“Smarty,” Levi whispers in my ear as he helps with my coat. “You’re stunning.” I look up at him as he kisses my lips gently.
“Don’t look too bad yourself, Captain Carr.” I bite my lip as I tease him back. He’s in a black suit, with a dark green shirt and matching tie.
As we climb into Levi’s SUV, the brisk air and snow is proof that the dead of winter is upon us. The ride to the restaurant is filled with small conversation. None of us really know what to expect as we pull up at six o’clock. Levi valets the vehicle and the four of us walk in.
I spot my parents laughing in a corner table. Laughing? That’s not right.
“Oh, there’s my son.” My dad stands and gives Trevor a big hug as Levi helps Marley and me with our coats. “Levi, it’s so great to see you again.” I just stand next Levi as they shake hands.
“Great to see you, sir,” Levi says.
“Presley, Marley, you both look lovely.” That’s it? No hug, no handshake, nothing. I should be used to it by now. So I just politely smile and nod as Levi pulls my chair out.
“Presley,” my mother whispers next to me. “Don’t you think that dress is a bit short?”
I bite my tongue as I look at her. “Everything is covered, Mother.”
My mother gives me a tight smile, and I know that there is going to be hell to pay for that comment. The waiter comes, and my father orders two bottles of red wine. I’m secretly hoping that one is just for me, so I can make it through this. I should’ve drank before I came. I’ll make a mental note to do that next time.
Of course, my father begins to talk to Trevor and Levi about their off season activities. I sit quietly. My mother pinches me under the table, and I know that means to sit up straight. She has done that to me since I was a child. I do and keep biting my tongue. Thank the stars that wine comes, and I almost chug my glass down. Levi starts rubbing my hand that is sitting on the table. I look at him and smile. He really does make me sane.
My mother starts a conversation with Marley. I still sit quietly.
“Dad, did you hear that Presley has applied for several internships in the city?” My twin brother, I love him. Just like always, he tries to pull me into the conversation. But, like usual, I’m ignored.
“Did you get ahold of that trainer I emailed you about?” Dad asks Trevor. “Levi, you should look into him too.”
“I’m good with my routine right now. Thank you, Mr. McCarthy. Besides, trainers are expensive and that’s something I can’t afford right now.”
“We should be discussing the money for your internship with Lab Corp.” My father grins at Levi. Lab Corp is a lab that creates new medications, something that Levi is passionate about. My father helped him get a summer internship. It is only for a month though, because Levi will have hockey events the other part of the summer.
“I’m very grateful for that. Thank you again.”
I keep drinking as everyone talks. I can feel the alcohol coursing through my veins. Maybe with one more bottle, I might be able to tolerate tonight. It is now that Marley tries to talk to me, but my mother keeps interrupting her.
I simply sit there.
“Presley, I really wish you would sit up straight. It’s not ladylike,” my mother whispers to me.
“I don’t want to.” I don’t know why I said it, I just did. Maybe it’s the alcohol.
“I’m not in the mood to argue with you. Sit up.” My mother’s expression is clear that there will be no arguing. I sit up.
“Well, kids, we’re here to celebrate tonight,” Dad finally announces.
“Oh? And what are we celebrating?” Trevor asks.
“Your mother and I are getting back together.”
I begin to choke on my wine. I mean, really choke. I’m coughing, not able to catch my breath and Levi hands me a glass of water. I look over at Trevor, and his mouth has dropped open.
“You can’t be serious? You’re divorced,” I’m finally able to talk.
“Well, that doesn’t mean we can’t get back together. We’ve spent a lot of time together and we feel this is right.” My mother reaches over and grabs my father’s hands.
“Am I in the fucking Twilight Zone?” I spit out the sentence before thinking. It’s Marley’s turn to cough on her wine.
“Presley, language.” My father gives me a stern look.
“No, in fact, hell no. You two don’t get along at all. I remember the fighting and yelling and the hell Trev and I went through.”
“Presley, enough.” My father’s voice raises another octave.
“No. This is the dumbest thing that could ever happen.” My voice gets louder, and I see that people are looking at us.
“Presley Marie, shut up, right now,” Mom hisses.
“I can’t believe this. It’s bad enough that Trevor and I had to be separated, but now it’s all okay to get back together. Is it because there are no kiddies at home to get the house dirty? ” I shoot a look at Mom. She was always complaining about the house being dirty because of us.
“Presley, I don’t know what’s going on, but I highly suggest you shut your mouth now.” Dad’s face is red with anger.
“We were under a lot of stress when you kids were little. It was harder then, but things have calmed down. Plus, when Trevor gets drafted, we can go as a happy family,” Mom adds.
That’s it. That’s the straw that breaks it all. “Oh, of course. Let’s make sure that we’re a perfect fucking family for ESPN!” I shout at her. I stand up so fast my chair falls back and slams to the ground.
