“But if you don’t give yourself the opportunity to let trust grow and flourish, you’ll stay here, in this horrid limbo,” Keelie said. “It’s the absolute worst place, even if it does feel safe right now.”
Huh, she got it, too. From the sadness in her eyes, I knew she’d had her own fears, which continued to linger despite her obvious happiness with Cormac.
“It takes strength to move forward,” Ida Jane said. “But it’s also the only way out of the…” She pursed her lips, clearly seeking a good metaphor.
“The shit river at the bottom of the hell valley you find yourself in,” Naomi said.
We all gaped at Naomi, who calmly sipped her tea, then smacked her lips.
“Such a way with words,” Millie said before she snorted a giggle and we all burst into hysterics.
Chapter17
Paxton
Hockey proved a relief for my frustration about the situation with Hana. From the moment Stol slapped the puck my direction after winning the face off, I was in the zone. I raised my gloved hands in the air after scoring a third goal deep in the second period and ended up mobbed by my teammates. We were up by four over the team considered our biggest rival for the championship.
Coach Whittaker pulled our line early in the third, and I drank deeply from my water. As I set the bottle down, I studied the crowd. I felt my eyes widen as my parents waved to me. My mother looked tentative, but my father was his usual confident self. He shot me a double thumbs-up and a big smile.
I looked away. Seems they hadn’t believed me when I’d told them I was done, so they’d showed up at one of my games, just like they had off and on for my entire hockey career.
The itch to know where I stood with Hana grew, and by the time the final buzzer sounded, I’d lost some of my enthusiasm for our big win.
“Great game, man,” Cormac said, patting my helmet with his gloved hand as we trudged down the hallway toward the visitors’ locker room. A thick rubber pad protected our skate blades and kept us out of the melted ice that dripped from our gear.
“Thanks.”
“What’s with the grumpiness?” Stol asked. He elbowed my side, and I grunted as I scowled. “Definitely grumpy.”
“My parents are here,” I told him. “They’re going to insist I talk to them.”
“This about your girl?” Maxim asked.
I shrugged. “I’m not sure she’s mine.” I sighed. “She’s not ready to commit.”
“Considering she spent the day with our wives, I’d have to say she’s one of us,” Maxim replied.
“She did?”
Cormac nodded as he began to strip off his gear. “Keelie sent me photos of their shopping excursion. Hope you’re prepared for that bill.”
Stol grimaced. “I’ve heard Adam complain about Naomi’s trips to Nordstroms.”
“Whatever, dude. Your wife is way more loaded than you,” I shot back.
He shrugged. “Until she figures out how to divest herself, sure. But she doesn’t want that weight for Bree.”
“Weird that you’re trying to get rid of what most people covet,” Cruz said from his locker. His hair was a mess, and he had dark circles under his eyes. He looked unkempt and exhausted, and I understood completely. That made me wonder ifhewas having relationship problems. But…that couldn’t be right. He’d said his woman was dead and buried.
“Everything good with your mom?” I asked. “Your sisters?”
“Yeah, they’re all good. Bianca’s son, Ethan, just started peewees. He’s got some good stick work.” Cruz sent me a look that let me know to drop the topic.
I gave him a faint nod. He’d tell me when he was ready… I hoped.
“If you don’t want to talk to your parents, don’t,” Stol said. “They need to respect your wishes, but you should also be aware of theirs.”
“I don’t know if that’s the best or worst advice ever,” Maxim said. He gestured around. “Most of us didn’t exactly have loving starts into the world.”
