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After a thick beat of awkward silence, she finally gives in with a huff. “Fine. It was my first choice, but then my family was moving to Colorado, and Nolan U is my mom’s alma mater, so…”
“So…” I raise my eyebrows. “You didn’t want to be too far away from them?”
“It’s not that,” she clips. “I would have happily stayed in Cali, but my financial situation is…” Clenching her jaw, she looks away with a frown, then mumbles, “It’s complicated. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Right.” I sit forward, resting my arms on my knees. “So you’re just gonna make me guess, then?”
“Oh come on.” She gives me a desperate little frown. “Don’t you have things in your life you’d rather not talk about?”
“I’m pretty much an open book.” I shrug. “Ask me anything.”
“Fine.” She huffs. “How much of a say did your parents have when it came to your college education?”
“None.” I frown. “Why? Did yours?”
Her lips dip as she breaks off another piece of muffin, then mumbles, “They’re the bank, so yeah… they had a pretty big say,” before shoving it in her mouth.
CHAPTER13
MIKAYLA
Shit! I can’t believe I just said that.
Why did I open that crazy-ass can of worms around this guy?
He’s going to want to know more, and I’d rather choke on this muffin than dissect my weird-ass family situation. I saidthey,which he’s probably interpreting as my mother and father, when it’s actually my mother and her dick fiancé. Having to explain that just might kill me.
Change the subject. Quick!
“So, where do your family live?” I swivel to face him, but all I see is a marked frown.
“Did your parents really say you had to go here because they’re paying? You didn’t get any choice in where you wanted to study? That’s messed-up.”
My nostrils flare, and I press on with my very unsubtle avoidance tactic. “Are you a Colorado boy, or…?”
He stares at me for a long beat that’s thick with tension. But I don’t budge, and eventually he sighs and slumps back in his chair. “I’m from Denver.”
My shoulders drop with a relieved sigh, and I nestle back in my seat, bringing my coffee with me so I can nurse the cup in my hands. “That’s cool. Easy for visiting, right?”
“Yeah.” He nods, draining his cup. “My dad will drive up for games. It’s pretty cool.”
“What about your mom? Does she not like hockey?” The second the questions are out of my mouth, I regret them.
His expression tightens around the edges, his mouth dipping as he softly murmurs, “She loved it. She was the one who bought me my first pair of skates. Her dad used to play. He never went pro but had some fun playing college hockey until he busted his knee in a game and had to change course.”
“Wow. They must be real proud that you’re playing now.”
“Uh-huh.” He nods, and my mouth goes dry because something’s off. I’ve said something to upset him, and crap! I hate it when things get emotional.
I’m scrambling for something funny to say, anything to lighten this moment, but then he sighs. “Truth is…” He glances at me, like he’s weighing up whether or not I can handle what he’s about to tell me.
I can’t.I nearly say it out loud.I don’t like sad stuff or anything that will make me cry, so just tell me some cheesy joke. It can even be a crass one. Just don’t?—
“My mother passed away a few years ago. She never got to see me play college hockey, and it kinda kills me. She would have loved it.”
A fist of emotion jams up my throat, making it impossible to speak.
“Grandpa makes it to the games he can, but he’s getting kind of frail now. He had a stroke after Mom passed.” He shakes his head. “Shittiest year of my life. Nearly missed out on graduating from high school. I had to study like a demon over the summer, and they gave me special compensation, but I had to work my ass off senior year to get my grades up. I wanted Nolan U, because it’s got one of the strongest hockey programs in the country and it’s close to home, so I’m around if Dad needs me.” Easing back into his chair with a sigh, he stares at his empty coffee mug for a second before looking back at me with a smile. “I like to think Mom watches me play. I don’t know if she can, but… the thought makes me feel better anyway.”
