“No arguments. Right now, you’re surrounded by family, and that’s the way it’s going to continue.”
I puff out a breath, staring down at her in complete amazement.
She doesn’t even know the story. Hell, she barely even knows me.
There’s a lost little boy inside me who is shouting and screaming in delight that someone is going out on a whim for him. The problem is, that little boy has trusted others before and been burned over and over.
The man who has taken his place is much more guarded. Much more cynical.
He’s lived through the pain of being abandoned. Of having no one to rely on. No one to help when things got hard.
And he has one question …
For how long?
Saying those words is easy. I’ve heard a million variations of them over the years. But they’ve never stuck.
Everyone always leaves.
20
FREYA
The dark look in Cole’s eyes haunted me all night.
I’d never felt so stupid.
It was only in that moment that I really registered that he’d never mentioned a single family member to me in the time we’d been working together.
I may be keeping some truths hidden, but I’ve been open and vocal about my parents.
Realizing that he’d never said a single word about a person other than his current teammates and their significant others was like a physical slap to the face.
Curiosity burned through me, but for once, I managed to keep my mouth shut.
You told him that you’d be there to support him, a little voice reminds me.
It might sound crazy and rash. But I meant it.
Everyone deserves to have someone show up for them and cheer them on, no matter how talented and successful they are.
My body is sluggish with exhaustion. It was late by the time I dragged Dad out of the arena and drove us home.
As I took my makeup off, I thought about Cole’s offer of crashing at his place. I can’t lie; it was appealing as hell. Obviously, I had to bring Dad back, but still.
Driving back into town this morning, those thoughts were still spinning around my head, along with a few others that shouldn’t have been there.
How hot does Cole look when he first wakes up? I bet he has that whole sexy, sleepy, tousled thing going on. During the day he’s a force to be reckoned with. He's huge and rough around the edges, but he’s given me a glimpse of the softness, and now I can’t help but crave more.
Movement deeper in the apartment drags me from my musings, and I focus on the omelets I’m making. I couldn’t decide on the filling, so I’m doing a mix.
“Smells incredible as always,” he says, his voice deep and raspy.
Shifting a little, I look over my shoulder to find him sauntering my way wearing a gray Vipers T-shirt, a pair of athletic shorts, and his hair still wet from the shower. Something tells me he smells way better than anything I could be cooking right now.
“I hope you’re hungry,” I tease as I slide half of the first omelet onto his plate. I cut it in half again, and pop a quarter onto my own. I might love an omelet, but there is no way I can eat as much as a professional hockey player can. I follow it up with the second and third options.
“Whoa,” Cole gasps when I slide his plate over.
