Double Coverage (42 page)

Mason: Meet me at my place in twenty minutes, please. I need you…badly.

Mason had never changed and showered so fast in his life. He passed up any sort of interview and ignored all the guys on his team. He had one thing on his mind and it was to get home, to release the pain he was feeling.

***

“Put the dirty trays over there,” Hannah said to the new girl, who had just started at the bar. Hannah couldn’t help but stare at the girl. She had a slight Italian accent, long brown hair, dark eyes and a beauty mark right under her right eye. She was gorgeous and would sweep any man off his feet.

She was going to school abroad and needed a part time job. Their boss was paying her under the table, so she wouldn’t have to deal with the hassle of a green card or turning in her student visa. Hannah knew it wasn’t right, but then again, she wasn’t there to judge. The girl just needed some extra cash while she was studying her last year.

“Perfect, Leela. You’re doing great for your first night.”

“Well you’re a great teacher,” Leela said with a smile. Lord help the men who walked in the bar; they were going to be falling head over heels in love with her.

“See you next Sunday, Hannah.” One of the regulars waved to her as he walked out the door.

The Stallions won their first pre-season game, which was great for the bar because tips went up for her and Leela. No matter if the Stallions won or lost, the bar made great money on Sundays because fans were either drinking away their sorrows from a loss or celebrating a win. Her tips were what suffered when the Stallions lost. Fans seemed to be stingier in the tip department, as if she was the one who had caused the Stallions to lose.

But thankfully, the Stallions won, so she would be going home with a good little chunk of change. The patrons started to fizzle out after the game to get home and get ready for the work week, only a couple of the retired men stayed behind, giving Hannah the perfect time to train Leela.

It was a good thing their boss hired someone part-time because Piper was showing up less and less for work. It was starting to scare Hannah because she knew Piper was a runner. She never really stayed in one place and she could sense that the stress of Mason and Jax was only encouraging her to put her running shoes on and pack her bags.

Hannah didn’t want to lose Piper; she knew they would always stay in contact, but it wouldn’t be like seeing her at the bar almost every night or having their girl time together. No, it would be completely different and Hannah wasn’t ready to say goodbye to the close bond she had formed with Piper. Piper was an amazing outlet to have when it came to Hannah’s relationship with Todd. Piper always listened to Hannah’s complaints about Todd and spent time with her when Hannah was feeling lonely and sad. Who would be there for her if Piper left?

She used to have Ryker, but then she blew that relationship the other night and now that she thought about it, it was probably for the better because things were starting to get a little uncontrollable with him. Hannah found that she was starting to have feelings for Ryker and that wasn’t good for so many reasons. One of them being that he was a lady’s man, another one…well she was in a relationship with someone else, and then there was the fact that Ryker was a famous football player, that was just setting up her heart for failure.

Hannah knew the reason why she blew up at Ryker the other night for having his hands all over Ashlin during the photo shoot. She cared for Ryker. Hannah knew she was overreacting and being crazy, but then again, she couldn’t help herself. Then, when he called her psychotic, she lost it. She didn’t like how Ryker made her react; she never swore or acted out and she did both of those things, acting like some crazy, jealous girlfriend. She was embarrassed and ashamed of herself. Just thinking about the encounter made her ears heat up from embarrassment.

She tried to push the awful memory behind her as she tallied up the night’s tabs. Todd was supposed to be coming back home in two days, so she should think about things she wanted to do with him when he got back. She thought maybe they could go for a hike or maybe rent some kayaks or possibly go camping. The cold weather would be on its way soon, bringing in the leaf changes and brisk air, so she wanted to get in as many outdoor activities as possible. Todd wasn’t much of an outdoorsy kind of guy. He would rather hang out at the pool or ride around on a Segway then trek up a mountain to enjoy a view, but Hannah knew with a little bit of coaxing she would be able to get Todd to strap his hiking boots on.

“Shall I go check the bathrooms for…grime?” Leela asked.

Bless her soul, Hannah thought. “That would be great, thanks. The cleaning supplies are in the closet next to the bathrooms. If you need help, let me know.”

“I’ll be fine, thank you.”

Leela sauntered off and Hannah noticed that all the old men watched Leela sashay her way to the back of the bar to clean the bathrooms. Yup, she was going to be a serious heartbreaker.

Hannah was wiping down the bar when she heard someone clear their throat. Hannah looked up and made eye contact with a beautiful blonde, with blue eyes and a cute little toddler on her hip. Hannah checked the clock and thought that it was a little odd the lady would have her child in a bar at this hour…well, that she would have a child in the bar at all.

“Hi, can I get you something?” Hannah asked, while putting on her best smile.

“Yes, I’m looking for a girl named Hannah?”

The hairs on the back of Hannah’s neck started to tingle, making her feel incredibly uneasy. “Uh, that’s me. What can I do for you?”

“You’re Hannah?” the lady said, while looking her up and down making Hannah feel more exposed than ever.

“Yes. I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

“That’s because I didn’t give it to you,” the lady snapped. Whoa, what was her problem?

“Well, uh, what would you like?”

“Oh, I just wanted to stop by and tell you to stop fucking my husband.”

Hannah’s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets, not just from the brash language the lady used, but from the obnoxious accusation she’d just laid out.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Drop the doe-eyed look, bitch. I know you’ve been screwing my husband for years now. How dare you destroy my family? We have a child together and now that child is going to grow up in a broken home because you couldn’t keep your little pussy inside your pants.”

Hannah was speechless, absolutely speechless. She had no clue what to say. Her stomach was starting to roll and she knew she was going to lose the contents of her very small dinner all over the bar if she didn’t get a handle on her emotions soon.

