Chapter 24 #3
Dad chuckled. “I’m not sure I like having another NHL player in the family. Reminds me of the days when Wayne and I played on separate teams. Mom and Dad never knew who to cheer for, and I don’t think I was sympathetic enough until now.”
“Sorry, but you’re stuck with him,” I said, hoping I was correct. Austin and I still hadn’t properly defined things, but after what he’d said and done, I was going to assume we were together.
Mom smiled at me fondly. “I know, sweetheart. You never brought boys home at school, so as soon as we heard about you and Austin, we knew it must be serious. You’re not the type to do things on a whim.”
I felt a pang of guilt. If only she knew the truth. She’d be horrified.
I swallowed. “Um, yeah.”
At least it was serious now. Or at least, I hoped it was.
We waited until most of the audience had dissipated before making our way down to the changing rooms. Alec came out before Austin did. I hugged him, then squealed in protest and pulled away when he tried to ruffle my hair.
“Better luck next time,” I said, torn as to whether I actually meant it. “Nice goal, though.”
“Thanks.” One side of his mouth hitched up. “Your boyfriend got a good goal too, and that assist.”
“It’s not a competition.”
The way his eyes narrowed made me think he definitely saw it that way.
“So are you coming back to Austin’s place?” Mom asked him, shuffling me aside to give him a hug.
“Not yet. The team is going out for dinner, so I’ll go too, then stay at Austin’s place and fly out with them in the morning.” His serious gaze landed on me. “Will you be okay, Jane?”
I nodded. Perhaps I still didn’t want to leave the house more than necessary, and I rarely went more than a couple of hours before thinking of that damn image and sinking into a cycle of self-flagellation, but eventually, I’d get over it and having my overprotective brother around wouldn’t speed up my recovery.
That was something I had to take charge of myself.
I spotted movement out of the corner of my eye.
Austin had emerged and was striding toward us, his piercing blue eyes laser focused on me.
A shiver rippled down my spine. Being the subject of all that intensity was heady.
I took a couple of steps toward him, then picked up the pace and launched myself into his arms.
“You won!” I exclaimed.
He wrapped his arms around me and drew me close. “We did.”
“You got a goal and an assist!”
“I did.” He buried his face in my hair and breathed me in. “Did you cheer for me?”
“Of course.”
He drew back, a wry smile on his lips. “I wasn’t sure, what with your brother here and all.”
“She cheered for both of you,” Mom assured him.
“Traitor,” Alec muttered as he hurried away to catch up with his team.
“Hey, lovebirds,” Jesse called from down the corridor. “Are you coming to Rinkside?”
I froze, the warmth inside vanishing like I’d been tossed into a freezer. Yes, I’d gotten through the interview better than I could have dreamed, and I’d enjoyed myself at the game, but I was exhausted. I didn’t have the energy to go to the bar.
Austin kissed my cheek and paused to speak right next to my ear, so no one else could listen in.
“I’ll go. I’m the captain, so I kind of have to, especially considering we’ve been in hot water with team management.
But you should head home and spend the evening with your parents.
You’ve already been brave enough tonight. ”
I hesitated, torn. On the one hand, that sounded like a really great idea, but on the other, I didn’t want to let him down, and we still hadn’t discussed how he’d discarded his notes and gone off course during the interview.
“I want to be there for you,” I murmured.
A series of expressions flicked across his face so quickly I couldn’t interpret any of them.
“Screw the team,” he whispered fiercely. “I’ll come home with you. You need me more.”
“No.” I put my hand on his chest. Butterflies were dancing in my stomach. I loved that he wanted to be with me, but that wasn’t the right thing to do, no matter how much I wanted to be with him privately. “You’re the captain. You need to go, like you said.”
He nuzzled me. “I need to be with you, too.”
“And you will. Later.” I gave him a little push. “Go.”
He kissed me, his lips a little chapped after the game. “Are you sure?”
“Mom and Dad are with me. I’ll be fine.”
He held my gaze, and I felt my cheeks heat. It was as if he were looking into my soul.
“Okay,” he said eventually. “I won’t be too long.”
He kissed me once more and went to join Jesse. I watched him go but noticed as I did that another pair of women were watching him too. The way their eyes tracked downward to rest on his ass, I knew they liked what they saw.
A knot tightened in my gut. I didn’t have to worry about other women, did I? We might not have said the words, but we were together.
The women followed the team out. I tried to suppress my growing discomfort. Everything would be fine. I could trust Austin to behave. He cared about me.
But I’d be so much less worried if we’d resolved things between us. A sinking feeling inside me suggested it had been a mistake to take the easy way out. I hoped that feeling was wrong.