Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Brooke
As I exited the arena, I quickly hailed a cab and shut the door as Logan hobbled out.
The cab pulled away before he could stop it.
I couldn’t bring myself to look at him, so I closed my eyes and let my heart break for what I said to him.
Was I upset about what he said to me? No.
I knew he didn’t mean it, but I had to let him believe that it hurt me more than anything.
I had to break him for him to realize what he was giving up.
The cab pulled up to Logan’s apartment building, and I asked him to wait a few minutes.
My phone was going off like crazy with calls and text messages from Logan.
I didn’t have time to waste. I unlocked the door to his apartment, grabbed my suitcase, and flew back down to where the cab was waiting for me.
“Where to, lady?” he asked.
“Just drive until I figure it out.”
I opened up my contacts on my phone and dialed Brandon.
“Hello.”
“It’s Brooke. We need to talk, and I need a place to stay for a while.”
“What happened?”
“I’ll explain when I get to your house. Are you home?”
“I was just getting ready to leave for the office, but I can wait. It sounds urgent.”
“It is, and if Logan calls you, you haven’t heard from me. Got it?”
“Yeah. Brooke, what the hell is going on?”
“I’ll tell you when I get there.”
When I reached Brandon’s penthouse, he opened the door and immediately took my suitcase from me.
“What is going on?” he asked.
“Logan and I had a huge fight, and I left him.”
“What?! What did you fight about?”
“That’s not important. What is important is that I need to stay away from him until he’s back in the games.”
“Why?”
“Because he thinks he doesn’t want to play hockey anymore. He’s afraid of failure and letting everyone down by not being able to play like he used to. What’s the one thing that always pushed him to be better?”
Brandon stared at me for a moment.
“Well, I know that he always took his anger out on the ice regarding our dad.”
“Exactly, and he needs to feel that anger again, only this time towards me. If I stick around, he won’t try as hard, and it would be easy for him to give up. His anger is what fuels him on the ice.”
“Ah. I see where you’re going with this. But you do realize that he’ll be heartbroken. I know he loves you.”
“And I love him too. That’s why I have to do this. He needs to think that I went back to California. So please, don’t let him know that I’m staying in New York.”
“I won’t. If you think this is what’s best for him, I won’t screw it up. You’re more than welcome to stay here.”
“Thanks, Brandon. I appreciate it.”
Logan
Opening the front door, I called out for Brooke. She wasn’t answering her phone or my text messages. Walking into the bedroom, I noticed her suitcase was gone.
“Fuck!” I yelled as I placed my hands on my head.
Sitting down on the edge of the bed, I cupped my face in my hands. I blew it. I said some awful things to her and pushed her out of my life. Things I didn’t mean. Things I wished I could take back, but it was too late. I picked up my phone and sent her another message.
“Brooke, please, baby. I’m so sorry. I need you to forgive me and come back.”
I waited for a response, but one never came. I dialed Brandon.
“Hey, Logan. What’s up?”
“Have you heard from Brooke, by chance?”
“No. Why?”
“She’s gone, bro.”
“What do you mean she’s gone?”
“I said some horrible things to her at the arena, and she took off. When I got back to the apartment, her suitcase was gone.”
“I’m sure she’ll be back. Maybe she needs some time to cool off. Don’t worry about it. Listen, I have to go. Owen and I will stop by later tonight to hit the bar and talk over a few drinks.”
“Okay. I’ll see you later.”
Damn, my leg was hurting. Lying back on my bed, I placed my hands behind my head and looked up at the ceiling.
Anger had consumed me, and I never should have said those things to her.
I loved her. I was crazy about her, and the fact that she left hurt like hell.
A hurt worse than anything I’d ever experienced.
Closing my eyes, I fell asleep and woke up to my brothers standing over me.
“What the fuck?”
“Get up, bro. We have some drinking to do.” Owen smiled.
“You okay, Logan?” Brandon asked.
“No. Actually, I’m not.” I climbed off the bed and went into the bathroom.
“What did you say to her that was so bad you made her leave?” Owen shouted from the bedroom.
“I told her that she wanted to be the hero that put me back on the ice.” I walked into my closet to change.
“Ouch. Dude. What the fuck were you thinking?”
“I didn’t mean it. I was just so mad. And then she said something about Lina. Did either one of you tell her that I fucked her?”
“No,” they both answered.
“Are you sure?” I poked my head out of the closet.
“Dude, why the fuck would we tell your girlfriend that?” Owen frowned.
“Did something happen between you and Lina last night?” Brandon glared at me.
“Sort of. I mean, it was her, not me. I walked her to her car, and she kissed me. I didn’t kiss her back.”
“Do you think Brooke saw?” Brandon asked.
“Yeah. I do,” Owen chimed in.
After pulling my shirt over my head, I stepped out of the closet and glared at him.
“Why do you think that?”
“She asked where you were, and I told her you just walked outside with Lina, and she went out there. When she came back in, I noticed a strange look on her face before I asked her if she found you.”
“FUCK! I knew it. She had an attitude all night with me. I tried to have sex with her, and she said no.”
“Shit, bro. Come on. There’s a whole lot of drinking to be done.” Owen hooked his arm around me.
Opening my eyes, I placed my hand over my pounding head. I was hung over. The last thing I remembered was some girl hanging all over me and Brandon telling her to get lost.
“You’re up.” Owen smiled as he walked into my room with a cup of coffee.
“Barely,” I moaned. “Why aren’t you hung over?”
“I stopped drinking pretty early, but you were already too wasted to remember, and by the way, I didn’t dig that pussy remark you threw at me.”
“Sorry, bro. I don’t remember. I just wanted to forget everything.”
“I know, and I’m sorry about what happened between you and Brooke. But if you want my advice,” he sat down on the edge of the bed, “don’t give up on her just yet. She’ll come around. She’s hurting right now and needs time to put things into perspective.”
“I love her, man. I love her so much that it hurts. I can’t explain it, but I feel empty inside. I’ve never felt like this before over a girl. It’s like she made me whole. I thought hockey was the only thing that could make me feel that way, but I was wrong. I was never whole until I met her.”
“That’s some pretty deep shit right there.” Owen smiled. “Listen, I gotta go. I have training, hence the reason I stopped drinking last night. I need a clear head today.”
“Thanks for the coffee.”
“No problem, bro. You know I’m always here for you. Why don’t you go hit the ice? You know that always makes you feel better.”
“Not this time, Owen.”
He sighed as he got up from the edge of the bed. “I’ll call you later.”
The emptiness I felt in my heart was unbearable. The accident, hockey, my leg, and all the pain were nothing compared to the ache I felt now without Brooke here.