The Muse and the Fairy Tale (New Hampshire Bears #1) (11 page)

Chapter Fifteen

Meadow

“Okay,” I panted and laid on the bench in the locker room.

“You’re such a pussy.” Harlow kicked my foot.

“My arms are burning, my legs hurt, and I’m pretty sure I left one of my lungs on the elliptical.” I tried to catch my breath, but was still unable.

“I think you did very well.” Maxima Keck, Harlow’s banker friend, was staring down over me. Her coal black hair was high in a messy bun. She had silvery-blue eyes, and her damn breasts we’re still perky. Even though it pissed me off, Harlow was right, this girl was so shy; it took her almost an hour to make eye contact with me.

I could see how beautiful she was, but Maxima had no self-esteem. She was currently a size eighteen, but had lost almost a hundred pounds on her own. One would think she would flaunt her success, but she was wearing the biggest sweatshirt I’d ever seen and just as baggy sweatpants.

“I say we hit the juice bar.” Harlow tugged off her shirt.

She made me sick with jealousy. She was five foot ten, with a perfect looking twenty-something body even though she was forty. I hated her and loved her at the same time.

The juice bar had a variety of drinks and all the organic smoothies. Everything I looked at on the menu turned my stomach. It was way too much sugar considering my rib cage still hurt. I stuck with water.

“Maxima, how did you become a banker?” I asked as we all sat down.

“Um…I’m an investment banker.”

“Right.” I smiled. She was practically shaking as she talked to me. Harlow was right, Maxima was different.

“I’m good with numbers. It’s something I’ve always been good at.” She stirred her smoothie.

“She’s helped me a lot,” Harlow piped up. “Now, let’s skip all the humbug and talk about young, hot Kyson Wick.” Harlow smirked.

“Nothing to talk about.” I shrugged.

“Kyson Wick? From the Bears?” For the first time, Maxima actually seemed interested.

“You a fan?” I sipped my water.

“I’m a huge Bears fan. I never miss a game.” A small smile crossed her face.

“I’m a season ticket holder too. Where are your seats?”

“Oh, no.” She hung her head. “I watch on TV.”

“Who’s your favorite player?” I kept her talking because it kept Harlow quiet.

“They’re all good.” Her cheeks were bright pink now.

“Now, I’m dying to hear more about your night with young Mr. Wick.” Harlow wagged her eyebrows.

“I dressed up, like I told you I was going to, but when he came over, he was distant and pretty much ran away from me.”

“How come?” Maxima asked, still interested.

“Apparently, he still has a hard on for his ex,” Harlow explained.

“Kyson was involved with her for a long time. She left him and now she’s engaged to a doctor and is questioning if she’s doing the right thing,” I explained better.

“Wow. What is he going to do?” Maxima’s eyes were wide with curiosity.

“He talked to her, but came to the conclusion he didn’t want anything to do with her.”

“Do you think he changed his mind?” Harlow asked.

“Truthfully, I’m wondering about it. Then again, maybe he was really tired.”

“Please.” Harlow rolled her eyes. “You were in a black corset and a twenty-five year old, who can still get turned on by Jessica Rabbit and cold wind without a little blue pill, walked away.” She put on her bitch face. “He’s talking to her.”

Deep down, I knew she might be right, but I wasn’t going to approach him about it. He would have to make his own decision.

“What are you going to do?” Maxima was still intrigued in my life.

I shrugged. It was the best answer I could give her.

When are you back?

Thursday.

Dinner?

I’m busy with Remington. I promised a guy’s night.

Ah, strippers and beer, right?
I tried to joke through text with Kyson, but I could feel the distance in the conversation.

More like
Mario Kart
and Remington crying when I beat him.

Well, enjoy.

I tossed my phone down. I didn’t think he would text me back, and I wasn’t worried about it. I knew when something was played out. I’d had fun with Kyson, and it was great sex, but I remember how I was when I was his age. I’d wanted to settle down, but was still hoping I could hang onto what little bit of my youth I had left.

Puckhead crawled up my stomach and rested his head on my chest. His loud purring brought me comfort. I wasn’t sure why I needed it. Kyson and I hadn’t been a serious couple, but I would miss him.

I hated the grocery store. It was so mundane. Up and down the aisles as if I was on some conveyor belt. However, I was starving, and I should never shop when I was hungry. My cart was full of junk.

