Coldhearted Heir (The Heirs 1)

Jase lets out a holler, thrusting his fist into the air. “Yasssss!” Then he pats Hunter on the shoulder and holds out his hand. “Pay up.”

Hunter pulls his wallet from his pocket and retrieves a couple of dollars. Shoving it in Jase’s hand, he grumbles, “That was all luck.”

I do my best to not make eye contact with Hunter and instead glance at the TV screen.

Seeing that they’re watching reruns of Jeopardy, I ask, “What are you betting on?”

Jase grins at me. “Who will win. Hunter keeps losing.”

I nod as I say, “If you see Mila, will you tell her I’m at the library? She’s waiting for a book to be returned. If she wants me to check, she can shoot me a message.”

“Why don’t you just call her?” Jase asks while he tucks his winnings in his pocket.

“She’s in class at the moment, but I did send her a text.” Walking to the front door, I wave without looking at the guys in fear that I’ll accidentally lock eyes with Hunter. “See you later.” Slipping out of the suite, I let out a deep breath.

“That wasn’t awkward at all,” I mumble to myself as I walk to the elevator. Knowing I won’t have to see Hunter for as long as I’m at the library, the tension eases out of my body.

I know at some point I’ll have to face the fact we kissed, but if I have my way, it won’t be happening anytime soon.

I walk out the building, and while glancing around, I turn toward the Library. It’s a beautiful day out, and there’s even a breeze in the air to help keep the heat at bay. Walking through the park, I take my time, so I can enjoy being outside and because I’m in no hurry to go back to the suite.

After getting the book, I’ll head over to the restaurant for an early dinner, and then I can take a walk down one of the trails. That will buy me a couple of hours.

Trying to come up with things I can do so I don’t have to see Hunter for the rest of the day, surprise ripples through me when someone grabs hold of my arm. “Jade.”

My eyes dart to the face of the person talking to me, and then recognition dawns on me. “Colton.” My voice is high-pitched with shock. Even though he agreed to meet, I didn’t actually expect him to show up. “You came.” I don’t mean for it to sound like a question, but I’m filled with disbelief that Colton’s standing in front of me after all this time.

Colton leans in and gives me a hug, and when he pulls back, he says, “Yeah, I was on my way to your dorm. I’m sorry I didn’t contact you sooner.”

“I tried to call you after the funeral,” I say, a nostalgic pang hitting me square in the chest. Looking at Colton, I catch glimpses of Brady’s face, and it only makes sadness bleed through me. I was starting to forget what Brady looked like, and I didn’t even notice.

Glancing around, I spot a bench, and I gesture toward it. “Let’s go sit.”

Reaching the bench, I take a seat and wait for Colton to do the same before I ask, “How have you been? How are your parents?” I keep staring at the likeness of Brady I see in Colton’s features.

“My mom’s getting there. Brady’s death hit her hard. At first, she was focused on getting us settled in the new house, but then she slipped into a deep depression.” he says, sorrow tainting his voice. “The only good thing that happened the past two years is that my mom finally divorced that asshole excuse for a father we had. Your friend, Fallon, said you wanted to know what happened the night Brady passed?”

“Oh, I’m sorry your parents got divorced.” Hearing how hard things have been for the Lawsons, makes me feel guilty for not trying harder to reach out to them. They suffered a tragic loss as well. “I didn’t want to ask you any questions at the funeral, and a couple of weeks afterward, I couldn’t get a hold of you,” I explain my silence even though it now just feels like a selfish excuse.

Colton takes a deep breath and sadness trembles in his eyes. “We changed our numbers when we cut all contact with my father.” He shakes his head and resting his elbows on his knees, he stares down at his hands.

I can see this is hard for Colton, and I don’t want to push him for answers, so I sit patiently by his side and wait for him to open up to me about the happenings of that night.

After a long moment of silence, Colton shakes his head. “I should’ve protected Brady more. It’s just… I was so fucking tired myself.”