Page 139 of Break the Ice
It feels like my entire life is hanging in the balance until he tells me, “No. I don’t want you to regret it either.”
“Okay.”
“Okay...” Elijah’s chuckles. “I told you before. I’ll give you anything you want and need.” There’s a pause before he says, “And you need JJ.”
“Elijah—”
“Don’t feel guilty, Fin. You deserve to be happy... he deserves to be happy. And last night, watching the two of you together, it felt good. Like I could breathe again. It’s been a while since I’ve really been able to do that.”
“Oh,” is all I can say as my emotions clog my throat.
He’s telling me he needs to compartmentalize his emotions but from what he’s told me just now, he’s been doing it for too long. And I didn’t even know. How could I not know that’s how he felt? Like he couldn’t breathe?
I’m sure he’s about to end the call when he asks, “Do you want to come to the game tonight? You can bring Christina...”
His voice has a hopeful pitch to it that makes me smile.
Before I can reply, he adds, “I think Jayden would like to have you there. You know, with you being his lucky charm and all…”
Oh my gosh, I can hear his eyes rolling through the line.
“What about you? Do you want me there?”
“I’m not playing, but yeah, I want you to come, and then we can go to Matheo’s birthday party. It’s being hosted at the arena’s VIP lounge, and all the guys are going with their wives and girlfriends.”
“That would be nice.”
“Good,” he replies quickly. “It’s a date then.”
“It’s a date,” I echo in a whisper, more to myself because I’m surprised as heck right now.
When I woke up this morning, I was anxious at the thought that yesterday complicated things more than they already were. That I was getting between him and Jayden. Worse, that I was hurting the man who taught me to love against all odds.
I did not for one second think we’d be having this conversation on the phone. Let alone that he would be asking me on a date.
I’m speechless. Totally dumfounded...
“I’m heading into the next half of my training session now. See you later, okay?”
“See you later, Love.”
Elijah ends the call, and I take a couple of seconds to gather myself as Christina dramatically twists to face me. Here we go...
I open my mouth to tell her ‘No’ but her finger presses to my lips, silencing me.
“Before you say it, just know that I’m not dropping it until I know everything about ‘last night’,” she enunciates the latter with over-the-top flare. “Sounds like things with Blondie progressed."
“Well...” I’m not sure how to have this conversation, and I'm relieved when the car comes to a stop.
As in the morning, when the doorman was waiting for me by the elevator, he’s waiting at the building entrance.
Christina gets out and I shuffle after her. She’s quick to get inside and straight to the elevator.
The instant the doors close, she asks, “Well? You and Blondie? What’s going on?”
I don’t know what to say. What to tell her. So, I opt for the measured truth, “I think we’ve turned a corner. I don’t know, since the hospital incident, he’s not so closed up.”
“Sometimes it takes a scary event to put life into perspective.” Christina wraps her arm around my shoulders. “How’re you doing? After the whole photo shit at the hotel and the animal head in the mail... I can’t believe you guys didn’t report it. It’s fucking sick and?—”
