“He is or was.” My voice trails off and I vaguely remember Hawke holding my phone last night while it was unlocked after he kissed me senseless. My fingers fly over the numbers and the texts pop up.
MY LOVE: Thinking about you, Sugar. Also, don’t ever change my name in your contacts again.
“What an asshole,” I mutter under my breath and Riley laughs.
“My love, huh?”
“Ugh! I was sixteen. I called him that and babe a lot,” I groan and run my hands over my face.
“I think it's cute,” Sam giggles and throws a piece of popcorn at Riley, who catches it right in her mouth. “What is Jax saved as?”
My cheeks heat and I take the loss for what it is. “Jax.”
They both share a look and I know enough to know what they’re thinking. It's what I’m thinking too. It’s how I know exactly what I need to do now, before any more hurt happens. The girls stay for another hour before heading out and once I’vegot the space cleaned up enough to be presentable, I close myself in my bedroom and flop on my bed, opening Hawke’s text again.
“Yeah right,” I mumble to myself and instantly change his contact name to just Hawke. I should push it further and go for just his last name, but for some reason that makes my stomach twist.
ME: Don’t tell me what to do, Hawke.
I’m brave enough to send the message but not quite enough to read his response. I shut my phone down before sliding under my covers and closing my eyes. I will not cave. He isn’t the boss of me, he isn’t my boyfriend, we aren’t even friends right now. Hawke can sit with the silence for the rest of the night. With a smile on my lips, I fall peacefully into sleep.
hawke
. . .
Emmarys stares at me,eyes-wide, not blinking, until I’m standing right in front of her, one of my hands holding out her go-to morning smoothie and the other handing her the wrapped breakfast protein burrito I’ve now seen her devour every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, the days her hockey team has double practice and a strength training day.
“Morning, sweets,” I greet her and press my lips gently against her cheek. Audible gasps and a few giggles are heard around us, but I tune them out. My only concern this morning was getting to my girl and making sure her day started with her much-needed breakfast and seeing me. After her brush off over the weekend, I need her to know that I am not going away quietly. She can take some time to adjust, but we’re together, now, today in my mind.
“What are you doing?” Her words are stiff despite the confused, small smile on her lips.
I pull back, chuckling, and run my hand through the loose strands of her hair, and tuck it behind her ear. “Bringing youbreakfast. Now you have extra time before your class to study more before the test.”
Her lips part with the cutest little gasp and her cheeks turn pink. “Are you watching me?”
“Observing, maybe. Your boyfriend should know what you like to eat for breakfast and the smoothies you need for energy with the schedule you keep.” I shrug. “And honestly, sugar, memorizing a schedule is the type of thing any man should be doing for his woman if he cares about her.”
Emmarys takes a small step back and I can tell that my words affected her by the way her mouth pinches together in a firm line. “You're not my boyfriend. We are not together, Hawke.”
I shrug, letting her denial run off me. I knew that taking action and putting myself into her life when her mind was telling her she wasn’t ready was going to be a challenge. I am prepared to fight back without being hurt by her comments or when she brings up the past. I will fight for both of us until her heart and her mind align with the idea that we belong together.
“We can talk about that later, sweets. Right now, you should take your breakfast and get to the lecture hall so you can study your notes again before your test.”
A small laugh falls from her lips and my fingers itch to reach out and touch her again. I love the sound of her laugh, her voice. If I could hang around her all day and just listen to her, I would. I have years to make up for.
“You’re being a stalker.”
I just smile and she huffs in response before taking her breakfast from my hands and walking in the direction of her classes. Emmarys does her best to ignore me, eating so she doesn’t have to talk, but I’m determined not to let it get to me. Fuck, I’m finally in her space, orbiting around her. I let my arm brush against her as we walk, ignoring the way she stiffens, justhappy to be close enough that I can inhale her scent into my lungs.
“I don’t need an escort to class,” she finally says between bites and her pretty whiskey-colored eyes glint at me.
“Just humor me, Em. I want to make sure your day starts off good and that you have everything you need. I heard Mondays are rough for your whole team.”
She makes a noise that sounds somewhere between a grunt and a snort, which is adorable either way, before taking a drink of her smoothie. I’m quickly realizing I need to tone it down a bit, even while I watch her obsessively. Her eyes widen and she shakes her head. “I don’t even want to know how you have that much information on my team or where it came from.”
