“Who, me?” He puts his arm around me as we climb the steps together and re-enter the house. “I was just surmising.”
“Huh.” I take a seat on the living room couch. “New York is where Broadway is. And Broadway’s my place. Just like hockey’s yours.”
His eyes burn into mine. “I get it. I would never try to take you away from your thing, Win. I’m happy for you.”
While I’m putting on a good show, the truth is that I’m not sure Broadway is mything. Not anymore. But I don’t have a clue how to start over or what that would look like, and I’m not ready to share my feelings with anyone yet.
I pull my gaze away from his and say in a teasing tone, “You and Liam wouldn’t understand New York City, anyway.”
Hunter lifts up Theo and sits on the couch with him on his lap. He’s across from me, but I stretch my legs out on the couch so they’re nearly touching his.
“You say that like neither of us have ever been there,” he says with a grin. “We’re going there tomorrow for a game, darling.”
“I know you’ve been to New York.”Crap. I didn’t mean to say that.
“Because you’ve followed my games.” His tone is curious.
“Yes. And because…I thought of reaching out a time or two in the past ten years. So, when I knew you were in town, I thought of it more.”
“Winter, every time we went to New York to play, I thought of you. But you and I…we promised to make a clean break when you left. And I didn’t want to jeopardize the great things you were doing on your own.” A shadow crosses his face. “I fucking hate that I didn’t reach out. If I’d known you were suffering, you know I would have been there for you.”
“I know.”
“Do you?”
I nod. “Life just kind of marched on the last six months. Really, it marched on the last decade, and before I knew it, ten years had passed. But I’m here now.”
“You are.” His hand that’s petting Theo stills. “I’m glad you’re here, Princess.”
“Me, too. Seeing you and your brothers again has been nice. You’ve obviously built something special for yourselves. You’ve turned your whole lives around. After your dad…” I choke up. “I’m sorry.”
Hunter’s big hand grasps my ankle that’s closest to him. “Liam said they’re thinking about re-examining the case.”
His green eyes are fathomlessly deep, and the pain that just came to the surface slays me.
“Oh my gosh. Hunt.” I wince. “Do you know why?”
“They have new evidence, apparently. We may need to look at a line-up again.”
I can’t imagine what it would be like, as a teenager, asked to identify my father’s possible killer. I can’t imagine doing it as an adult either.
“I’m so sorry. If you need to do that, I’ll go with you.”
His head jerks slightly. Just enough that I notice.
He doesn’t want to let me in. Not like that. I try not to let on how much that stings.
Hunter’s always been a close-to-the-vest kind of guy. He was torn up after Mrs. Storm died when all four boys were young. When his dad was murdered, another piece of Hunt’s heart shuttered, and I don’t know that he’ll ever open it fully again.
“If you want support,” I add quickly. “I won’t crowd you.”
His lips twitch. “Princess, you’re the opposite of a cager.”
Maybe so. Maybe I always was more interested in things other than an intimate relationship.
But tonight, what I’m most interested in is sitting across from me tenderly holding onto my ankle.
“So. Not to change the subject or anything…”
