Revenge Puck (Shot at Love #1)

Chapter 38

38

Elle

I ’m folding towels in the laundry room when I hear the door chime, quickly followed by Audrey exclamation of, “What the hell are you doing here?”

Based on her angry tone, my first thought is that it must be Christian popping in again, maybe even asking for a haircut before he leaves for game six in D.C. tomorrow.

The urge to shave his eyebrows off has lessened, thankfully. I’m too sad about Preston to even be malicious toward the jackass.

Despite how much Preston hurt me, unlike Christian, I don’t want to do him harm or try to get payback. Mostly because I don’t blame him for pushing me away before he hurt his career even more.

“Ah, Elle?” Audrey asks from the doorway of our tiny laundry room.

“Yeah? Christian here for a cut? I don’t mind fitting him in.”

“Christian?” she repeats. “No, he’s not the walk-in.”

Turning around to face her, brow furrowed in confusion, I ask, “Then who were you yelling at?”

“Preston.”

“That’s…no,” I say, shaking my head in disbelief. “He’s in D.C. The team left last night.”

“I don’t know about all the travel logistics, but Preston Lawrence is here right now. He wants to talk to you.”

“Oh. Wow.”

I was not expecting this—for him to show up here when there’s no game in town. He should be at home, getting ready to try to win the series with his team tomorrow night, not wasting time on me.

“Do you want to run out the back or…” Audrey trails off, leaving the decision to me.

“Is your client still here?”

“Mrs. Bailey is sitting under the dryer.”

“Then I guess you should probably send him back here.”

“Are you sure?”

Am I sure? Taking a deep breath, I let it out slowly, searching for that answer. “Yes.”

“Okay then. I’ll be out front, so if you need backup just yell for me.”

“Thank you,” I tell her.

I finish up the last towel, then turn off the light and shut the laundry room door. When I step into our little waiting area, he’s standing there taking up all the space. His eyes roam up and down me as if he hasn’t seen me in months when it’s been less than twenty-four hours since he gave me the boot.

“Hey,” he speaks first.

“Hey,” I reply softly. I shouldn’t be happy to see him or hear his rumbly voice, not after how badly he hurt me the last time I saw him when he was throwing shit and angry, telling me he was done with me. “What do you want? Your hair doesn’t need a cut yet.”

“You think I came all the way here from D.C. for a haircut?”

I shrug, since I have no clue why he’s in town.

“I miss you,” he says. “I missed you within seconds of you leaving the locker room. And I owe you an apology.”

“Oh?”

“I need to apologize for blaming you for my temper. It wasn’t your fault I blew up and went after Christian. I did that way before you and I ever met.”

“I became a distraction and not a fun way to torment your enemy. There’s nothing to apologize for, Preston, especially not in person when you should be getting ready for game six. You could’ve put all that in a text.”

“That’s not…yes, it was fun tormenting Christian. But my anger at him was more about me. I blame myself for letting him near my sister, getting her pregnant, and then taking away his chance to redeem himself with her and as a father.”

Wow. That is definitely a change in his tune.

“I’m glad you’ve finally realized that. Is Maya going to tell him about Finley?”

“No. I am.”

“You are?” I ask in surprise, my eyes widening in disbelief. “Before game six of the championships? That’s messed up, Preston.”

“No, I’m not going to tell him to throw him off his game. I swear. I just can’t keep it from him any longer out of spite. I would want to know if…He’ll probably slice my throat with a skate when he finds out I kept Finley from him.”

“He could’ve figured it out if he really wanted to. It’s not like Maya was hiding him.”

“I’m gonna ask if he wants to meet him tomorrow. The real reason I kept Maya and Finley out of Greensboro was to keep them away from Christian. It wasn’t my place, though. By trying to protect my sister, I overstepped. Now I know that I can still be a supportive brother and uncle to Finley, even if Christian is in his life.”

I think this is the first time I’ve ever heard him call his nemesis by his first name, like he’s an old friend.

“Your heart was in the right place. At least I think it was,” I tell him.

“It was. I didn’t want Maya to have to deal with any more heartache after all she went through with our parents abandoning her and their own grandchild, and then Christian up and leaving town.”

“Well, I’m glad you are going to try to make amends with Christian.”

Holding up his big palms toward me, he says, “Whoa, I didn’t say anything about making amends.”

“Telling him he’s the father to your nephew is going to require some amends, Preston. Whether you like it or not, you’ll have to get used to him being around without hitting him in front of Finley.”

His big hand scrubs over his beard as he considers that. “Wow. I guess you’re right.”

“It’s a good thing to let go of your anger, at him and at yourself. And you have the best reason to do it now—for Finley’s sake. He deserves to grow up with a father.”

“How can you be so sure that arrogant prick will want to be a dad?”

Giving him a small smile, I tell him the truth. “I just know. He’s arrogant and can be a prick, yes. But Christian has his moments of decency.”

“Like when he asked you to take him back?”

“He was just jealous or wanted to hurt you back. Actually, I think he’s still in love with your sister.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes.”

“Huh. She loved him, too. It’s possible she still does.”

“Maybe you could try to let them figure that out without interfering this time?”

“I will. And, um, I may not even be around them as much if I accept the offer from San Diego.”

“Oh. You got an offer to play for the Grizzlies?” I say in understanding.

“I did.”

“That’s great, Preston.”

“At least I don’t think they’ve revoked it yet. My agent wanted me to sign it like last week, in case I screwed up and got thrown out of a game. I should’ve listened but...”

“You’ve known since last week? And you didn’t tell me?”

“I wanted to, Elle. I did. But I was scared of how you would react to me moving to the West Coast when this was so new between us.”

Preston’s moving to California.

My stomach sinks and I’m not even sure why. Because I thought he was here to ask me to take him back and instead he came to make amends before moving across the country?

“I don’t think Maya is going to up and move Finley out of his school and home in D.C., though.”

“Right. That-that makes sense,” I say.

“So, it’ll just be me this time, living on my own.”

“Well, um, good luck. Not just in tomorrow night’s game, but with the move and all.”

“Elle, I know it may be a long shot, but is there any way we could try to give this, us, another chance?”

Ah, there it is.

It should make me happier that he even bothered to ask. He can’t actually think that would work though, does he?

“I don’t know, Preston. Even if everything was good between us, California is so far away.”

“I’ll have time off during the summer before I have to go.”

I’m already shaking my head no. “I can’t. I don’t think it would be a good idea for us to spend more time together before you up and leave. It’s too much. And I don’t want to be a distraction. I know how important hockey is to you, for you to keep supporting Maya and Finley. If I messed that up again…”

“Elle, what happened in that game, it wasn’t your fault. I’m sorry I put the blame on you.”

“Well, you did, and you were right. So how about we just end on good terms as friends?”

“Friends?”

“That’s all I can offer you, Preston.”

His wide shoulders rise, then fall heavily. “Then, I’ll take it. I wish you would come to D.C. tomorrow for game six. It could be the last.”

“I know, but I can’t up and leave Audrey again with the salon. Thanks, though. And I do wish you luck. Lasting the entire game would even be a win in my book.”

“Thanks, Elle. It was…it was really good to see you.”

“It was good to see you too,” I tell him, giving him a small, sad, close-lipped smile.

For a moment, he just stands there, hesitating, like he wants to say something else. But he doesn’t. He turns around and walks out the door, out of my life for good.

I make it a good three seconds before the first sob escapes past my pursed lips.