Skating on Thin Ice: Seattle Sockeyes (Game On in Seattle Book 1) (23 page)

Once she was gone, he’d get over her. Out of sight, out of mind.

And who the fuck was he was kidding? Ethan had always played the game his way, created his own rules within the parameters of his morals and ethics. Only Lauren defied every rule he’d ever made.

He turned as a car came closer. A grin stretched the corners of his mouth as she pulled into the parking spot next to his. His first hockey draft had worn him out but seeing her gave him his second wind, like a much needed shot of adrenaline.

She smiled as she got out of the car, her expression sad yet guarded. Damn, but he knew that feeling. Call him greedy, but he wanted one more night, and he wanted it to last forever.

They lingered over dinner and talked about the draft for two or three hours. Lauren didn’t appear to want the night to end any more than Ethan did. He didn’t notice they were the last people in the restaurant until Doris stalked to the table and slapped the bill on it. Apologetic, Ethan paid, and they walked outside to a beautiful, unusually warm night. It was dusk and a brilliant sunset lit up the western skies across the water illuminating the snow-capped Olympic Mountains in the distance, as if Seattle was pulling out all the stops.

“Let’s walk along the waterfront,” Ethan urged, hopefully. He couldn’t let this night end. Not yet. Not ever.

She nodded, her smile soft and sweet, and accepted the hand he held out to her. They walked in silence, stopping at a small park to lean against the railing and stare out at the water and beyond.

Lauren turned to him, studying him. “You never talked about your family because you probably didn’t want to tip your hand. Tell me about them now. What makes you who you are?”

Her question surprised him, but he was more than happy to accommodate her. Thinking about his family made him smile. “I’m one of the lucky ones, I guess. I have great parents. My dad, despite his many business ventures, always made time for us. My mother immersed herself in charity affairs and volunteering. We’ve all been instilled with a sense of duty to this community. We give back any way we can. As kids, we spent every Christmas day dishing up dinner at the homeless shelter, and that was only one of the many things we did.” He found himself telling her about his childhood, the boating excursions throughout Puget Sound and Canada, the family dinners his mother insisted on, the many ways they helped out in the community, and their long history in Seattle.

“Your family sounds incredible.”

“They are, which makes it hard to measure up. They have high expectations for all of us. I spent the first ten years of my adult life increasing the family fortune. But my family’s legacy has always been to give back to the community. This is how I’m giving back.” He turned to her, holding both her hands to his heart. “With the gift of hockey.”

“You think this community will embrace hockey?” She stared into his eyes, her own hazel eyes large and oddly, trusting and proud.

“Absolutely. Don’t you?”

She chewed on that for a moment and nodded, almost reluctantly. “I think so.”

“I’ll do my damnedest to help that along. I’m starting youth hockey camps next year and programs at the local rinks for kids who can’t afford hockey gear and lessons. We’ll be entrenched in the league’s charity causes along with a few of our own. We’re partnering with Seattle’s football and baseball teams, along with the women’s pro basketball team, in various charity programs.”

“You seem to have it all figured out.”

“All this was in the works long before I purchased the team. Once I made that deal with the Sleezers, there was no turning back no matter how badly I felt. I’d made the commitment, I’d see it through.”

She didn’t answer, just turned away and stared out at the water, her hands gripping the railing. He wondered if she was regretting her decision to leave.

“So where do you go now that the draft is over?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I’m not sure.”

“Are you heading back to Gainesville?”

“Now that the team is gone, there’s nothing there for me.”

“If you need more money or—”

“I have plenty. You’ve been more than generous.”

“I just—”

“—don’t want me to sue you?” She finished for him, her words shocking him to the core.

“Who told you about that?” But he already knew. The only person who could’ve told her was that rat bastard Brad.

“Not important. You should know me well enough to know I’d never do that.”

“I never thought you would.”

“I’m sorry that happened to you, Ethan.”

“It’s not like I make a habit out of dating employees. I’m just so busy, unfortunately, that’s the only place I seem to meet decent women.”

“You might want to be more careful in the future.”

