Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
Leon
I don’t know what made me offer to help Erika out of her dress. Maybe it was the idea of being able to see what she looked like in her lingerie.
When I finally saw what she was hiding beneath that dress, she looked like something out of a dream, standing half-naked in my bathroom, so painfully close yet still out of reach.
When my mouth went dry, I imagined pressing my lips to the soft curve of her neck, tracing every inch of her with my tongue.
Then I couldn’t stop myself from doing exactly that, bringing my dream to reality.
It was a bold move. Stupid of me really, but…I’ve wanted her for longer than I can remember, and my resistance is nearing its breaking point.
What I hated was knowing she wore that silk and lace for another man. The thought burned through me, igniting a fire in my veins that felt a lot like jealousy. I wanted to rip the delicate scraps of fabric from her body, to claim what I’ve only ever fantasized about since our kisses years ago.
Her tempting words that made me check her door lock that night were all too much for me.
Then, almost a year later, the way she teased me, wearing my hockey jersey to all the games and showing up at the arena like she was already mine.
Finally, it made me snap and lose my fucking mind that day in the equipment room.
Any hope of apologizing to Erika for kissing her neck and slapping her ass with her garter straps, which made my dick rock hard, slipped through my fingers because my front gate buzzer went off as soon as I changed out of my suit and into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.
Knowing how protective Ash is of Erika, I knew that as soon as I sent him a message about her whereabouts while she was in the shower, he would be at my front gate, and he was, along with Lily, his wife, and his mom, Judy.
“How is she?” Judy asks as she steps into my home, brows furrowed and looking worried, still dressed in her pale yellow mother-of-the-bride outfit.
“Remarkably well,” I reply.
Too well. This might be the calm before the storm.
Although I know Erika and how she operates, I could guess she wasn’t crying because she left Huck at the altar; it’s more likely because she feels she let her family down and caused a scene.
She’s more concerned about ruining her family’s reputation.
She hasn’t, but she’ll think she has if she ends up in the gossip columns.
“What did Huck do?” Lily asks, concerned, as her eyes dart around trying to find Erika.
“Nothing, apparently. She said she doesn’t love him and that her heart didn’t feel right.” It fills me with so much fucking hope; it’s selfish and wrong, but I can’t change how I feel. I point to the stairs. “She’s taking a shower.”
“Hey, brother.” Ash winks, looking delighted with how the day has played out, then he shakes my hand. “Thank you for being my sister’s getaway driver and saving her from a life of having to support that loser. Mom is very grateful.”
“I am. You’re a good man, Leon. Thank you.” Judy lays her hand on my arm and pats it.
I lift my chin and reply with determination, “Your family is mine too.”
Judy has been part of my life since I was drafted to the Eagles.
Her husband, Ash’s father, Theodore Johansson, who passed away over twenty years ago, was a hockey legend.
Theodore Johansson is a Hall of Famer, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have his son as my best friend.
Ash was not only one of the greatest Eagles’ players of all time, but he is also my hero off the ice.
A true family man, he loves his wife and three kids more than anything in the world.
I admire him, and I’m not ashamed to admit I’m a bit jealous of the love he and Lily share. It’s something I deeply crave.
“Where are the kids?” I ask Ash and Lily as I close the front door. “I bought them a trampoline for the backyard for when they come to visit.” They’ve yet to give it a shot, and I wanted to surprise them.
Ash replies, “Lily’s dad and stepmom took them home.” He grins, looking smug as hell. “You’re a big softie at heart, really.”
“I love your kids.” It’s honestly true. Little Blaze, who is almost two, is irresistibly adorable, but is going through the terrible twos early.
Grace, at age four, is a bundle of energy, a little firecracker, and I’d gladly hand over every cent of my life savings if she batted those puppy-dog eyes at me.
And Theo, their six-year-old, is already showing the makings of an excellent hockey player.
He has serious talent, and I have no doubt he’ll follow in the footsteps of his dad and grandfather.
My bloodline ends with me since I’m an only child.
I’m sure my parents are disappointed about not having grandchildren.
