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“Okay, I still have time to eat my girl out—” I’m ready to dive in, but she pulls my hair, stopping me and making me groan. “Ouch. Never do that again.” “Or what, Winnie?” Realization dawns on me at once. She called me Winnie because I named her Honey. “Did you change how you saved my number?” “Maybe, Winnie-the-Pooh,” she teases, and I’m losing my mind.
Lol cringe
Colt. Thank you so much for coming to see me, and thank you for bringing Ava with you. Watching you two together…it gives me hope that you won’t make the same mistakes as me and your dad, that you’ll never hurt the person you love.” I lean away and peer at her, my eyebrows furrowed. “The way you look at her says it all, baby. You love this girl.”
“Choose Chloe. She’s your daughter.” “Officially, she has no right to be considered my heir,” he snarls, and I clench my jaw. “Her mother signed all the papers. You know that. Everything I have is yours.” “Should’ve thought about that before you knocked up your secretary.” “My secretary that you, not so secretly, were drooling over? My secretary that you fucked too?”
Woah
“You’ll be the only girl I’ll have my eyes on, that’s for sure.” “Good. I don’t want you to look at or think about anyone else.” I burst out laughing as I press the elevator button. “You think there’s space for anyone else in my head? You corrupted every brain cell I have.”
“Can’t wait to tear this dress off you.” “The words ‘tear’ and ‘this dress’ shouldn’t be in the same sentence, Mr. Thompson. I spent way too much money on it for you to ruin it,” she says, leaning her back against my chest.
“He barely has time for his studies; he spends all of his free time on the ice. No girl will ever replace hockey in his heart.” “Depends on the girl,” I blurt out,
“Ava is my friend. We aren’t dating.” “Such a pity,” Helen purrs, still smiling like the Cheshire cat. “You always needed love and affection; it’s sad you can’t find it with girls your age. Or younger.” “He’s perfectly fine without a stranger telling him what to do or how to feel.” Helen’s smile fades as soon as Ava’s words leave her mouth.
I bite my bottom lip, at once acknowledging that my anger has dissolved into nothingness. Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to the Colton Motherfucker Thompson Effect.
“Can you grab two glasses and—” “Apple juice.” I look over my shoulder and see him with everything I just asked for. “Apple juice,” I repeat as he sets everything on the table.
He twirled me around once, then twice. The third time, he lifted me, but he was able to put me down. Unlike the fourth time. The only thing I remember is him lifting me over his head, and then it was darkness. He fucking dumped me on the ice because he was too drunk to be able to hold me.” My breath hitches as I dig my nails into my palms. “It was my fault. I let him do it knowing how drunk he was. I knew the risks, and I still went for it. He couldn’t hold me; he dropped me on the ice, and then he fucking left me. He got scared because I lost consciousness. He couldn’t wake me, so he left me
...more
“But first, I’ll make him pay for what he did. I promise. He’s going down next Saturday.” A thousand different emotions swirl around my head, but one is louder than the rest. It’s called love, and I’m a fucking loser.
She wants to spend time with me, while she doesn’t need me at all. For some, it may sound like nonsense, but Ava helped me to draw a line between being wanted and being needed. It’s a huge difference, and my heart aches in my chest any time I realize she wants me by her side.
I want Colton to be mine even if I’m scared to be heartbroken. I want to go all in and risk everything I have for him.
Knowing who he was, she still stayed.” “Because she loved him.” “Because she loved him,” Colt confirms bitterly. “And he cheated on her with Helen. As payback.”
“What the fuck is wrong with you, Thompson?” Moore’s face is pale, and he presses both of his hands to his stomach. “Does that bitch have such a magic pussy that you’ve totally lost your mind? Attacking your teammate—” “She’s my girlfriend!” Colt bellows, and everyone goes silent at once. Even Bailey lets go of him. “And you don’t get to lay your fucking hands on her or her stuff. Back fucking off, Moore, and this picture will never see the light. But keep at it, and I’ll fucking destroy you. Am I clear?”
“Make sure to celebrate your big news with your girlfriend since you finally found the balls to say it aloud,” Clay laughs, walking away. “What news?” I ask, circling my hands around my boyfriend’s shoulders.
“You deserve the world, baby. And I want to hand it to you all the damn time.” “I don’t need the world,” I tell him, standing on my tiptoes. “I need my boyfriend to kiss me and make my head spin.” “Your boyfriend, huh?” A light peck on the corner of my mouth. “The best boyfriend I’ve ever had.”
“I’ll go with you. I hope you’ll find time to chill with me too. It feels like we haven’t done anything crazy in an eternity.” “We’re dating two best friends who were known for never dating anyone. Sounds crazy enough to me.”
I stop in my tracks just as I get to the stairs. Layla’s words ring in my ears, and my heart sinks to my feet. I hurriedly take my phone out of my pocket, launch the calendar, and stare at it in disbelief and growing fear. I’m four days late. Memories about our sex in the sin-bin come to mind, and I’m not okay.
I squint at my bed to see the results. Well…fuck. I’m pregnant.
Damn
Jordan narrows her eyes, finally taking me in. “I think you should look at yourself in the mirror before you go anywhere. Colton doesn’t deserve to have his girlfriend embarrass him with how she looks.”