Right now he couldn’t imagine his future without Lauren, but he couldn’t ask her to stay no matter how much he wanted to plead with her. Not under the current circumstances knowing they couldn’t keep their hands off each other.

There was only one way to keep her here that made sense and didn’t make sense. Even worse, Brad had come up with the idea and Brad’s ideas were way out in left field to say the least. But he couldn’t lose her. Desperation poured over him, drenching him with fear that he’d lose her forever after tonight. He couldn’t bear to lose her.

Ethan’s instincts had served him well over the years. Why stop following them now? He took the leap. The words came out in a rush of uncharacteristic insecurity.

“I want you to stay, Lauren.”

“You know that’s not possible. We just finished discussing that.”

“What if I make it possible, make it something that didn’t mess with either of our reputations?”

“How the hell would you do that? You’re good, Ethan, but you’re not that good. It is what it is.”

Ethan put his hands on her shoulders and turned her back to face him again. He rested his hands on her waist, and stared deeply into her hazel eyes, which were decidedly green right now.

“Marry me, Lauren.” He spoke with absolute conviction.

“Marry you?” Her mouth dropped open, she staggered back a step, stopped by the railing behind her. He steadied her.

“Yes. Marry me.”

“So we can continue to work together? Ethan, have you been drinking?”

“Only that bottle of wine I shared with you tonight. I’ve never been more sober. Together you and I can build something special in this city.” He liked this crazy idea more and more so he took it and ran with it.

“You’re proposing we get married so we can be business partners.” She shook her head and laughed, as if he’d lost his fucking mind. So maybe he had. Over her.

He snorted. “Hardly. Though there’d be that, too.”

She slipped away from him, hugging herself. “I can’t.”

“Why not? Take a leap of faith…”

“Faith? This from a man who misrepresented anything and everything from day one.”

“Guilty as charged. I’m so sorry, Lauren. If I could’ve handled it any other way, I would have.”

Her scowl broadcasted louder than the blast of a ferry horn. She didn’t believe one fucking word he said. “I need to go, Ethan. You’ve started a good thing here. Good luck.” She walked quickly toward her car. Her heels clicked on the sidewalk in a frenzied beat to escape from him.

Ethan ran to catch up. “Lauren, don’t go. Please.” They were almost back to the parking lot, and panic clawed at his insides.

She turned to him. “I can’t stay.” For a split second she let down her guard, and he saw the pure agony in her eyes, as if she wished things could be different.

It could. It could be different. He’d show her. He would. If only she’d stay. She unlocked her car with her key fob and reached for the door. He held it shut with his hand.

“Ethan. Please,” she implored him.

He stared into her eyes and the truth of it all hit him like a lightning bolt streaking across Puget Sound on a stormy day.

He loved her.

He fucking loved her.

“Marry me, Lauren. Please. I can’t see my life without you in it.”

“Don’t make it any worse.” Tears filled her eyes, and he stepped forward to wipe them from her cheeks with the pad of his thumb.

“I love you, Lauren.”

Her eyes shot wide open at the word
love
. “You—you can’t mean that. You can’t.”

“I do.” He spoke with bone-deep certainty.

She swallowed and shook her head. “I have to go. Don’t make this any worse.”

“Stay. Be my wife. We’ll build a hockey legacy together and raise little hockey players and good citizens.”

She shook her head, as a lone tear streamed down her face. The finality in her gaze wrote the final chapter.

Hesitating briefly, he stepped back and allowed her to open the car door. She got in and looked up at him with hazel eyes full of sorrow. “I’m sorry. I can’t do it. Can’t go through it all again.”

“I’m not Max.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I can’t.”

He tightened his lips. “If you feel that way, then I guess there’s nothing else to discuss. I was wrong about you—about us—if you think for a moment I would do to you what Max did.”

“But you already did, Ethan. Don’t you see? You lied to me. Over and over. Maybe you didn’t cheat on me with women but you cheated on my heart by not being straight with me, by using me.”

She shut the door and mouthed goodbye as she backed out of her parking space.

Ethan stood on the pavement and watched his future shot at happiness drive away. He didn’t know how long he stood there. When the first drops of rain hit his cheeks, he trudged toward his car. It hadn’t rained in Seattle since Lauren had arrived. How fitting was it that it was raining now that she was leaving?

