Electra snorts. “I call bullshit, do you, Rory? Admit it, you simply can’t live without us.”
“Mm-hmm, like one cannot live without hiccups. They come and go on their own, always uninvited and annoying as hell, but there’s no getting rid of them.”
“Yeah, yeah, we love you too, Stella,” I tell her with an eye roll and slide a mug with fresh coffee her way. She gives me a prodding look but I gently shake my head to drop it and she does.
“So, what’s with the mood over here?”
“I’m going to shove this”—Electra smacks her phone toward Stella now—“up Exton’s moronic ass. And then, depending onwhat Sava did, I might dent his golden boy aura as a side gig today as well. I’m on a roll.”
“Oh Jesus, will you stop? He didn’t do anything. It’s not Severin. That much I’m sure of. I’m fine. I’ve always been fine, and I’ll always be fine.” I smack the towel I was holding against the counter, losing my calm. “So what we had sex one time. One glorious, mind-blowing time, and he said all those things he didn’t mean. I don’t hold him to it.”
“Ookayy, back the hell up!” Electra says.
“Nope. We’re not backing anything up. It meant nothing.”
“And he said that? That it meant nothing?”
When I don’t respond, Electra pushes. “Well?”
“No. No, he didn’t. But I know he was thinking it. I know it. Everyone always leaves and he would as well, so I just made it easier for all of us.”
Electra opens and closes her mouth a few times before shouting, “For the love of…you’re a dumbass, Rory! Have you seen how that man looks at you? And he didn’t stay to prove your stupid ass wrong? I’m going to kill him.”
Stella’s eyes slowly trail from Electra to me as she just as slowly sips on her coffee.
“And they say your adoptive kids don’t look like you,” Stella huffs into her mug. “One is as trigger happy as I am, and the other one picked up the cold attitude and the stupid ability to shoulder half the world on her own. Why didn’t either of you pick up any of my better qualities, huh?”
“Which ones?” both Electra and I deadpan in unison and share a smirk. We both know our Stella is an angel in disguise but since she won’t ever admit it, we won’t either. Plus, it’s the kids’ job to tease their parents.
Don’t ever mention this to Emett.
“Smart-asses.” Stella narrows her eyes at us.
“Nana!” Emett flies out of the room in his full hockey get up. “Did you hear? I’m going to see the Outlaws today! Are you coming with us?”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Stella says with a sugary-sweet smile.
I take a deep breath. It’s fine. It’ll be totally fine. I’ll see him play and that’s it.
SEVERIN
“Where the fuck did I put it?” I dig through my bag, looking for my phone that’s been going off since I got out of the car. My bag is not the fucking Narnia! Where is it? It’s probably Coach Hill asking where the fuck I am seeing as I was supposed to be in the locker room ten minutes ago, but he should be glad I made it out of the house at all today.
I don’t give a fuck about this game. I don’t give a fuck about the team or the damn playoffs when I feel like every part of me is slowly dying without Aurora.
I haven’t slept a wink ever since coming back from Iris Lake. Every time I try, the picture of her with a bruised face, soaked in rain as they ganged up on her flashes in front of my eyes, and when I try to get to her, to help her, to save her…she disappears into a fine mist I can’t catch and all I see is emptiness.
The emptiness that is my life without her.
She ran. She ran as fast as she could without looking back. She ran like I meant nothing to her. As if I was the only one who felt this thing between us.
I know the score…She knows the fucking score.
And I knew she was poison from the moment I met her. I knew it. When will I fucking learn to stay away from poison?
I go to set my hockey bag to the floor to try and find the stupid phone, but in haste, it slips off, dropping to the floor and the contents flying in every direction.
“Fuck, damn it!” I curse, lunging for my stuff when another hand comes into my view.
