4. Jenner

Chapter 4

Jenner

Hey man, I'm gonna need to take a raincheck on that drink tonight. I missed my flight. Caught a lucky break snagging a standby spot for the last one out.

Maddox: How the hell did you miss your flight? When I last talked to you, you were literally headed out the door.

Long story. I'll fill you in when I see you tomorrow.

I put my phone on airplane mode as I walked down the long aisle of the jet, heading for my seat.

Maddox knew better than anyone about my history with Evie, but explaining her reappearance was too complicated to do over the phone, especially via text.

Hell, it was almost too complicated for me to wrap my mind around, and I was in the middle of it all.

Did she seriously think whatever plan she concocted was going to work? There had to be checks and balances with these agencies, right? They didn't just hand babies over without doing their due diligence.

The hope shining in her violet eyes was the only reason I agreed to even consider helping her. Because I knew what the alternative looked like. I'd had a front-row seat to that show for years before she walked out.

When this all blew up in her face, she would be shattered. And I wasn't sure there was enough glue in this world to piece her back together when her last chance at becoming a mother vanished.

As I trekked further and further down the aisle, I was hit with regret that I'd been too careful with my money and refused to ever splurge on chartering a private jet. It wouldn't have put a dent in my bank account to do so, but it had always seemed frivolous. First class was fine. But now, as my gaze honed in on the middle seat in coach—my only option of making it to Minneapolis tonight—I was rethinking that logic.

Shoving my carry-on into the overhead compartment, I thanked the young woman who stood to allow me to slide into my seat. I reminded myself that it was a short flight—less than two hours—and I would survive.

As much as I would have loved to turn off my brain and veg out for those couple of hours, I couldn't stop thinking about Evie.

Despite all the years spent apart, she was still the only woman I'd ever loved. I'd never allowed myself to move on. It was as if my heart knew something my brain didn't—that someday she'd be back. And that the door would be cracked open the tiniest bit so that maybe I could figure out a way to keep her from leaving again.

She'd found a way to captivate me from the first time I laid eyes on her, and I knew even then I was a goner.

I was being a total creeper.

My boys would be laying into me so hard if they could see me now, hiding behind the trunk of a palm tree, staring at the big, beautiful blonde chatting with a few other girls in the middle of the quad. They'd be spouting off about how girls were expected to come to us because of our status as kings of the ice, being players on the hockey team at Glendale State University. Most, if not all of us, were already drafted by teams around the professional league and were biding our time in college, putting on weight and sharpening our skills, until our future team called, telling us they were ready for us to play.

That was the dream, anyway.

There were no guarantees that being drafted meant you would ever hit it big. Some guys spent years in the minor league on a two-way contract, working their asses off until they could skate onto the biggest stage in professional hockey. Others never even made it that far. Only a select few had a long-term future playing hockey waiting for them.

I wanted to believe I would be fortunate enough to make a career out of playing the sport I loved, but I was smart enough to know that even if I gave it my all on the ice, there were factors outside of my control.

So, I'd never been keen to flaunt my athletic status on campus, and certainly not when picking up girls.

My teammates might be happy to bang their way through the puck bunnies on campus, but that had never appealed to me. I wanted something deeper, more meaningful, when I was with a girl. I wanted to forget about the game and just be myself. Truth be told, most of the girls were stick thin, nothing like the blonde I couldn't keep my eyes off of as she laughed freely out in the open.

God, the idea of hefting her into my arms and getting a glimpse of her surprised face had me half hard in my hiding spot. Sure, I worked hard in the gym to keep my body performing on the ice, but with that came an added benefit of being able to throw around a bigger girl with ease. What I wouldn't give to bury my face in her pillowy breasts, maybe even fuck them. The idea of those thick thighs acting as earmuffs as I took up residence between them had my cock shifting from half-mast to full salute.

Fuck it. If I didn't approach her now, there was no telling if I would ever run into her again. Training was getting more rigorous as the season approached, and I'd have less free time to troll campus, hoping to cross paths with the blonde goddess.

Adjusting myself in my pants so I didn't embarrass myself, I left my hiding spot and strolled toward the group of ladies.

I didn't want to sneak up on them, so I stopped a few feet away before saying, "Morning, ladies. Are you new to campus?"

The four girls spun around, and I locked eyes with the blonde I'd admired from afar.

Up close, she was even more stunning, with big apple cheeks that were slightly pink from the desert sun. And her eyes. Fuck me. They were the most unique shade of purple, almost a light violet. I'd never seen anything like them.

I was still lost in those captivating eyes when one of her companions gushed, "Oh my God. You're Jenner Knight, aren't you?"

Tearing my gaze away from the blonde, I gave her brunette friend a fake smile. "Yes, I am."

