War (Boston Bolts Hockey #3)

38. Ava

THIRTY-EIGHT

AVA

“As always, another fantastic event.” Liv tips her glass of red wine in my direction.

Her husband hasn’t let go of her hip since they approached, though he’s now scanning the room and nodding here and there.

Beckett and Liv have a palpable kind of love. It emanates from them when they’re simply standing beside one another. God, what would that be like? To be that loved? Liv jokes that Beckett’s obsession can be suffocating, but her ability to make light of it is one of the reasons the emotion is so pure. She doesn’t fear that she’ll upset him, that he’ll tire of her, or that his attention will wander. And rightfully so. It’s clear to everyone in their orbit that his obsession will not wane.

Though it’s impossible not to wish for something similar, a love like that isn’t in the cards for me. I’ve locked myself into an arranged marriage, and though I know Tyler cares for me, I won’t fool myself into believing we’ll ever have that .

Giving Josie, Scarlett, and Brayden what Liv and Beckett’s kids have, though? A real family with two parents who love them with all their heart, biology aside? That, we can handle. And if I had to choose between the two, I wouldn’t even stop to think before choosing them over having some fairy-tale kind of love of my own .

I’ve never been a lucky person, and that isn’t going to change now. No, I am under no illusion that I’ll ever have that once-in-a-lifetime kind of connection.

“We couldn’t do it without the generous donations from the Langfields.” It’s the truth, and I swear I’m not kissing their asses. More generous people do not exist.

Smiling, Liv tilts her head. “I hear congratulations are in order, by the way.” She searches the room until she spots Tyler.

He’s propped up against the bar next to Daniel, a drink in his hand, watching me. When our eyes catch, I can’t help the blush that warms my face.

“How did that happen? I didn’t even know you two were dating.”

“That’s a good question.”

The deep voice over my shoulder startles me. Internally, I cringe. Though I can’t see the man, I know the voice well. Eyes closed, I take two steadying breaths. Shoot. This will not go well, and the last place I want to talk to my ex-boyfriend about how I married his stepbrother is in front of my boss.

Remember how I said I had no luck?

When I turn, Xander gives me a warm smile and presses a kiss to my cheek. “It’s so good to see you, sis.”

The kindness in his tone has me swallowing my tongue.

Also, sis? Ew.

Stunned, I stammer out, “X-Xander, I didn’t expect to see you tonight.” I hoped I’d never see you again .

“Wouldn’t miss this event for anything. As you know, our firm donates to many of the Langfield charities.” His voice is so loud that Beckett and Liv are almost forced to acknowledge it.

And they do because they don’t suck like he does.

“We appreciate that so much,” Liv says. “This is your brother?” She quirks her brow, studying him.

Xander attended several events with me in the six months we were together, so I’m sure she’s seen him before, though she likely doesn’t know why he looks familiar. And after he called me his sister, why would she put two and two together? Again, gross .

“Xander Warren.” He holds out his hand to Liv.

“Tyler’s brother,” I explain.

“Stepbrother.” Out of nowhere, my husband appears, clearly doing his best to temper the glower he wants to shoot at my ex. They have never liked one another, and I’m only starting to understand why.

“Which makes her my sister.”

That sets Tyler’s scowl free. Probably because he finds the idea as disgusting as I do. Fortunately, Beckett and Liv seem none the wiser to the tension.

Beckett dips his chin at Tyler. “You know, my brothers and I have a podcast.”

Eyes drifting to the ceiling, Liv sighs. “You and this podcast.”

Beckett pinches her side, making her giggle. “We talk to players, get their perspective on the game?—”

“That’s not why he’s trying to get you on,” Liv warns.

Based on the charming, calculating smile Beckett is wearing, I know I won’t like where this is going. “We also talk about love and all the matches I’m responsible for.”

While Liv snorts, Xander frowns, clearly confused.

Tyler lets out a light chuckle. “I wasn’t aware you set me up with my wife.” Stepping around Xander, he pulls me against his chest and rests his chin on my shoulder, then he presses a gentle kiss against my cheek. He’s claiming me, and while I’d normally be annoyed that he’s playing such a trivial game with his stepbrother, in this moment, I can’t find it in my heart to care. I like being claimed by Tyler. Far too much.

