by Kristen Echo
“Is it too soon for me to say I lo—”
“So, I was thinking we should talk like this before bed each night. While you’re away, we can keep working on our trust exercises. This will be a good opportunity for us to communicate and explore the non-sexual side of our relationship.” Her pulse raced at the L-word he was about to deliver. Was it too soon? Based on the instant sweaty palms and shaking hands, she’d go with a yes.
He chuckled. “Okay. It’s too soon. Don’t panic, Elizabeth. I’ll wait. What exercise have you got in mind?”
She exhaled and collected her thoughts. His close call left her mind a mess. “Well, if we commit to chatting each night at eleven, and we do it every night, then it will improve our ability to depend on each other. Routines are good.” She had no idea what the hell she was talking about.
“You want to create routines. Isn’t spontaneity the spice of life?” His tone hinted at humor, but she was too wound up to tell for sure.
“I think making a commitment to talk before bed is a step in the right direction.” She twisted her fingers around her sheets. “It’s two-fold, really. We have to trust the other to be there at a set time and be open to answer any questions. Like a game of truth. No questions are off limits and answers have to be one hundred percent honest.”
Her words rushed out. It would be a miracle if he deciphered anything that came out of her mouth in the past couple of minutes. Why was she so nervous? It’s not like her future happiness was riding in the balance or anything. She moved the mouthpiece away from her mouth, muted the line and screamed into her pillow.
“The exercise is a game of truth, no dare, just bare your soul kind of stuff. Okay, I’m in. Did you have a topic in mind for tonight, or anything goes? How many questions are we each allowed?”
She still couldn’t tell if he was poking fun or actually interested in her suggestion. Either way, she pushed ahead. His question was valid. She supposed they should talk about something meaningful, but given the late hour they shouldn’t drag it out. She unmuted her phone.
“Let’s say two questions each per night. Any topic with no limitations. I… Um, I’ll go first. Meaning, I’ll ask you the first question,” she said without actually having a question in mind. His shirt hung on the back of her chair and an image of his perfectly chiseled, naked chest jumped into view. “What do you think about when you see your new tattoo? I get why you added that date on your skin, but is it something you regret or does it still hold meaning for you?”
He didn’t respond immediately. “The tattoo is probably the only thing from those days I don’t regret. You and your dad were my family. The light in my life, besides hockey. I went through some very dark days after the accident. The team almost cut me loose. I had all the professionals at my disposal to make things right, but they couldn’t fix things. They couldn’t stop a senseless death. No one can. The two best male role models were taken from me and this world too soon. I’m still fucking angry. At first, I’d think about the loss and the injustice. These days, it reminds me that our time on earth isn’t infinite. It’s up to me to make the most of it and to make them proud.”
Her heart ached for him. “I don’t know what to say, except I think you make them smile from heaven.” A tear leaked from her eye.
“Elizabeth, I’m not sure I gave them much to smile about for a while. But I’m trying to be a better man. They were so strong. Raising kids on their own with no help. Those men hold a special place over my heart.”
“They both have a piece of my heart too. I never got to meet your dad, but I’m sure I would have loved him. He raised one hell of a great guy,” she said with a smile.
“My turn to ask you something I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure out. Why would you date another NHL player? Was it to spite me?”
She suspected this would come up at some point. “I’m attracted to strong, athletic and confident men. Hockey players seem to be my kryptonite. I hadn’t purposely set out to replace you with your opponents. When I moved, I joined a running club. It so happened a few guys from your current team are also runners. It wasn’t to spite you, though maybe on some subconscious level, it was; I don’t know.”
“When I saw you with Joe at the wedding, I wanted to break him in two. You do not understand how jealous I was in that freezing castle. I envisioned breaking off an icicle and ramming it into his heart. I’ve never been a violent guy, but I thought I was too late. This brings me to my next question. Am I too late?”
