The Mighty Quinns: Thom (15 page)

After a sleepless night, he’d finally made a decision. He’d weighed all his options and examined all the angles. Now that he was sure, Thom wanted to share his plan with Malin.

He pressed his ear to the bedroom door. It was already half past nine. Malin was usually awake by eight and never slept past nine. Thom reached up to rap on the door, but before he touched the wood, the door swung open.

Malin looked at him, startled. “What are you doing?”

“Waiting for you.”

She strode toward the kitchen, dressed in one of his team T-shirts.

“Did you sleep well?” he asked.

“Fine,” Malin said. “Have you seen my tablet? I want to check if anyone posted photos from the benefit last night.”

“It’s on the counter. I plugged it in last night to charge. It should be good.”

Malin grabbed the iPad and started back toward the bedroom. When she moved to close the door, Thom thrust out his arm to stop her. “Come on, Malin, don’t do this. We need to talk.”

“Do you have something else you want to tell me? Some new scandalous behavior that will make me blush?”

“All right, let’s start there. You knew I wasn’t an angel when you met me. And if you’re going to get mad every time you learn about something or someone in my past, then you’re pretty much going to be mad at me for the rest of my life.”

“I’m not mad at you,” Malin said, defeat in her eyes.

Thom grabbed her hand and pulled her along into the bathroom. He set her in front of the mirror, watching her reflection over her shoulder. “Look at that face.”

She reached up and touched her cheek. “What?” Malin searched her face for some mark or flaw.

“I did that to you. You have a beautiful face and a radiant smile. Then I come along and take the fire out of your eyes.”

“I know all that happened in the past. But you’ve promised me that you’ve changed, that you’re not going to continue that kind of behavior. So it would be unfair for me to be angry at you.”

“That’s easy to say,” he said. “But eventually some woman will sell her story or some photo will show up on social media, and these doubts you have will come rushing back.”

She turned away from the mirror and sat down on the bed, flipping through screens on her tablet. Thom sat across from her, watching her expression.

“Ah, here. I was hoping the hospital would post something on their Twitter account. Here’s me in my dress. And my mom. Gosh, she looks beautiful. I should send this to her.”

Malin continued to search, then stopped again. ‘“Hockey pro Thom Quinn dances with new girlfriend Natalie Monroe.’”

“You see? You can’t believe everything you read on Twitter,” he said.

“This is good. I mean, it’s not true, but you two look great together. And she’s gazing up at you like she adores you.”

“But she’s not my girlfriend.”

Malin drew a deep breath. “I’ve been thinking about that, and I—”

Thom reached out and pressed his finger to her lips. “Don’t say it. If you say it, you can’t take it back.”

“Like what you said last night?”

Thom groaned. He’d hoped she might not have heard him or that she’d forgotten. “That just kind of popped out.”

“Did you mean it?”

His gaze met hers. “I did. Hell, I don’t know what love between two people is, Malin. I’ve never really seen it, so I couldn’t tell you. But I know that being with you is the best damn feeling I’ve ever experienced. And being without you is the worst. At the same time, I have to admit that this whole thing scares the crap out of me.”

“Why?”

“I just don’t know if I can be that guy. The one who makes all your dreams come true.” He drew a long, deep breath. “I’ve decided to go ahead with the New York trade. The way I see it, it will give us some time to figure this whole thing out. I’ll be back for the summer. You’ll come to visit. We’ll meet on the road. And you can continue to work for the team.”

“You’ve figured it all out without me,” Malin said. “Again.”

“I don’t want to disappoint you,” he murmured. “It would kill me if I wrecked your life the way my father wrecked my mother’s.”

“I wouldn’t let you do that,” Malin said.

“Maybe not. But until I know for sure, I’m not willing to risk your happiness.”

Malin took his hands and gave them a squeeze. When she looked up at him, there were tears in her eyes. “This doesn’t make me happy. The thought of being without you. But the truth is, I’m not sure I completely trust you.”

“I understand. But this isn’t over,” he said. “We’re just going to slow down a bit. And I’ll prove myself to you...and to myself.”

