15. Braden
Chapter 15
Braden
I pull up to an old-timey drive-in called Dandy’s just outside of my neighborhood.
Bella leans forward in the passenger seat and gazes around. “This place looks like it’s straight out of the fifties.”
I chuckle. “It does, doesn’t it?”
Her pretty mouth curves up into a small smile. My heart rattles in my chest. I love making her smile.
Especially after the shit night she had.
I think back to earlier when I found out that she and Boucher dated—and that things ended because he cheated on her. Multiple times. And he took her money too. What a piece of shit.
My chest aches just thinking about how sad and broken Bella looked in the alley when I checked on her. I try to refocus on the moment. I brought her here to cheer her up and take her mind off her piece of shit ex.
“This place has the best banana split in the city,” I say.
“Wait, you like banana splits?” Bella asks.
“Yeah. They’re my favorite dessert. ”
She chuckles.
I smile. “What?”
“That’s such a wholesome dessert. Little kids like banana splits,” she says, that smile still playing on her lush lips.
“And that’s bad?” I tease.
She shakes her head, chuckling. “It’s not bad. It’s cute.”
I grin wide at hearing her call me cute.
“I’ve liked them ever since I was a kid. My dad used to take me out for a banana split every time I played well after hockey games when I was little.”
A sad feeling settles in my gut just thinking about those times. He was actually proud of me then. He would smile and joke with me. That was before he became obsessed with me making it to the pros someday and turned hyper-critical about every single thing I did.
Bella’s smile turns into a full-on grin. I lose all the air in my lungs. God. This woman’s smile could light up all the stars in the sky.
“That’s adorable,” she says.
I roll down my window and press the button to order. The cashier asks what I’d like.
“Two banana splits with a scoop of vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream. Could I also do a drizzle of hot fudge, peanut butter, and caramel? And extra whipped cream and cherries? And sprinkles instead of nuts?”
Bella muffles a chuckle. The cashier says no problem and that our dessert will be right out.
“Wow. That was an impressive order,” Bella says. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think a little kid ordered that and not a professional hockey player.”
I laugh and shrug. “I can’t help it. I’m a twenty-eight-year-old kid at heart when it comes to dessert. Nothing beats a banana split after a rough day. Or a good day. Really, any day.”
She laughs. A few minutes later, the car hop shows up at my window holding a tray with our banana splits. Bella starts to reach over to hand them her card, but I gently push her hand away and shake my head.
“Braden, come on. You’re driving me home tonight. Let me pay for this.”
“No way.” My voice is low and firm. She blinks like she’s surprised at the rough sound. The corner of her mouth twitches, and she bites her lip like she’s into it.
She puts her card away and I give the car hop cash. He drops off the ice cream and we thank him. I hand Bella her banana split along with a plastic spoon.
She chuckles as she looks at the massive banana split. “Oh my god. This looks like something out of a cartoon.”
I laugh. “Just wait until you take a bite before you judge it.”
She digs her spoon in, then takes a bite. Her eyes go wide. “Oh wow…”
I grin, then take a bite of my own and hum at the burst of sweetness. “Good, huh?”
She nods and goes in for another bite, then another, then another. She finishes hers before I finish mine.
“Damn. Look at you destroy that banana split,” I say.
She chuckles while wiping her mouth with a napkin. She glances down at my half-finished banana. A playful smile dances on her lips. “I win.”
I let out a laugh before finishing mine.
The smile on her face turns warm as she looks at me. “Thanks. I needed that.”
“My pleasure. ”
She stares down at her empty plastic ice cream container. “My first date with Matt was ice cream.”
“Oh…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to remind you of a bad memory.”
She flashes a soft smile as she looks up at me. “You didn’t. It was a nice memory of us. One of the few.”
Sadness flashes through her mesmerizing gold-brown eyes. Protectiveness surges through me.
“What do you mean?” I shouldn’t pry, but part of me needs to know how exactly her ex mistreated her.
When she doesn’t say anything, I instantly regret asking her. This isn’t my business.
“Sorry, I don’t have a right to ask that,” I quickly say.
She shakes her head, a sad smile on her face. “It’s okay. It’s just…our whole relationship was a mistake. I realize that now. I just didn’t when I was in it, unfortunately.”
She’s quiet for a moment.
“He’s why you hate hockey, huh?”
She nods. “I know that’s such a ridiculous reason.”
I shake my head. “I get it. It reminds you of him. And he hurt you.”
Her eyes turn shiny. She blinks quickly, like she’s trying not to let the tears fall.
“He wasn’t always a cheating asshole. He was honestly really sweet when we were first together. He’d take me out on dates and buy me flowers for my birthday and Valentine’s Day. I’d go to his hockey games and wear his jersey and cheer him on.”
She sniffles and wipes her nose with a napkin. “When he started playing for the AHL, I was so proud of him. He had worked so hard, and I knew he would make it pro someday. We were long distance for a while and that really sucked, being away from each other. So when he got called up to play for Toronto, we agreed that I’d move there so we could live in the same city. We bought a place together. I was so excited. Until I found out he was cheating on me.”
