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“Okay, play nice, children,” I joke.
“He did seem into you,” Kevin agrees, looking at me in the rearview mirror.
“I can’t go there,” I say. “There’s too much history and hurt.”
“What do I know?” Kevin shrugs.
“How cute was it when he said he would sit with you in the park?” Patty beams, swooning.
“Patty,” I whine. “Please don’t remind me. I don’t have time for Liam. You see what my life is like. Crew is happy. Things are stable. I can’t shake things up.”
“I don’t know. Sometimes a good poke is all we really need,” Patty observes.
“Dammit. My ears are burning,” Kevin complains.
I laugh. She isn’t wrong. I could use a good poke, but having Liam poke me would be too much. We never slept together. Something about the intimacy of it scared him off. I could never put my heart on the line in that way again.
CHAPTERELEVEN
Liam
We play the Capitals on a Friday night. We lose the game five to four. Then we head to Philadelphia. My focus hasn’t been one hundred percent since I can’t stop thinking of Christmas Eve. Skylar looked beautiful. Everything about her called to me from her more curvaceous body and full breasts to her warm smile. Even her kid was adorable. I can’t imagine what it’s been like for her having a kid so young and raising him on her own. I try to picture myself with her and Crew. Us walking down the street with Crew walking between us holding our hands. I should be freaking the hell out, yet something inside me feels calm. Skylar has that effect on me. She always did. She levels me and makes me feel at ease. She was my balm during one of the most difficult times of my life.
We are suiting up for our game in Philly when I look up to see Wolfe watching me in an assessing kind of way. It doesn’t throw me off though, because I’ve learned he’s a good friend and teammate. He cares to know what’s going on with us. Sometimes he can help, and sometimes he’s a good listener.
“What’s going on with you?” he asks, tilting his chin to me.
“What do you mean?” I reply, feeling defensive.
“I don’t know. Your focus is off. I’ve never seen you so distracted,” he says, and those words coming from him mean a lot.
“Fuck,” I say and run my fingers through my hair. I must be more distracted than I realized. “I have a lot going on,” I confess. And I thought I was doing a good job of hiding it just like I hid my grief all those years at Westfall.
“You wanna talk about it?” he asks. I’m so wrapped up in what’s going on that I could use some advice.
I nod and follow him outside the locker room.
“Talk, broski,” he says.
“There’s this girl I knew from high school. If any girl was going to be the one for me, it was her, and I messed up royally.” It’s the first time I’m saying those words out loud, but they ring truer than ever. “I didn’t see her for years, and then bam, I keep seeing her. It’s kismet or fate. Fuck if I know. What I do know is, I still want her. Problem is, she has a son and her defenses are up, but everything inside me is screaming to tear down her walls. I just don’t want to risk hurting her all over again.”
“Damn, Bozeman. Does this have something to do with Carter Lewis? I remember you mentioned something about him back in the day,” he says.
“It’s complicated, Wolfe. I can’t get into those details with you. What I can tell you is I’ve never felt this way about any other woman I’ve been with. Skylar was there for me during some dark times in my life. I was messed up, and I didn’t treat her right,” I admit, feeling the burn of those words and of a past I wish I could take back.
“So you have some making up to do.” He nods like he understands.
“I don’t know if it will be enough,” I admit. “I never told you this before, but I had a brother. He died during my senior year of high school. I was a mess when I got to Westfall, but I did my best not to show it. I played hard because playing hockey kept me going,” I reveal. I’ve never said these words out loud to anyone and on some level it’s cathartic.
“Sorry, bro.” Wolfe sighs. “I can’t imagine how hard that was. I remember you the first year at Westfall. Eager to please. You gave me a run for my money.”
“Good one.” I laugh, needing the tension inside me to ease.
“You know you did,” he says, giving me a pointed look. Then he sighs. “About the lady, you need to understand mothers are fiercely protective of their children. If she’s a single mom, then it’s probably her and the kid against the world. You have to tread lightly. And make sure you want her for keeps if you’re going after her. You can’t screw with a single mom.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” I retort. “I never wanted to hurt her, but I wasn’t in a good place for a long time. Now I feel like I have my life together. I make good money. I have my own place,” I say.
“You’re ready to settle down,” Wolfe adds.
