Page 115 of From Ice to Grace
I feel light. Free. Hopeful.
Hockey used to be my saving grace.
It was the thing I clung to when everything else in my life fell apart. When my dad was drunk, I stepped onto the rink. When my mom chose her new husband over me, I skated harder. It gave me a place where I could fight back, a place where I belonged.
But now that I might lose it…What will I have left?
Do I even have Avah? And our agreement of a marriage?
I’ve been drifting for so long, like a leaf caught in the winds of the world. Now finally, I’m landing. I found an anchor, my center of gravity.
“I don’t even know how to start,” I breathe.
Start here. With Me.
24
DECLAN
I didn’t have it in me to face Avah after what I just put her through. After the way I behaved tonight, the least she deserves is a night without me.
Besides, I need to talk about what happened with someone who I know will give it to me straight.
And who better than my teammate and now my brother-in-law.
He opens the door, a mix of irritation and surprise painting his features. He runs a hand through his blonde hair, tossing a quick look over his shoulder toward the living area.
“Uhm, what are you doing here?” he asks, glancing over his shoulder again. “Is everything alright with Avah? Where is she?”
“She’s at home,” I say, stepping past him into his apartment.
He lives in a penthouse apartment, courtesy of his massive seven year contract with the Rangers. The large windows overlook the city, the lights flickering in the large black expanse outside.
EJ’s gaze drops to my hand. “You’re bleeding.”
I lift my hand, realizing I forgot about the cut. Most of the blood has dried, but my hand’s a mess.
“The kit’s in the bathroom,” he says, jerking his head toward his guest bathroom.
A dark haired woman rises from the couch, grabbing her purse off the coffee table in the process.
“I guess I better go,” she says, giving EJ a soft smile. She turns to me, her demeanor growing icy. “Good to see you again, too.”
I frown, not able to place her. She must read the expression on my face because she rolls her eyes at me.
“I guess you don’t remember me. Figures,” she mutters before turning to EJ. “I’ll see you some other time. Call me.” She kisses him on the cheek before tossing me a final glare and walking out the door.
“Sure. Thanks for tonight,” he says, closing the door behind her before turning to me.
“Who’s that?” I ask, feeling like they’re in on a joke that I’m not a part of. I try to place her face… “Should I know who she is?”
EJ frowns. “Bro, that’s Liz,” he says, walking deeper into his apartment. “Hannah’s friend from Vegas?”
I swallow, the memory suddenly sharp and clear. Lucas running into Hannah in Vegas, there was flirting…while I was still seeing Megan. EJ saved me from a complication that night. Hindsight can be very sobering.
“Right,” I mutter. “You’ve been saving me for a long time.”
EJ frowns at me again, his gaze dropping to my hand again. “You better go fix that up, if you’re talking like that you’ve clearly lost a lot of blood.”
