Not A Chance (Heartstrings #2)

7. Theo

Still standing in the hallway, I stared at her closed door.

Had Indie just given me the brush-off as if I were some stranger? As if I hadn’t spent countless afternoons of her childhood and my youth with her as practically a surrogate member of my family? What the hell had just happened?

Torn between irritation and disbelief, and maybe more than a little hurt in there somewhere, I unlocked my door and dragged my duffle inside.

I could concede that the last time I saw her would have been pretty embarrassing, but I’d chalked it up to one of those crazy things we all did as teenagers.

At the time, I’d just put the moment aside, keen not to let on to my family that I’d had anything to do with Indie’s unexpected departure from our Christmas Day celebrations.

Had she been that affected by what I’d thought was a gentle letdown that she’d been upset with me all these years?

Goddamn. Was I the reason she hadn’t come to spend Christmas with us since? Fuck.

Emery had said that Indie had family obligations. But god, what if she’d been alone instead?

That idea didn’t sit well with me at all, causing a burning sensation in my chest.

I needed to fix things with Indie. I couldn’t bear the thought of being the source of her pain.

My mind was too riled up to take in what I’m sure was a very nice condo that the team had provided. I caught a glimpse of some wrought-iron details and some large wooden beams on my way to the dark gray sectional in the living room.

Allowing myself to fall backward onto the cushions, I leaned my head against the back of the couch. My eyes fell shut as I scrubbed my hands over my face.

I couldn’t stop the memories of Indie flooding my brain.

As a girl and teen, she had always been reserved, to put it mildly. Rocky could have won a medal for the best poker face for all her facial expression gave away.

So it wasn’t new to me that I’d need to puzzle out the interaction, but what was new was the abrupt, borderline dismissive attitude that she had shown me.

The Indie I knew took a long, long time to warm up to others. Her family was mega-wealthy. They owned a whole legion of businesses that I never paid attention to. While our house growing up had been on the larger side, Indie had grown up in a literal mansion.

When she first started coming over to our place, she hadn’t even acted like a kid. She was like some mini adult that her parents had ordered out of a catalog. Always perfectly polite and never a hair out of place.

She’d warmed to Emery almost immediately. My baby sister had that effect on people, and over time, she had become comfortable with the rest of us, especially my mom.

My phone buzzed, drawing my attention away from Indie. I unlocked my screen to see that our sibling group chat was buzzing.

Emery

WTF Theo! Why do I have to find out you’re in Toronto from Indie?!?!

Chase

Bruh?

Liam

What’s going on? I just woke up.

Emery

Our long-lost brother was just about to tell us why he’s in Toronto and not getting ready for training camp in Vancouver.

Shit. Everything had moved so quickly since the meeting in Coach’s office I hadn’t told my family about my trade.

I had to bite the bullet and apologize. Em was going to be pissed at me for keeping this from them.

Theo

I got traded two days ago.

Emery

WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU GOT TRADED?!?

You moved to the other side of North America without telling us? But you told Indie?!?!

Liam

Not cool, man. I mean, we’re not your keepers or anything. But you could have at least texted us.

Liam has left the chat.

Fuck. Liam was the more sensitive of my two brothers. I had really screwed up here. I owed them more than this.

Theo

I’m sorry. It’s been hectic. They sprung this on me two days before camp was due to start. I’ve been up to my ears in logistics for 48 hours. But that’s no excuse. I’ll do better, I promise.

I didn’t tell Indie anything. I just literally ran into her. What’s she doing here?

Chase

Those are only words, T. Thanks a lot. Now I’m going to have a pissed off wingman at the bar tonight. Neither of us are going to be able to hook up.

Emery

Am I the only one who cares that we are going to be seeing Theo even less than we already are?!

For someone with such a sunny disposition, she knew how to aim guilt trips for maximum effect.

Chase

Yes, Emery. You’re the only one. He hasn’t cared what’s been going on with us for years. Why should now be any different?

Emery

Chase! That’s not fair. He’s our brother.

Chase

Yeah, well. Maybe he should act like it once in a while rather than only coming home when he absolutely can’t avoid it.

Chase has left the chat.

Theo

At least they have each other’s backs.

Emery

*sigh* I’ll talk to them.

Theo

Em, it’s okay. This is my fault. I’ll fix it with them. You don’t need to take this on.

Emery

Fine. But if you need my help, the offer is there.

Theo

You’re too good to me, sis.

Emery

Damn right, I am.

And you still have to tell Dad!

Theo

Fuck.

Emery

Yeah, good luck with that. I’ve gotta get to class. Freshmen to corral and all that. Even though I’m mad at you, I still love you, Theo.

Theo

Love you too.

I chucked my phone onto the couch beside me.

Great. I had three pissed-off siblings, and I hadn’t even unpacked my suitcase yet. I’d have to make an extra trip home during the first break in the team’s schedule.

There were things I should have done to get ready for my first practice with my new team tomorrow. I could have been making use of the cell numbers of the captain or alternate captain of the Tempests, watching old game tape, or even reaching out to team services about the arrival of the rest of my stuff.

Instead, the weight of the last few days hit me all at once. A tsunami of shock, now tinged with guilt over my siblings, rolled over me and sank deep in my gut. My body was trapped by the overwhelming sense of powerlessness to fix all the ways I’d apparently screwed up.

I’d spent too many years while playing in Vancouver so deep in the mindset that I needed to give every ounce of myself to hockey so that I could prove I deserved to be there. That reaching the NHL and my career as a professional hockey player was somehow the mark that I had “made it” in a way.

Looking down the line a year, however, with knee surgery on the horizon, suddenly seemed a lot more daunting with my brothers and sister angry with me. There would be no blaming my schedule for the distance in our relationship anymore.

My mind quickly pushed that thought aside. Coming back to my immediate issue of the mystery of Indie as my new neighbor.

Being on the receiving end of the brush-off was new to me. I was used to people wanting my attention, whether it was the media, fans, fans who were looking to hook up, or other industry professionals .

I couldn’t imagine Indie still feeling awkward because of our last encounter on that Christmas morning.

A strange sensation ran through me as my mind merged the nineteen-year-old Indie hesitantly pressing her soft lips to mine with the distant woman in the hallway just now.

Before I realized who she was, the visceral attraction I’d felt approaching her still churned in my gut. I could never consider acting on it because of Emery, but that didn’t change the fact that I was drawn to Indie in a way I couldn’t remember feeling before.

She had always been stunning. Back then, I hadn’t even considered her in that light because I’d automatically connected her to Emery. They were so much younger; my protective big brother instincts had always extended to both of them.

At twenty-five, I’d had my head so far up my own ass it wasn’t funny. I’d been working hard and playing harder. I was out every night with the other guys on the Frost. I hadn’t gone at it as hard as some of the others, but I had still had enough nights that I was lucky social media wasn’t the way it was now.

I scrubbed my hands over my face with the frustrated realization of how much of a wall I’d put up around myself.

I was a guy who didn’t like things up in the air. I needed to think of a way to prove to my siblings that I wanted to reconnect after allowing my career to come between us.

I rolled my neck and shoulder muscles like I was shaking off a bad hit on the ice, way back in my minor hockey days before I found my niche as a goalie. But this time, I was shaking off an emotional hit rather than a physical one.

It was time to make amends. And I’d start with the woman across the hall.