“If not for this very charity, I doubt the two of you would be standing here right now,” Beckett continues, both brows lifted.

Tyler squeezes me. “Why this one?”

“Because this is the charity that brought Ava to Boston,” Beckett explains.

My chest tightens. Shoot. He has no idea that my husband knows almost nothing about my family and certainly doesn’t know why I moved to Boston.

“Really?” Tyler straightens behind me, unable to hide his surprise .

Xander clears his throat. “Because of her sister. The Langfields’ charity provides all sorts of things for children’s hospitals. Ava and her sister loved the movie nights they hosted best.”

I study Xander, surprised that he remembers. “That’s true. And it was my sister who saw the job posting online. As soon as she saw the Langfield name, she said I had to apply. She said it was fate.”

“So you’ll come on the podcast?” Beckett asks, completely unaware of how still Tyler has gone behind me. I’m afraid to look at him. It’s been easy to live in our bubble, avoiding talk of my relationship with Xander as well as my past. But with my ex standing right here, acting like he did when we started dating, like the man I thought I was falling for, it’s hard to swallow.

Tyler straightens, his chin bumping the crown of my head as he nods. “Of course. Just let me know when.” He steps back, and his warmth goes with him. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to steal my wife for a moment.” Then, without waiting for a reply, he grabs my hand and pulls me away from the group.

“What are you doing?”

“Not another word.” His voice is pure gravel.

As he guides me through the ballroom and to the hallway, my stomach sinks. I know he’s pissed that Xander is here, but we can’t just leave.

I stop moving and tug against his hold. “ Tyler .”

Without looking at me, he forces me forward again. This time he doesn’t stop until we’re in an empty back hallway and the music from the room has faded completely.

“Tyler,” I say again, irritation flaring.

Shaking his head, he finally releases me, only to turn and pace back and forth in front of me, his jaw hard and his breathing erratic. Without warning, he stops and cages me in, slapping the wall on either side of me with a thwack . Eyes lit with pain, he looms over me. “I hate that he knows anything about you.”

I’m not scared, despite the way anger radiates off him and the way his whole body trembles. He’d never hurt me. With a calming breath, I press my hand to his heart. “I can’t change my past. He and I dated. I can’t erase what we had. ”

He searches my eyes, his lips pressed in a straight line, as if he’s considering his words carefully. Finally, he says, “You told him about your family.” The breath he exhales causes the hair at my temples to tickle my face. “You only told me about them a few days ago, and all you gave me was a few vague details. He knows things I don’t. About your childhood. About your hopes and dreams.”

It’s as if he’s breaking in front of me. Cracking into shards. I grip his lapels to keep him close. “We were getting to know one another. You and I never did that.”

“I want to know everything, Ava. I want to know everything about you. I want to be the one who knows the most. Your dreams. Your fears. I want it all.”

I can’t stop the smile that curves my lips. This sweet man. Even in his anger, even in his jealousy, he brightens even the darkest moments. “He has a tiny picture of my past,” I assure him. “A blip in my life. You have today.”

Tyler slides a hand up my neck and rakes his fingers through my hair before giving it a good tug. “I don’t want just your today,” he rasps. “I want your tomorrow. And the day after that. I want all of it. I’m eternally captivated by you. I’ll never get enough. It guts me that he has any of it. He knows things?—”

“He doesn’t know the sounds I make when I come.”

Tyler blinks, and his whole body goes rigid. “What?”

I rest my head against the wall with a quiet thump. “We were taking things slow. Apparently that meant only he got off.”

Face lowered, he lets out a feral growl. “Bordel de merde.”

Warmth blooms in my chest. “I love when you speak French to me.”

Pressing his forehead to mine, he blows out a breath. “French Canadian, mon cher.”

Biting my lip, I blink up at him. “You did it the other day too. In front of Hannah.”

He nods, our foreheads rubbing together.

“What did you say?” I shrug. “If you remember.”

Tyler straightens and chuckles, though the sound is almost pained. “Oh, Vicious, you still don’t get it. ”

“Get what?”

“Every moment with you is imprinted on my brain.” He presses a hand to his chest. “In my heart.”

My pulse picks up, but I keep my voice even. “Prove it.”