The poor girl nearly swooned on the spot, grabbing onto the blonde to remain upright. "Oh, wow. You're amazing." She placed a hand to her chest. "I'm Natasha."

"Pleased to meet you, Natasha." I gave her a polite nod before returning my attention to the blonde. Extending my hand, I said, "I'm Jenner."

She quirked a brow. "Pretty sure we've already established that."

My heart skipped a beat, hearing her speak for the first time. She had a country twang I couldn't quite place, but it was endearing as hell.

I dropped my hand, which was now sweating, and brushed it against the side of my pants. Clearing my throat to make sure it didn't come out too high, I plastered on my most charming smile. "Forgive me. That was my way of trying to get your name."

She sized me up before cocking a hip. "Evangeline."

It suited her, especially the way she said it with her accent.

"That's a hell of a name."

A corner of her lips tipped up. "Well, I'm a hell of a woman."

Before I could say another word, she added, "My friends call me Evie." Turning on her heel, her friends fell in line beside her as she threw over her shoulder, "If you play your cards right, maybe I'll grant you that honor."

I was floored. There was no other way to say it. She oozed confidence, and it was sexy as hell. But nothing beat the sight of watching her rounded ass sway as she sauntered away.

That was the moment I made it a personal mission to make her mine.

It killed me that her confidence had taken a hit during the years we'd struggled to get pregnant. We had both lost ourselves during those years, our focus narrowing on a single goal that we never managed to achieve.

She seemed better now—at least from what I could gather in the hour we'd spent together—but she still wasn't back to the girl she'd been before. Maybe she would finally be whole again once she found that missing piece.

My mind was made up. Whatever Evie needed, I would give it to her. I'd never been able to refuse her, and that wasn't about to change now.

"Where the hell have you been?" Maddox's voice rose over the band playing near the dance floor.

I shrugged where I was seated, at one of the many bars placed around the lawn overlooking the lake behind Jaxon Slate's—captain of the Connecticut Comets—summer home in Minnesota. He was not only the face of the league but a stand-up guy, as evidenced by his graciousness in hosting his younger brother's wedding.

The wedding had been beautiful, set in front of the lake, but now that the sun had gone down, the party was in full swing. Since Maddox was a member of the wedding party, he had been busy most of the day, but I knew that, eventually, he would find me, demanding an explanation as to why I'd been held up in Indy.

Signaling the bartender for another round, I dropped a one-hundred-dollar bill into his tip jar when he returned with a drink for both Maddox and me. Lifting the whiskey to my lips, I savored the burn as Maddox eyed me impatiently.

When it became clear I wasn't ready to speak yet, he dropped onto the barstool beside me and sipped his own drink.

Leaning both arms onto the bar top, I bit the bullet. "Evie showed up yesterday."

There was a spray of whiskey as Maddox coughed loudly. I couldn't blame him for the over-the-top reaction to my news. I was still struggling to believe it myself. Hell, I'd checked my doorbell camera ten times to confirm her car was still out front and I hadn't imagined the whole damn thing.

" Your Evie?" Maddox croaked as the bartender wiped away his mess.

"I have legal paperwork stating she's no longer mine," I muttered dryly.

He cleared his throat again. "You know what I mean."

"How many Evies do you think I know?" I shot him a sideways glance.

Maddox shrugged. "Hell, if I know. Your ex-wife is the last person with that name I'd expect to show up on your doorstep."

"Yeah, well. Caught me completely by surprise, too." I threw back the rest of my drink, raising my empty glass for another.

"She's been gone for four years. She vanished without a trace and refused to face you during the divorce proceedings. So why in the world would she just come back without warning?"

I blew out a heavy breath. "She's trying to adopt a kid."

A heavy silence stretched between us even though the party raged on.

"But didn't she—"

"Yeah, I know. She wouldn't even consider it when we were together. That irony is not lost on me."

Finally daring to face my best friend, I found him assessing me with a critical gaze. His forehead wrinkled as his brows drew down. "I still don't get it. What does any of this have to do with you?"

I knew he was going to be all over my shit about this, but he was the only person I could trust. I couldn't keep this to myself, and he'd always been my sounding board.

"She needs my help."

His cat-like green eyes narrowed. "Help how?"

"What I failed to mention was that before Evie showed up, a social worker did."

Maddox tilted his head, trying to piece together the information I was giving him out of order. "I don't understand."

"I guess she's been trying to adopt for a while and has been turned down a bunch of times because she's single."

"That's bullshit!" he yelled. Then it hit him. "Oh God, Jenner, what did she do?" When I didn't respond right away, he pressed, "Please tell me she didn't do what I think she did."

I busied myself, swirling the ice cubes in my glass. "She applied using both our names, attaching our marriage certificate like we're still married."

