Unbreakable(6)

I shrug. “Like I said, Aidan was missing the fun gene. He’s not an in-the-moment kind of guy. Everything with him was always about the two of us planning for a life I just wasn’t ready for, you know? When I thought about my future, I guess I couldn’t see him in it.”

“No?”

“Come on, Will. Can you imagine him up here at the cottage with us, hanging out? Or at a hockey game? It was a nightmare just getting him to go to Toronto last Christmas. And at school, he never wanted to grab a burger or see a movie with me. Everything was about going to the best restaurants and being with the right people. That’s not the kind of guy I want.”

“There’s nothing wrong with not wanting to settle, Sunshine.”

The look on his face is so sweet and tender that I have to look away. I take another bite of the chicken and force a smile. “I know.”

But did I?

I’d let my father push me into a major I didn’t want so I can eventually get into law school and become a lawyer. I don’t see myself doing those things, either.

“I think I just need to shake things up,” I continue. “I’m young, it’s summer, and I’m here at this beautiful cottage. I need to get out and have fun, you know? Meet new people. Get outside and swim and hike and relax. Maybe hook up with a hot guy. I just want to enjoy this time before everything ends, and I have to go back to New York and face reality again.”

He frowns. “Sully’s not going to let you go off and hook up with some strange guy, Em.”

“Well, Sully doesn’t get a say in what I do,” I retort.

I know Sully sees himself as my great protector, but I’m not going to let him blow my summer. No way, no how.

“Well, I guess not, but…” He shakes his head. “Never mind.”

“No. What were you going to say?”

“You’re just not that kind of girl.”

I cross my arms. “I’m not what kind of girl?”

He leans back in his chair. “C’mon, Em. We’ve known each other for how many years now? You’ve never been the girl who hooks up with some guy she just met.”

I push my empty plate away. “I’m sick and tired of staying in my comfort zone. Between being away from everyone and living in New York City, school, breaking up with Aidan, and not to mention my parents’ divorce—” I shake my head. “I really need to escape the drama for a little while. I think I deserve some fun, and a summer fling sounds perfect.”

“I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“Right. So it’s not okay for me to hookup, but it’s totally okay for you?” I glare at him. “I still have friends in Toronto, Will, and they’ve told me that you’re hooking up all over town. So spare me the protests that you aren’t seeing anyone. To me, it sounds like you’re seeing everyone.”

Wow. That comes out way bitchier than I meant it to, but I’m so tired of everyone trying to control my decisions. Will’s usually the exact opposite. He’s always on my side.

“Excuse me? Who the hell told you that?”

“Does it even matter? God, I hate when guys think it’s fine for them to do whatever, but when it comes to women, you want to put us in all these boxes: girls who do, and girls who don’t. Girls you marry, and girls you f*ck. It’s ridiculous!”

He white-knuckles the stem of his wine glass. “Whatever you’ve heard about me, Emmy, you’re completely wrong.” His voice is clipped, and he runs a hand through his hair, a telltale sign that he’s upset.

“Oh come on, Mav. You treat me exactly like my brother does. Like I’m a delicate flower who can’t get stepped on. One overbearing brother is enough, thank you very much. I don’t need another one.”

Will stands and gives me an icy glare. It’s a look I’ve never seen directed at me, until now.

“You know what? I’m gonna call it a night. It was a long drive, and I’ve been up since six a.m.” He pauses. “And Emmy? Just so we’re clear? I have zero interest in being another brother to you.”

He goes into the kitchen, puts his plate in the sink, and climbs the stairs without so much as a look back.

Guilt quickly consumes me. Will didn’t deserve my little outburst.

Still, I can’t help wondering… what exactly did he mean by that?





Chapter Three





WILL




Standing in the shower, I go over everything Emmy said to me downstairs. Christ, the idea that she thinks I see her as a little sister is f*cking hilarious. When she took a bite of her dinner and moaned my name, I wanted to vault over the table and drag her up to my room like a goddamned caveman.

I shouldn’t have left her like that, but I didn’t want to say something I’d regret. And I’d really love to know who’s telling her I’m screwing women all over Toronto, because that’s a bunch of shit.

Okay, I haven’t exactly been celibate or anything, but I’ve only had sex with three women in the past year. That’s supposed to elevate me to player status? That’s not even close.

There’s plenty of women who wait for us outside of the arenas, no matter what city we’re playing in. But I’ve never been into f*cking women who are only into me because I play hockey.