Her face is kind, but her words are tired, worn with exhaustion, and I hate the thought that I’m the reason. I’ll make it up to her, show her my appreciation for the effort she’s putting in right now.
She didn’t have to run to my side on the ice, she didn’t have to put her job at risk by exposing our relationship, but she did. I won’t forget that.
Which is the only reason I won’t fight her on that right now. Her job matters to her, so it certainly matters to me. But we’ll face that battle another day.
I slide my hand in hers, and she helps pull me to my feet.
I adjust my crutches under my arms. “Do you have my keys?”
She smirks, lifting her hand, and the keys jingle. “For your fancy car? Damn right I do.”
I chuckle, finding it fucking incredible that even at this moment, she can still make me laugh. “Oh God, we’d probably be better off with me driving still.”
We start walking toward the elevators, my crutches clicking on the tiles, and Lainey playfully shoves my shoulder, not putting any strength into her push.
“Shut up, you prick. I’m a great driver.”
I side-eye her, remembering all of the times she nearly crashed the car when Luca and I taught her how to drive. “We’ll see.”
She resists a smile, squinting her eyes at me. “Hmm. Do you need me to grab anything else before we leave?”
I shake my head, my face falling as we approach the elevator and Lainey presses the Up button. “No, I’ve got everything.”
“Okay,” she exhales, silence drifting between us as we wait for the lift to arrive.
Her phone rings, cutting through the quiet. She pulls it out and checks it, her eyes bouncing my way before she quickly declines it.
The elevator arrives, and her phone starts ringing again. She huffs out a breath, grabs it, declines the call, turns the sound off, and tucks it back in her pocket. But not before I could read the name on the caller ID—Cole.
“Do you want me to take care of that problem?” I offer genuinely.
She scoffs with a smile. “No, I can handle it myself.” The elevator opens, and I gesture with my crutch for her to go first. “But thank you.”
“Say the word, Lain, and I’ll make sure he doesn’t call you ever again.” I state my intentions more clearly as I follow her into the elevator.
Turning around, she looks up at me, and for some reason, I find pleasure in the fact that I still tower over her when slouched on my crutches.
“I’ll be okay.”
Pressing the button to the parking garage floor, I look back over at her. “Promise to tell me if that changes?”
She smiles softly. “Promise.”
“Promise not to be mad if I handle it anyway?” I test her limits, watching her carefully.
She glares at me. “No. I can fight my own battles.”
“As can I, but, fuck, having you at my side makes it a hell of a lot easier.”
My truthful admission parts her lips, her eyes and shoulders softening in response.
“Fair enough.” Her gaze shifts to the metal doors, avoiding mine altogether. “Do you want me to pick up food on the way?”
Digging into my pocket, I look for my phone, but find my pocket empty. Oh, that’s right; she has it.
“No, I’ll order something in for us; don’t worry. I’ll look when we get in the car.”
The elevator doors open, and I lead the way through the arena and out into the parking lot, having to take occasional short breaks to give my arms a rest from swinging my body weight around like a circus trick.
