Page 58 of Ruthless Blade

I nodded as he stood up, not saying another word. Dad coming to me for advice was by far the weirdest thing I’d ever witnessed. He was getting ready to leave when he looked back at me.

“I know I’ve always been hard on you, and I’m sorry for that. You have an undeniable talent, Kayden. One that any team in the NHL would be lucky to have. I may not say it often, but I’m proud of you. Keep it up.”

He left after that, and I sat there watching him walk away.

What the hell happened?

Chapter Thirty

LEXI

I almost didn't go. I sat in the parking lot for a solid ten minutes before I made myself go in. Hazel and her dad had been amazing, working with me to get comfortable on the ice again. The last two times I tried, I was interrupted, feeling like I shouldn’t be there. That I didn’t belong.

No more.

I needed to prove to myself that I did. Even if that meant I didn’t fully belong in Colorado anymore, I could be on the ice in another state, still living out my dream.

This is the first step in becoming who I’m meant to be. You can do this Lex, ignore everything else. Ignore distractions, and ignore the pain that asshole caused.

It was still dark out; there were no cars in the parking lot, and the sunrise hadn’t happened yet. It was five, and both Hazel and her dad encouraged me to get here around this time, because they showed up around six to get ready for all the morning activities the rink had prepared.

I let myself in through the side door with the spare key, the overhead lights buzzing to life one at a time as I flipped the switches.

I took a deep breath.

Silence wrapped me in a cold blanket, and tingles raced down my spine.

Fuck, this is creepy.

I shook it off, quickly laced up my skates, turned the volume on my phone up high so I could hear the music, and let myself go.

I made it through a full lap without gripping the boards. Then another. By the twenty-minute mark, I was doing slow crossovers, but it was nothing like what I was used to.

I was in the middle of a wide, careful turn near center ice when the side door banged open.

My balance wobbled, and I nearly went down. Fuck, that would’ve hurt.

Dylan.

What in the world is he doing here?

He stood in the doorway with his hands shoved in his jacket pockets. My brows creased, as I skated towards the barrier where he stood.

“What are you doing here?” It’s not like we were best friends. We’ve been around each other, but again, my brother made it clear I couldn’t have any friends from the hockey team because they were, and I quote trouble.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He let the door slam shut behind him, glancing around the empty rink. "Hazel mentioned you might be out here.”

At this point, I’ll never be able to practice.

I placed my hands on my hips, “By my calculations, you guys don’t have practice for a while.”

"I can go, if this is supposed to be an only you kind of thing. Didn't mean to intrude."

"You're already here." I snapped, then instantly felt bad when his eyes widened. A sigh escaped my lips, “Sorry. You might as well stay.”

He leaned against the boards, arms crossed. "Can I be honest with you about something?"

"Depends what it is,” I said, eyes roaming over him, narrowing.