Page 18 of SlapShot Sweetheart

“Oh, Theo… I want the mayo so very badly,” she whispered tearfully, chuckling at the pathetic comment that sounded so weird to her own ears. “I want it so badly that I can taste it – and I’m beginning to think it’s not in the cards for me. Is theresomething so broken with me that I end up ruining everything or drive people away - remaining alone forever?”

His fingers laced with hers, causing her to look at his dark eyes – and for the first time in her life, she marveled at how warm and beautiful they were at that moment as he looked at her with such emotion.

“Don’t give up,” he breathed. “Never give up because someday you’ll have your moment when you are ready. I don’t think that relationships are something that grow, but rather, a person has to grow themselves. They have to be ready to love someone, and it’s different for everyone. Your time is coming, I promise.”

“You really believe that?”

“With everything in my heart, my friend.”

“I’m so glad you are here – thank you.”

“I’m glad you shared – and that you could trust me.”

“Just don’t throw it in my face,” she retorted with a flat voice, rolling her eyes as she used her other hand to wipe her tears. “I mean, you would see an ugly side of me if you teased me about something so personal that I trusted you with, that I shared with you.”

“I have no doubt,” he chuckled, giving her hand a little squeeze as they shared a smile. “I will never breathe a word – because it would be my last one,” he teased as she chimed in at the same time.

“It would be your last one, Theo.”

They looked at each other in surprise before bursting out laughing in a shared moment and marveled, realizing that she truly considered him a friend.

CHAPTER 6

THEO

Are you busy?

I work from home – not that we’ve ever discussed our jobs.

You know I play hockey.

You know you’ve never asked me.

You do computer stuff, and I’m pretty sure we’ve talked about it – but you are distracting me from my goal.

Which is?

How do you feel about dinner tonight?

Will you be on time?

Theo chuckled,smiling as he adjusted his stance. She was as fiery as her hair color – and he adored it with a passion that surprised him sometimes. Years ago, if you had told himsomeone would sass him with every breath, he would have balked and walked away in a heartbeat. Now, Aimee fascinated him like no other.

Ouch.

Sorry. I like punctuality.

Do you like surprises?

Love them.

Open the front door – this is heavy.

And he could practically picture her surprised face and the way she would roll her eyes. Not everyone liked surprises, much less someone showing up at the house unexpectedly, but at this moment – he wanted to see how she reacted. Maybe it was him goading her, maybe it was just setting things up for failure between them or poking the bear, but he had to keep trying.

That was just his personality, and he needed to know how flexible she was to weird schedules because sometimes he wasn’t available. If the coach called a practice or an impromptu meeting, then he had to show up at the drop of a hat. It didn’t happen often, but it did happen at times – and if things somehow worked out, he wanted Aimee to stick around.

I changed my mind – I don’t like surprises as much as I thought.

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