Page 2 of The Love Comeback
“I can’t believe you’re here…” Kade’s voice trails off, and now I’m regretting being at the back of the line. He has some time to talk to me. His eyes drop to Colton as the other players finish signing the poster and we make it to him. “Is this…?”
“Colton,” I tell him, confident that he’ll know.
“Holy … you’re all grown up, dude!” He holds up a hand for Colton to high-five, and my nephew has never looked more confused in his whole life.
“YouknowKade Santos? Heknowsme?” Colton whips his head around to me, demanding answers that I’m reluctant to give him.
“I dated Kade in high school. We were together when your mom gave birth to you,” I tell him, keeping it short and simple. Never mind the fact that Kade actually held Colton the day he was born.
“YoudatedKade Sant—”
“It was a long time ago,” I cut him off, feeling heat creepup my neck.
There was a time that I’d imagined cheering Kade on at a professional hockey game—back when we were in high school. LongbeforeKade was ever a hotshot NHL goalie. But that dream never came to fruition. We broke up. Which means, I never got to be the one who cheered him on through his college or professional days.
“How are you, El?” Kade asks, his eyes intently focused on me. “What’re you doing here in Atlanta? Did you just come for the game?”
“That’s a lot of questions.” I chuckle, feeling nervous as everyone starts staring at us. “Um, I just moved here.”
“Wemoved here,” Colton corrects. “And I start stupid school tomorrow.”
“Don’t use that word,” I warn him, nudging his arm.
Kade’s thick, dark brows furrow, his eyes bouncing between us. That’s when it hits me that he doesn’t know.
How can he not know?
I brush my hair out of my face, not really wanting to drop the bomb that my big sister and her husband died and now I’m the sole guardian of Colton in front of all these people. Instead, I stand, hovering in the awkward silence, while Kade tries to piece together the scene before him.
“You guys wanna see the locker room?” Kade asks. “Does that sound like a good plan?”
Colton eagerly nods. “Yeah! That’d besocool!”
Kade turns to me as he rises from his seat. “Are you okay with that?”
“Sure.” I nod, taking in his six-foot-four frame. “As long as it’s not too much trouble.”
“It’s no trouble at all,” he says before turning to his teammates to let them know he’ll be stepping away for a minute. I forgot how intimidating his size was—which makes sense since he’s a goalie, but still…
He always made me feel so …safe.
And then he shattered my heart.
I swallow down those memories as I nudge Colton to follow him. He jogs to walk side-by-side with Kade, peppering him with questions about hockey. My Converse squeak on the floor as I walk a couple steps behind.
“Dude, this is soawesome!” Colton erupts as soon as we enter the empty locker room. There are bags and things scattered about, but all the other players are still out in the lobby.
I crinkle my nose at the scent of cologne mixed with body odor. I guess some things don’t change between high school athletes and professional ones. Well, other than the fact that the cologne smells a lot more expensive than Axe body spray.
“It’s so crazy to see you.” Kade bumps my arm, and I peer up at him, catching my breath at the sharpness of his jaw and the dark stubble lining it. I’m livid at how handsome he’s become. Meanwhile, I’m still the same pale-faced nerd that I’ve always been.
“So…” Kade nods toward Colton, who’s busy studying the pictures on the wall. “You two…?”
“I got custody of Colton after Katie and Brett passed away five years ago,” I tell him. “Car crash.”
“Oh my gosh…” Kade’s voice grows thick with emotion. “I’msosorry, Ella. If I’d known … I’d…”
“It’s okay.” I hold up a hand. “Apart from the grief, having Colton in my life has been nothing but good. Well, the best I could make it, anyway.”
