Page 62 of Skating Towards Danger

“But can you live with him doing that every day, peanut?” he asks, and I shrug.

“I haven’t thought about it,” I lie, and he chuckles, seeing right through me like a man who raised me would.

“Then why are you here and not in Chicago, where Dante is ready to help his team enter the semi-finals?” he calls me out, and I sigh.

“I love him,” I admit, “I do, I just, I’ve found out he was supposed just to watch me, finding out my family died because my father wouldn’t sell me and now I don’t feel like I even know who I am right now.”

“Paige,” he cuts off my ramblings, “you were your father’s greatest treasure, something you need to understand. It wouldn’t have mattered what would have been threatened, he was never going to allow that man to have you,” he says firmly, and my tears fall as he rasps, “Your father didn’t want you to have this kind of life Paige, and if I thought explaining who he was to the famiglia would have helped your mental state, I would have told you instantly I just, the older you got, the easier it was to keep you in the dark because you were trying to get back on track.”

I shake my head and deny, “I wasn’t on track, Uncle Rocco. I was stuck, drowning in guilt, and Dante brought me out of it.He brought back my passion for skating without feeling guilty,” I swallow, “I don’t know how I would have reacted if you’d told me growing up. A part of me believes it would have knocked me out of my funk, that I’d believe the crash wasn’t my fault, and another part of me thinks I would have killed myself. I-I just, I don’t know… I never thought this world was real, never thought about it, and I’m not scared, which is good, I guess, but I’m just confused.”

Uncle Rocco is silent momentarily before he wraps his arm around my shoulders and pulls me into him. I go automatically and put my head on his shoulder.

“You’re allowed to be confused, you’re allowed to be hurt and angry, but what I won’t allow you to do, my sweet girl, is push Dante away. That man, I have never seen him so in love. He’s never given a woman a second glance, never invited them back to his apartment or introduced them to his family. Yeah, I get it, I was the reason you met him, but he sweetheart took you to meet his new nephew, something I wasn’t aware of until last week,” he rasps, “Your father did what he thought was right, I did what I thought was for the best, keeping a promise to him but Dante, he has done everything for you after he stopped pushing you away which was a lot sooner than what Roman did with Morgan.”

He kisses my head, and I close my eyes, allowing my tears to fall as he whispers, “Don’t let that man go, don’t let your happiness go. Live for yourself, live for him, live for your parents and Royal, and live for me because life without you, Paige, is no life. And know this, I will always have your back, and so will the famiglia which is a family so big, you’ll be begging for some peace and quiet in no time. Now, shall I get the private jet ready?”

Chapter 26

Dante

I breathe heavily as I bend a little, my eyes on the ref as he stands between the two centers in the middle of the ice, ready for this potential last play.

Frankie is focused, and he’s doing fucking amazing.

Adams is out after getting an injury he caused by shoving their player into the boards too hard causing him to bash his knee, and right now, he needs to be concerned about his spot on the team because Frankie has already scored twice, getting us ahead.

He knows when to pass the puck and when he needs to keep it. He’s aware of his surroundings and hasn’t allowed his ego to take over like Adams has done all fucking season.

The ref blows his whistle and drops the puck. Frankie manages to get it first, and instantly, I skate to my spot, bashing into the Charger's left winger, making him stumble. Frankie locks eyeswith me within seconds and smacks the puck toward me. I grab it but notice the defender on the Chargers coming my way, and I quickly skate around the net, just miss being smashed into the boards, and pass the puck back to Frankie. He barely has it before he hits it into the net, then lifts his arm in celebration as the light flashes before the horn sounds, ending the game and confirming we’re heading to the semi-finals.

I nod, but I don’t jump around like I normally would or celebrate by jumping on Frankie like the boys are doing.

My side is sore from when I was hit into the boards in the first quarter trying to protect a hogging Adams, and my girl isn’t here putting a downer on the win. No matter how much I pleaded, begged, and withheld her orgasms, she refused to come, and when I said refuse, she just shook her head and then ignored me.

The only time I’ve managed to get at least anything verbal from her is when we’ve had sex, which hasn’t been a lot, either.

Twice in two weeks.

She has shut me out, and fuck my rage is barely hanging on. My demon wants to be released and kill everyone in sight until she’s back in my arms.

“Sin bin twice, seriously, Dante!?” Morgan snaps as I climb over the boards.

“Shouldn’t you still be on maternity leave,” I groan because, well, it’s not even been a month, or has it?

Fuck…

I look at Morgan, who snorts and states, “My new baby is waiting in the family box with his brother, sister, and father…Now, about the sin bin?”

I roll my eyes and look at Coach, and instead of helping me out here, he smirks and turns away.

“Sure, let the pixie of a woman do your dirty work, Coach,” I say loudly, and he gives me the middle finger.

Fucker…

“Dante, getting yourself thrown in the sin bin is not going to make Paige magically show up,” she rasps.

I nod, then admit, “But it sure felt good to knock my anger out,” before I walk past her and mutter, “I’ve got interviews to get on with.”

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