Maxima, Harlow, and I had begun doing a weekly menu diet plan. I wasn’t sure where Little
Debbie and Three Musketeers fit on the menu, but I wasn’t going to take them out of my cart. I pulled up the email with the list I should’ve been following.

“Is that all authors eat? Junk food?”

I looked up to see Kian’s green eyes, so like Kyson’s, looking back at me.

“We enjoy the sugar. How have you been?” I smiled.

“Good, I just had to pick Kyson and a couple of the mates from the airport.”

I tried to keep a straight face and my emotions under control at hearing Kyson’s name. I wanted to bombard Kian with a hundred and one questions, but my mature adult side took over.

“How kind of you.”

“I’m a nice guy when my paycheck clears the bank,” he teased. “Do you have a big plans tonight?”

I pointed at the four bottles of wine sitting in my cart. “Those babies and my Kindle are all I have on the agenda.”

Kian looked baffled for a second. Apparently, he hadn’t expected that response. “Are you going to the game tomorrow?”

I shook my head. “I already sold my ticket.”

Kian furrowed his brow. “Is everything all right?”

“Great,” I lied. I really wanted to ask what Kyson’s deal was, but again, I refrained.

“You know what I’m asking.” Kian still had the same expression. “How is everything with you and Kyson?”

I shrugged. “There’s…nothing. I mean, he pretty much left with no explanation, and I’ve not talked to him in three days. I figured his fling with me is over.” It was sad since we’d only had sex once.

“Fling? Kyson does not do
flings
.”

“First time for everything, right?”

“No.” Kian shook his head. “I don’t understand. He’s really into you.”

“Well, maybe he found someone else.” My heart hurt thinking of someone else with him.

When did I become this way?

“Listen, Kian.” I touched his arm. “It’s no big deal.”
Sure, keep lying, Meadow.
“Listen, Harlow, my editor, and I always go to this great place in Concord for the best Mexican food when the book publishes. How about you join us?”

He gave me a wry smile. “Sure. It’s soon, right?”

“Yes, one month.”

“Text me the time and place. You still have my info?”

I nodded. “Great.” I gave him a swift hug and headed to the checkout. His green eyes made me miss Kyson and I hadn’t even realized how much I missed him.

Chapter Sixteen

Kyson

I’m @ the Centennial Hotel. The Governor’s Suite.

For the past thirty minutes, I’ve been in my truck, staring at the text, outside the Centennial. She was in there. Angela was waiting for me.

This is what I want, right?

Meadow’s face appeared in front of me. She was on my mind a lot. I’ve started to text her a hundred times to tell her about Angela and how I
still
had to work out everything, but I couldn’t send any of them.

I wanted to talk to Kian when we got back to the house, but I couldn’t do it. I felt alone in this situation. One part of me wanted to race into the hotel, talk to Angela, and make her mine again. But then why am I still sitting here like a knot on a log. If I wanted answers then Angela would need to talk to me.

I made it to her room, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door. When she opened the door, my breath caught in my throat. I’d thought Angela beautiful at one time, but seeing her now, I had a different opinion. Angela’s fiery red hair was a dye job, but it suited her. Her brown eyes with a golden tint around them, shone brightly as she inspected me up and down. Angela reached out to me, and her long nails, painted as red as her hair, scratched my skin lightly. I never liked her fake nails, but she’d always had them done.

“Ky. My Ky. You came.” Her grip on my arm guided me into her suite.

“Hi Angela.”

“Why are you being so formal? I’m your Ang.” She tried to hug my waist, but I stepped away from her.

“Let’s talk.” I went and took a seat in the only chair in the room. I actually wanted to talk to her, using words. Angela usually used sex or her tongue in my mouth to express herself. At one time, it was something I very much enjoyed, but not tonight.

“You really came to here to talk?” She seemed shocked.

“Isn’t that the point of us being here?”

“I figured we could have a little
reunion
, before we…talked.” Angela knelt in front of me and ran her hands up my thighs.

I jumped up and moved across the room. “Angela, this is serious.”

She sighed and fluffed her hair as she stood up. “I know or I wouldn’t have flown all the way up here, in the snow. Can’t you fucking get traded to somewhere warmer? Florida? Hawaii?”

I scoffed. “No, because the PHL doesn’t have teams there.”

