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“You know the difference between right and wrong, Aiden. You’re not here because you stole from someone or hurt someone without good reason. You were standing up for your mom because you love her. Because you protect the people you care about.”
“I broke some asshole’s nose in the middle of a diner.”
Quiet laughter spilled from me. “Okay, so maybe that wasn’t the best display of your moral compass, but he was disrespecting your mom. I’m sure he deserved it.”
His eyes lit up. “Oh really, it’s like that.”
“What?” I shrugged, fighting a smile. “It’s kind of hot.”
“You know what would be really hot?” My brow arched, and Aiden chuckled, dropping his eyes down my body. “You, naked, in nothing but those skates.”
“Nice try, Dumfries.” I swatted his chest. “But I’ll need to get a hell of a lot more comfortable on the ice before I let you talk me into fooling around out here.”
“But it’s a possibility?” His eyes darkened.
“Aiden!”
“Joke, I’m joking.” He hooked an arm around my neck and dropped a kiss on my head. “I didn’t think this would be so easy.”
“Neither did I.”
But he was right; it felt easy.
Almost too easy.
I wasn’t going to fret over it, though. Mom was right. He made something light up inside of me, something I thought had long extinguished when Dalton died.
And I wanted to soak it up for as long as possible.
* * *
“If the guys could see me now, do you know how much shit they’d give me?” Aiden glanced over at me, and I frowned.
“Let me guess, none of them have girlfriends. Not that I’m suggesting… we’re… I mean, I’m not—”
“Freckles?”
“Yeah?”
“It’s okay.” Amusement twinkled in his eyes. “Connor has a girlfriend. They’ve been together since last Halloween. But most of the guys are either too busy to date or too interested in sowing their wild oats as much as possible before life gets serious.”
I stared out at the lake, trying not to fixate on his words—on the huge elephant in the room. My life was here in Dupont Beach, but Aiden still had a year of college left, and then if everything went the way he hoped, he would turn pro. Life would become one big adventure.
“I thought we agreed, one date at a time.”
“I know.” I gave him a weak smile. “I had a really nice time tonight.”
“Me too.” He leaned in closer, capturing my lips in a soft kiss. “I want that second date, Dayna. And maybe a third and fourth. We have all summer.”
And then?I wanted to ask, but I swallowed the words.
A lot could happen in a few weeks.
“How come you didn’t enter the draft straight out of high school?”
“Because getting my degree was important to me. It’s all my mom has ever wanted, and she deserves to have that, you know? She deserves to see me graduate. Besides, if the hockey thing doesn’t work out, I need something to fall back on.
“And the truth is, I wasn’t ready back then. I was angry and hotheaded. Still am, sometimes.” He nuzzled my cheek, toying with the ends of my hair. “But playing with the Lakers, being with Coach Tucker and the team, it’s taught me a lot about myself and the kind of player I want to be.”
