Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 132951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 665(@200wpm)___ 532(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 665(@200wpm)___ 532(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
Before I can take the seat next to her, Quinn approaches with his date, Lovey Butterson. Her dad is a former pro player, and a coach at the Hockey Academy.
“Kodiak and Lavender send their love. They had to fly out early this morning.” Quinn gives me a back-pat hug.
“New York has a game tomorrow.” I nod. “You two heading out, too?”
“Yeah. Lovey and I are stopping at the Hockey Academy, and then continue to Guelph to visit her grandparents.”
“Do you play hockey?” I ask.
She shakes her head and laughs. “No, but I haven’t had a chance to visit the new Hockey Academy location.” Lovey hugs Quinn’s arm. “Thank you so much for the invitation. We had the most amazing time.” She smiles up at Quinn, whose ears have gone red.
“I’m glad you could make it on such short notice.” I nod to Quinn. “I’ll see you in a few days, yeah?”
“You bet.” He claps me on the shoulder and leaves with Lovey.
I slide into the seat beside Mildred and stretch my arm across the back of her chair.
Lexi smiles as Mildred sips her coffee with a sigh. “Too much champagne last night?”
“My wife thought it would be fun to do shots when we got back to our suite,” I explain.
Mildred shoots me a glare over the rim of her cup. “Seriously, Connor?”
“It was your idea, darling.”
“You’re not supposed to throw me under the bus.”
“You never think shots are a good idea,” Flip says.
Mildred shrugs. “Well, last night I did. I’m blaming it on the champagne I had before the shots.”
“They were fun.” I kiss her temple.
She side-eyes me. “For you, maybe.”
“And you, but maybe you don’t remember that part.”
“Time-out, you two. There are minors at the table,” Tristan reminds us. “You’ll be alone again soon enough.”
Dallas nearly falls out of his chair because he’s laughing so hard. “Like you’re one to talk! When you and Rix are in a room together, the temperature goes up five freaking degrees.”
“Hemi might as well put you on a leash,” Tristan fires back.
Dallas puts his arm around Hemi. “Who says she doesn’t?”
Hemi smirks.
“Minors at the table!” Roman snaps.
Fee leans forward. “My bestie writes why-choose romance.”
“What’s why-choose romance?” Callie asks.
Mildred jumps in. “She means the choose-your-own-adventure books!”
“Oh, I love those!” Callie says.
“Me, too,” Lexi agrees, exchanging a look with my wife.
“What’s why-choose?” I mutter.
Mildred pats my leg and gives her menacing little smile. “I’ll tell you later.”
CHAPTER 27
DRED
Brunch was an excellent idea, even if it meant I didn’t get to ogle a mostly naked Connor for more than a handful of seconds. I feel much more human after coffee, water, carbs, and time with just friends. By the time Connor and I finish eating, the car is already waiting, and all our things have been packed up and loaded. I hug everyone and climb into the passenger seat.
Connor and I leave the city and head north, leaving the highway after about half an hour, for less-traveled roads. We pass a town I lived in briefly. The location was cute, but the family wasn’t a good fit. The farther we get from civilization, the more anxious I become until I finally crack. “Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise,” Connor says airily.
I run my hands up and down my thighs. I would love a hair tie. But mine is packed in my bag in the trunk, so the only way to assuage my anxiety is to be truthful. “So…I, uh, I don’t really like surprises.”
“I promise you’ll love it,” he assures me.
Irrational panic takes hold. Normally I’d find a quiet place to disappear and give myself the time I need to feel all the feelings, but I have nowhere to go. “I’m sure I will, but my anxiety is at about a four thousand out of ten right now.”
“You don’t trust me to keep you safe?” Connor frowns, glancing at me. “You realize it’s always in my best interest to keep you happy.”
There’s so much to that statement to unpack, but I’m not capable of digging into it in my current state. “It’s not a you thing, Connor.” I swallow past the massive rock clogging my throat. If I’m honest, maybe he’ll understand. But he’ll also have another broken piece of me to play with. Exposing my weaknesses to him is tricky. I’ve spent my entire life hiding the parts that bleed.
We’re married, though. We’re living together for an undetermined amount of time. Him using my vulnerabilities against me isn’t in his best interests. He can’t avoid my triggers if he doesn’t know what they are.
“Every time there was a surprise growing up, it usually resulted in something bad.”
“Bad how?”
I lower the window a little, needing fresh air. But then we drive past an orchard, and memories I’ve long kept buried explode in my head. Scents can do that—open a box I’ve forgotten existed and submerge me. My words die on a plaintive sound. All the stress of the past few weeks has weakened my defenses, and this onslaught shatters them like glass. I close my eyes and fight the wave of memories, but they’re already on me.