Page 56 of Snapping the Ice
“You won’t, will you?” She wrinkled her forehead.
Shaking my head, I said, “No.” I drank more of my tea, the warmth calming my insides. “I don’t know what I ever saw in him.”
“When does your hockey player get home?” She sipped more tea.
“Tomorrow afternoon.” I’d wait for him at his apartment. Maybe I should plan something special for him?
“Will you be coming back to your apartment, then?” She glanced toward the window.
“I-I don’t know.” We hadn’t thought that far ahead.What if Lucas thinks it’s safe for me to go home now?“I uh, I didn’t tell Lucas about Tate coming to the studio.” My attention drew to her. Something about her made me spill all my bullshit.
“Why not? Don’t you trust him?” She cocked a brow.
“Because I don’t want him to worry about me. I think it’llaffect his game, and he needs to play well this season, so he can move on and play for the NAPH Team next year. That’s his plan, anyway.” I hung my head. Once more, I wasn’t standing up for myself.
“Honey, he needs to know what’s going on. He can’t be there for you if he doesn’t know the truth.” She scoffed. “I’d be furious if my son hid this kind of trouble from me.” She snickered. “Okay, I’d be mad.”
“I wish I had a mother like you.” Pain sliced through my heart. My mother didn’t even know where I was, unless Maddy had told her. Maybe she knew then, but still.
“What?” Her chair groaned across the tile floor as she slid in next to me. “Son, what’s going on with your mother?”
Oh, fuck. I should have kept my mouth shut. Huffing a sigh, I said, “When my parents found out I was gay, they let me stay long enough to graduate high school and then threw me out.” I slumped over the table.
She slid her arm over my shoulders. “I’m so sorry, honey.” With a click of her tongue, she said, “Maybe someday she’ll come around. I’m assuming your father is the same?”
“Yeah, my dad wanted to beat me, but my mom stopped him.” I fingered the handle on the mug. Poor Stella might get an earful now. “I’m still close with my sister, though.”
“Good. So at least she has some sense.” With a deep breath, she dropped her arm and drank some tea. “I went to PFLAG meetings for a while for my son. I’ve seen parents come in there, scared and angry. But at some point, they found acceptance with support from other parents. Could your sister convince your mom to attend a PFLAG meeting?”
I swung my gaze to hers. I’d never thought of that. “Yeah, maybe.” It was worth a shot.
“Have you ever tried therapy for this?” She peered at me, tensing her mouth.
“No, I don’t have time.” Or money. My cheap health insurance plan wouldn’t cover therapy. I sighed.
“It might be time to consider it. Between your family situation and your ex, there might be some growing you need to do.” She gave me a warm grin. “And I say this with the best intentions.”
Nodding, I said, “Yeah, I hear ya.” I drank the rest of my tea. Back to fucking Tate. “Anyway, can you let me know if you see Tate around here?”
“Oh, I’ll do more than that. I’ll call the police on him again.” She ticked her head. “And then I’ll text you.”
“Good.” She had strength enough for both of us. “Thank you.”
After saying my goodbyes to Stella, I stopped in my apartment to grab a few things and drove to Lucas’s place. Was my apartment safer now with Stella watching over it? I stopped at Lucas’s door and opened it with the keycard he’d given me and then stepped inside.
As I dropped my backpack on the kitchen island, my phone rang. I answered, setting it on speaker and making my way to the couch.
“Ezra? How are you doing?” Lucas asked.
“I’m great. I just had some tea with Stella.” Warmth crept through my chest as I sank into the couch. Would he remember her?
“Oh, the friendly neighbor?”
“Yes, her. I brought her some flowers for helping me out.” I combed my fingers through my bangs. “How are you doing?”
“Awesome. Coach says I’m playing the best he’s seen yet.”He chuckled and then stopped. “Have you heard from Tate lately?”
“No.” For once, it was the truth. I should plan the special thing I could do for Lucas when he came home. I sat forward, planting my elbows on my knees. “Hey, what’s the first thing you want to do when you return home from the road?”
