Chapter 7 Crack, crack, crack #2
I want to slap her hand away and whisper-hiss “Are you crazy? Don’t call him over!” But I guess not much has changed in all these years. She’s still determined to get me in trouble with all the pretty boys. I’m also not sure I’d be able to produce any coherent words at the moment.
He smiles back, oblivious to the storm brewing inside me as he rounds the car to the passenger side and pulls out a huge box with a big, red bow on top of it and strolls over to us with that same panther-like confidence that could be felt even through his car.
“Hey,” Electra greets him happily while I decide to act as if I’m not even here. Maybe he won’t notice me under all these blankets. Maybe I won’t pay attention to him or the damn wind that just won’t quit.
A second later, Exton comes to my rescue as he stops sharply, sloshing ice in every direction, including all over Electra, drawing all eyes to him.
“Asshole. What was that for?” She glares at him, wiping the ice off her face with her sleeve. Their relationship is truly so unique…
“You looked like you needed to cool off,” he grumbles, his lips barely moving as his eyes narrow into two thin slits watching the newcomer.
“Exton,” the guy says, and a ripple of goose bumps rakes over my body at the sound of his deep, warm voice.
It’s the kind of voice that could melt a girl right on the spot.
The most dangerous kind. “I see everything is as it was here? You are still your charming self?” He sends Exton a shit-eating grin.
“What are you doing here? Don’t you have a game…sometime soon.” Exton waves his hand dismissively, still frowning, and I realize he’s jealous of this guy standing next to Electra.
“We do tomorrow. But it’s against New York, and I had some free time today to make it out here to see you guys.”
“Mm-hmm, okay, you saw us, now you can go back.”
“Exton!” Electra smacks his thigh, and he shifts his attention to her, those brows not easing up even one bit. “That’s not nice.”
“Since when did you think I was?” he asks flatly.
“Apologize,” she says tightly.
And after a few seconds and a few layers of enamel gritted off his molars, he grunts, “Sorry.” The word is barely audible, and I roll my lips to hold in my laugh. My Emett pouts less when being chastised than this grown brute of a hockey player.
“Like you mean it, Exton,” Electra persists and he blows up.
“Fuck no, he came here to flirt with you. The fuck am I supposed to be nice to him?”
“Well, I’ll be damned…” the guy muses, thoroughly entertained. “Oh, man, I didn’t think I’d see the day.”
“Shut up, asshole and drive away,” Exton snarks back, but it sounds more like a fight between two brothers.
I’m so busy watching their exchange, that somehow, I lose track of the newcomer until it’s too late because his eyes have found mine…warm caramel with hints of frigid black.
I realize the air is coming in and out of my lungs, but I can’t feel it.
Can’t draw enough of it. It feels like I’m choking and breathing in far too much all at once.
My mind grows fuzzy, my skin hot and sensitive, because he’s watching me as if he’d never seen a woman with blonde hair like mine.
Or lips like mine as his eyes trace every curve and groove of them.
His eyes move to the beauty mark that is right underneath my bottom lip, and he tilts his head like it’s the most fascinating thing in the world.
And I’m not sure he means it in a good way.
There’s something dark about his gaze. Something deeper and threatening.
I don’t think I’m bad, but there’s also nothing extra special about me. I’m just a tired, single mom, yet the way he watches me…
He watches me like he knows me. Really knows me. My past. My present. My future.
My every secret and desire.
And to my utter horror, I realize I’m mirroring the expression as my eyes trail over every feature that wasn’t visible from afar. Both physical and those he hides on the other side of those caramel eyes and easy smiles.
I realize we’ve been locked in on each other far longer than normal people would deem appropriate so I shift, pulling my gaze away.
That seems to snap him out of whatever stupor he was in as well.
“Um…” He gets up from where he was still hunched over, setting the box down and clears his throat. “Will you introduce us?” he asks, those magical eyes shifting back to mine.
