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But I could answer this.
“Hockey has always been my first love.”
“My brother used to say that, and I always wondered why he chose to love something that would never love him back.”
“Maybe that’s why,” I said, knowing exactly what Austin meant.
Hockey couldn’t disappoint you. It couldn’t hurt or abandon you. The ice was always solid beneath your skates. Even if you fell down, it would hold your weight, let you get back up, and try again.
“Is that how you feel about it?” she asked as we climbed the steps to the back row of seats and sat down.
“Short answer, yes,” I said. “The long answer is much more complicated.”
“I have time.” Aurora smiled, and fuck if it wasn’t like a direct shot to the chest.
“I didn’t grow up in a happy home, shortcake. My mom and dad were constantly fighting. He was a mean son of a bitch with a sharp tongue and high expectations. And eventually, it drove her away.”
“Noah…” Aurora laid her hand on my arm. But it wasn’t enough. I pulled it down to my thigh and threaded our fingers together.
“She left when I was seven. The only glimmer of light in that hell hole, and she just left me there.”
Fuck.
Talking about it made all those emotions rush to the surface.
Fear.
Confusion.
Hurt.
Heartbreak.
“When I realized she was gone and wasn’t coming back, I cried for a week straight. Timothy Holden didn’t like tears.”
I could still hear him now. “Crying makes you weak, Son.”
“You talk about him in the past tense,” Aurora said.
“Because he’s dead to me.”
“Noah…” She sucked in a sharp breath, sympathy gleaming in her eyes.
“Don’t feel sorry for me, shortcake. Getting the scholarship to LU was the best thing that ever happened to me. And when I turn pro, I’ll put Buffalo in my rearview mirror for good.”
“Our dad never stuck around either,” Aurora said quietly. “My mom is… difficult, to say the least. You know she was a model in her heyday.” I nodded, and she went on, “Well, she still picks up the odd job, but as you can imagine, the aging process is against her in an industry built on beauty and youth.”
“I didn’t know… about your dad, I mean.”
“I’m not surprised Austin doesn’t talk about it. Things between him and Mom have always been strained, ever since Dad left.”
“And you and your mom?” I asked, already sensing I knew the answer.
“I have and always will be Susannah Hart’s biggest disappointment.”
Pain shattered the air. It was so palpable that I wanted to hunt down Mrs. Hart and give her a piece of mind.
Aurora was beautiful inside and out, and to think her own mother had ever made her feel anything less made me want to roar at the world.
