Chapter Twenty-Nine
Sophia
“I’ll still make it home in time for dinner,” I said to my mom on a video chat.
I’d just changed my flight home from today to tomorrow morning, Christmas Eve.
I was going to be cutting it close for Dave’s annual holiday dinner and our Christmas Eve traditions, but I would make it.
I could sleep on the plane to make sure I stayed awake all night once I got there. It’d be tight, but this was worth it.
“I thought you didn’t have to cover games during the holiday break?” she said, frowning as she flitted around the kitchen making coffee.
“I don’t, but if Leo scores a goal in this game, he becomes the top scorer for the university—ever. That’s huge,” I said, a rush of excitement for him flooding my body.
Mom stopped and stared at the screen, scrutinizing me. “Are you staying to write an article about this historic event or because you want to be there with him when it happens?”
“Mom,” I sighed. “I really like him, okay?”
“Is the feeling mutual?” she asked.
“I think so.” My cheeks flushed. “We’re kind of friends with benefits, but I really think there’s more between us than that.”
“Something serious?”
“Serious enough. I mean, he was drafted by the Bruins four years ago and I’m coming home at the end of the year so I’m not sure how serious we can really be, but…”
My mom gave me a sad smile. “Trust me, Soph. Even if it doesn’t last forever, you should never stop yourself from falling in love.”
“Really? I’m pretty sure it’s going to hurt like hell in May.”
“Or not,” she said with a shrug. “You never know where something will go if you’re not even willing to try.”
“So you forgive me for changing my flight?” I beamed.
“Clever. I hope the game and your evening with Leo is everything you want it to be,” she said. “Just text me your new arrival time and your dad and I will come get you tomorrow.”
We talked for a few more minutes about the holidays and things she wanted to do while I was home for winter break, including a girls’ trip to Kauai for a few days with me and Elena, before I hung up to get ready for the boys’ charity event this afternoon.
I changed into jeans and the Boston University replica jersey I’d had special ordered with the name Harrison and the number twelve on the back and stepped into the living room.
Alyssa took one look at me and her jaw dropped. Jia looked me over and walked into the kitchen shaking her head.
“What?” I asked, confused.
“You’re going to gut that boy, Soph,” Jia said.
“Seriously. He’s been pining over you for months, Sophia, which you’ve refused to acknowledge and now you’re going to show up in that? I’m guessing this is a surprise.” Alyssa gestured up and down my body.
“Yes, I thought he’d like it,” I said.
“Yeah, that’s your problem,” Jia muttered.
“Come on. You’re being a little dramatic. It’s just a jersey. He’s not pining over me and I’m not oblivious to his feelings. I do think he wants more, I just don’t think he knows how to ask,” I said.
Alyssa glared at me. “You think he wants more. Is that what you think is happening here? Sophia, that boy is desperately in love with you.”
“Okay, now you’re really being dramatic,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“No, I don’t believe I am.” Alyssa folded her arms and tilted her head in frustration.
“You didn’t see him after you got drugged.
You didn’t hear the fear and anguish in his voice.
I did. You need to listen to me right now.
If you don’t want something serious with him then you need to go change.
Because Leo Harrison is not your fuck buddy, and he is definitely not your friend. ”
I swallowed and pushed past the mild panic I felt at being confronted with this so suddenly. The way Alyssa made it sound, I’d been ignoring this for a long time, when really, I hadn’t, and I wasn’t trying to toy with him.
“Do you think I’ve hurt him?” I asked, feeling a little bit like she’d just slapped me.
“You will if you show up in that and aren’t willing to give him what he wants from you, Sophia. He sure as hell doesn’t just want sex.”
I grabbed my notebook and my purse and made my way to the door before looking back at them. “I don’t want just sex either,” I confessed quietly before opening the door and leaving before I could get sucked into spilling my guts.
I got to the rink just in time to watch the hockey team pair off with little kids, each of them holding the hand of a child under the age of ten.
The brawny guys who threw themselves around the rink on the regular and could practically bench press each other all looked gentle, like a bunch of big brothers as they each slowly talked their kid into stepping on the ice and helped them glide around.
The event had been arranged through Leo’s cousin, Jace, who I’d yet to meet but who Leo often talked about and hung out with frequently when we weren’t together.
