25. Sonya
Sonya
“ Y ou’re being stubborn now for the sake of being stubborn.
” I stood at the entrance of Dad’s office with my hands on my hips, fully prepared to go ten rounds today if need be.
“Don’t even try to deny it.” I’d woken up this morning in Nick’s strong arms, his soft breaths on the back of my neck and a smile on my face.
He kissed me softly and then not-so-softly.
It was all perfect, until he got that look in his eyes when he went over his schedule for the day, which still didn’t include hockey.
It had been ten days and Dad still hadn’t budged.
“Is this really worth it?”
Dad looked tired. He looked angry and hurt too, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. “There are boundaries, Sonya. Lines you don’t cross and Nick crossed them.”
My nostrils flared but I bit back the annoyed comment on the tip of my tongue and stepped inside his office. “I am not a fucking boundary, Dad.”
He flinched at my tone.
“Your problem is that you think I am a piece of property like your precious hockey trophies, and I’m not. I am an adult woman capable of making my own choices.”
“Sonya,” he began with a heavy sigh.
“No, Dad.” I shook my head. “Not that this is any of your business but Nick and I met before either of us knew about hockey. Or our connections to you.” I would never apologize for falling in love with Nick.
“I don’t want to hear that,” he shouted. “Nick is a good guy. A damn good hockey player too, but he’s not boyfriend material.”
I barked out a laugh. “As if you’d know boyfriend material. You’re a good coach but you were a terrible husband and father.” I shrugged. “Everyone has flaws.”
He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Sonya.”
“And even if you were right about Nick, which you aren’t, I get to make that choice. Not you. And by the way, Nick is a really good boyfriend. Son. Brother. And farmer.”
My praise frustrated him and he didn’t hide it fast enough. “You’re fighting his battles now?”
“If I have to,” I shot back, not at all cowed by his words. “That’s what you do when you love someone Dad, you fight for them not against them.” I shook my head, warming up to the fight. “This is between you and me. You’re trying to control my life again and I won’t let you.”
He laughed bitterly. “I’m the reason you got this job, remember?”
I rolled my eyes. “And that’s the reason I was hesitant to take it because you will never let me forget it, will you? Luckily I’ve proven myself to my actual boss. Jade.” He would never change, I realized that now and there was a power in that.
“I just want the best for you,” he tried again.
“No, you don’t,” I shot back. “You want what you think is best for me but the truth is that you don’t even know me anymore, Dad.
” Because you don’t care hung in the air between us.
“Look, Nick and I are together. We’ve been seeing each other for months and I don’t really care if you like it because it’s not your relationship.
And we both know this isn’t actually about me anyway.
” I folded my arms again, challenging him in that way he hated.
Silently.
His glare sharpened or maybe it darkened; either way it was intense as hell.
“Fine, Dad, you want to be a stubborn ass about this? How about this: being this stubborn about doing the right thing is going to cost you the thing you love more than me and anything else in this world. Your career. Your legacy. If the Thunderhawks have one bad game or one bad season, everyone will point to this Nick decision as the beginning of the end of your legacy.” I knew that was the one thing that mattered most to him.
“Thanks to my social media campaign other teams are already reaching out to Nick. He can have a future outside of Seville.”
“Without you,” he added with a hint of a smile as if he’d gotten me with that answer.
My smile grew even bigger. “Wrong again, Dad. We’ll go together.
We’ve already talked about it.” I let those words hang in the air until they sank in.
“But we both know that Nick would rather be here with the Thunderhawks. This is his home, where his family is.” That hit the mark and we both knew it.
Dad remained silent and I knew I’d done all that I could. He would either see the light or he wouldn’t.
“Right. Good talk,” I muttered to myself and left. I’d barely made it twenty feet before I slammed into a giant wall of hard muscle with an enticing, familiar scent. “Nick,” I exhaled. “What are you doing here?”
His smile was hesitant but it grew bigger and he leaned forward to kiss me. “I have a meeting with Coach Mac on the books.”
“That’s good. Right?” I kept my smile bright but after my conversation with Dad I wasn’t hopeful.
