Page 63 of On the Line
“Berkley didn’t happen to choose her sister for that role, did she?” Mitch asked.
“Not a chance, bro,” Brent said. “Berkley’s maid of honor is none other than our dear girl, Lexie.”
Mitch’s head dropped into his hands as he sucked in deep breaths, and Cole laughed.
“You are so fucked.”
Mitch’s head spun. There wasn’t anything he could do but ride it out, knowing that in a few months, he and Lexie would be walking down the aisle together, doing all sorts of things jointly as best man and maid of honor.
“Speaking of Lexie,” Brent said, “did she come to see you?”
Mitch’s chest squeezed at the mention of her name. He knew it was for the best, turning her away, but the thought was little comfort. “She did.”
“And?” Brent asked, completely ignoring the game playing on the massive screen in favor of turning his attention wholly on Mitch. Cole did the same.
“And I said I didn’t want to see her.”
The room grew so quiet that Mitch could’ve heard a pin drop.
“I’m sorry, what?” Cole asked, breaking the silence.
“When the nurse called to tell me I had a visitor, and told me it was Lexie…I panicked.” Mitch hung his head, ashamed even now. “I told her to tell Lexie I didn’t want to see her.”
Mitch had figured Brent would call him an idiot, and that Cole might smack him upside the head for being an asshole, but he never could’ve imagined Brent’s reaction.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Brent yelled, shooting from his chair so fast the cushy seat bottom sprang upright with a loud thunk, and Mitch flinched.
“Seriously, dude, you’re such a dick,” Cole said.
Brent was pacing, pushing his fingers aggressively through his hair, an outward manifestation of the rage surely boiling under his skin. “Do you have any idea how hard that was for her? The fuck, bro?”
Mitch hung his head, unable to meet his friend’s eyes. “I’m embarrassed, okay?” He said, gesturing down his body. He was in much better shape now than he had been when she came to see him, but even now, he wouldn’t want to see her. “I don’t want her to see me like this.”
“That’s the dumbest shit I’ve ever heard,” Brent growled.
“Ditto,” Cole quipped, and Mitch shot him a glare.
How did he explain this to them? They could both move on their own two feet without the help of a wheelchair, cane, or someone to lean on.
They couldskate.
Mitch was on the mend, yes. Thanks to his athletic lifestyle and the fact that, prior to his injury, he was in peak physical condition, he was rehabbing faster than the doctors expected. But he would never be able to play hockey again.
Andthatwas the man Lexie had known and loved. The man who skated fast, hit hard, and scored a modest amount of goals for a defenseman.
Mitch Frambough, professional hockey player.
Top-tier defenseman.
What would she want with him now that he was damaged goods?
“I don’t even understand why she came,” Mitch said. “She made it perfectly clear she didn’t want me anymore.”
Brent blew out an exasperated breath, and Mitch caught his gaze then. His friend was practically vibrating with anger and frustration. “I don’t get you, Mitch. You’re the one who left her. And she went there because, despite all that, she cares about you. And you basically told her to fuck off.”
Mitch started to speak, to explain the situation and how those final days—that final night—had shaken out, but he bit his tongue. It was too late now, and there were too many mountains standing between them, mountains he didn’t have the strength to climb.
“It’s not important,” Mitch said. “What is important is that I didn’t want to see her. That’s all you need to know.”