And taking his heart with her.

Chapter 18—Penalty Kill

Lauren turned off her cell, her computer, her wireless, her tablet, and all the lights in the apartment. She curled into a little ball on couch, wallowed in self-pity, and alternated between sobbing hysterically and staring blindly at old movies all night. Even Horace couldn’t console her though he gave it his best shot by purring so loudly she had to crank the volume on the TV. Her eyes were scratchy from crying. Her throat scratchy. Her heart leaden with despair.

She spent two days like that.

Ethan said he loved her. He couldn’t mean it. It was just another ploy to convince her to stay. She hated playing the part of a pathetic baby, but allowed herself the luxury for two nights. Tomorrow she’d pull herself up by her laces and get back on the ice, starting with contacting a few of the local minor league teams.

Sometime during the night she fell into an exhausted sleep and awoke to pounding on her door. She startled awake and shot to a sitting position, glancing at the clock on the wall. It was past noon. She’d slept most of the morning away. As she hurried to the door before the person on the other side damaged the wood, she glanced at the wall mirror. She looked like crap with her puffy cheeks, red eyes, and wild, tangled hair. She smoothed back her hair and gathered her composure, peeking out a side window. Her aunt’s car sat in the lot.

Damn.

Reluctantly, she opened the door. Aunt Jo and her dad stood there.

Lauren never expected to be double-teamed, especially when she wasn’t even sure what game they were playing.

Her aunt strutted in the door with a smirk on her face, obviously pleased with herself, while her father slinked along behind, as if ashamed. Aunt Jo must have kicked some major Schneider ass, not that Lauren had a clue why, but Aunt Jo rarely needed a reason to put her brother in his place.

Her aunt’s smirk dropped away as she eyed Lauren’s face. “What happened to you?”

“I have a cold, and I fell asleep on the couch.”

Her aunt tilted her head and gave her the
eye
, the one usually reserved for Lauren’s brothers when they’d been bad, or Aunt Jo had caught them in a lie. Much to Lauren’s surprise, her aunt didn’t push the issue. Whatever Aunt Jo’s mission was for being there, she didn’t lose focus.

Lauren brewed a pot of coffee and poured three cups, while her father and aunt sat down on the couch. After serving the coffee, Lauren stood across from them, suspicious of their intentions.

“So Dad, what brings you to Seattle?” As furious as he’d been over the move, she never expected him to set foot in the city and assumed he would quit the team.

He mumbled something, not meeting her eyes.

“What?”

“Free agent and scouting stuff.”

“So you’re still working for the Gi—Sockeyes?”

He didn’t answer but Aunt Jo nudged him with a sharp elbow and he grunted. “I’m keeping the job. Parker made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”

Lauren knew that story all too well, but her father was staying after all he said about Ethan? She rubbed her eyes and took a long gulp of coffee.

“We think you should stay, too, honey, this is a great opportunity. Don’t we, Lon?”

He nodded and finally met Lauren’s gaze. “I was wrong, Lauren. Wrong to be mad at you for just doing your job. Pro sports teams are shook up all the time. The Giants’ upper management had become complacent. They weren’t interested in trying different things to see what worked, and they’d surrounded themselves with coaching that wanted to do the same. Yeah, I don’t like the move, but—and I never thought I’d admit this—Seattle is a great place for hockey.”

“And that’s why you’re staying on?” Lauren had to agree. Sure, it still hurt when she recalled the charities the Giants had served and the great people she’d met, but the team had moved on, and so would she.

“I’m staying on because it’s the right thing to do, and I want to be part of this great legacy we’re building here. Don’t you?”

She stared at him and blinked several times, not believing her ears. “It doesn’t matter what I want. I can’t have it.” Lauren sniffled and rubbed her eyes.

Her aunt snorted. “Don’t be so short-sighted. Of course, you can have it.”

“I can’t. Not after how Ethan lied to me. I trusted a man once and he took my trust and exploited it all the way to divorce and bankruptcy court. I don’t know Ethan half as well as I knew Max and look how wrong I was about Max.”