Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
DELANEY
It’s going to be a good night.
After a fantastic afternoon win against Boston on their ice, we have the night off. I can’t wait until Lydia sneaks up here later.
After taking a long, hot shower, I make myself a cocktail from the minibar and settle onto the mattress. Not the best one I’ve had on the road, but I don’t care.
With a happy sigh, I sink into the down pillows. I’m usually not the biggest fan of overnights in hotel beds. I prefer my own, but tonight, I’ll be glad to have some company.
For once, I don’t plan what we have coming up. I don’t immediately pull up film for our next opponent.
I enjoy the quiet.
I start to nod off before a knock sounds at the door.
Jumping off the bed, I look through the peephole and see Lydia looking both ways.
Opening the door, I pull her inside before anyone can spot her. “Hey.”
“Hi.”
Bringing her in close, I plant a kiss on her lips. But it doesn’t get far before she winces.
“Are you okay?” I ask, pulling her Rosebuds sweatshirt up to investigate her side. A bruise mars her torso. Nothing huge, but it’s still there.
“I’m okay.” She pushes my hands away and lies down on the bed.
“Are you?”
“Well, I could use some ice. I already took pain reliever.”
“Good.” Grabbing the ice bucket, I take the bag of ice and wrap it in a towel from the bathroom.
“Let me.”
I sit next to her, resting the ice on her side where the bruise is.
“I bet this isn’t what you had in mind for tonight.”
I steal a kiss. “I wanted to spend the night with you.”
Lydia sighs and I lie down facing her.
“For once, I wish we were at home. I wouldn’t mind having Biscuit here to curl up with us,” she tells me. I know he stays with her neighbor while we’re away.
“Would you rather have two-week road trips like the men’s teams?”
She shakes her head, tucking her hands under the side of her face. “I’m good. I like our schedule.”
“You want to put on a movie?”
“Sure.”
Grabbing the remote, I flip to the movie channel and find a comedy to watch. An older movie that we don’t have to pay attention to if we don’t want to.
“This reminds me of when I was a kid,” Lydia says.
“Lying in bed with a girlfriend watching a movie?”
She laughs. “No. Getting to stay up late and watch movies.”
“Yeah?”
“Troy and I used to build these epic pillow forts in the living room whenever we got to stay up and watch a movie. We each got to pick a candy bar for a snack. They were some of my favorite days.”
“Do you miss them?” I ask, tucking a lock of blonde hair behind her ear.
“Sometimes. The easier days when you didn’t have to worry about your stats. Or how many goals you’re getting so you can keep your starting position on the team.”
“Are you worried about losing it?” I ask.
“No.” She smiles. “But I miss the days of just being able to play for the fun of it. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s still fun. But there’s more to it now.”
“I know what you mean. Hell, I miss the days of being able to play.”
“How did you deal with all of that changing in the blink of an eye?”
I flip onto my back, taking Lydia’s hand in mine. I trace the lines of her palm. This is easier than looking at her.
“I didn’t handle it all that well at the beginning. I thought all the doctors were wrong and that I knew better. I worked so hard on rehab and getting my leg better, but the strength just wasn’t there.”
“I wish I could have been there to help you,” Lydia says.
“I don’t think I could have handled that. I had tunnel vision. The only thing I did was rehab. Nothing else mattered.”
“Did you stay with your mom while rehabbing?”
“Yeah. She was the only reason I stayed sane during that time.”
Lydia gives me a small smile. “Did she ever try setting you up while you were healing? Maybe that could have helped you get better faster.”
I can’t hide my wince. “She…still doesn’t know.”
“You haven’t told her?”
“I’m too scared,” I confess. “She’s all I have in the world. What if she disowns me? I don’t want to lose her.”
“I’m not going to lie; being disowned hurts.”
“Who disowned you?”
She waggles her head. “Well, not really disowned. But I can’t get my own father to see me.”
“Who wouldn’t want you in their life? You make everything brighter.”
She smiles at me, pulling me close and cupping my cheek. “You’re the exact same. You are kind and beautiful, D. And no matter what happens, you have more people in your life than you know. I love you, and I’m not planning on going anywhere.”
“Do you realize what you just said?” My breath catches in my chest.
“That I love you? Yeah. And you don’t have to say it back, but I want you to know. I love you, Del—”
I cut her off with a kiss, flipping her onto her back so the ice pack slides off her side onto the bed. It’s a sweet and easy kiss, but one that is full of love and promise. Of what’s to come in the future.
“I love you too. And I want to tell my mom about you, but—”
Lydia quiets me with a finger over my mouth. “You don’t have to. Tell her when you’re ready. I promise, I’m not going anywhere.”
“I guess we’re two peas in a pod. Your dad won’t talk to you and I’m too scared to talk to my mom.”
“We’ll deal with it together.”
Together. The best damn word I’ve heard in a long time. Having someone to do the hard things with.
Together.