She blew out a long breath. “I can’t answer that yet. I hope it’s not too late. Don’t take that the wrong way and think I’m not all in this, because I am. I want you. I want us. But honestly, I’m terrified you’ll run when things get hard. That’s what you do.”
“What I did. It’s not what I do anymore. I was seventeen when my dad died and unequipped to face the world without him. I think losing your dad four years later brought back all the same pain. It was like losing them both. Not to mention the miracle you survived and weren’t in the car with your dad that day. I could have lost you too. It was way too much to handle on top of the move and playing for a new team. I got scared. Instead of asking for help and reaching out to you, I pulled away. It was a mistake I’ll never repeat. Don’t give up on me.”
The words sounded sincere, but they were only fancy words. “It’s getting late, and I’m tired.”
“You have one more question.”
“What do you want for your housewarming gift?” She’d had enough intense conversation for one night. Plus, waking up at his place that morning, surrounded by boxes, reminded her he was new to the city. The condo was furnished but lacked personality.
“Get me a plant. Something we can grow and nurture together. Goodnight, Elizabeth. I’ll call in the morning, and again at eleven tomorrow night. Sweet dreams.” He made a kissing noise, and she laughed.
“Sweet dreams, Benny.” She blew him a kiss and hung up, already looking forward to their next conversation.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
T heir games of truth turned out to be extremely revealing. Those evening phone calls became the highlight of her day. Beth had thought long and hard about her questions and she could tell that Benny had done the same. He never missed a call, and they ended up talking for over an hour each night. She had no idea ten questions would teach her so much about the man she was dating.
He was still the charming man she’d once loved, but he’d matured. His carefree ways had tempered slightly. She liked this new, deeper side of him. While they still joked around a lot and flirted a ton.
Benny had followed through on his promise and provided her with names of relationship counselors his doctor had recommended. She’d called and set up an appointment with a center that took a holistic approach to therapy. They focused on behavioral solutions and positive change. His willingness to attend shocked her. He’d joked, saying she was more nervous than him. He hadn’t been wrong.
When his time away ended, she couldn’t wait to see him. But she knew if she went to the airport and back to his place they’d have sex. It’s all she could think about since he’d asked her what position she wanted to be in the next time they made love. She’d told him to surprise her. From that moment on, her sex drive had been in high gear. For that reason, Beth kept her distance once he landed.
They had a home game tonight and Benny needed his rest. That’s the excuse she’d told him when he’d asked her out, but they both knew the truth. They were liable to rip clothing and fuck like wild animals if they were in the same room together. She never would have gotten away with staying away if Martin hadn’t been injured in the last game.
Benny was confident they would finally give him a chance to start. Not because Martin Thomas wasn’t playing great. He was still the starting goaltender. But he’d taken a stick to the eye at the end of the last game. Benny had protected the net for the last three minutes of play and shut them out. The game hadn’t been televised, but she’d caught the highl
ights online.
If he played, this would be his first home game. She would not miss it. She loved watching him in the net. Martin was listed as tentative and she hoped they’d let Benny play. When they’d spoken earlier, he sounded excited and ready to prove himself.
She wore her white jersey and styled her hair down. Benny preferred her natural waves, and it was easier than straightening it. They both had game-day rituals. He always won when she wore white undergarments. She’d tried switching it up, but white won every single time. Beth adjusted the oversized jersey to cover her white bra strap.
“Have a drink. You look as white as your top.” Carly pushed a beer her way.
“I don’t want any. I’m too nervous to drink,” she said as the music played in the arena.
“Suit yourself.” She plopped down in the seat next to her.
The box seating for the players’ families was nice. The place was packed. They offered all the comforts she could want if she’d wanted any. All she wanted was for Benny to play and for them to win. The adrenaline in the air was palpable. The fans cheered loudly as the players skated onto the ice.