Not that they’ve ever told me, but I suspect they hoped I would have settled down long ago and had a little family of my own and some grandbabies to run around the backyard with.
I thought the same thing, but here we are.
Appearing at the top of the staircase, Erika descends wearing an old hockey jersey of mine tucked into a pair of gray sweat shorts that are much too big for her, but she’s made them work by rolling the waist down. She could wear a tarp as a dress and still look fucking stunning.
“Hey.” Erika’s single-word echo reverberates through my vast staircase that leads to the entrance.
Biting her lip, she moves closer to her family, looking uncomfortable and uncharacteristically different.
She’s usually full of confidence and energy around her family, but today it seems like all of that has been drained from her.
“Oh, sweetheart.” Judy rushes over with open arms to greet her. “How are you?”
“I’m fine.” Erika flashes a stop sign with her palms and offers a shaky smile.
“I’m okay, I promise.” She finally reaches the bottom step and embraces her mom.
“I’m sorry. I just couldn’t do it. I’m sorry if I embarrassed you.
I want to give all the gifts back and send an apology letter to everyone. ”
Judy tuts. “Let’s not talk about that now. All I care about is how you are.” Her mom pulls out of their hug and holds her shoulders at arm’s length. “You’re a grown woman, Erika, and whatever decisions you make, I stand by them with you,” she says in a soft and gentle voice. “Are you really okay?”
“Yeah, I promise, Mom. I think I should talk to Huck and give him an explanation.”
“Leon said you didn’t feel right about him. What didn’t feel right, Erika?” Judy asks.
Erika volleys her eyes between all of us before she finally reveals the truth.
“He’s not supportive of my job and doesn’t understand why I do what I do.
He hates the long hours I work, and honestly, I couldn’t see a future with him.
I think he was using me, or at least planning to, and he was hoping you three,” she motions with her head to me, Ash, and Lily, “would connect him with people in the music industry because of the celebrities you might know.” She drops her focus to the floor.
“I made it clear to him that he wasn’t allowed to ask any of you for anyone’s contact details. ”
“That didn’t stop him,” Lily jumps in. “He asked me. Several times.” Lily shakes her head. “But I would never break my client confidentiality.”
Erika sneers in disgust. “I’m so sorry, Lily.”
I jump in next. “He asked me if I knew any record producers.” I do, but they don’t work with unknown bands. They want musicians who write their own songs and have the initiative to build a large online presence with an established fan base.
“That’s so embarrassing.” Erika keeps her head down as if she’s responsible for his actions.
I’m quick to reply. “You have nothing to apologize for.”
Erika takes a while to look up. “I’m not sure I would have ever fully trusted Huck.
What if he signs a record deal? Then what?
Will he just head off into the sunset and leave me behind?
And what if he goes on tour and then runs off with a groupie?
Because he told me he once dated three other girls at the same time before he met me.
” Nervously, she nibbles her bottom lip.
“And six months ago, I caught him cheating on me. Well, texting another woman, several, actually. He maintains he never physically met with any of them.”
She’s never shared this with us before, and hearing it makes my blood boil. I’d love to chop Huck into tiny pieces and feed him to a lake of piranhas. While he’s never directly harmed me, I’ve always disliked him, especially when he mocks Erika for caring too much about her patients.
“I will kill him,” Ash states, sounding deadly serious at Erika’s confession.
“I’ll help.” I offer up my services.
This new information only adds to the hatred I feel for him.
“You won’t kill him because none of that matters now,” Erika snaps with a sharp glare between Ash and me.
“He’s not in my life anymore, and today I just couldn’t stand at that altar and make vows I didn’t believe in.
Our lifestyles are very different, and my job doesn’t fit his.
I come in from the day shift, and he goes out at night, so we never see each other.
I don’t know why I ever thought we would work.
He doesn’t make me happy. And when I was standing there in the side room in my dress today, I got this gut-deep certainty that something wasn’t right.
I know it sounds crazy, but it was like I could hear Dad in my head, telling me to run.
Not in words exactly, more like a push from somewhere unfathomable, as if his voice had somehow lived on in me. ”