“So, you ambushed her? Do you see how that was probably not the smart thing to do?” she asked with a pained look on her face.
“Duh,” I said, not making eye-contact. “I realize that. But the way she framed it… I wanted to let her know like I don’t care! I’d shout it from the rooftops.”
“That doesn’t make any sense, TJ.”
“Well, shit, I see that now!” I yelled at her.
“Ay bud, watch it,” Griff told me sternly, clearly the protector of his wife.
“Sorry,” I muttered. That look on Ellie’s face when she turned on me was stuck in my head. She looked at me like I was a traitor, and it all but cracked my heart wide open. “I’m just pissed atmyself.”
Sav got up and gave me a hug. “I’m sure she’ll talk to you soon. She just needs some space.”
I accepted her hug. She had a motherly aura about her that anyone could detect. She was definitely the “mom” of the D crewhere.
After the banquet, I walked back to my place sullenly and completely wasted with Duke by myside.
About halfway through dinner, Ellie had apparently texted Sav that she was driving back up north, so there was nothing I could even do to fix things… the only thing I could do was dull the pain with the open bar.
“I’m fine. You don’t have to babysit me,” I told him as I unlocked my door. He seemed to be hesitating by his door to make sure I entered my ownplace.
“We’ve all been there, man,” he sighed.
My eyebrows shot up at that. “You? You’ve lost the girl of your dreams?” I kind of hoped he’d say yes because I felt completely alone in my heartache.
“Shoot, Ellie’s the girl of your dreams, huh?” he asked with a grin. “Drunk words are sober thoughts, I guess.”
I nodded and closed my eyes with my hand against my already raging headache. “I told her I loved her,” I explained slowly.
“Damn.”
“Yeah. And then she left.”
“She left because she was in shock,” he reasoned. “You really messed up, dude. But if y’all are meant to be together, I’m sure she’s hurting too and will come back to talk it through with you.”
“You’ve been through this?” I askedDuke.
“I… uh…” Duke smirked sadly. “Something like that.” And then he slipped into his apartment.
50. Ellie
I don’t even remember making it to the rink’s entrance because my head was exploding with franticthoughts.
I found myself standing by the entrance, rubbing my cold arms, trying to build the courage to walk out to my car alone.
“Girl, youalright?”
I turned to find Adrienne and Brody. Adrienne, dressed in a long, plain black, single-shoulder dress that showed off her half-sleeve tattoo, looked stunning. But looking back at me, her face transformed from skeptical to concerned in a second, and I hated that people were seeing me cry.
She moved toward me then and held my shoulders. “What do you need?” She askeddirectly.
I sputtered for a second before uttering, “Mycar.”
She looked toward Brody and his jaw set, giving nothing away.
“I’m going with her,” Adriennesaid.
Brody cut his eyes to me. “Drive her back,” he commanded coldly.