Jace ran a segment of the real estate company that Leo’s mom had inherited from her father last year.
This was Jace’s first holiday season running the portion of the company that built housing for foster families, and he’d set up this event for foster kids to get a chance to learn to skate with the hockey team.
The kids were smiling and laughing as some of them got braver, taking off quickly from their buddies, while others held on tight to the hands of their player.
Leo was the epitome of patience with a little girl who was maybe five or six years old and who seemed to be near tears when she stepped onto the ice but who was now tentatively moving her feet as Leo pulled her along.
He bent down to her and said something, and my heart swelled as she nodded slowly and lifted her arms in the air.
He stood back up and lifted her in the air, spinning in a circle just like he had with me several weeks ago.
Her wide eyes quickly shifted from fearful to excited as I heard a loud giggle escape her from my seat on the bench.
It only took a second for my mind to shift to what Leo might look like as a father one day, and my eyes stung knowing that I’d never get to see that.
A part of me wanted to jump five years into the future and be the one standing next to him on the ice as he twirled a dark-haired little girl with blue eyes on the ice for the first time.
Shit. I’m really falling in love with him. When the hell did that happen?
I was going to have to tell him the truth. I quietly hoped he would bring it up first so I could be sure I wasn’t about to ruin the best thing that had happened to me in a long time by grossly misinterpreting our situation.
I waited for Leo outside the arena, bouncing on my toes to warm myself up.
It was chilly but after the game, I’d recognized his dad and his aunt standing outside the locker room.
This time, they were both with other women who I assumed were his mom and his dad’s sister since she looked so much like him.
Leo hadn’t wanted to introduce me last time they came to his game and I doubted that had changed, so I texted him and told him I’d wait out here.
He’d broken the record and when I’d walked by the locker room, I’d heard lots of yelling and what I was pretty sure were champagne bottles popping.
People were spilling out of the arena. The excitement of the evening seemed to be felt by everyone, and I was dying to tell Leo how amazing he was. I still didn’t know a lot about hockey, but I’d watched enough games now to be certain that he was exceptional compared to his peers.
Leo: It’s going to take me a few to get out of here. But you’re the one I want to celebrate with so I’m going to hurry.
Me: Okay. Take your time.
I waited as patiently as one possibly could in the freezing cold and looked up when I saw his parents and his aunts walking in my direction.
They had no idea who I was, but Leo’s dad glanced at me as they passed, his eyes lingering on my jersey for a moment with a small smile, before turning back to their conversation.
“Even I enjoyed that game,” the woman I assumed was Leo’s mom said. Leo had told me his mom hated hockey and only watched it to support him.
His dad tossed an arm around her and I couldn’t help but notice the obvious affection for his wife in his eyes as he kissed her head.
It was just like seeing the love between my parents and their partners; it was palpable.
Maybe that’s why Leo hadn’t doubted me when I described it. He grew up around love like that too.
“He’s incredible. There are so few professional players as naturally gifted as he is,” his dad said.
My stomach rolled at the reminder that Leo was destined for amazing things right here in Boston, and I was going to miss all of it. They all climbed into a car together, still appearing to be boasting about Leo when he came out of the arena, a huge grin on his face.
I saw him and my heart soared as I jumped up and wrapped my arms around him. He lifted me, spinning me in a circle as I held on. “You’re incredible,” I said.
He laughed and kissed me. “Thanks, Hawaii. Means more coming from you than anyone else.”
“How do you want to celebrate?” I asked. “We can go out, or we can stay in. I’m sure there are parties being held in your honor somewhere.”
He chuckled and set me down. “Nah, most of the guys are heading out tonight or first thing in the morning to make it home, so I have no obligations. It’s just you and me.” His eyes roamed over my body and he grabbed my shoulders, turning me around in a circle.
“What the fuck are you wearing?” he asked, his eyes narrowed, and his voice strained.
I smiled. “I had it made for tonight! I wanted it to be clear who I was rooting for.”
His eyes darkened and his smile dipped. “Take it off, Hawaii.”
“What? Are you mad?” I asked, remembering Alyssa and Jia’s reactions.
“With all that research you’re doing have you ever picked up a hockey romance?” he asked, sounding annoyed.
“No,” I said.