“It’s what friends do, look out for each other. I wanted to remind you to think about the risk in conjunction with…the big picture. Apparently, you have.” He nods and reaches for the book that’s been sitting on his lap unopened.
Have I thought about the big picture?
Not really.
I’m focused on right now because there isn’t going to be a big picture if I get traded again or, God forbid, sent back down to the minors.
I can’t take care of either of us if the latter happens, so short-term, my focus has to be on hockey.
We’ll worry about the big picture later. Maybe when she graduates and the season is over.
We can hang on and keep things quiet until then, right?
I really fucking hope so.
Chapter
Twenty-Four
Jayne
My mother used to say that everything happens for a reason. Whether they’re good things or bad things, everything in life has a purpose. I’m not sure I believe that, at least not most of the time, but finding out that Lindy had a pageant in Las Vegas the same weekend the Thunder was playing there…well, that had to be some kind of kismet.
It was a last-minute thing, because Lourdes and I had to talk my father into covering the substantial expenses, but once he said yes it was a matter of scrambling to pack, get time off from the library, book flights and hotel rooms, and then figure out how I’m going to spend time with Bodi. He was stoked and immediately came up with a plan—I’d get friendly with and spend time with his sister, Billie.
I’m a little nervous about that, but not really, because he swears I’m going to love her and that she can’t wait to meet me.
My main concern at the moment is the letter I slipped into Bodi’s backpack before he left on this trip. It’s the second oneand he was really sweet about the first but baring my soul to him, even indirectly, is hard for me.
But he wants to read them so I’m slowly letting him.
Honestly, there’s nothing bad in any of them—just raw emotion from the woman he’s currently involved with. If that’s too much for him, I’d rather know now than after I fall head over heels in love. Well, I’m already falling, so it might be too late for that, but the longer we’re together, the more a breakup will hurt.
I need him to understand who I really am. Who my father is. What my life is like. I might appear lucky from the outside looking in but the mental and emotional abuse is hard to ignore. I know it’s molded me in some unattractive ways. It’s also made me strong, resilient, maybe even a little sassy—according to Bodi—but I’m still a mess sometimes.
That’s the part he hasn’t seen much of.
All I can do is wait and see how he responds.
I did some homework on the flight so I can enjoy a guilt-free weekend. I’ll have my laptop for any downtime between rehearsals and such for the pageant. Thankfully, the pageant events take place in the morning and early afternoon so I’ll hopefully have time to see Bodi for a couple of hours until he has to leave for the arena.
If not, I’m going to be sitting with his sister at the game and then we’ll go back to say hello to everyone. Lourdes and Lindy are going too, which is a relief. Lourdes tried to talk me into staying at the hotel with Lindy but I pushed back and she gave in more gracefully than usual. Probably because I helped her convince Dad to let us come to this event in the first place.
Luckily, everything goes according to plan and Bodi’s standing in the hallway outside his room waiting for me the moment I can get away. I brush past him and then turn into his arms as soon as the door closes behind us.
“Oh my gosh,” I laugh, my heart pounding. “I feel like I just ran a marathon to get here.”
“I know. Me too.” He dips his head and kisses me. Our mouths fuse together and I wind my arms around his neck as he says, “I missed you.”
“It’s been less than forty-eight hours,” I tease.
“I missed you five minutes after I dropped you off.”
Sometimes it’s hard to believe this guy is real.
“What are we doing first?” I ask with a playful smile.
“Anything you want.”