“Well make one.” She crossed her arms.

“Okay, I’ll use magic hockey stick and whip up a fucking team, Angela. Just for you.” My anger was growing. It took less than five minutes and we were already fighting. About hockey.

“Ky, let’s just take a step back. I’m too tired to argue with you.”

“You wanted to talk and I want answers. Therefore, I’m going to ask my questions and you will tell me the truth.”

Angela stared me down and for several seconds nothing was uttered between us.

“Fine.” She threw her arms up. “You want to have everything all out on the table. Fine.” She sat down on the couch. “You start, but I have my own questions too,” she sneered.

“Why did you leave me?” I was going to pull out the big ones first.

“Are you going to sit by me?” She patted the seat next to her.

I crossed my arms and planted my feet. “No. Answer me.”

Angela’s eyes stayed locked on mine. She wasn’t going to say or tell me anything. She was wasting my time.

“Bye Angela.” Standing there was not going to bring me any closer to closure. I was almost to the door when she finally spoke.

“I was cheating on you.”

I stopped in my tracks. It took a moment or two before I faced her while I processed the words she’d said. “What?”

“I was cheating on you. I’m not proud of it, but it was the reason why I couldn’t marry you.”

“What?” I must have been hearing her wrong. “Why?”

“Ky, you were gone all the time, and even when you were home, you didn’t pay attention to me.”

“That’s not true.”

“Yes, it is. I’m a very beautiful woman with a high sex-drive, and you weren’t cutting it for me.” She pursed her lips.

“I was bad in bed? You left me because I was bad in bed?”

“You were okay in bed,” she conceded. “But, I need it more than once a week and phone sex doesn’t count. Phone sex is extremely childish, and I need a man who’s constant in my life.”

“Are you fucking kidding me right now?” I couldn’t believe what she was saying. “Why the fuck am I here if I’m not man enough for you?”

“Well,” she pushed out her bottom lip and rose to her feet. “I saw you with that old lady, and I realized I made a mistake.” She went to touch my chest, but I grabbed her wrist to stop her.

“Old lady?”

“Meadow something. Who names their child after a patch of grass?” She rolled her eyes.

“Meadow Hylton is an amazing author and you are both the same age.” I defended her and released Angela’s wrist.

“Please,” she giggled. “That blonde dye job is from the eighties, and she’s just trying to hide the gray.”

“What’s yours doing?” I pointed to her fake, dyed hair.

“Hey,” she whined, patting her head.

“This was a waste of both of our time. Do you have anything else to say?”

“Ky.” She batted her brown eyes. “I said I made a mistake. I miss you, and I’ve seen how well you’re doing in the PHL and I…well…I was so jealous seeing that woman with her hands on you. I needed to see you because you’re mine.”

“No, I’m not,” I told her. “I’m Meadow’s.” The words left me before I knew it.

“What?” Now Angela was taken for a loop. “You’re dating her?”

“Yes. I told you this already.” Okay, it was a lie, because we weren’t really dating, but I kept going. “Meadow is amazing, funny, caring, and the most talented person I’ve ever met.”

Angela stood in place with her mouth hanging open.

“The biggest mistake I’ve made in my life was coming here. Enjoy the doctor and don’t ever contact me again.” This time, when I walked out, I didn’t look back.

Waiting for the elevator was not an option, I raced down the stairs and out to my truck. As badly as I wanted to go one hundred miles an hour toward Meadow’s house, I couldn’t because it was beginning to snow again.

I had to get to Meadow’s house. Seeing Angela and her telling me she’d cheated was the kick in the ass I needed to face the truth. I made a huge mistake not talking to Meadow. I wasn’t some immature prick. Meadow has even shown me how much better I am with her. I should have never gone. I wanted Meadow in my life. I wanted to sit around and watch TV with her. I wanted to tell her all about practice, the games, and have her feedback.

Why was I such a fool? Why did I push her away?

I thought back to my relationship with Angela. There was a lot passion, or so I thought in the beginning. It did fizzle a bit, but my job leaves me traveling a lot and I tried everything in my powers to keep Angela happy. Or so I thought? Now, knowing she cheated on me, I suddenly felt used and dirty.

Meadow was what I needed. I even told her that and I still shit all over her. I was willing to bet she wouldn’t even talk to me. I’d probably ruined the one relationship that meant something to me.