“Smarty.” Levi grabs my arm, but I jerk away from him and take off for the door.
I run into the night air down the street. I’m in four inch heels, on ice and snow, but I keep running. Until I fall. I fall right in the middle of the sidewalk on my hands and knees, and I have no urge to get up as the tears spring from my eyes.
“Presley!” Levi yells behind me. I feel him as he picks me up fireman style.
“Take me home,” I choke out. “Please, get me away.”
“Trevor is getting the car.” Marley lays my coat over me as I cling to Levi’s neck.
I can’t stop crying as Levi places me in the backseat of the SUV. Trevor is driving, and Marley is in the front seat. I don’t want to leave his arms and Levi doesn’t let go. Not a single word is said as we get back to my apartment. Levi doesn’t let me go as he carries me up the stairs and heads into the kitchen. He sits me in a chair, and Marley comes out of nowhere with my first aid kit and a couple washcloths. It’s then I notice my knees are bleeding, and the palms of my hands are too. Marley wipes my face of the tears and makeup. Trevor is standing behind her, and his eyes are sad. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Trevor look so sad. He knows what I’ve gone through with our parents, and I know that he hates it as much as I do. Levi begins to fix up my knees and hands, and I’m finally able to stop crying.
“I’m sorry,” I choke out.
“Hey, Smarty, it’s-” He stops talking as my father opens my apartment door and walks in with my mother.
“Presley, what the hell was that?” Dad exclaims.
“Honey, are you taking drugs or something?” Mom’s face is full of concern as I stand up to face them.
“I’m not taking drugs. I don’t do drugs. And what happened was that you care more about Trevor than me. That’s what that was.”
“Presley, stop. You know-”
I cut my mother off. “No, you stop. You both stop right now because I’m tired of this. I bet you don’t know anything about me.”
“That’s not true.” Dad’s voice is stern.
“Really? Well then, let’s play ‘Who knows Presley?’”
“What?” They say at the same time.
“Yep, let’s play ‘Who knows Presley?’”
“Enough-” My father tries to stop me.
“No!” I shout and they are taken aback. “No!” I point my finger at him. My blood is boiling with anger and hurt from all the years
of Trevor being their prize child, and I was invisible. “What day does Trevor take Econ?”
“Pres-” Mom starts.
“Answer me!” I slam my hand so hard on the table that I thought I broke my hand, and I see Marley jump. I look at Trevor and he is looking at the floor. I can feel his pain from all the way over here.
There is silence before Dad says, “Tuesdays and Thursdays.”
I nod. “How many goals did he score last season?”
Silence before Mom says, “42.”
“Name one class that I’m taking.” They both look at each other, and I know they can’t answer it. “Okay, here is an easy one. How many classes am I taking?” There is more silence.
“Presley.” Dad’s voice is low.
“No!” I shout again. “How many of Trevor’s games last season did you miss?”
“I missed a couple,” my dad says.
“Who was the only person at the finish line of the marathon Marley and I ran last year?” Again, my parents look at each other. They had no clue that we trained for months to run the New York Marathon. “Trevor was. Trevor has been the only person, besides Marley, that cares about me, my whole life.” I look up, and Trevor has tears in his eyes. “And now, I have Levi. Because you two have never been there for me.” The tears begin to stream down my face.
“Sweetheart-” Mom has tears in her eyes.
“No, it’s too late. I’m not even sure if you know that I exist. Of course, unless I need money.” I shoot a dirty look at Dad.
“Presley, it’s not like that, at all.”
“I don’t care. I don’t care anymore. Because I bet you can’t even remember the last time you said you love me.” For the first time in my life, my father drops his head. I can’t handle it anymore. I push past them both and rush to bedroom. I collapse on my bed, sobbing. All the years of pain and feeling alone pour out of me.
Chapter Eight
Levi
Watching the faces of Presley’s parents while all of that just happened, I’m pissed. Now, they are standing around looking a bit dumbfounded.
In a low, stony voice, I say to her parents, “All she wants is to be acknowledged for who she is as an individual and to be accepted. She’s a wonderful, independent woman, but you don’t know that because you won’t give her the chance to show you. You both should be ashamed for making her feel like what she feels is not right or not how it really is. We all know damn well how you treat Presley. She’s your child, just like Trevor.
“There is so much more I want to say, but I’ll stop for now. If you don’t mind, could you get the hell out of her apartment?” I look at everyone in the room. “I’ll walk you all to the door.” When no one goes to move, I do. Reaching the door leading out of her apartment, I open it and wait with a glare to her parents. Trevor and Marley are the first to move and thank God, her parents do too. I would hate to have to force them to leave.
I lock the door behind them and go straight to the bedroom, the sound of muffled sobs easily heard. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I rub her back. Honestly, I’m not sure what exactly would make her feel better so I’m running on instinct. Smarty turns, sits up, and clings to me. My heart shreds at what this is doing to her. Scooting back to lean against the headboard, I keep Presley in my arms and hold her. I don’t say anything, because I doubt anything would make her feel better right now.
