Chapter 30
CHAPTER THIRTY
ADDISON
Later, after most of the onlookers had left and Avery was long gone, having dragged Aiden off to no doubt have her way with him, I hung back.
I strolled around, pretending I was there to clean up and make sure everything was set back to rights and that I wasn’t sticking around for Chase and only Chase.
He was talking to a kid from the hockey team, maybe fifteen or sixteen years old. The kid’s mom, who I knew from around town, and his younger brother stood close, soaking in everything Chase was saying to them.
I slowly made my way over, gathering scattered items left behind as I went and giving them time alone. The kid was looking at Chase with stars in his eyes, and I didn’t want to interrupt that hero worship.
“Maybe we can do this again next year,” Chase said loud enough to carry over to me.
“Really?” The kid’s eyes were bright and full of excitement, his tone stripped of all teenage angst and replaced by pure, undiluted hope.
That killed me because I was intimately familiar with that hope.
I’d felt it more times than I could count.
I’d also been crushed by it when Chase inevitably left to go back to his real life, no longer able to stay in this make-believe dreamland vacation.
And this visit back home was shaping up to be one hell of a long vacation…
One I was getting way too comfortable in.
Even though I’d been silent on my approach, Chase lifted his head when I was close, as if he’d sensed me. With a smile tipping up one side of his mouth, he held out his hand toward me. “Addie, come here for a second.”
On autopilot, I reached out and allowed him to tug me in next to him, the kid’s mom’s lips twitching as Chase tucked me right into his side.
“Marissa, have you met Addison? She’s the one in charge of this whole place.”
“Of course.” Marissa offered me a warm smile, even as her youngest child tugged incessantly on her arm.
“But it’s been a while. I’m usually working, so I don’t get to the town festivities as much as I’d like.
I knew your mom, though. I worked here one summer in high school.
” She shook her head, her eyes bright with wonder and a hint of sadness. “You look just like her.”
“Thank you.” I’d heard that enough in my life that I was used to it by now.
It no longer stung as much as it had in the early years following her death.
I didn’t see the similarities, even when I looked at photos of my mom when she was my age.
But I didn’t mind the comparison. My mom had been gorgeous—vivacious and funny with a smile that could light up the whole room.
“I used to come out here all the time when I was little. I definitely miss it.” Marissa patted her youngest son on the head.
“And Zach would love something like this again. He wants to be a carbon copy of Nolan, but it’s hard to find a place for Zach to practice since the school rink is in use so often.
Not to mention not having reasonable rentals—so many kids in town miss out because there aren’t any other alternatives besides buying your own, and that isn’t an option for many.
Thanks again for doing this with them, Chase. ”
“Happy to. And I’m going to look into those development program scholarships I was telling you about.”
“Thank you.” Marissa’s eyes shone with gratitude. “I really appreciate you doing that for us.”
“Yeah, thanks, man,” Nolan said. “And sorry I pulled that deke on you.”
Chase boomed out a laugh and shook his head, clapping Nolan on the shoulder. “Never apologize for that. You keep playing like a boss, no matter what. I’ll be in touch, all right?”
With a wave, they headed to their car, leaving just Chase and me out here alone in the falling snow.
I squeezed his hand where it was still wrapped around mine. “What kind of scholarship are you looking into for him?”
Chase shifted his gaze to the family who’d just climbed into their weathered car before returning it to me. “The brand-new Chase Lockhart scholarship I just made up?”
I breathed out a laugh and shook my head. “You’re keeping all kinds of secrets. The ‘scholarship,’” I said with air quotes, “and all this.”
He grinned, completely unrepentant. “The kid’s good, Addie.
Really fucking good. Better than I was at that age.
But his mom’s already working two jobs, just scraping by, so there’s no way they can afford some of the development programs he needs to be at for a better chance of getting noticed by the pros. ”
“And that’s where you come in?”
He shrugged. “What good is having all this money and these connections if I don’t do something worthwhile with them? I busted my ass for it, broke my body for it… I want to see some good come from it.”
At the mention of breaking his body, I glanced down at his knee before scanning his features, reading every line on his face. “And how’s that body doing, after the school visit earlier in the week and now all this?”
“Gonna pay for it, for sure, but it was worth it just to see them out here. The facility at the school is amazing. Seriously. I couldn’t have dreamed up a nicer place for those kids to practice.
” He blew out a long breath and glanced at the rink they’d set up in a couple hours.
“But there’s no heart. All of those kids are too young to remember this rink before it closed, so I wanted to bring them out here.
Show them the true soul of hockey—being outside in the fresh air, just a bunch of kids with sticks goofing around, playing their hearts out. ”
“Well, I think you succeeded.” I elbowed him in the stomach. “Still would’ve liked to be let in on the secret.”
“Sorry, firefly. I wanted it to be a surprise. And I have a confession.”
“What’s that?”
“That’s not my only secret.”
“No?” I asked, brows raised.
“Nope.” He grabbed a bag he’d set on the perimeter and pulled out a pair of skates from inside, holding them up between us. “I had ulterior motives to getting this rink ready. I wanna skate with you again.”
“Here?” I glanced around at the deserted space. I was freezing, my toes nearly numb and my nose like an icicle. “Now?”
“Here,” he confirmed. “Now. I’ve wanted to for years, but we’ve never gotten the chance.”
He tugged me closer until our bodies were flush. Then he leaned down and kissed me. His lips were warm, his tongue soft and smooth as he slid it against mine, heating me up from the inside out.
When I was breathless and aching for him, he pulled away just enough to murmur, “C’mon, firefly. Skate with me.”
How could I say no to that?
I rested my hands on his chest, feeling the strong thrum of his heartbeat, and stared up into his ice-blue eyes. With a nod, I said, “Okay.”
He flashed me a grin before guiding me to sit on an upturned five-gallon bucket. “Sit your cute ass down, and let’s get you geared up.”
After I complied, he squatted in front of me and tugged off my boots before replacing them with the skates he’d brought for me, a perfect fit. Once he’d finished lacing me up, he tugged me to my feet.
“How do they feel?”
“Perfect. But weird.” I wobbled, not used to finding the balance needed to stay upright on the blades. “I haven’t worn a pair of skates since the last time we were out on this rink.”
“When was that?” he asked. “Twelve…thirteen years ago?”
A lifetime ago.
“Something like that.”
“There’s no time like the present to get back out there, then.”
I blew out a sigh. “I’m for sure going to land on my ass before this night is through. You gonna kiss it and make it better?”
“I’d love to.” He guided me out on the ice, his hand wrapped tightly around mine. Grinning down at me, he skated backward and pulled me right along with him, just like when he’d taught me to skate all those years ago. “But don’t worry, baby. I won’t let you fall.”
As we glided around, just the two of us out there in the falling snow, the stars and the twinkling string lights glittering above, I knew it was already too late.
I’d fallen a long time ago.