Face-Off at the Altar Read online

  He glared, tipping his head back as he held his nose. “No, and this isn’t your cabin. It’s mine.”

  Flabbergasted, Mekena threw her hands up. How could she even still be in love with this alcoholic? “God, you are drunk! Always drunk, you should get help. But till then, go to your cabin. This is mine.”

  “For the third time, this is my cabin. See? There’s my stuff,” he said, catching the blood that was falling from his nose before nodding his head to the items by the door. Walking past her as she stood there with her mouth hanging open, he returned with a towel, holding his nose. “Also, I’m not drunk. I’m not always drunk!”

  “No? Weren’t you drunk when you fucked my sister?”

  Rolling his eyes, he ignored her comment. “This is obviously a mistake. Hold on, I’m calling Jace.”

  “Obviously,” she spat back, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked to the ground, her heart throbbing while he made the call. He was only two feet away from her at most. With every move he made repositioning his towel, she got a whiff of his intoxicating cologne, and it wasn’t fair. He smelled so good, almost hallucinogenic, but she wouldn’t let that distract her. She was supposed to hate this guy. She was supposed to be happy he was bleeding from the awesome swing of her umbrella. But instead, she felt guilty.

  “Are you okay?” she found herself asking, but it came out sharp. Good. She wanted that.

  Nodding his head, he flashed her a smile. “I’ve had worse done to me, and don’t be gloating to everyone that you broke my nose. I’m gonna say I got hit on the ice. Can’t let the world know I got taken out by a five-foot-nothing ball of intelligence.”

  He said it as a joke, but she knew he meant the compliment. “Should you go to the hospital?”

  “Eh, nah, I’m okay,” he said just as the doorway was filled with Benji and Jace.

  “What in the world?” Jace asked, taking in the scene, but Markus waved him off.

  “It’s fine, I fell,” he said very slowly before looking back at Mekena, his eyes full of playfulness, something she loved with all her soul. He was a natural jokester. He was always full of smiles and quick quips. He always made her smile and laugh until her gut hurt. She missed that. She missed him.

  But she was supposed to hate him!

  As her eyes narrowed, she almost gave him up. But for some reason, she held back as he turned to Jace. “Now what’s going on?”

  “So there was a mix-up,” Benji said, and Markus let out a long sigh.

  “Thank you, Captain Obvious, tell us more.”

  Benji glared as Jace laughed, though neither Markus nor Mekena found it funny. “Anyway, I put Mekena here ’cause I thought it was open, and you weren’t supposed to be here until Friday. That would have put you in the hotel, but they have no openings until Friday, so we are kinda in a pickle for the next four days.”

  Silence fell over everyone in the cabin, and Mekena’s heart still hadn’t calmed. She wasn’t going back to her mom’s, and she knew there were no other hotels that would take cats. She had already called before she took Avery and Jace up on staying in the cabin. No, Markus could go to the hotel.

  But he, apparently, didn’t think the same. “Okay, well, it’s a two-bedroom. We’ll be fine for the next few days.”

  She almost laughed. “Are you insane? I’m not sharing this cabin with you!”

  “Why? It’s two bedrooms on two sides of the cabin. We’ll share the living room and kitchen, and if that’s such a problem, I’ll eat and watch Netflix in my room.”

  “No! I don’t want to be anywhere near you,” she yelled and he scoffed.

  “Then pack your shit up, ’cause I’m not going anywhere. I was here first.”

  “What are you, two? I can’t share this cabin with you!”

  “Why? We are adults.”

  “You know why!” she yelled back, and he rolled his eyes, lowering the towel. His nose was cocked to the side a bit and already swelling up. Wow, she couldn’t wait to get the pictures back with him in them.

  “Damn, dude, your nose is fucked,” Jace said, and Markus glared.

  “Shut it, dude,” he snapped back before turning to Mekena. “Look, I’m not going anywhere. Either you can put aside our issues and stay here, or you can go.”

  “Put aside our issues? I guess, when you’re the one who cheated, it’s easier to do. But being the one who was cheated on, it’s not that easy, thank you very much!”

  “You know nothing, Mekena. You don’t know what I’m feeling. But instead of throwing you out since I was here first, I’m trying to be civil. Meet me halfway because I’m not doing this in front of my friends. So either go or stay, I don’t care.”

  “Oh, please, don’t stop for us. Is there any popcorn here?” Jace asked, but both of them ignored him, their eyes locked together as they glared.

  But even with Markus’s anger, she could see the hurt in his eyes. It made no sense. He hurt her, not the other way around. Almost coming out of her skin, she yelled, “Of course, you don’t. You don’t care about anyone but your fucking self and your dick!”

  “I don’t think they have popcorn. Maybe we should go,” Benji suggested and Jace laughed.

  “Whatever, I’m not going anywhere,” Jace cheered. She was really beginning to hate that guy.

  “Again, you have no clue what you are talking about, but one thing is for sure, I’m not going anywhere. For one, I can’t afford to, and two, I am riding with Jayden into the city for practice the next couple mornings since I don’t have a car, not that you care.”

  Of course, she didn’t care, but why couldn’t he afford to? He was a hockey player. What the hell?

  “Why the hell would I care? I care nothing about you.”

  “Duly noted, sweetheart,” he said, and God, he was so sad about it.

  Sweetheart! Ah, how dare he! He knew what that word did to her. How it rattled her soul and made her dumb on the spot. He was messing with her feelings, making her head spin, and as much as she wanted to break his nose to the other side, she also wanted to wrap her arms around him and comfort him. He looked like a dog that had been kicked around.

  By her.

  “Don’t call me sweetheart,” she yelled, turning on her heel and stomping to her room, now the one acting like a two-year-old.

  As she slammed the door, Mr. Right looked up. When he saw it was her and that she didn’t have treats, he laid his head back down. Roaring with anger, she stomped through the room because there was no way she was staying there, nor was she going to her mother’s. Reaching for her phone, she called every hotel around them again, hoping to God someone would take pity on her and take her cat. She even offered a pet deposit, but no one would take her in. She considered just taking him and hoping she wouldn’t be caught, but what if she did and she was sued? Or kicked out! What if they took Mr. Right from her?

  Ugh, what was she going to do?

  Dialing Libby’s number, she waited for her to answer. “Hey.”

  “Hey, so there was a mistake, and now I’m sharing a cabin with Markus.”

  Libby let out a laugh. “You’re kidding.”

  “I wish I were,” she moaned, not finding this the least bit funny. “I can’t find a hotel that will take me and Mr. Right, and I am not coming back to Mom’s, so I have no clue what I’m going to do.”

  “Drop Fatty here and go to a hotel if it’s that big of a deal.”

  “That big of a deal? Libby! He cheated on me.”

  “I know, and I gave you a solution. What’s the problem?”

  “The problem is you downplaying what he did!”

  “I am not.” Libby fought back. “I’m giving you a solution to your problem, that’s all. I hate the guy for what he did.”

  “Ugh! I’m sorry, I’m freaking out,” she said, pressing her face into her hands. “He makes me crazy.”

  “I know, honey.”

  “I broke his nose.”

  “Good Lord, girl, you and your angry streak are sca