Nick shrugged. “Only one way to find out. I’m done sulking, babe. It’s time I faced this problem head-on.”
“Good for you.” I held his face in my hands, loving the feel of his silky locks against my fingertips.
“You’re a damn good hockey player, Nick.
Don’t be afraid to sell yourself and if he’s too stubborn to realize what an asset you are, three other teams are eager to scoop you up.
” I knew he didn’t want that but I needed him to know he had options.
He smiled with such heart that my legs wobbled a little. “But Blaze Farms needs me too.”
“I know that, but Tessa is making money on her videos. She’s working on a cookbook too, and your brother has quickly capitalized on Blaze Four and he’s selling it to supermarkets in the area. They love having you around, but they won’t struggle without you, they’ll just miss you.”
His broad shoulders relaxed and he leaned into my touch. “I don’t deserve you, Sonya.”
“Hey, that’s my boyfriend you’re talking about.” I slid my thumb across his stubble and sighed. “You have exactly what you deserve Nicky,” I giggled at his frown. “Now go in there and get this because you deserve it, dammit.”
He nodded, half determined and half resigned. “Wait for me?”
“Always.” I stared into those blue eyes that had come to mean so much to me. I could read every flicker of emotion that flashed in them; I knew what every color change meant and most of all, I believed the love I saw in shining back at me. “I’ll even buy you a coffee. Or a hot chocolate.”
He laughed. “Thanks, babe.”
A throat cleared nearby and we both turned to see Dad standing there with a clipboard in his hand and a scowl on his face. We didn’t break apart like two guilty people hiding their relationship, if anything we held each other closer. “Dad,” I began. “I was just leaving.”
“I heard,” he grumbled.
Nick stiffened as he turned to face him but his arm remained around my waist. “Coach,” he started but Dad held up a hand to stop him.
“I’m man enough to admit that I might have overreacted.” That was as close to an apology as I’d ever heard from him.
“I’m sorry,” Nick began. “Not for falling in love with Sonya because she’s great, but I’m sorry we hid it from you. I should’ve come to you when, well, I should have come to you.”
Dad studied him for a long minute before he nodded. “I appreciate that, son. It’s been brought to my attention that my daughter’s love life is none of my business, and I don’t like it.”
Nick let out a nervous laugh.
Dad waved a dismissive hand in Nick’s direction.
“You’re un-fired. If you hurt my little girl, I won’t fire you,” he promised.
“Because I will kill you.” He flashed a psychotic smile, winked at me and then walked away.
He stopped and turned back to us. “Oh, and you’ll be at two Sunday dinners a month with Sonya. Won’t you?”
“Wouldn’t miss it,” Nick offered. “That goes for you too, Coach. Mom cooks a big meal every Sunday at the farm.”
Surprise and respect flashed in Dad’s eyes before he nodded and then shuffled off, leaving Nick and me in stunned silence.
“Did that just happen?” Nick asked in a hushed whisper.
I nodded, turning slowly to face him. “The hockey part or the murder threat?”
“Both,” he answered.
“Yes. And yes.” I kissed one cheek and then the other. “All you have to do is keep doing what you’re doing and we get to have a long life together.” If he did any of it any better, I’d be floating on actual clouds.
He let out a long, low growl. “That’s one hell of a motivator, Sonya.” Before I could say another word, his lips found mine in a searing kiss that stole my breath and showed me snapshots of our future.
Moving in together.
Two pink lines.
A white dress.
Delivery rooms.
School plays.
Streaks of silver.
Lemonade on the porch with rocking chairs.
My heart slammed against my chest when I pulled back and smiled at him. “This calls for a celebration. A naked celebration.”
Heat clouded Nick’s blue gaze. He grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the parking lot. We made it back to my place in record time.
It was the start of something really great. Something I wasn’t sure I’d ever find for real. Love. True love.
But the universe has a really twisted sense of humor, making my dream man not just a sexy, charming cowboy but a hockey player on top of it. He was the last man I would’ve ever given my heart to and I’m so glad I had no idea who he was when we met.
Because now I couldn’t imagine how boring and bland my life would’ve been without him.
THE END
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