“I don’t know…”

“Todd, you’re dating Todd, right?”

“Yes…” Hannah drawled out.

“Yeah, Todd is my husband, you dumb whore. Ever wonder why he’s never around? It’s because he has a house, a wife and a two-year-old daughter in New York. Does he always say he’s on business? News flash, on business means he’s home with his family. He does business out in Denver, not in New York.”

Hannah felt her world flip upside down. The room started to turn and she was unable to breathe. Her arms caught the back of the bar as she fell backwards, shaking her head no. There was no way Todd was married…was he? Clues from the past started flashing in front of Hannah. The asinine reasons as to why he was never with her for holidays, his extremely long stays for business, the indent from a ring on his ring finger that he claimed was from his class ring. God, she was a moron…no one wore class rings anymore.

“I didn’t…I don’t…oh my God,” Hannah was speechless.

The lady approached Hannah, so she was inches away from her face, while still holding her child, who must have been asleep on the lady’s shoulder.

Todd’s…wife pushed Hannah up against the bar and got in her face.

“Don’t act all innocent. I am so sick of your little woe-is-me expression. No one can be that stupid.”

“I didn’t know…”

The lady slapped Hannah so hard, Hannah thought her cheek was on the floor somewhere. Hannah’s eyes started to water and she wondered why no one in the bar noticed the crazy blonde with the baby on her hip attacking Hannah.

The lady was just about to slap Hannah again, when her hand was stilled.

“Slap her again and I won’t care that you’re holding a baby. I’ll make sure you regret ever laying a hand on her.”

Ryker.

The lady looked over at Ryker and then back at Hannah. “Stay the fuck away from my husband and out of our lives. I swear to God, if I find out that you’re still fucking him behind my back, you’ll regret the day you ever laid your eyes on him. Todd is mine; he belongs with me and his daughter, in New York where his family is. You are nothing but a two-bit whore that caught his eye. You are nothing to him and you will never be anything to him…or anyone, for that matter.”

The blonde turned on her heels and stormed out of the bar, crashing the door into the wall. Hannah just stood there and stared at the bar exit. She couldn’t believe what just happened. Todd was married? He had a whole other life. Everything he said to her about getting married, loving her and wanting to be with her was all a lie. The last few years of her life had been a big fat lie. Hannah slid down the bar and sat on the floor with her head hanging between her hands. Tears fell from her eyes as she realized that her life as she knew it was over. No longer did she have a fiancé, technically, nor did she have a boyfriend; she was alone in the world.

“Hannah…,” Ryker placed his hand on her shoulder, but she pulled away.

“Don’t touch me,” Hannah said in a nastier tone than she expected.

Ryker stood up, shocked at her tone and looked at her while running his hand over his forehead. She felt bad that she snapped at him, but then again, Ryker was a player, just like Todd. She didn’t want to be near any men right now that could hurt her.

“You know, I’m not the one who lied to you.”

Hannah looked up and she knew fire was burning through her eyes. “You might as well be. You are a player, just like every other guy in this world. You are no better than Todd.”

“Don’t you fucking compare me to that dick weed. You know I’m nothing like him and I’m insulted as hell that you would compare me to such a manipulative ass.”

“Manipulative, isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black?”

“What the fuck does that mean?”

Hannah stood up and got in Ryker’s face. “This whole time, you’ve been manipulating me to like you, to get into your bed by telling me how you are going to marry me one day and how you just can’t live without me, but then you go and run your hands all over another woman’s body…multiple times. You are just as bad as Todd.”

Ryker’s hands flexed at his hips as if he wanted to knock someone’s head off. He blew out a heavy breath and said, “That’s it. That is fucking it. I don’t have to take this shit from you anymore. I can’t believe I’ve lasted this long. I was ready to give you everything, Hannah. I genuinely wanted to be with you, but you clearly have a different opinion of me, an opinion I don’t deserve. I’m out.”

“Fine!” Hannah practically screamed, drawing attention to her and Ryker’s conversation. “Just leave, like every other man in my life.”

Ryker shook his head and left. Hannah fell back down on the bar floor and cried until Leela came over to help her up and out of the bar, so she could go back to her apartment…her very empty apartment.

***

Piper walked back and forth in front of Mason’s door. She knew she shouldn’t be there, but she couldn’t help herself. She had to see Mason. She needed to hear his voice, she needed to hold him.

When Jax came over earlier in the day, Piper was a little shocked to see him. She hadn’t heard from him all week, but then there he was, wearing his worn jeans, a white shirt and his white Nike hat. He looked just as good as the day she first met him and her heart squeezed at the sight of him.

Little did she know he was going to confess his undying love for her and propose. The man actually proposed and she said…yes. It just came out of her mouth, before she could even think about the consequences. The consequences being having to say goodbye to Mason…forever. The minute Jax left her apartment for the stadium, a huge wave of guilt washed over Piper’s body. What the hell was she doing? She couldn’t marry Jax. She loved him, but…she wasn’t in love with him. No, she was right all along when she said her heart belonged to one person and one person only…Mason.

It was going to be okay, she told herself, as she raised her hand to knock on his door. She could do this. She was going to tell him she loved him and he was the one she had chosen, no more games, no more lying. It was over with Jax. She gave him back the ring and now she was going to claim the person who owned her heart.

Sweat trickled down her back as she knocked on the door. It seemed like ages before Mason came to the door. When he opened it, her heart skipped a beat at the sight of him. He was wearing sweatpants…and that was it. His bare chest glistened in the light and it took all of Piper’s energy not to run her hands up and down the expanse of his muscles.

Shock registered across Mason’s face as he took in the sight of Piper standing at his front door.

“What the hell are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be with your fiancé?”