Chapter 6 #2
I sighed, wondering how Lizzie dealt with so many teenagers all the time. “That woman is far stronger than me.”
“Duh,” Will said with a laugh.
“You’re lucky that I don’t beat children.”
“I’m an adult now. Thank you very much.”
“Barely.”
“Now you’re just hurting my feelings.”
“What is going on between you two?” Lizzie asked as she came forward. I resisted the urge to reach out and take her hand with mine. She wouldn’t appreciate the attention, but damn it, I just wanted to hold her. Will gave me a knowing look, and I flipped him off as casually as possible.
“I’m just making sure that Jasmine freaks out every time she sees him now.” Will grinned as if he weren’t a menace, and Lizzie rolled her eyes.
“She’s a good person, you know. We were never the town rivals the world thought we were.”
“Really?” I reached out and pushed a piece of her hair behind her ear without thinking. Lizzie’s mouth dropped, her eyes dilating, and Will whistled beneath his breath.
“I see Rune over there. I’m going to go help him with his booth.
” The kid practically ran, leaving Lizzie and me alone.
Well, as alone as we could be surrounded by a small town that couldn’t keep its interest off of us.
They never had been able to, even when we’d been in high school.
And you would think after so many years of being in the spotlight on the ice, I would be used to it, but not anymore.
Not when it came to Lizzie. She was always the difference, and that should worry me.
And yet with her gaze on mine, and my fingers sliding along her jaw, I didn’t feel much.
“Have you eaten?” I asked, needing to take care of her.
A soft shield covered her face at that moment, her expression going blank, and she cleared her throat. “Yes. Teagan made sure I did. And then your mother came and fed me some more. I promise, I’m being taken care of.”
Not by me.
I didn’t say those words aloud, though, but I wanted to scream them to the world.
“I’m glad that you’re eating.”
“I’m okay, Atlas.”
“You don’t have to be.”
“True. I’m always going to be a little broken inside. I’m going to hate that they’re gone, but this town reminds me that I’m never alone. Even when sometimes I feel like it.”
The gulf between us expanded ever so slightly, and it felt like a punch to the gut.
Because I had left her alone. So many trips on the road, so many new choices and decisions. So many new experiences. Everything that had pulled us apart for all these years, and the reason why we’d never stayed together.
Others might not understand it. At one point, I thought I did.
And yet here I was, being so fucking lost.
“Lizzie—”
“I see your sister over there. I should go help her. The festival is going wonderfully, don’t you think? Tons of tourists, which will make the mayor happy. And well, you haven’t been bombarded yet for autographs, so the town whisper network of keeping you safe is going well.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Atlas, this town protects you. You know that. They do when Kiera’s here, and when Gabriel and Briar come to town.” Her face paled, and I knew she was remembering the last time they had been to town. Not too long ago, here Lizzie was, acting as if she had to be strong for everyone, but not herself.
“They do. There’s a reason why I love coming to this town. Well, or going to a country that doesn’t have hockey. I mean, Brazil is beautiful.”
“So you go to Brazil and other places so people don’t recognize you?” she asked, tilting her head.
“I’m trying to visit as many countries in the world as I can. Between my summers and the Olympics, I’m working on it.”
“I’ve only ever been to Canada.”
“I remember that trip.”
It had been a high school trip, one where we’d finally had a moment to ourselves, and we had hidden from the teachers.
We’d made love for the first time in a small hotel room, the fire roaring, and both of us so scared we were going to get caught, that I’d gotten off far too quickly.
But it hadn’t been awkward, no, it had been soft, and everything that we had dreamed of.
And from the way that her eyes darkened, I knew she was thinking of that moment too.
Hell, being with Lizzie had been the best moments of my life, even more so than winning the Cup, or MVP, or Rookie of the Year. All of that had paled in comparison to being with Lizzie.
But maybe that was just me looking back, and not at the truth of it. Because if it had been so perfect, why had we walked away?
That was the question I kept asking myself. Because it had made so much sense when we had been younger. And yet now, I could barely remember our reasons.
“Oh, there’s Shane. I should go talk to him. He promised that he had a few things for the school year set up, and I don’t want to forget.”
An odd and irrational sense of jealousy slid through me, and I stared at the asshole.
“Shane?”
“Yes. Shane. He and his wife have helped me over the past few years during different clinics that we want for after-school programs. You know Shane. We went to school together.”
I scowled, and then indeed remembered Shane. And his lovely wife. The two had been together for years. Why the hell was I so jealous when it came to Lizzie? She wasn’t mine. We had both made sure of that.
But regret was a bitter taste on my tongue, and I hated myself for it.
“Well, let me know when you need to get home. I can drive you.”
“Felicity drove me, and I don’t mind walking home.”
“You’re not walking home alone.”
“You don’t get to tell me what to do, Atlas.”