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“Yep. Mountain Top?”
He saw Elle and his smile slid away. “Actually, I can’t. I’ve got something else going on. I’ll see you tomorrow, man.”
Dom wasn’t usually serious about anything. But he seemed pretty serious about disliking Elle. He and I were going to have a serious talk tomorrow.
“Sorry,” I said to Elle.
“It’s okay. I get it. I think you should go out and we’ll just go home.”
I shook my head. “I want you with me. Anyone who doesn’t like it can fuck off.”
Her expression softened. “Are you sure? I was pretty strong with my language in my early columns about the arena.”
“You mean when you called us knuckle-draggers?”
She cringed. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
“Don’t worry about it. There’s not a guy on the team who hasn’t been called a lot worse.”
Her eyes shined with gratitude.
She had no idea how refreshing it was to meet a woman who was smart and strong with a mind of her own. She didn’t melt into my arms just because I played hockey. Quite the opposite. And that was one of the reasons I was crazy about her.
A few of the guys came to Mountain Top, and all of them were cool to Elle. Seth and Colby even went out of their way to talk to her, which I appreciated. The night flew by, though, since we didn’t even arrive at the bar until after eleven. Around 12:45 a.m., Elle gave me a sleepy, apologetic look.
“You ready?” I asked her.
“Just because I want to go doesn’t mean you have to. I just can’t keep my eyes open any longer.”
“I’m ready, too.” I looked at Luke. “Can you drive her car home so she can ride with me?”
“Yeah, no problem.”
Elle was quiet for the first couple minutes of the ride home, staring out the window into the night.
“What’s on your mind?” I asked her.
“I don’t want to watch someone beat the shit out of you in a game,” she said.
“With the position I play and the new rules, you shouldn’t have to.”
She sighed heavily. “I feel like you deserve a woman who gives you the same unconditional support you’ve given me.”
Where the hell was this coming from? It unsettled me.
“My support isn’t unconditional,” I said. “I don’t like that you’re opposed to the arena, but I still respect you and your reasons. You’re amazing, and I’m not letting the arena get in the way of us. It’ll either happen or it won’t, regardless of what either of us says or does.
She nodded. “You’re amazing, too. But I need a little time to think about things.”
I tightened my hold on the steering wheel. “Okay.”
“That’s not code for me not wanting to see you anymore,” she said. “I promise. It’s just that there’s stuff going on with Luke and I’m just a little emotionally overloaded right now. I need a few days.”
“I understand.”
I didn’t, but I wasn’t about to tell her that. If she needed space, I’d give it to her.
When we got back to The Pines, I walked her to her door and kissed her good night.