Why do I feel so much for her?

Because she was everything I had been searching for, and I shot it all to hell.

I needed to fix it. I was going to fix it and win her back, no matter what it took.

When I reached her house, there were two other cars in her driveway, making me park on the street. My first thought was Meadow was having a party or an orgy. But, she wouldn’t be doing either of those, right?

As I headed up the stairs toward her front door, I heard laughter.
Was
she having a party? I raised my fist to knock, but the door flew open instead.

There stood Meadow with two other women. “Kyson.” He face was in complete shock and she had every right to be.

“Hi.” All three pair of eyes stared me down. “Sorry, I didn’t call, but can we talk for a moment, if you aren’t busy?” She didn’t seem to be dressed for going out.

“Um…” She paused.

“Do you want me to kick his ass?” The taller women asked.

“Harlow.” Meadow rolled her eyes. “Kyson, the girls were leaving. You’re more than welcome to come in.”

I side stepped the females so they could leave. The taller one eyed me when I walked into Meadow’s house. We didn’t say anything as she closed the door.

Where did I even start?

“How did guy’s night go?” She didn’t look at me as she began to clean up the wine glasses.

Oh, right. I told her I was going out with them tonight. “Meadow, we need to talk.”

“I gathered,” she quipped and headed into the kitchen.

I followed her and tried to figure out what, or how, I was going to tell her the truth. She needed to know, because I didn’t want to keep secrets from her.

“I’m sorry.” She sat everything in the sink and finally made eye contact.

“Why are you sorry, Meadow?”

“I pushed you too hard. Which is a strange thing to say, since I wasn’t sure about this since the beginning. However, you have a lot to deal with, and I’m sorry. I forced myself on you.”

“Huh?” Maybe my hearing was going bad. Did she really think she was pushy?

“Which part do you want me to repeat?” She sounded baffled.

“No, I heard you, I’m not sure why you think you should be apologizing?”

“It was the picture of me in the corset and my stupid girly hormones thinking for me. Those two combined together threw you for a loop. Right?”

“No. Yes. I mean…fuck.” I was confusing myself and all my thoughts were jumbled. I took a seat at her kitchen table. “I’m beyond confused.”

“Then talk it out.” She sat across from me. “I still want to be your friend.”

I planned on spilling my guts out to her. Angela. My feelings. All of it, but I couldn’t say the words.

“Damn, why is this so hard?” I rubbed my hands hard against my face.

“How about I ask you questions and you answer them?” Meadow suggested and touched my arm, making my hands drop.

“All right.” Maybe it would help.

“Are you Kyson Wick?”

“Yes.” Even though I sounded unsure because I wasn’t expecting a simple question.

“Are you a hockey player for the New Hampshire Bears?”

“Yes.” I slightly smirked.

“Well, I’m glad to say you answered both of them correctly.” Meadow smiled and I instantly relaxed.

“I’m a jerk, Meadow.”

“Why do you say that, Kyson?”

“I should have listened to my heart and not my head.” Her blue eyes studied my face.

“What do you mean?”

“My heart wanted to be with you, but my head kept telling me I needed to know for sure.”

Meadow sat back in her chair. I’d baffled her once more, which seemed like a norm between us.

“I shouldn’t have pushed you away. I should have talked to you. I should have been more mature.”

She listened to everything I was saying, or at least I thought so.

“Kyson, that’s a lot of
should and shouldn’t
. Care to tell me what you weren’t mature enough to talk about?”

I took a deep breath. “How much I like you?”

Meadow shook her head. “We’ve talked about that. How is this not mature? What isn’t mature is how you blew me off and stopped talking to me. I’d like to talk about
that
topic.”

I knew right then I should tell her I’d seen Angela, but I couldn’t say the words.

“I don’t know.” It was the best I could think of.

“Seriously?” She called me out.

“I guess I was nervous. It’s been a while since I’ve had a relationship, and maybe it was moving too fast.”
Such, bullshit.
I needed Meadow and nothing was moving fast.

“Well, Kyson, I told you it was moving fast.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. Look,” she got up, came over to me, and sat in my lap. She belonged there. “Let’s just go slow. Snail speed, okay?”

“I want that.”

Meadow smiled, and for a heartbeat, I knew I was wrong for telling her about Angela, but she would never bother me again.