UNEDITED
Kaleb Jones is living the dream. He's playing hockey with Shea Smith again, dating the woman of his dreams, and has a promising future ahead.
Ella Taylor's life feels perfect until she discovers her boyfriend has been cheating on her with...
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Ella
Being cornered by Shea Smith is the last thing I expect when Mikael and I arrive at the engagement party. As soon as Melody opens the door, Shea's there, dragging me down the hallway, away from the party and Mikael. When I glance over my shoulder, I see Melody and Mikael frowning after us. But Mikael shrugs and heads for the living room, lifting his hand in a wave to greet his teammates. Melody continues to stand there, her expression displaying nothing but concern.
"Shea," I say, stumbling over my heels. "Where the hell are we going?"
His hard gaze stays focused ahead of us.
"Okay," I muse. "Ignorance is your friend tonight. I get it."
Using my strength and defence training to my advantage, I strike Shea in the jaw with my elbow. The weakness in my strike is intentional. He's not hurting me, but I'm unimpressed by his lack of communication. Shea doesn't intervene unless things are crucial, or he's concerned. Judging by the glare he shot Mikael upon arrival, I'm guessing it's the latter. Which is why I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt. This conversation he wants must be for our ears only. Still, he could've asked instead of dragging me away from the party.
Anyway, the jab surprises him.
He releases my wrist and flinches backward, rubbing his jaw.
"Shit. What the hell, Ella?" he asks. There's a pinkish welt on his skin.
I cock an eyebrow. "First, sorry. Second, you're a better communicator than that. Last, you could've asked instead of dragging me down the hallway."
Frowning, he stops rubbing his jaw and looks at his hand, as if he's searching for blood. When his inspection is complete, he looks at me. His shoulders sag and he loosens a defeated breath. For the first time, I make eye contact with him. There are dark half-moons beneath his hazel eyes. His skin is pale, too. He looks exhausted, and I don't think it's from tonight's hockey game. A jab of sympathy invades my conscience, and it doesn't stop growing because Shea looks like he's on the verge of crying.
Taking his hand, I guide him into the spare bedroom, making sure I've locked the door behind us. Hopefully, nobody saw that and thinks we're screwing around. The last thing Brenna needs is a rumour about Shea cheating circulating. She's already anxious enough about hitting the three-month mark of her pregnancy.
The spare room is enormous, which suits the cash that Kaleb's raking in every season. There's a king-sized bed with a cream-coloured quilt and matching pillows. It pops against the dark-red accent wall behind. The floor is a smoky grey, and there are lots of plants lining the windowsill. There's an impressive view of the neighbourhood and the mountains in the distance.
As soon as the door is locked behind me, I turn to Shea. Before I can ask him what happened, he speaks.
"Stay away from Mikael, Ella. I mean it. I don't know what you're defining the relationship as, but kick his slimy ass to the curb."
