Page 42 of On Thin Ice

The woman squeals and clasps her mouth again. “Oh my god he calls her baby!” She taps the back of her hand against her husband’s chest and he grunts, rolling his eyes.

“Jesus Judith, you’ll make the poor boy insecure.” He grumbles, placing a palm on her shoulder to calm her incessant bouncing with joy. “Ha!” She barks, her sculpted eyebrows lifting high on her forehead. “A son of yours, insecure?” She gestures back to Sean who is still frozen like a deer in the headlights. “His head’s so big it’s almost falling off his shoulders.”

Sean finally clears his throat — thank god because mine has never been smaller. “What the hell are you two doing here?”

Sean’s mum clamps her arms across her middle and juts a hip. “What, a mother can’t come and watch her only son play hockey once in a while?” Sean rubs the nape of his neck nervously and his eyes fall onto me. “You’d have known we were coming if you ever answered your phone.” She scoffs, her tone dripping in motherly authority.

“Shit, sorry Mum, I've been a little busy lately.” He mumbles, still rubbing at the back of his neck.

I want to reach out for him, wrap my hand in his and reassure him that it’s ok. But my own heart is racing, Sean’s parents being unexpectedly in front of me like this is utterly terrifying I can’t lie. I need them to like me, it’s so important to me that they approve of our relationship. But at the same time I know they’re high flying lawyers, Sean has told me all about their lavish mansion and their huge, custom built office building in the centre of London, every detail of which makes me feel minuscule right now, like a tiny fish coming face to face with a pair of sharp toothed sharks. But Sean’s parents are far from scary when I truly look at them, their soft eyes that resemble Sean’s so closely and their many laughter lines that scatter across their faces.

Sean’s arm comes around my waist, pulling me gently into his side and planting a light kiss on my temple. “Mum, Dad, this is my Callie.” My Callie…oh god, why does he have to make my heart grow a pair of wings every time he opens his mouth?

Sean’s mum smiles as she reaches for my shaky hands, taking them comfortingly in her’s. “I’ve been so excited to meet you Callie.” She beams, her own personal rays of sunshine splashing the room with colour and light. “I’ve wanted Sean to settle down and have a meaningful relationship with someone for so long.”

“Oh,” I say, butterflies racing through my bloodstream as I glance up at Sean, his face loving and prideful when his eyes meet mine. “He told you about me?”

Sean’s mum and dad nod in unison and Sean’s breath tickles my ear when he tips his face down. “She forced it out of me.” He smirks, planting a delicate kiss behind my ear lobe.

Sean’s mum claps her hands together with action. “Right, let’s go for dinner tonight, so we can get to know Callie better.”

“Ok,” I nod, gifting them a shy smile. “That sounds nice.”

Her face splits in two, mirroring the smile I've seen Sean display so many times before, she claps her hands together and sings, “We’ll meet you at the restaurant at 6pm, I'll text you the address.”

She begins marching away and Sean’s dad simply shrugs his shoulders apologetically at us, patting his son’s arm as he follows his wife out the doors into the bitter wind.

Sean grips my biceps and turns me into him instantly. “We don’t have to go to dinner with them baby, I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.” I shake my head, grateful for his concern. “No, it’s ok, I want to go. They seem lovely.”

Sean rolls his eyes, smile tipping his lips. “My mum is very excited about me having a girlfriend so I'm sorry in advance if she’s over bearing.” “I think she’s sweet,” I pause, looking down and shuffling my feet. “Do… do you want to go to dinner with them?”

His hands slide down my arms, landing firmly on my waist and sinking his fingers in possessively. “Well, I was hoping to spend the rest of my day fucking you into my mattress.” He smirks, caramel flecks dancing through his irises. “But I guess I could spare a few hours for my parents.” I breathe a laugh, burying my fingers in his curls. “You can fuck me into your mattress when we get home.” His face creases with a wide smile, dipping his lips to kiss me tenderly. “You smashed it today by the way, and that fight.” I make an ‘o’ with my fingers, clamping my lips together. “That was hot.”

“Really?” He beams, hands trailing up my back, pulling me further into him so our chests are glued together. “I’ll remember to smash someone’s face in every time you’re watching from now on.”

I reach up, my face pulling into a frown as I run my fingers along his bruised jaw. “I wish your pretty face didn’t get bashed up though.” “The other guy was the one covered in blood baby, which makes it a successful fight.”

“What were you fighting about anyway?” I ask, hands flat against his chest and I feel immediately when his heartbeat picks up under my questioning. He shrugs, holding my wrists and lifting them up to his mouth, tickling my palms with soft kisses. “He just said something I didn’t like.” My inner thighs tense at the softness of his touch, his warm lips on my skin and I know he’s purposefully trying to distract me by turning me on. It’s working.

I wriggle free and fist my hip. “Like what?” My tone is more serious now, more determined and I watch as Sean’s expression falters, giving in almost instantly to me.

“You’re not going to let this go are you?” He sighs and I shake my curls, one of them falling loose and tickling my cheek. I tuck it behind my ear and Sean runs a hand down his face, breathing deeply before he speaks again.

“He asked if he could have a go with you when I'm off fucking some random puck bunny.” He murmurs, hands wringing anxiously before he steps into me again.

“Oh,” Is all I can say, feeling like a baseball bat has assaulted my head as the insecure thoughts drain in, seeping into every crevice of my brain like they used to when I first started dating Sean.

I thought I trusted him more now and in lots of ways I do, but hearing someone else assume he’s still fucking someone other than me on the side makes me question myself.

Sean’s hands are gripping my shoulders roughly before I can let the crazed worries totally plague my mind. “You know I don’t do that right?” He waits, but I don’t look up or respond straight away so he lifts my face, forcing my worried eyes to clash with his. “Cal?” His voice is laced with panic.

I sigh deeply and throw him a hurried nod, watching the anxiety trickle out of his bright eyes and the warmth make it’s way back in whilst he breathes a heavy sigh of relief. The truth is, deep down I know he’s not cheating on me, the man is quite literally obsessed with me. We’re together every moment that we can be and when we’re not together he’s constantly texting or calling me. My heart is telling me I have nothing to worry about, he’s worked damn hard to earn my trust and I don’t want to see him feeling deflated because he thinks his hard work and dedication to me has gotten him nowhere. Because it has, it really has changed things for us both and I do truly feel I can trust him with my whole being.

Our foreheads fall together and I can taste Sean’s sweet breath on my tongue. “You’re the only one I want Callie, you know that.”

I do know that and that’s the exact reason why I'm not going to let my insecurity about being enough for Sean drive me to a pit of despair like I might have a few months ago. I want today to be great, dinner with Sean's parents has to go well and I'm determined to make it.

Chapter 34

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