“This is my friend Aurora,” Electra says chirpily. “Aurora, this is Exton’s friend and goalie for the Outlaws, Sever—” But her words get cut off as my overly excited son runs at us at a neck break speed, followed by a shrill shriek.
“Mr. Brick!”
My body is about to fly out of my seat to catch my crazy child as he’s seconds away from running face-first into ice, but Exton is there before me, and I let out a sigh of relief as my gaze registers Severin—yes, now I know who the guy is—bracing as well, like he was about to catch Emett as well.
“Easy there, kid, we still need you in one piece.” Exton helps him up, chuckling. “I see you know Mr. Brick here as well?”
“Are you kidding me? Who doesn’t?” His little green eyes light up so brightly, it brings tears to my own but also worry.
Maybe it’s wrong but I want to shield my son from every bad thing out there.
I don’t want his hopes and dreams to be crushed.
I don’t want his little heart broken, and it might be if one of his hockey idols just brushes him off.
Severin stops for a brief second, watching Emett with that same hidden curiosity and then drops to the ground in front of him. “Hey, little man. It seems a little unfair that you know my name, but I don’t know yours.”
“I’m Emett!” he proclaims excitedly. “And I’m gonna be the best hockey player when I grow up!” He states it as a given fact and the most gorgeous, soul-stealing smile spreads across Severin’s lips.
A real smile that brings out the warmth in his eyes.
“Are you now?”
“Mm-hmm, that’s why mommy brought me here today. So, I can train with The Axe.” Emett says Exton’s nickname with a dash of worship to it, but that’s not the fact that Severin seems to be hang up on.
“That pretty girl is your mommy?” he asks, and whatever wind I had left inside me, gets knocked right out from me.
“Yeah! The prettiest mommy in all the world,” Emett states once again, his head bobbing up and down, and I feel my cheeks taking on a new shade of pink that has nothing to do with the cold air.
Out of the corner of his eye I catch Severin chance a glance my way. Not in a sleazy I’m checking you out way. No, this is more like agreement but also…pain…intense and deep, making me shift in my seat.
Oh God…what is going on? Why is he looking at me like that? And why can’t I stop looking back?
Once again, Exton comes to my rescue, whining, “Are you planning to reveal the big mystery behind the huge box with a f—” He stops himself just as I hear a very low, warning growl sound from beside me.
I suck in a startled breath when I realize it came from Severin.
Maybe he doesn’t like cussing? Surely, it couldn’t have been just because of my son. But it was so quiet and soft, I’m not sure he intended for anyone else to hear it. It was almost involuntary.
By the looks of it, Exton heard it too. He clears his throat. “Fabulous bow on top?” he amends, twisting his face in hopes that Emett didn’t catch onto the real meaning, and it looks so adorable, I can’t help the small giggle that escapes me.
Severin’s eyes hone in on me immediately, trapping that giggle inside his gaze and stealing it. While the rest of the present eyes were now watching him with a new curious frown.
“Oh, um,” Severin shook his head, effectively breaking the staring contest. “This is for Electra. It’s a helmet. You know for when you decide to play hockey together again.”
I think the whole town already heard the story of Exton shooting pucks at my friend.
Somehow, he thought the adrenaline rush of having to face that scary fast puck flying at her while she was manning the makeshift goal post on the ice in her wheelchair was supposed to work and she’d walk just like that.
Newsflash, it didn’t work. At least, not in the way he anticipated.
Electra smiles wide, but Exton’s scowl deepens.
“How considerate of you,” he states dryly.
“Are you also dating Miss Electra?” Emett suddenly speaks up.
Addressing Severin, as his young gaze studies each of us, and I just know…
I know he’s about to say something that will make me either wince or groan.
“Because I think Mr. Axe already is, and if you’re not, can you date my mommy? You think she’s pretty, right?”
“Jesus Christ! Emett!” Yep, groan it is. Plus, a palm to the face as an added bonus because my son did not just try to set me up.
“What? I’m just looking for you,” Emett says, unfazed in the slightest as he butchers grown up phrases once again. “Everyone in the kindergarten would die.” Those big green eyes of his are about to pop from excitement.
