“We’re going to get ice cream.”
“Rod! The only place open is Walgreens, and that’s fifteen minutes away!”
“So? I want ice cream. Are you going to deny a boy his Christmas wish?”
She scoffed. “So now, when you want ice cream, you’re a boy?”
He smiled. “Yes.”
“Jerk,” she muttered, and he laughed loudly as he reached for the door. She slid her feet into her shoes, and he waited for her to get her coat on before he opened the door.
But when she went to reach for her purse, she heard him yell, “Nate! What’s up man?”
Nate?
Nate Way?
What the hell?
“Rodney! What’s up, buddy?”
Whoa. Whoa.
No.
Oh, fuck no.
Peeking her head out the door as her brother came out of a backslapping hug, her eyes locked with the last person she thought she would see at that moment.
“B! Look, it’s Nate. Mr. NateWay.”
Her eyes were as big as quarters as he looked back to Brie, his lips curved in the most sadistic grin she had ever seen as he waved back to her. “Hey there, Ms. Soledad.”
But it wasn’t who she thought Mr. Nate Way would be.
No.
It was Vaughn Fucking Johansson.
“You?”
He just stood there, a smug, sexy smile on his face as Jensen’s brows pulled together. Rod grinned happily, totally oblivious to what was going on. Meanwhile, Brie’s eye had started to twitch, and she was pretty sure she was about to have a coronary. “You.”
She could only blink as her eyelid went crazy, probably making her look deranged. “Vaughn.”
“Brianna. How ya doing?”
“Brianna?” Jensen asked, confused. “Why are you calling her Brianna?”
She was going to kill Vaughn. Right now. Right there, in the middle of their hallway. Hopefully, she didn’t lose her job for killing the Assassins’ star player, but in a way, she didn’t care.
Before she could move to claw his eyes out, her brother asked, “Hey, how do you know my sister?”
“Whoa, what? What’s going on?” Jensen asked. “I’m confused.”
“You’re always confused,” Vaughn said before looking back to Rod. “I work with your sister at my other job. Remember, my hockey job?”
Rod nodded. “Oh! I didn’t know it was with my sister, though.”
“I didn’t either until your sister called me the other day.”
“You didn’t tell me.”
“I haven’t seen ya, buddy. I was going to tell you when you guys came to visit.”
“But you didn’t think to tell me, huh?” she muttered, and he looked back at her as he shrugged slowly, acting as if this wasn’t a big deal at all.
Before Vaughn could comment, though, Rodney asked, “Oh, and your name is Vaughn?”
“My real name is Vaughn Johansson, but I go by Nate at the home.”
Confused, like she was, Rod asked, “Why?”
Vaughn smiled. “That’s a story for another day. Maybe during the tour tomorrow.”
“Whoa, what? Rod is Brie’s brother?”
“Welcome to the show, Jenny.”
“So you knew about this?” she shrieked, and all three men looked back at her. They were unaware of the very fast-approaching heart attack Brie was experiencing.
Jensen held his hands up. “I didn’t know Rodney was your brother.”
She could understand that since Vaughn was a lying bastard. “And you’ve met my brother too?”
Rodney grinned, nodding his head. “Yeah, Jenny is cool.”
She looked to her brother, her eyes wide as her heart pounded in her chest. Something wasn’t clicking here. “Jenny?”
Jensen raised his hand. “Stupid nickname that Jo gave me.”
“It’s not stupid.”
Swallowing hard, she took in a cleansing breath as her eyes closed. She should have known. She knew that voice. She felt it in her bones. She knew something wasn’t right. That something was off. And that something was that Vaughn Fucking Johansson was Nate Way, which was completely confusing. Holy fuck, what the hell was going on?
One thing was for sure, she still wanted to kill Vaughn.
Opening her eyes, she looked at her brother. “Rod, go inside.”
His brows rose before looking back to Vaughn and then her. “You’re mad.”
“Oh, Rodney, mad isn’t the word I’d choose right now. Please go inside.”
His shoulders dropped. “At me?”
“No, not even kind of.”
“At me, buddy. But don’t worry, I got this,” Vaughn said, cupping Rod’s shoulder.
“Why you? Is this going to ruin everything?”
Not even her brother’s dismay could erase the anger that was in Brie’s soul at that moment. Vaughn lied to her. More than once and she didn’t like that. She didn’t like being made a fool of, and he’d done just that.
“No, bud, I got this. We’ll work it out. Why don’t you go inside with Jenny and go play with my baby?”
Baby? What baby? She was too mad even to care as Jensen looked at Brie. His face was full of worry before glancing back to Vaughn. “You sure? She might kill you.”
“I can take her.”
“No, you can’t.”
“I can.”
She wasn’t sure what got into her. In a way, she felt she blacked out as she stepped up to him, her eyes burning into his. “No, you can’t.”
“Calm down, toddler. Let’s talk like adults.”
“Vaughn—”
But before Jensen could finish, Brie swung her arm up all of a sudden, her fist connecting with the tip of Vaughn’s chin. She expected his head to whip back, for him to cry out. But he just stared at her as she went to grab her hand, and then she was the one crying out. “Damn it! You’re like stone.”
“She hit you.”
“B! Don’t hit Nate. You said hitting isn’t nice.”
“Go inside, Rod,” she bit out as she shook out her hand since it was throbbing so much. “You’re an asshole. You hurt my hand.”
“You hit me,” he said simply, completely unaffected.
Pissed off, she threw open the door and went inside her apartment, knowing that Vaughn would follow. Going to the kitchen, she got a bag of peas and laid them on her hand as she glared back at him. “I can’t believe you.”