“All right,” Malin said. She stood up and looked around the room. “I have to stop by the office today. I’m behind on my work, and I’ve got to get the gowns boxed up and sent back. Can we talk about this later?”

Thom nodded. “Why don’t we have dinner tonight? I’ve got a little surprise for you.”

“Not another pharmaceutical salesperson, I hope.”

Thom laughed, then shook his head. “I’m never going to live that down, am I? We’ll be eighty years old and you’ll still be bringing it up.”

“You looked so guilty,” she said. “And you were kissing her!”

“No, no, she was kissing me.”

“That’s not possible.”

“Sure it is,” he said. “Go ahead. Try it. You kiss me and I won’t kiss you back. You’ll see what it’s like.”

“You can’t help but react,” she said.

“Try me.”

Malin, never one to back down from a challenge, he knew, stood up beside the bed, then pulled him up alongside her. Her eyes fixed on his lips. She pushed up on her toes, wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his. Though it was difficult, Thom did his best to maintain his composure. Her lips were soft and warm. Her tongue gently probed, not at all aggressive or demanding like Jennifer’s kiss. As she moved her body against his, Thom felt his blood surge and his pulse increase.

Grabbing her shoulders, he gently pushed her back. He took in a ragged breath and smiled. “That’s not exactly how it was. It wasn’t as romantic, or so sweet. You need to be...cooler, more arrogant.”

“Like this?”

She grabbed the back of his neck and yanked him down, their mouths meeting in a whirlwind of desire and demand. It was precisely how Jennifer had kissed him. Only now, with Malin, it felt entirely different—exciting and dangerous.

He cupped her face in his hands, molding her mouth to his. This was proof that he loved her, Thom thought to himself. No other woman had ever affected him this way. No one else had been able to stir his need with a simple kiss. A kiss from Malin was like a microcosm of sex—the contact, the caress, the penetration, the heat and warmth.

Suddenly she drew away, and Thom returned to reality. He looked down at Malin and gave her a sheepish grin. “Sorry. That wasn’t the way it happened. You’re just a lot better at kissing than she was.”

“I have to go,” Malin said. “I’ve got to set up new Twitter accounts for two of the players, and I’ve got tweets to approve. I haven’t looked at my mail in about a week. And now that you’ve decided to go, I have to figure out how to handle the backlash from fans.” She paused. “Do you think you would have fought to stay if we hadn’t met and started seeing each other?”

He shrugged. “Maybe.”

“I should have just minded my own business,” Malin murmured.

“I’m glad you spoke with me that day. It meant a lot to me that you took my side.” He reached out and grabbed her hand, then pulled her fingertips to his lips. “God, you were beautiful that day. Like a ray of pure sunshine.”

“I have to go.” Malin said again. She searched the room for something to wear, then finally grabbed a sundress that she’d stuffed into the dresser at the end of the bed.

She tossed the gown over her arm, gathered up her iPad and walked from the bedroom into the kitchen.

“I guess you’re all set,” Thom said.

A sudden panic set in, and he felt the need to keep her with him just a bit longer. For some reason, her leaving seemed like an ending, like he might never see her again. But that was ridiculous. They had dinner plans for the evening. “Would you like me to pick you up for dinner or do you want to meet here?”

“Can I call you?” Malin asked.

He nodded, then leaned forward to brush a kiss across her lips. The urge to confess his love for her nearly overwhelmed him again, but he bit back the words. What was wrong with him?

Thom walked her out to her car and helped her in. As she pulled away from the curb, he gave her a little wave.

This was what it would be like when they had to say goodbye for good in a few weeks. He’d pack up his truck and take off for New York. Only Malin would be the one standing on the curb and waving goodbye.

* * *

T
HE
OFFICE
WAS
busy when she arrived. The staff were working on another Sunday to put together the final preparations for the BlizzardCon fan convention, which opened on Friday. Usually Thom Quinn would have been one of the stars assigned to panel discussions and autograph sessions, but because of the trade possibilities, he’d been left out.

After she got her email down to a more manageable volume, she decided it was time to face the music. Her father’s office door was open, and she knocked softly and peeked inside. Davis Pedersen looked up from his desk. “I expected you’d stop in to see me today,” he said, leaning back in his leather chair.