With another long groan, I burrow my flaming face deeper into my glove-covered hands as Exton lets out a booming laugh.
Sure, laugh away. It’s not like I’m about to die of embarrassment over here. Nope, not at all.
“Kid, have I told you that you’re my favorite yet? When we have a son, I want him to be just like you.” He pats the top of Emett’s helmet and neither I nor Electra miss the “we” he inserted in there.
I drop my hands, looking completely unamused, and debating whether Exton wants me to sign my son over to him now or after the practice?
“Come on, champ, let’s go practice some more before you marry off your mom to some stranger.” Exton claps his shoulder and steers Emett away. But not before I catch the sadness in his little eyes.
And then as if it wasn’t enough already, yet another doze of heavy guilt gets pumped into my morning coffee.
I’m not giving my son what he needs. I’m not giving him the family he wants, so he decided to resort to finding it himself. What kind of a mother am I? Why can’t I just do things right in this life?
I sigh, rubbing my temples. “I’m so sorry.
Please don’t mind my son, Mr. Minaev. He’s been out of it today.
I think all the excitement from meeting Exton Quinn and now you has gotten to him,” I say apologetically, because this gorgeous hockey player with secrets in his eyes doesn’t deserve to get the short end of the stick due to my failures.
“There’s nothing wrong with him wanting to look out for his pretty mom.” Severin’s smooth voice washes over me but there’s an underlying sharpness to it.
It was quick. So quick that if I wasn’t looking, I’d miss the slight crack to his perfect mask. I knew there was more behind those eyes.
I knew it.
He peeks at me, tilting his head just slightly as he replaces that smile back on his face and a hard lump works itself down my throat, but I decide to help it a little since we don’t need these kinds of complications in my already overly complicated life and clearing my throat, I hope it does the same for my wondering mind.
The mind that has learned a long time ago that daydreaming and hoping and feeling were not in the cards for me.
Maybe I can get Emett a puppy, or a cat. Those are easier, right? Maybe a fish.
“More like looking out for himself, didn’t you hear him? Everyone is going to die in kindergarten.” I cluck my tongue, changing the subject. “Mind you, he doesn’t even go to kindergarten yet.”
“He’s thinking ahead, and I kinda like it.” Severin smiles. It’s small, barely a lift to his lips, but it hits me in all the places it shouldn’t. Because it’s real.
That much I can tell.
Who. Is. This. Man? He changes in a flip of a coin. And the way he covers it up makes me think he doesn’t mean for the real parts to peek through.
“Hey, pretty boy, get your skates on and your ass out here. Emett is gonna hand it to you,” Exton calls out, making my son dance around happily at the idea of both of his favorite players on the ice with him.
Severin doesn’t even take a second to think about it because a moment later, his skates are on, and my son is on cloud nine.
I watch, mesmerized, as Emett gravitates toward the famous goalie. As he watches him like he’s hung the moon and the stars while Severin carefully explains something to him.
A gust of that icy wind hits me out of nowhere, beating against my heart as I watch them. How would it feel to have someone in our lives? How would it feel to give my son this one piece we’ll never have?
How would it feel to have a man like Severin fill that space?
It’s as if that same, relentless wind twirls around him, because right then and there, his eyes meet mine, his lips curl up. And the wind stops.
I suck in a deep breath, suddenly looking for more air, more cold, more something to wake up from a dream I’m falling into.
I can’t give in.
Because I’ve been at the eye of the storm once and while it’s nice here now. There’s always that second part you need to walk through.
No. No! There’s nothing real about his smiles. There are no secrets drawing me in. There’s nothing here at all, and I need to pull it together.
As soon as I make my final decision, a blast of icy wind slashes through the air.
Yeah, asshole, I don’t like it either. But it’s called life.
Jesus…I might really need to consider carving out money for some therapy if I’d started having conversations with the wind.
But the wind is the only one that ever listened. And now I need it to keep me away from the tornado that could end my life.