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“You knew.” I peered down at her. “You knew this was a good idea, but I didn’t want to hear it.”
“Mason, it doesn’t mat—”
“Yeah, it does. I was an asshole.”
“You just wanted to protect him.”
Yeah, and maybe myself.
I didn’t like change. I liked control and order. It was the only way I’d managed to be the guy my mom and brother needed while allowing myself to come here to LU.
But Harper was a flash of color in my black-and-white world. A ray of sunshine peeking through the thunderclouds that circled overhead, and I was starting to crave her light, her warmth, the inherent goodness inside her.
She had me tied up in knots, and nothing made sense anymore.
But seeing Scottie come to life on the ice, seeing his rare smile, and the way Harper watched him with bursting pride, made sense.
And scared the absolute fuck out of me.
“Mason?” My name was a breathy sigh on her lips, and fuck, if it didn’t do things to me.
“Yeah, blondie?”
“Thanks for inviting me today. I really—”
“Coach D,” someone yelled. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”
I swung around just in time to see Harper’s dad approaching Mom.
Fuck.
Harper went still beside me. “I thought you said he wasn’t coming?” Her voice shook with anger and something that sounded a lot like betrayal.
“I swear to God, I had no idea he would be here.”
“Mase, Mason brother.” Ward helped Scottie skate over to us. “It’s James ‘The Real Deal’ Dixon. He’s here. He was one of the best of his time.”
“I know. Pretty amazing, right?” I winced at how conceited it sounded.
“Mason, son, get over here. I heard we had a special visitor today and wanted to come down and meet him.”
Shit. He still hadn’t spotted Harper.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered to her as she stood rigid beside me.
“It’s fine. You should go.”
“But—”
“This is Scottie’s morning. Go.” She tipped her head toward the other end of the arena, where Mom and her father were deep in conversation.
I didn’t want to leave her. I wanted to demand the truth about whatever had happened between them. But Scottie was tugging my jersey.
“Mason, go,” she said with exasperation, her expression a mask of cool indifference.
I didn’t like it, not being able to tell what she was thinking. She was usually so open. Her heart on her sleeve for all to see.
But right now, she felt closed off.
