Destiny on Ice (Boys of Winter #1)(70)

“I wish.” I sigh. “But the new contract with that addendum is pretty much airtight.”

“Yes, but…”

“What?”

Lainey taps her finger to her chin. I’ve seen that look before; she’s trying to find a way around this for me. “You mentioned that you only had to sign the addendum that day, right? The rest of the contract was just a copy of the original, not technically ‘new.’”

“Right.”

“Well, I happened to take a class in contract law this past semester. I took it as a business elective, thinking it’d be a breeze, but it was actually kind of tough. Anyway, the professor was super thorough.”

Lainey falls silent, and I have to prompt, “Okay? So how does your difficult class help with my situation?”

“Well, one of the things we studied was exactly what you said you signed. An addendum, right?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Did their representative sign it, as well?” Lainey asks, wheels clearly turning.

I try to recall. “Hmm, come to think of it, I don’t remember seeing Mr. Dolby sign anything that day.”

“You should take a look at the paperwork, Aubrey. Our professor was clear that if an addendum isn’t signed by both parties it’s not enforceable. Everything reverts back to just the original contract.”

I jump up from the sofa. “Shit, Lainey. We have to find that addendum, like, right now. And not the digital one they e-mailed me. That’s just a copy from before we signed. I need to find the original from that day.”

“I’ll help you look for it,” she says, standing. “Just point me in the right direction.”

I stand up, bite my lip and glance around the room. “Where did I last see the damn thing? I think I saw it lying somewhere just the other day. I’ve been so damn disorganized lately. But the good news is I’m sure it’s somewhere in this place.”

I’m all set to begin the search, and so is Lainey, but just then the doorbell rings.

“Expecting someone?” she says.

I shake my head. “No.”

Since I’m just standing there like a goober, my thoughts on the contract and where it might be, my sister says, “Don’t worry, I’ll get it.”

When she opens the door, I can only see her. Part of a wall blocks the rest of my view, including who’s at the door.

“Who is it?” I yell when she continues to murmur with whoever is on the other side. If it’s a cute door-to-door sales guy who has pulled her attention away from our task, she’s never going to hear the end of it.

I start over to her. “Come on, Lainey. You can flirt with men at your own damn pl—”

I’m silenced when the guy she’s talking to walks in. “Hey, Aubrey.”

“Brent?” He’s as hot as ever, but his expression is oh-so-broken. “What’s wrong?” I ask, suddenly scared for him.

With a raw pleading in his voice, the likes of which I’ve never heard, he rasps, “I know I shouldn’t be here, and I know I have no right to ask anything of you. But damn it, I need you, babe.”





F*ck the Stupid Contract





I need her, and I’m not afraid to admit it. My dad’s life is on the line. Fuck the stupid contract.

Maybe Aubrey feels the same way, seeing as her sister seems to know who I am when she opens the door. On a side note, damn, she looks so much like Aubrey.

It’s a little odd, though, when she calls me “Sunflower Eyes” and not Brent.

Where the f*ck did that come from?

She holds my gaze, staring deeply into my eyes, and then says, “Hmm, Aubrey is right. They are more of a whiskey shade.”

Alrighty then. Aubrey’s sister is obviously as quirky as Aubrey described her. She would be a great match for Benny. Or maybe she’d actually be a better fit with Nolan. God knows he needs someone to lighten his ass up. Plus, they have the sex toy connection, as in they both love them.

Oh well, too bad I’m not here for something as simple and lighthearted as matchmaking.

I step inside just as I see Aubrey coming to the door. My whole world stops. “Hey, Aubrey,” I so eloquently say.

“Brent?” she replies. “What’s wrong?”

“I know I shouldn’t be here, and I know I have no right to ask anything of you. But damn it, I need you, babe.”

I take a tentative step toward the woman I love and have missed like nobody’s business. “Did you hear what I just said?”

She looks at me, tears forming in her eyes, as she replies, “Yes. I heard you.”

“It’s my dad,” I go on, choking up. “He had a heart attack, Aubrey.”

“Oh my God, Brent—”

“He’s in a hospital right now, up in Minneapolis. He needs surgery, Aubs. They scheduled him in for the morning after tomorrow.” She closes her eyes, and I continue. “I’m not afraid to admit that I’m scared as hell. Please, babe, please come back with me to Minnesota.”

Opening her eyes and holding my gaze, she says, “Of course I’ll go back with you.”

“Thank you,” I murmur.

We take each other in for this one long moment, and then we fall into each other’s arms.