Her eyes were fixed to the back of the jerseys as they came into view. “There he is,” she shouted when she saw Wilder glide towards his net. Seeing him on the ice, brought back a flash of memories. Her dad loved going to the home games and never missed one. She wished he was there to see another game.
Martin’s wife, Sylvie, sat on the other side of her. “I guess they didn’t think the swelling had gone down enough. He’ll be a treat to be around tonight if we don’t win.” Her French accent wrapped around each word, drawing them out provocatively. “Your man, is he ready?”
“Oh, we’ll win. Benny’s been eager to play. He’s not going to take this opportunity lightly.”
“Good. Because I’ve got money riding on this game,” Carly piped in.
Beth and Sylvie both gave Carly the evil eye. While betting wasn’t against the rules or the law, it was frowned upon. Many did it, but Beth wasn’t a gambler. She looked onto the ice and watched Benny stretch.
“What? I’ve got a baby shower to attend in the coming months. A shift at the diner barely covers the cost of downtown parking to attend this game. It’s not like I bet against our guys. Come on. Our team is on fire; we should all be capitalizing on their winning streak.”
Beth laughed. “When you call it a winning streak, it ends. Don’t you dare go jinxing things with that mouth of yours. It’s bad enough you’re wearing a black bra.” She looked over and a slice of red was visible on Sylvie’s shoulder. “Didn’t you ladies get my text to wear white? Jeez!”
Sylvie looked down at her white jersey and back at her confused. “I am wearing white.”
“And red lingerie. White is the lucky color. It’s a fact,” Beth proclaimed.
“Red is Martin’s favorite. He might not be playing on the ice tonight, but he’ll be playing with me later,” Sylvie waggled her brows and all three women laughed.
“What’s so funny?” Caroline Northcote-Ivarsson stepped beside them, her blonde hair styled in perfect curls. Her makeup was flawless. Beth thought everything about her was perfect.
“Tell me you wore white panties.” She crossed her fingers.
A sheepish smile crossed her face. “I’m not wearing any.” She cast her eyes downward. “They got ripped this afternoon, and I didn’t have time to grab new ones. But I got your text, and I bought a white jersey from the store on my way up.”
Carly slapped her knee and laughed even louder. “Ripped. I don’t even want to know what kind of kinky shit you and your husband get into.”
Caroline sat next to Carly, her eyes riveted towards the ice. “I have no intentions of telling you either.”
She’d tried to sway her superstitions, but at least she’d done her part. If the team didn’t win, it wasn’t her fault. The singer came out, and they all stood for the national anthem. From the moment she sat back down, she couldn’t take her eyes off the ice.
The puck dropped, and the crowd cheered. The women chatted, but mostly watched the game. Each of them was a fan before they dated any of the players. By the end of the second period, Benny had allowed no goals. They were making him work hard for a shutout. If she didn’t know better, it almost looked like his own team was testing him. That wasn’t the case. They happened to be playing the team with the highest stats for shots on net this season.
The score remained at zero going into the third. Beth gripped the armrest as one of the opposing forwards slipped past the defense and rifled off a shot destined for the lower right corner. Benny dropped into a butterfly stance and stopped the puck. That was too close. His agility and the way he worked his body was nothing short of amazing.
He hardly had a moment to recover from that play when the men circled the net again. Ivarsson slammed one of the opponents into the boards and sent the puck away. Unfortunately, it wasn’t their team that recovered. She watched Montagne race for the puck and come up short. The opposing player lined up, raised his stick and slapped the puck into the air. There were too many players crowding the net. The angle was off, but it bounced off a helmet, changing the trajectory. Benny reached for the upper left corner but missed. The puck waffled into the net.
They were down zero to one.
A lucky goal, but a goal all the same. She watched him shake off the goal and refocus his attention down the ice. He slammed his stick against his pads. He wouldn’t be happy. It wouldn’t matter if they won or lost. It wasn’t a perfect game.