“Do you have a few minutes?”

“I have an hour. Why don’t we go get a sandwich? I need some lunch.”

They walked back out into the heat of the summer day. Hers father’s favorite lunch spot was an old diner that served all the rich, calorie-laden comfort foods that Malin’s mother denied him at home.

They sat down at a booth, and the waitress handed them menus. Malin set hers down on the table and decided to begin the conversation. “Mama did a beautiful job with the benefit, didn’t she?”

“She has a way with things like that. I sometimes think that I might have held her back by marrying her and turning her into a mother and a housewife.”

Malin was stunned by his confession. Her father rarely indulged in self-examination. He was supremely confident in every move that he made, a quality that had allowed him to bring a struggling hockey franchise back from the brink of failure. “That’s something I wouldn’t have expected you to realize.”

“I’ve never professed to understand women. And I didn’t think that really mattered. Your mother loves me. There’s no question about that. And I assumed that as long as I loved her and protected her and gave her a happy life, we’d be fine.”

“And aren’t you?” Malin asked.

“Yes. But life didn’t really prepare me to raise a daughter. Sons were easy. But you have always been a puzzle to me.”

“I’m not that complicated,” Malin said. Her father had never been a very introspective man. But something had changed that, and it must have happened recently. “What brings this up now?”

“I suppose I realized it last night, when you confessed you were in love with Thom Quinn. I realized that at some point, you’re going to leave your mother and me for a husband and a family of your own. And I’ve wasted all this time and never really gotten to know you or your skills. I regret that.”

“I need to talk to you about Thom,” Malin said. “He had second thoughts about New York, but now he’s decided to take the trade.”

“What happened?”

Malin reached for her water and took a slow slip, then shrugged. “It’s just not working out as I’d hoped. Which is fine. I’m perfectly fine with it.”

“I’m sorry, Linny. But the man has a reputation. I’m glad you’ve seen the light.”

“No, that’s not it. He’s a good man, better than anyone even knows. Things are just complicated. With the trade and my job here and his... Well, he doesn’t think he’s good enough for me.”

Her father seemed taken aback by the revelation. “Funny. I once felt that way with your mother. I was the very last man her father would have chosen for her. And he fought us all the way. But that only made your mother more determined. Sometimes I think she had more faith in me than I had in myself.”

“That’s the trouble. I’m not sure I completely trust that Thom has left The Beast completely behind.”

“Is it him you don’t believe in, or yourself?”

“What do you mean?”

“You came out here to prove yourself to me. This Beast project was supposed to open my eyes, wasn’t it? Well, it might not have in the way you intended, but I do see you differently now, Malin. No matter what happens with Quinn, you’ve achieved a marketing coup, and all through social media. I’m not going to overlook your talents again. But whatever move you make next, I want you to make it because it’s what
you
want to do. Understand?”

Malin wasn’t sure she did, but just then the waitress came to take their order. Her father insisted that they share a chocolate malt, something the two of them used to do when she was very little.

“When did we stop going for malts?” Malin asked.

“I used to take you on Saturdays at lunch. I’d work at the office, your mother would drop you off after your ballet lessons and we’d go out for lunch. Then you started taking two ballet classes on Saturdays and I got busier with work, and we just let it go.”

“Maybe we should start again,” Malin suggested.

Davis reached out and place his hand over hers. “What do you want me to do about Thom Quinn? If you want him to stay, I’ll cancel the trade. If you want him to go, I’ll send him away.”

“He’s made the decision to go to New York, and I’m going to support him. He has his reasons, and I understand them.”

Her father nodded. “Then it’s settled.”

“I suppose it is,” Malin replied.

They spent the rest of their lunch chatting about the upcoming fan convention and about some new social media opportunities that Malin planned to use during the convention.

When they finished, her father paid the check, and they walked back to the team’s offices. “I’ve been thinking that we need to find someone to handle your social media work. Talk to Ginny in Personnel and have her start advertising for your replacement.”

“But I’m not going to New York,” Malin said.