Read Break Away (The Baltimore Banners Book 5) for Free Online Page B

and looked away, mumbling something he couldn't quite catch. That was when he realized she had been speaking the entire time.
    And he hadn't heard a word.
    He lifted the cup to his mouth and took a sip, the coffee barely lukewarm now. Should he ask her to repeat herself? Or would that be admitting he had been so preoccupied that he hadn't heard her in the first place? He had just decided to hell with it and was ready to ask her to repeat whatever she had said when she spoke again. The words were soft, so soft only he could hear, but her voice was harsh.
    "You need to leave, Jean-Pierre."
    His name rolled like sweet honey from her mouth, despite the harshness of her voice. His heart skipped, one painful beat, at hearing it. He had forgotten how soft her voice was, forgotten how just his name on her lips could heat his blood. Five years had gone by, but his reaction was the same.
    No. His reaction was even more intense than it had been all those years ago.
    Then he cursed himself for being a fool, for acting like a lovesick little boy eager for the tiniest shred of attention. Grown men didn't act that way. Grown men didn't turn into putty at the sound of their names.
    That didn't mean he was going to leave. He took another swallow of coffee and stared straight ahead, pretending he hadn't heard Emily. She sighed, a long exhale of frustration. No doubt ready to ask him to leave again.
    "Taylor's parents. They are not here?"
    Was it his imagination, or did Emily stiffen even more beside him? No, it wasn't his imagination. He risked a glance in her direction and was surprised to see her jaw clenched. Then she sighed again, her body deflating. She looked down at the cup in her hands, almost as if she was trying to decide what to tell him.
    "Taylor's parents are divorced."
    JP nodded but didn't say anything. It happened, of course. Too often, he thought. People jumped into relationships without thinking things through. No wonder so many got divorced. That was just one of the reasons he, himself, stayed away from relationships. It was much easier to bounce from fling to fling. No commitments, no worries.
    A small voice somewhere in the back of his head laughed at him, calling him a liar. He squirmed on the bench and pushed the voice and the thoughts away. Certainly they weren't the right kind of thoughts to be having as he sat here next to Emily, trying to—
    Trying to what? He realized he didn't know what he was trying to do. It was just after seven in the morning, a rare off day. So why was he here? What was he trying to do?
    He didn't like the direction those questions were leading him so he pushed them to the back of his mind as well. Better to focus on something simple, mundane.
    "Do they not come to the games? Taylor's parents?"
    "No." Emily took a deep breath and looked over at him, just a quick glance. "Taylor's dad is...well, let's just say things didn't end well and that it's been a rough few years. Taylor doesn’t have much contact with him."
    JP nodded but said nothing. What kind of man would abandon his own child? Something icy trailed a scratchy path along his spine, something almost like guilt. No, this wasn't the same. Not even close. JP swallowed and looked over at Emily again, almost expecting her to look at him in accusation. But her focus was on the game.
    "And her mom?"
    "Monica is a nurse. She works a lot of nights and overtime. She was going to come this morning but ended up working late last night."
    "So you take care of your niece?"
    This time Emily turned, a frown on her face as fire flashed in the depths of her eyes. "What do you want JP? Why all the questions? Why the sudden interest?"
    "I’m only making conversation."
    "Really? You expect me to believe that? Why are you even here?"
    "I—" JP paused, his attention darting to the ice. He stood up, then reached down to pull Emily to her feet as Taylor made a breakaway and headed straight for the net. She stopped just in front of the net, pulled back with