Chapter Sixteen

Zoey

"Hey, you." I hear Liam's familiar voice coming from the entrance to the warming room.

I realize that even with all the people I know below, including my sister and parents skating on the ice, Brent is the only one I'm watching.

I whip my head over to see Liam walk through the large archway of the warming room and head toward me.

I shift out of the comfy brown leather chair that practically groans when I stand.

The electric fireplace across the room in the corner crackles and hisses in the background.

"Hi," I say back, looking slightly behind him for Shelby, but she's not there.

"You okay? I saw you almost fall out there. I was concerned about you and thought I should check to make sure you're alright," he says, taking the last few steps to be right in front of me.

I actually didn't fall, but the fact that he wants to check on me gives me some hope.

He reaches out a hand and runs it down my arm.

I feel the tingle of where his fingers touch me.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I tell him with a smile, shifting my weight from one foot to the other.

"How is Shelby feeling this morning?" I ask since he said she wasn't feeling well last night.

And to remind him that there is a barrier between us being together. A barrier he put there.

"She's fine. She's out skating," he says, disregarding her immediately.

"Listen, about last night, I'm sorry I left like that. Seeing all of Brent's stuff in your room is hard for me."

I want to remind him that he stole my room and put his new fiancée in it, but I don't want to start a fight.

"And how do you think I felt when I found out your plus one for my sister's wedding is the woman you left me for?"

"I regret how I handled our breakup every single day, but this isn't about us. It's about you and Brent. He's not good for you."

He regrets how he broke it off? Or does he regret breaking it off at all? I could use some clarification.

"Hold on, what do you regret?" I ask, my eyebrows knitting together.

I step into him to hear him explain what he means.

He said that part way too fast, and I need him to back up and explain.

Before he can answer, I hear Brent's voice echo against the walls. "Everything okay in here?"

I look over Liam's shoulder to see Brent enter the room. He looks almost seven feet tall with those skates on. His eyes slit with distrust toward the back of Liam's head as he walks in, looking like the menacing left-wing defense that he is on the ice, even without his pads and jersey on.

"It's fine," I tell Brent quickly, racing up a hand almost to stop him from coming any closer.

Liam was just about to explain what the heck "I regret it every day" meant, and I'd like to hear it. After all, isn't this why Brent's helping me? To help me make Liam jealous?

"Yeah, Brent." Liam narrows his eyes on Brent in return. "We're just talking. What… you don't trust me with your girlfriend?"

I don't like the way Liam said that. Mostly because I can see on Brent's face he doesn't like the challenge in Liam's voice.

Liam might have been in his fair share of fights on the ice back in his days as a hockey player, but Brent gets paid millions to get in fights regularly throughout the season. It wouldn't be a fair fight, and no matter what Liam did, I don't want to see him get hurt.

"No, I don't trust you with my girlfriend. Would you?" Brent asks, taking another step toward us, his eyes darkening toward Liam.

If Brent has old history to dish out with him, he can do it on his own time.

"Brent, can we just have a minute? Please?" I ask, but I'm not asking… not really.

He's agreed to help me with this, whether he likes it or not.

At the very least, I deserve closure.

Then Phoebe walks up the stairs and sees us. She's back in civilian shoes, so our skating time slot must be over.

"What's going on here?" she asks. "Trying to waste more of my sister's time, Liam?"

"I was only checking to make sure she was okay," he says, with a sharp edge to his tone. "Whatever. This isn't worth it, and I have Shelby to get back to."

His words cut me again. This isn't worth it . As if I'm not worth it.

Liam storms out of the room and heads back downstairs.

Brent and Phoebe stare back at me for a minute until Phoebe speaks.

"Time's up, and a new group is coming in. We have to go."

"Okay," I tell her.

She gives me a guarded smile that, in sister lingo, means… "You bet your ass we're talking about this when no one else is around."

"I'll see you downstairs," Brent says, a hesitation in his voice like maybe he wants to say more, but he doesn't.