She shakes her head and gazes out her window. “I still can’t believe it took me so long to catch on. I mean, the signs were there.”
I frown. “What signs?”
She looks down at her lap like she’s embarrassed. “He was always really flirty with female fans. Sometimes we’d be out together and they’d ask for a photo and get pretty handsy with him when they posed. Like, they’d grab his ass. Or they’d kiss his cheek. Or ask him to sign their boobs or their butt cheek.”
My brow hits my hairline. “And he was okay with doing that while he was dating you?”
She nods. “I told him that it made me uncomfortable to see him touch other women and flirt with them in front of me, but he always downplayed my feelings. He told me that fans were important and he didn’t want to alienate them by rejecting them. He said it was part of being a pro hockey player. And honestly, I could tell he loved the attention. And it turns out that he was hooking up with a lot of those fans behind my back.”
I mutter a curse as I glance out the window.
I know what it’s like to deal with fans that take it too far. My teammates and I encounter fans who get flirty or handsy when asking for a photo or an autograph sometimes. I’m always polite, but I make it clear that I’m not okay with groping or grabbing. Some of my teammates love it and end up flirting and hooking up with those fans. But they’re single, so it’s all fine.
But to know that Bella’s ex would act like that in front of her, all the while cheating on her behind her back, pisses me off. Boucher is an asshole off the ice too.
“What a piece of shit,” I say. “I’m sorry he did that to you, Bella.”
She looks at me, so sad and so dazed. “I just feel so stupid. I spent all my savings on the downpayment for our house. And then I found out he was cheating on me. And that was it. My savings, my house, and my relationship were gone, just like that.”
“Did he pay you back?”
“No,” she says weakly.
“Bella, if your name is on the deed of that house, you’re legally entitled to that money.”
“My name’s not on it. He bought the house from his uncle, so everything was in his name.”
I grit my teeth at how fucking shady this guy is, at how he’s completely fine with screwing over his girlfriend. His girlfriend who was loyal and loving to him for years.
“That’s why I moved back to Denver a few months ago,” she says. “My aunt owns the apartment I’m staying in and is nice enough to let me live there for free while I work to rebuild my savings.”
“That’s why you’re working at Spanky’s?”
“Yup. And I work at a coffee shop most mornings too.”
“Wait, so you’re working early mornings and late nights?”
“Yeah,” she says through a breath.
That’s probably why she was so pissed the morning we met, when my music woke her up. She was exhausted from working so many hours and not getting enough sleep.
A wave of guilt pummels me. I was such a jerk to her then .
“I’m sorry, Bella. I should have been nicer to you that morning we met.”
“It’s okay. I wasn’t very nice to you.”
“For good reason. My music was blasting and you had barely slept. I’m sorry for making your day worse when it was already so hard for you. Really.”
She flashes a small smile. “Thank you. And thank you for listening to me vent about my ex. That was probably really awkward. Especially after you played him tonight.”
“It wasn’t. I was happy to listen. And hey, I shoved him during the game and cussed him out. We can pretend I did it on your behalf.”
She laughs again, but this time it sounds lighter, happier.
“I’m sorry he treated you like that. I honestly can’t believe it.”
Bella waves a hand. “It’s not a unique story. Lots of pro athletes cheat on their girlfriends.”
“No, that’s not what I mean. I mean that I can’t believe Boucher blew it with you. You’re…”
I shake my head, the disbelief making it hard for me to think straight.
She blinks at me. “I’m what?”
“You’re way out of his league.”
She lets out a surprised laugh. “What?”
I tilt my head at her. “Come on. Don’t tell me you don’t see it?”
“See what?”
“Bella. You’re stunning. So beautiful. The most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Her eyes are wide as she blinks at me, clearly shocked at what I’ve said .
“Wait, you’re serious?” she asks after a moment, her cheeks flushed.
I almost laugh. Does she really not know how stunning she is? And how much better she is than Boucher, and not just because of her looks?
I rest my elbow on the center console and lean closer to her. “My nickname for you is pretty girl. Of course I’m serious.”
That blush on her cheeks deepens as the most adorable flustered smile pulls at her lips.
“I don’t mean to make it all about looks,” I say. “You’re funny and witty and smart. And Boucher is just…not any of that. He’s an arrogant, obnoxious douche.”
She bursts out laughing and tucks a chunk of hair behind her ear. “Thanks for that,” she says, her voice soft and sweet.
I smile at her. “Anytime.”
I check the time. It’s almost midnight.
“Should I take you home? It’s getting late and I want you to get enough sleep if you’re working in the morning,” I say.
Bella shakes her head. “I’m not working in the morning. And I don’t want to go home just yet.”
Excitement flickers in my chest. I’m glad Bella wants to keep hanging out. I really, really like spending time with her. I’ll stay out the whole night if she wants.
“Where do you wanna go this late at night?”
A teasing smile plays on her lips. “I know the perfect place.”