This Is Crazy (This Is, #1)

by Natasha Madison

don’t want to hear this,” my father says. “Are you going to be okay?” He comes to me and puts his hand on my arms, bringing me to his chest. My face rests in the middle of his chest, the safest place I can be.

“What do you mean by getting yourself a date?” my father asks, his face going white. “Are you hiring an escort? Zara Stone,” he hisses out my name.

Zara Stone @ZaraStone When your ex-boyfriend gets engaged, you ask his idol @EvanRichards to be your date to crash his wedding. What do you say? Wanna be my date? #myexhasapencildick

“Why don’t we play this day by day?” She looks up at me, her eyes a shade of crystal green with blue inside them. I hear the racket coming from the hallway and know that my team is getting ready to leave. “I can’t kiss you right now,” I tell her, and her mouth opens a touch. “And it’s not ’cause I don’t want to. I’ve never wanted anything more in my life.” She looks down now and then up at me. “It’s because one kiss won’t be good enough. I know if I kiss you, I won’t stop kissing you.”

When he walked into the room, I knew I was fucked. And not even in a good way. His suit was on point, his hair still wet from the shower, and I know he just ran his fingers through it because you could see it. But then he smiled, and I literally forgot my own fucking name.

“I don’t know. Did you go to a hockey game tonight?” he asks, and I stop mid step. “You see, my sister hates hockey. She hates hockey like I hate going shopping.” “I don’t hate hockey,” I tell him and start walking up the steps. “I attend most of your games.” “So imagine my surprise when I turn on the game tonight and see a dipshit taking a penalty shot.” I try not to laugh at the nickname. “Then the camera zooms in on this woman who looks like my sister,” he says. “Would you leave her alone, Matthew,” Karrie says in the background. “Babe,” he hisses at her, “I’m talking to my sister.” Then he comes back to me. “I mean, she looks like my sister, but she’s wearing the ugliest green jersey I’ve ever seen in my life.”

I laugh, looking at the dog look at the camera his nose coming to the screen and sniffing it. “Go away, she’s mine.”

“This isn’t a joke, Zara,” my father says. “He said you were his. You know what that means.” “Um,” I say, and my father continues. “There are certain men out there …” he starts. “Like your father,” my mother says, “and your brother and Max and Zack.” “Parker, this is not funny,” he says, and I can see them. “These men. Once they say you’re theirs, you’re theirs.”

“Sorry, boys, but you can do whatever it is you want to me. I’m not leaving her alone.” “Is that right?” Matthew says. “That is right,” I tell them and then feel Corey stand at my back followed by half of my team mates. “I like her, and she likes me. Let’s leave it at that.” Max looks like he is going to smirk at me, but Matthew walks forward and leans in. “If you so much as hurt one hair on her head …” “Yeah, I got it,” I tell him. “You said this before. So let me say it again. I like her, she likes me, and I’m not backing down.” He looks at me, not sure if he should push it or not. “Now if you will excuse me, my girl is waiting for me.” “She is far from your girl,” he says, and I just shake my head. “That’s where we differ because the only thing she is, is mine.” I smile at both of them. “See you later, M&M.”

She is holding a kid in her hand that has to be Max’s. Seeing my girl holding a girl, I swear my heart squeezes in my chest. I almost stop skating in the middle of the ice when it hits me. I love her. I’ve fallen in love with her. She is wearing my jersey, but the little girl is wearing the New York jersey, and I skate to the side where she is at.