Page 67 of Slap Shot at a Second Chance

“Did you have your Sunday brunch with your family yesterday?” I asked, pushing my fingers down her hair. She sighed as she unwrapped her arms from my waist and sat down on the couch.

“Yeah,” she spoke softly as she nodded. “Had a little fight with Brian and he left. I think he’s angry at me,” she chuckled softly, but it was clear that she was hurting.

Just what happened between them last night?

“But I’m okay. I’ve just been feeling a little tired lately.” She waved her hand as she leaned back and pressed her fingers against her temple.

“Angel, why don’t you take some time off?” I asked her as I kneeled in front of her and took her hand in mine, softly rubbing her palm.

“It’s the final game of the league this week, so I can’t take time off,” she whispered and I stared into her eyes, trying to read how she was feeling.

Put in simple terms, she probably was feeling like shit and I didn’t blame her for feeling the way she was. She was caught in the middle. We all were, but I hated to see her hurting in this way.

I pressed my lips against her knuckles and she snickered softly, patting my head gently with her other hand.

“If you’re not feeling well, promise me you will go home or call me and I’ll take you to the doctor?” I begged and she nodded, her cheeks still lifted with her small smile.

My baby was hurting so much and it was all because I was selfish. I made her fight with her brother and whatever he said to her bruised her. I wished she would tell me in detail what he said so that I could know how to comfort her.

“I’ll be fine. Go to practice,” she giggled as I pressed my head against her chest, and looked up at her the same way she did with me.

“You know you can tell me anything, right?” I whispered as I stared into her eyes.

“I know,” she spoke softly and nudged me to get up and I kissed her cheek before I walked toward the door. “Nate?”

“What is it?” I asked, quickly returning to her kneeling in front of her again. I pressed my hand against her forehead and shelaughed as she pushed my hands away. “Are you sick? Do you want to go home? Should I take you to the doctor?”

“Geez, let me speak, you smothering man,” she giggled as she gathered my hands and pressed them against her chest.

“Yes,Mommy?” I said and she laughed harder, throwing her head back and I was glad to see her smile back for the few seconds it was.

She was breathtaking.

“Don’t be so hard-hearted toward Brian. He’s also going through a lot,” she whispered and I could hear the genuineness in her tone.

I nodded and pressed my lips against her nose.

“See you later, Angel,” I said as I got up and waved as I left her office, before I closed the door her lips dropped and she seemed to be disappearing in her thoughts again.

Should I just ask what he said to her?

I jogged down the stairs to the practice area, warming up before I joined practice with the guys. I got changed into my gear and entered the ice along with the other guys and some coyly threw their jabs at me, mentioning how I was suddenly coming to practice earlier ever since I got scolded by Brian.

I rolled my eyes and raised my middle finger at them as I skated laps around the ice, waiting for the rest of the guys and the coach.

“So are you and Brian still fighting?” Andy asked as he skated backward, looking at me from the corner of his eyes and I shrugged.

“We’re not fighting, we’re just not talking,” I said and he smiled as he turned around so that he could skate going forward.

“Is that so? He seems really angry with you,” he said and I looked at Andy.

“This is entertaining for you, isn’t it?”

“Absolutely, I’ve been invested in this romance since it began four years ago.” He smiled and skated faster, leaving me behind. When he reached further away he turned around and shouted. “So I want to see how it ends!”

“See how what ends?” Coach asked.

Andy chuckled and shrugged, while I muttered under my breath. “It won’t end, dumbass.”

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