Chapter 2 #2
“Hey! I can’t believe you just said that. You’re the one who threw the ball at me. It’s not my fault that I ducked.”
“Why were you throwing a ball in the house, Rune?” my mom asked.
Felicity and Rune began to fight, and I just leaned against the wall, smiling.
This is why I was home. I needed the familiarity.
I loved my family and never wanted to be far from them.
Not anymore. I had a year left in me, I knew it.
Most of the people in this room and on the ice knew it.
Maybe they thought I would continue on, but Jacob wouldn’t last on the bench forever.
He was already taking my spot in the net when we were up by enough points.
Jacob was damn good, and the world knew it.
A first-round draft pick who was my replacement.
I needed one last swan song, and then I would be ready for the ice. I stood up, ignoring the twinge in my knee.
The media were already asking if my career was over. They had gotten a photo of me with ice on my knee and were leaning hard into my demise.
I didn’t want to think about that right then. Instead, I interrupted the friendly bickering, kissed my mother on the cheek, did the same to Felicity, punched Rune in the side gently, and hugged my dad hard.
“I’m heading back to the house. I’m ready to just relax for a bit before I have to do full PT and training again.”
“I guess it’s time for you to work on that sad little beer gut of yours.” My dad patted my eight-pack, and I grinned.
“Hey, I’ll have you know I work hard on that extra layer for warmth.”
Dad just snorted, and I said my goodbyes once again and got in the car.
Ashford Creek wasn’t that big, but we now had two streetlights.
Well, maybe more now that I thought about it.
There had been two streetlights a couple of years ago.
I had missed more than a few town halls.
For all I knew, there was a major highway going through town.
I shuddered at the thought, even though I lived in downtown Portland.
I liked the calmness of the town, though it had its own kind of wildness.
Completely opposite of the city, but something I needed.
I pulled into my driveway and realized that I didn’t have my garage door opener. I sold my old truck the year before and hadn’t bought a new one for town yet. I was borrowing one of Callum’s spare trucks, since the man loved collecting them, and that meant I got to think about what I wanted next.
I turned to the house next to mine and looked at the back porch, my throat tightening.
Well then, I had a lot of things to think about when it came to what was next.
Instead of going inside, I moved towards the property next door without even thinking.
It was as if my feet led me there without pause, without need.
Lizzie sat on the porch swing, feet tucked under her, with an iced tea in a mason jar in her hands.
She didn’t have shoes on, and her hair was piled on top of her head. She wore a sundress in that soft yellow color I loved on her. Hell, I loved every color on her.
I’ve loved Elizabeth Ellis since I was old enough to realize what love was and perhaps before that.
Finding this new Elizabeth, one that I had been blessed to be on the periphery of, but not fully with, was something I needed to do.
But we had our boundaries for a reason.
“Hey, Lizzie,” I said as I stood on the bottom step of her porch, my hands in my pockets.
Lizzie didn’t say anything, her wide, hazel eyes narrowing.
She set the mason jar down on the side table and quietly stood up, padding in bare feet towards me.
My heart raced, my throat going dry. We weren’t together and hadn’t been for years.
I was still surprised every day she wasn’t married with a bushel of kids like she’d always wanted.
I ignored the idea of hope when it came to a future, because we had made our choices, and yet I couldn’t help but look down at the woman who had been my everything.
“You’re here,” she said after a moment.
I grinned, nearly reaching out to push a lock of hair back behind your ear.
“I am,” I answered.
And then beautiful Lizzie Ellis pulled her arm back and punched me hard in the shoulder.
I staggered back, nearly falling off the porch step, before Elizabeth grabbed my shoulders and kept me steady.
Because of the steps between us, we were almost the same height.
Lizzie had always been tiny compared to me, and it had felt like home when she had been tucked into my side.
But with the fire in her eyes, I didn’t think that would be happening anytime soon.
“You were hurt, and you didn’t tell anybody,” she snapped.
“I realize that you’re some big hockey star, and sometimes you want to keep things private from the media.
I get it. I’m actually grateful that you’re good at keeping your secrets.
Even though the fact that you have an Instagram for your eyebrows is a thing that I don’t even want to think about.
But you could have told your family. You don’t have to tell me.
I know that. But you could have told your parents.
They were so worried about you. So worried that they didn’t even tell me anything in the group chats.
I had to hear about it in the damn bakery with the town staring at me.
Again, not about me. But your family. If they were so worried that they didn’t contact me, that meant they were ready to flip their lids period. You need to do better.”
She poked me with her finger against my chest, and I winced before reaching out and grabbing her hand. I pried her fingers open and leaned down to kiss her palm. I hadn’t meant to do it. It was stupid. And when she glared at me, I let her hand fall.
“I had my reasons,” I said lamely.
“Okay. If that’s the answer you want to go with. Do you want some tea?” she asked, and I about smiled then.
That was my Lizzie. And that was why I needed to go back to my house.
“I need to get my things inside and unpack. But I’m home for the summer. Or at least until I have to go into training. That good with you?” The hesitancy in my tone nearly broke me, but again, we had those boundaries.
“Atlas, this is your home. At least when you’re not in Portland.
I’m glad you’re here. Really. Heal up. Because you know the town is going to want to host a parade, and probably a midnight murder group, in order to figure out exactly who did that to you.
Because if they don’t find who, and the cops don’t find who, I’m pretty sure Felicity and I could go and figure it out and beat the shit out of them. ”
Alarm spread through me, even though the humor of her other words was completely truthful. Because yes, the town would do something like that. I reached out and gripped her shoulders, doing my best to ignore the softness of her skin.
“Please don’t. Don’t get in the middle of it. I don’t want you hurt.”
Her gaze softened, and I let her go, kicking myself.
“I just hope they find out who did it soon.” The sound of tires on gravel echoed between us, and we both turned to see a familiar Mercedes pull next to the truck.
I visibly winced as Elizabeth let out a deep sigh.
“You know, I thought it would be the mayor who showed up first. But Jasmine is probably who I should have thought of. You should go. I’m sure she baked you something nice and sweet.”
“Lizzie—”
She leaned down and kissed my cheek. I wasn’t sure if it was because Jasmine could see or because she wanted to. But it took all within me not to tilt my face and take her lips with mine.
“Be safe and heal. I’ll see you around. And Atlas, if you want to talk about those decisions, I’m here.” She met my gaze, and I swallowed hard, hating myself for so many reasons.
“You’re always the one I talk to. You know that.”
She gave me a sad smile as Jasmine got out of her car.
“I know. I know.” And with that, she turned, picked up her tea, and walked inside her home, leaving me standing there alone with the woman who called herself Lizzie’s rival, a woman who I had never looked twice at, and who walked towards me now, determination in her gaze.
Jasmine wasn’t my future, wasn’t my past, and sure as hell wasn’t going to be my present. No, the woman who had just walked away from me held most of those titles.
And now it was time for the town to welcome me home. Whether I liked it or not.