The team seemed to pull themselves together after that. They remembered how to pass and finally scored in the bottom of the third. The ladies and the rest of the crowd were on their feet for the rest of the game. With only a minute left on the clock Montagne proved his superstar status. He used some fancy stick maneuvers to score again. Carly screamed so loud, Beth was positive Theo heard her from their box seats.
When the buzzer sounded and the final whistle blew, they had won by a score of two to one. The crowd cheered and celebrated another victory.
“That was an intense game,” Beth said, looking down at the armrest she’d been clinging to all evening. She expected to see her claw marks worn into the plastic.
Sylvie stretched. “Martin won’t have to stick around, so I’ll catch up with you ladies later. Before I go, Caroline have you had a chance to look at the additions to the website?”
The Northcote’s, Caroline in particular, had hired Sylvie to develop a website to bring attention to open cases of missing children. In the past three months, the city’s cases of missing teenagers had doubled. There were seven new names and faces added to the website. The police believed the kids were runaways or suicides. After the initial searches came up empty, the resources weren’t being spent to keep looking. The cases remained open and unsolved. That wasn’t good enough. Since the women believed something more sinister was at play. Although they had no proof to corroborate their suspicions.
“It looks great. The homepage is straight and to the point. I love how you’ve made a page for each of the kids. And the comments are blowing up. Are you able to keep up with it all? If you need to hire someone, go for it. I want to track every lead.”
Sylvie’s smile got wider. “I’m glad you mentioned that because I’ve picked up other work. Business is good. I think it might be time to hire an actual investigator. Someone who can sift through the crazy comments and find the real clues.”
“It’s sad that it’s come to that. I had hoped no new kids would disappear, but we added a new name the other day. Whatever’s happening hasn’t stopped. I’m swamped with the band and being a wife. Nico’s so demanding.” She giggled. “I don’t mind the last part, but it doesn’t leave me time to interview investigators.”
“Why not ask your dad’s assistant to help with that?” Carly suggested.
“Dad’s three assistants are all mega busy. There’s no way I’d ask them. How does one even go about hiring an investigator? I g
uess I’ll put an add out and see who answers. I’ll figure it out, and I’ll get my new hubby to help.”
“Is married life everything you hoped it would be?” Beth asked. The cynic who’d attended the wedding wasn’t as skeptical of love and forever anymore. Two of her new friends had recently tied the knot on Valentine’s day.
Caroline beamed. “It hasn’t been a full two weeks yet, but it’s awesome. I’m glowing. Well, not as much as this blushing bride,” she said, bumping her shoulder against Sylvie. “But I’m ridiculously happy.”
“It’s great. Better than I ever dreamed. We have so much to be thankful for. Like tonight. Another win and another step closer to the Cup. Bonsoir, my friends.” Sylvie air kissed each of their cheeks and then left.
“I’m off to jam. We’ll catch up again soon.” Caroline hugged them and rushed out.
The box emptied as did the rest of the arena. “Are you waiting around for Benny? He’ll have a ton of post-game interviews. If you want to catch a ride home, I can take you?”
Beth twisted her fingers together. Carly wasn’t a Wilder supporter, but she’d stopped bashing him at least. “I told him I’d stick around tonight. But I appreciate your offer.”
“Go get em tiger,” Carly roared as she grabbed her purse.
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about sex. It’s written all over your face, you’re going to get laid tonight.” Carly laughed when Beth’s jaw dropped open. “You’ve waited long enough. If the man’s balls weren’t blue he might have been able to stop that shot.”
“That… we… I told you we were moving slowly. We’ll have sex, eventually.”
Carly grabbed Beth’s arms and squeezed. “Stop torturing yourself. Let him make love to you. He already proved he’s after more than a physical relationship by not jumping you before he left town. Find out if the sex is as good as you remember.”
Beth snapped her mouth shut. This was Carly being supportive. She hugged her friend and smiled. “Thank you. I love you.” She looped their arms together, and they walked towards the exit.