“Because you’re clearly angry with me.”
He rounds the couch, sits back down, and faces me. “I’m not mad at you, Bree.”
“I knew you two were rivals, but in my defense, I honestly thought your beef with him was only on the ice.”
Wade turns his head, revealing the pulse of his jaw muscle. “Chase is the one at fault here. I told him to stay away from you.”
I pull my head back. “You what? When?”
“The last time you came to a game, right before I got drafted. He asked if you and I were an item. I told him you were my best friend and that if he ever went near you, I’d rearrange his face.”
I guess some part of me wanted to believe Chase’s pursuit of me was genuine on some level, even if only at the beginning. But now I see I was never more than a tool to him—a double whammy of a lifetime to advance his career and get a dig into Wade.
My turn to stand up. “Great. So I was just some pawn you two could flex your Neanderthal muscles over?”
He jumps to his feet, but winces as he grabs his upper thigh. “What? No! I saw how he treated women as if they were disposable. I didn’t want him near you.”
His voice grates with his agitation, or because of his pulled groin. Maybe both. But he’s right. That’s exactly how Chase treated me, but I can’t bring myself to admit that to Wade, even though it’s obvious.
I grab an ice pack from the freezer, wrap it in a towel, and hold it out to him. “I’m a grown-ass woman, Wade. I think I can handle myself.”
After accepting the cold pack, he drops onto the couch. “Like you handled Chase?”
Stunned that he actually threw it in my face, I’m left speechless aside from the squeak that comes out when I search for a comeback.
He diverts his eyes, placing the pack over his inner thigh. “Sorry. That was unnecessary.”
This is one of those moments of complete clarity, when the answer you didn’t even realize you needed materializes. If Wade felt anything other than friendship for me, I’m pretty sure that ship has sailed. And he may not want to be my friend anymore.
I should find somewhere else to live, even if it’s just temporarily. Staying here will only cause more tension between us, which neither of us wants right now. He needs to heal and refocus on getting back on the ice, and I need to focus on my new job and getting my head—and my heart—straight.
In the morning, I’ll pack my bag and call the Sandpiper Inn to see if they have any availability. Worst-case scenario, I’ll stay at a cheap hotel off the interstate and deal with the longer commute to work until I find something closer and more permanent.
“I’m going to bed. Do you need anything in the bedroom?”
He shakes his head.
“Good night, Wade.” I’m halfway through the doorway when I finally hear him speak again.
“‘Night.”
Once I finish my nightly routine and crawl into bed, I let the emotions I held back earlier spill out in a flood of tears onto my pillow—Wade’s pillow.
I thought discovering my boyfriend used and cheated on me was the worst thing that could have happened to me.
But losing Wade, my best friend, hurts even more.
Chapter Sixteen
WADE
Wade: I blew it.
Luke: Bro, it’s late. Why are you up?
Wade: Can’t sleep, obviously.
Ethan: I’m guessing this has to do with Bree.
