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“Sorry mom, I will be better with her.” I smiled and moved over to put my arm around her. I felt like I didn't fit in with my family since we had so little time together over the years. Then I left home and lived with other families so I could advance my career. Often my mom lamented she hadn’t been able to raise me but was grateful for the billet moms who made sure I was learning the things I needed to know outside of hockey.
CHAPTER3
GNNY
I could have madethe drive to Boone’s childhood home with my eyes closed. We made so many trips from one side of town to the other while we were dating. It became a joke in town anytime someone saw our vehicles.
The house he grew up in was a lot like mine, but most houses in this town were. A typical southern community filled with two-story homes with verandas, porch swings and jugs of sweet tea on almost every surface during the summer.
Pulling up in front of the house, I was suddenly filled with nerves. This was baffling. I had been here thousands of times. Walked up that sidewalk, knocked on the door and all I needed to do was do it again. This time I would be face to face with my estranged husband.
My phone rang again, and I looked at Boone’s face. I answered the call, “hello husband,” I said as I walked up the sidewalk and knocked on the door. Still on the phone, I was staring into the face of Garrison Boone.
Garrison moved the phone and ended the call. Tossing my phone back in my jacket pocket, I stared at him, waiting for him to say something. I watched his eyes scan over my body. Suddenly, I wished I had worn my baggy joggers instead of tight jeans. “Ginny,” Garrison whispered as he took a step closer to me, and I took one backward. Even after eight years, he was the most handsome man I had ever seen. His dark brown eyes were narrowed in on me.
Leah bounced down the stairs and smiled over Boone’s shoulder. “Hey Ginny.” She was my best friend, but right now, I didn’t really want to deal with her goofy grin. “Guess we’re not going out tonight.” She shoved her hands in her pockets and rocked back and forth on her heels.
“Leah, get the fuck out.” His harsh words through gritted teeth obviously got his point across and I closed my eyes, remembering the temper. “I’m sorry,” he said, taking another step closer to me. I didn’t move this time, but I tossed my arms over my chest and he stopped mid step. “You cut your hair.” Reaching up, he tucked a loose piece of hair behind my ear as he looked at me again.
“It’s been eight years Boone.” I had never called him Garrison. He didn’t fit his first name. The massive man out grew his name before he got through grade eight. I remembered that sweet, soft-spoken boy who towered over everyone and was my best friend, and it was the last year we spent at the same school. He had left the next year to go play triple A hockey in the next town over. He needed to be there because practice was immediately after dismissal for the day and the team required all their players attend the same school because it was giving the hockey players previsions for missing classes for games. I was lonely my grade nine years, but he was home for the summer.
“Hello Virginia.” I looked over Boone’s shoulder and smiled at June.
“Hi June. How have you been?” She looked good. Her chemotherapy had been done for about six months and she was gaining weight again. Her hair was coming back, curly and beautifully peppered with white and grey.
“Oh my dear, I am wonderful. My latest scans have been all clear.” She beamed and I couldn’t be happier for her. She had fought so hard and needed good news.
“That’s fantastic. I am so happy to hear that.” I was still outside on the porch and I wondered when Boone would step aside and let me in.
“Junie, why don’t we go to supper and leave these two alone? Good evening Ginny.” Boone had gotten his looks from his father. They look identical except for their age difference.
“Good evening, Paul” It was still odd calling him by his first name. I had called him Mr. Boone until the day I got married, and it just felt disrespectful to address him by his first name, especially now.
“That’s a wonderful idea. Let me get Leah too. That way, she’s out of the way.” June turned and went to find her youngest daughter.
“Garrison, are you going to let your wife in the house? No doubt the neighbours will have seen her drive up and will watch to see what happens. Plus, it’s also cold tonight.” Paul looked at Boone and arched his brow before he lightly pushed him aside and motioned me to come in. “Take your jacket off. I will hang it up.” Paul took my coat and grabbed his. We stood there in awkward silence, waiting for the others to come back, which didn’t take long. June patted my arm as she walked out the door.
Leah whispered, “good luck.” As she walked by, smiling at me. We hadn’t been close growing up, but I had been obsessively focused on her brother. But after I left him, the entire town turned against me. Leah was the one who came knocking on my door. She had become my best friend, and we had an unwritten agreement we wouldn’t talk about Boone.
The door closed and suddenly, for the first time in eight years, it was just him and me alone. Silence filled the house as I stood in the entryway staring at Boone.
My mind wandered as I looked over my shoulder, seeing all the memorabilia from Boone’s career. I couldn’t help but smile, thinking back to those summers when I would strap on goalie gear and let him take slap shots at me, or let him put a rope around me and drag me around the ice working on conditioning. Our friends all went to the beaches or on vacations. Boone and I spent the entire summer at the rink. Over the years, I learned a lot. I studied the game, so I knew how to help him. I cried for days when he moved across the country after he was drafted into the junior hockey league. My parents’ telephone bill was hundreds of dollars every month, and I had to get a job to cover it. Summers were back in the rink with him. I had lost my virginity to him in a locker room after practice one night. His world revolved around hockey and my world revolved around him. Why was I taking a walk down memory lane, instead of talking to him?
“Where did you go?” He asked, his voice barely above a whisper. I looked at him and he had moved to perch on the arm of the sofa.
“It’s not important,” I said, moving into the living room taking a seat on the opposite end of the couch.
“Summers, the rink, and the lock on the door, right?” He crossed his arms and stared at me, his dark eyes boring into my soul. I hated that he always knew what I was thinking, even after eight years.
“Why didn’t you tell me? Why did I have to watch the sports channel?” My voice was filled with more emotion than I had expected. I didn’t want him to know it hurt, but I wasn’t hiding it well. “I found out while I was at the rink. Surprised in public. Thankfully, it was just Leah, but why Boone?” I could feel my frown deepening, and my heart raced, waiting for his answer.
“I didn’t want you to leave. I was afraid you would pack up and be gone.” He punched the back of the couch lightly. Shaking his head, he stood and walked to the window that overlooked the street.
“Boone, I have a life here. I can’t just pack up and leave.” The words left my mouth and the condescending tone hung in the air. He was building a life for us, and I had walked away from him.
“But you thought of it, didn’t you?” He turned, crossed his arms over’s chest, and it was like he could read my mind.
“Yes,” I whispered, tearing my eyes from him, and staring into the fireplace, watching the log crackle and pop from the heat. When I looked back, I watched Boone roll his eyes as he let out a sigh before he ran his hands through his hair.