He gripped my shoulder, turning me to face him. "Jenner, I need you to listen to me. You can't do this. I know you love her and you miss her, but this is wrong. And I'm sure, on some level, it's illegal. You're not only lying to an agency; you would be lying to some woman out there who is choosing to hand over her baby to a couple she believes is together. She's trusting a piece of herself to your care. And it's all based on lies. I need you to tell me you're not going to go along with this."

I shrugged him off as my anger rose. He might be proposing later tonight, but he couldn't begin to understand the depth of my devotion to my wife, even if our marriage was over.

"Not even six months ago, I told you if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't have let her go. So, what am I supposed to say? Sorry, you're on your own? Watch on as her dreams are crushed once again at my hand? I couldn't give her a baby the first time, so this is my chance to make things right."

Maddox ran a hand through his dark, styled hair. "Look, I get it. But I don't think you've thought this through. Think of the innocent lives that will be impacted, not just Evie. You have to take a step back and look at the bigger picture here. This has disaster written all over it."

I slammed my glass down on the bar. "Do you have any idea what it feels like to have your heart stop beating? Because I do."

"Jenner." Maddox sighed.

"No! The minute I saw her yesterday, it was like I was shocked back to life. And I'll be damned if I go back to the way I was living before."

Before he could respond, a tiny, manicured hand slipped over his shoulder before his girlfriend, Bristol—who also served as a reporter for the Speed—came into view. The tension left Maddox's body instantly, and his face lit up with a smile at the sight of the woman he loved—the woman he was set to propose to within the hour.

She tucked herself into his side, and he dropped a kiss against her red hair.

Maddox was completely gone for her, and I couldn't deny they fit perfectly together, even if I hadn't been the biggest fan of their relationship at the start. I had been worried about my best friend's career if he was caught screwing around with one of the few female reporters traveling with the team. He was new to his position, so it would have been easy for the press to turn it into some kind of sexual harassment buzz piece.

He asked Bristol, "Having fun?"

Her pale skin was flushed, coated in a sheen of sweat from the humid summer air. At least someone was having fun tonight.

She batted her big, blue eyes at Maddox. "I wanna dance. What kind of sexual favors do I have to promise to make that happen?"

"Love." I scoffed, turning back to my drink. Then, thoughts of Evie and how we used to be as happy as my best friend and his girl hit me, and I let out a sound that could rival that of a wounded animal.

Maddox's chuckle reached my ears, but it was Bristol who spoke next. "What's his deal?"

I wasn't in any mood to rehash my life's messy turn of events.

Apparently, Maddox had no qualms about airing my dirty laundry. "Oh, nothing much. His wife showed up on his doorstep yesterday."

Bristol's gasp proved that Maddox had never divulged the details of my private life with his girlfriend. That was only a small comfort, knowing that over the next few months, everyone would be asking questions. Evie's reappearance wouldn't go unnoticed, especially if we were expected to act as if we were still a happily married couple.

Her voice was high-pitched in her disbelief. "You're married? Where has she been all this time?"

"Oklahoma," I grunted, tossing back the rest of my whiskey before holding up my empty glass for the second time in less than half an hour.

"Does she work there?" I should have known giving a reporter the bare minimum would have her digging for more information. It was in her nature.

"Hell if I know," I grumbled. "Haven't spoken to her in the four years since she walked out."

The bartender returned with my refill, and I gratefully accepted as he mouthed, Last one .

I took a sip of the amber liquid, letting it scorch a path down my throat.

Having been frozen in time since Evie left, my senses were suddenly in overdrive now that she was back. Smells, tastes, hell, even the lavender color of Bristol's bridesmaid dress seemed more vivid. It was borderline overwhelming, and the incessant questions were giving me a headache.

The lovebirds whispered to each other for a minute before Maddox said loud enough to be heard, "Jenner's got a bleeding heart. And Evie knows that, or she wouldn't have come back, begging for his help. Even though I think it's a really bad idea."

The reality of what I was about to do hit me at his words.

This, pretending to be married to adopt a baby, could all blow up in Evie's face. And I'd have the worst seat in the house, front and center, as her hopes were dashed once again. Maddox was right; this might be wrong, but I couldn't stand idly by when the woman I loved was so desperate that she'd swallowed her pride and begged for my help after all this time.

I was doing this, with or without his blessing.

Bristol asked, "What kind of help?"

Now wasn't the time. Tonight was not only a big night for Braxton and Dakota, who had gotten married. It would be a lifetime memory for Maddox and Bristol once he popped the question. My drama could wait until after I got a few things straight with Evie.

"Take your girl for a dance. Enjoy being in love, and let me be. You're not going to change my mind." It was a clear dismissal, and my best friend was smart enough to realize it, grunting as he stood, ushering his girl toward the dance floor.

I savored my final drink of the night, mind firmly focused on the possibility of winning Evie back.

The thing that tore us apart might very well be the same one that brought us back together.