Wtf
“Keep your nose out of my business, Jordan. It has nothing to do with you.” “But it has something to do with your boyfriend. He was going to go pro, because he’s a very talented hockey player, but you’re going to ruin it for him.” My cheeks puff out, and I’m ready to fucking strangle her. “I thought he should know.” “You wouldn’t—” “Oh, I did. I couldn’t let this opportunity go to waste. He wasn’t happy. Dumbfounded, actually. Stunned to the core.”
Wtf is wrong with herrr
There is a pause, and then Clay clears his throat. “Didn’t he tell you? He went to San Jose to sign his contract with the Thunders. He was going to stop by your dorm before his flight.” “Oh, I didn’t know…I didn’t see him today. We probably missed each other. Well then, bye.”
What the hell
Everything becomes clear. He probably came to my dorm and met Jordan. He found out I was pregnant, but he didn’t call or text me once. He just left me on my own and went to sign the contract. One I didn’t even know about.
“I’m very sorry, Colton. I hope you can figure this out. She’s putting your whole career at risk.” I take a deep breath and drag my eyes to her face. She’s such a snake. Goddamn it, I should’ve insisted on Ava moving in with me.
I turn the volume up and try to focus on the screen, but it’s hard. All of a sudden, the door opens, and Layla bursts back into my room. “Thompson is here.”
“I thought my life was falling apart when I saw the test results. I spent almost two fucking hours crying on my bed. For two fucking hours, I was pitying my own existence. Then I thought, Colt and I are in this together. We’ll figure it out. We’ll talk, and we’ll decide what to do.”
I hoped to talk to you so we could figure out our decision together. I was so blinded by my fury, I didn’t even realize you knew until I was already in your apartment. My boyfriend knew I was pregnant, and he did nothing. He didn’t call me. He didn’t text me. I’m eighteen. I’m a freshman with no future, and you left me when I needed you.”
“Go away,” I mutter, staring him right in the eyes. “Ava, please—” “Go the fuck away.” “Babe, please, this isn’t us. Let’s talk—” “There is no fucking us, Colton. You left me when I was scared. You disappeared when I needed you. So please, do me a fucking favor and see yourself out.” “I wanted to secure my future, so I could take care of you. Of our baby. I wanted to give you the life you deserve.” “I don’t need anything from you, Colton. I’ll figure everything out on my own.”
“I don’t care what you say, Ava. You’re mine. And soon enough, you’ll be proudly flashing a ring on your finger so the whole fucking world—so every single person on this planet—will know you’re Colton Thompson’s wife.”
“There is no ‘our future’, Colton. You’re leaving as soon as the school year is over. You’re going pro, while I—” “Come with me,” I interrupt her, and her jaw drops. Her eyes go round as she gawks at me in bewilderment. “You can transfer to another college. Or just skip a year until our baby is old enough—” “What makes you think I’m going to do that?” I take a step closer, taking her chin between my fingers. “Because I know you.”
love you, Ava. I love you more than fucking hockey, and for someone like me, that sounds like the ravings of a lunatic. If anything, I’m obsessed with you, because any time I get to taste you, I crave you even more. You are the only girl I want, the only one I’ll ever need. And I’ll do anything for you to give me another chance. Please, Ava.”
“Will you come to San Jose with me? I know it’s unexpected, but I’ll fucking die without you there.” “Dad already sent me info on a few colleges in California. Seems like I can transfer there and continue studying once our baby is older.” “First, I love your dad, for real.
Our parents are a whole different story. I thought the talk with Dax would be the easiest one, and I expected my own father to flip when I told him Ava was pregnant. In reality, both men shook Ava and me to the core. They were in total support of our decision to keep the baby, offering reassurance and help. Dax suggested Ava take a year off, so she can focus on raising our child and then go back to school once the baby is older. My father went further. He bought us a house in San Jose, telling us that we were free to decorate it however we wanted.
my hubs comments,
Ew
He’s twenty-seven, just like Colton. Last season, he got into a fight with a left wing from Toronto, and now his nose is slightly crooked. His hair is short and curly on top.
“Morning, Drake. I honestly can’t wait for you to move into your house.” “Aw, Mason. You’re as nice as always.” Drake laughs, taking a sip of his coffee. “Thompson. She’s Thompson,” Colt states, correcting him, and Benson laughs harder. “Sorry, dude. She’ll always be Mason to me,”
Drake and I lock eyes, and I furrow my brow. Layla is as stubborn as a mule, preferring to struggle alone instead of agreeing to move to San Jose with her brother to be closer to us both. She has financial support, but she definitely needs someone to be there for her. Being a single mom is no fun. Since the moment she broke up with Clay right after his graduation, her life has slowly gone downhill.
“It’s not easy to find a synonym for ‘shit’.” “Drake,” Colt and I mumble at the same time, bursting out with laughter. He hides his face in his palms, while Michael looks at all of us in turn. “What is shit?” he asks once the kitchen goes quiet, and we start cackling like a horde of crazy seagulls again.
“At eleven p.m.? No, I’m still up,” she snickers. “Your father has always been a night owl, and that hasn’t changed.” I lower my gaze to my feet, shaking my head. If someone had told me my parents would get back together, I would’ve never believed them.
We never told Mom that Ava’s dad was the one who saved her, as it could’ve triggered bad memories and we were strongly advised against it. But Dad knows, and he barely held his shit together when he realized how much he owes Dax for saving his wife that night. The bond they have is overwhelming.
“What is this?” I ask, coming closer and plopping down beside her. “LEGOs.” “I know that. I mean, when did you—” “Here and there. It took me a little over a week.” Ava shrugs, and I haul her to my chest, hugging her tightly.