“Rod! The only place open is Walgreens, and that’s fifteen minutes away!”
“So? I want ice cream. Are you going to deny a boy his Christmas wish?”
She scoffed. “So now, when you want ice cream, you’re a boy?”
He smiled. “Yes.”
“Jerk,” she muttered, and he laughed loudly as he reached for the door. She slid her feet into her shoes, and he waited for her to get her coat on before he opened the door.
But when she went to reach for her purse, she heard him yell, “Nate! What’s up man?”
Nate?
Nate Way?
What the hell?
“Rodney! What’s up, buddy?”
Whoa. Whoa.
No.
Oh, fuck no.
Peeking her head out the door as her brother came out of a backslapping hug, her eyes locked with the last person she thought she would see at that moment.
“B! Look, it’s Nate. Mr. NateWay.”
Her eyes were as big as quarters as he looked back to Brie, his lips curved in the most sadistic grin she had ever seen as he waved back to her. “Hey there, Ms. Soledad.”
But it wasn’t who she thought Mr. Nate Way would be.
No.
It was Vaughn Fucking Johansson.
“You?”
He just stood there, a smug, sexy smile on his face as Jensen’s brows pulled together. Rod grinned happily, totally oblivious to what was going on. Meanwhile, Brie’s eye had started to twitch, and she was pretty sure she was about to have a coronary. “You.”
She could only blink as her eyelid went crazy, probably making her look deranged. “Vaughn.”
“Brianna. How ya doing?”
“Brianna?” Jensen asked, confused. “Why are you calling her Brianna?”
She was going to kill Vaughn. Right now. Right there, in the middle of their hallway. Hopefully, she didn’t lose her job for killing the Assassins’ star player, but in a way, she didn’t care.
Before she could move to claw his eyes out, her brother asked, “Hey, how do you know my sister?”
“Whoa, what? What’s going on?” Jensen asked. “I’m confused.”
“You’re always confused,” Vaughn said before looking back to Rod. “I work with your sister at my other job. Remember, my hockey job?”
Rod nodded. “Oh! I didn’t know it was with my sister, though.”
“I didn’t either until your sister called me the other day.”
“You didn’t tell me.”
“I haven’t seen ya, buddy. I was going to tell you when you guys came to visit.”
“But you didn’t think to tell me, huh?” she muttered, and he looked back at her as he shrugged slowly, acting as if this wasn’t a big deal at all.
Before Vaughn could comment, though, Rodney asked, “Oh, and your name is Vaughn?”
“My real name is Vaughn Johansson, but I go by Nate at the home.”
Confused, like she was, Rod asked, “Why?”
Vaughn smiled. “That’s a story for another day. Maybe during the tour tomorrow.”
“Whoa, what? Rod is Brie’s brother?”
“Welcome to the show, Jenny.”
“So you knew about this?” she shrieked, and all three men looked back at her. They were unaware of the very fast-approaching heart attack Brie was experiencing.
Jensen held his hands up. “I didn’t know Rodney was your brother.”
She could understand that since Vaughn was a lying bastard. “And you’ve met my brother too?”
Rodney grinned, nodding his head. “Yeah, Jenny is cool.”
She looked to her brother, her eyes wide as her heart pounded in her chest. Something wasn’t clicking here. “Jenny?”
Jensen raised his hand. “Stupid nickname that Jo gave me.”
“It’s not stupid.”
Swallowing hard, she took in a cleansing breath as her eyes closed. She should have known. She knew that voice. She felt it in her bones. She knew something wasn’t right. That something was off. And that something was that Vaughn Fucking Johansson was Nate Way, which was completely confusing. Holy fuck, what the hell was going on?
One thing was for sure, she still wanted to kill Vaughn.
Opening her eyes, she looked at her brother. “Rod, go inside.”
His brows rose before looking back to Vaughn and then her. “You’re mad.”
“Oh, Rodney, mad isn’t the word I’d choose right now. Please go inside.”
His shoulders dropped. “At me?”
“No, not even kind of.”
“At me, buddy. But don’t worry, I got this,” Vaughn said, cupping Rod’s shoulder.
“Why you? Is this going to ruin everything?”
Not even her brother’s dismay could erase the anger that was in Brie’s soul at that moment. Vaughn lied to her. More than once and she didn’t like that. She didn’t like being made a fool of, and he’d done just that.
“No, bud, I got this. We’ll work it out. Why don’t you go inside with Jenny and go play with my baby?”
Baby? What baby? She was too mad even to care as Jensen looked at Brie. His face was full of worry before glancing back to Vaughn. “You sure? She might kill you.”
“I can take her.”
“No, you can’t.”
“I can.”
She wasn’t sure what got into her. In a way, she felt she blacked out as she stepped up to him, her eyes burning into his. “No, you can’t.”
“Calm down, toddler. Let’s talk like adults.”
“Vaughn—”
But before Jensen could finish, Brie swung her arm up all of a sudden, her fist connecting with the tip of Vaughn’s chin. She expected his head to whip back, for him to cry out. But he just stared at her as she went to grab her hand, and then she was the one crying out. “Damn it! You’re like stone.”
“She hit you.”
“B! Don’t hit Nate. You said hitting isn’t nice.”
“Go inside, Rod,” she bit out as she shook out her hand since it was throbbing so much. “You’re an asshole. You hurt my hand.”
“You hit me,” he said simply, completely unaffected.
Pissed off, she threw open the door and went inside her apartment, knowing that Vaughn would follow. Going to the kitchen, she got a bag of peas and laid them on her hand as she glared back at him. “I can’t believe you.”