The thing she appears to need is just me holding her. That, I can easily do for her. I’d hold her forever if it would make her happy. My shirt is quickly soaked with her tears, and I wait until they come to a stop. When they do, I take her hands and remove them from me. I walk over to her dresser to find her a change of clothes. It takes me a few minutes of rummaging, but I find her a pair of pajamas and take them back to her.
“Go get ready for bed, Smarty,” I say gently.
Presley sniffles as she gets out of bed and goes to the bathroom. By the time she returns, I’ve stripped down, and I’m waiting in bed for her. Smarty crawls in, attaches herself to me, and holds me tightly as if I might leave.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers.
“That your parents suck?” I sigh. “There’s nothing for you to be sorry about, Presley. Just forget about it for now and go to sleep, okay?”
Smarty nods against my chest. Pressing a kiss to the top of her head, I say, “I love you.”
She squeezes me. “I love you more.”
~
“Walk of shame again, Carr?” Harper says when I walk into our apartment.
“Yeah, isn’t that like the second or third time this week?” Nichols adds.
“Not in the mood,” I quip. Thank goodness I don’t have a morning class today, but Presley did, so I left when she did. As always with Presley, I slept exceptionally well. I grab a change of clothes and head to the gym to work out my frustrations. I’m 97% sure that I’m permanently annoyed this morning because Zack showed up before I left, offering to take Presley to breakfast before class. He seems so smug, and it’s so damn annoying.
Shaking my head, I begin my workout. All it seems to do is make it worse. Between last night with Presley’s dumbass parents and this morning with Mr. Chill, I’m frustrated all over again. After a shower and my only class today, I head to the rink to clear my mind and relax. I lay on the bench, staring up at ceiling, thinking.
The air is chilly, nipping at my skin, but it feels oh, so good. I cross my legs at the ankles and bring my hands behind my head. I wish we had a game tonight so I could really let loose, but if the effects are anything like my workout, it wouldn’t help much. Sighing, I ignore the Zack issue and focus on ways I could maybe help Presley with her parents. Not that they deserve a chance to make things up to her, but she deserves for them to have that chance.
Nothing will help unless they truly want to have her in their lives. Would that change after all this time? Or are they so stuck on her brother that they don’t care? I don’t know what to do! I just want my favorite redhead to be happy. Maybe I just need to let her handle it. I don’t want overstep because I know that she likes being on her own and taking care of things herself.
Closing my eyes, I try to shut everything out because I’m getting nowhere. I don’t want to think of anything other than how good it feels to be here.
~
“Levi?”
Oh, God. My shoulders and neck are so fucking stiff.
“Levi?”
“Over here, Smarty,” I answer, sitting up. My eyes are glued to the girl I love so much and the body that comes with. She’s wearing my favorite pair of jeans and a low cut white shirt. I drop my legs to opposite sides of the bench, and Presley sits down in front of me, giving me a short kiss.
“I’ve been trying to get up with you! Have you been here the whole time?”
“Yeah, I accidentally fell asleep. This bench is a piece of shit. Don’t you want to give me a massage, Smarty?” I give her my best arrogant grin, but she slightly frowns. “Why were you trying to get up with me?”
“Because I really wanted to see Captain Carr.” She rolls her eyes at me, obviously not meaning what she said. “I was worried,” she adds after a second. “Your dad was trying to call you and when he couldn’t -”
“Pops?” I gulp, my heart sinking. “What’s wrong?”
“Oh, nothing. He -”
“Then why was he trying so hard to call me?”
Presley straightens her shoulders and narrows her eyes at me. “Quit interrupting me and I’ll tell you.” I hold my hands up, surrendering. “He wanted to ask you something about this weekend, but when he couldn’t get up with you, he called me. Then I got worried because you didn’t answer your phone and I hadn’t heard from you all day and then you weren’t answering my calls. It was ridiculous, really, because he was about to go to the store and just wanted to know if he needed extra groceries.”
“That’s it? You’re sure? He sounded okay? Maybe I just need to go make sure he’s okay.” I stand but Presley pulls me back down.
>
“He’s fine, Levi. If you’re worried, just call him. Don’t drive all the way over there.”
You’re smothering him. Her words echo in my mind once more. “Fine. Sorry for making you worry.” I lean over and give her a kiss. “Do I still get a massage?”
“Shouldn’t I be rewarded?” she asks.
“Having your hands on my body isn’t a reward?” I raise an eyebrow at her.
Shaking her head, she laughs. “You’ve lost it, Levi. Can I have a raincheck? I’ve got some work to do still.”
“Sure. Go study and whatnot. I’ll call my dad and then go do the same.” This time when I stand, Presley takes my hand, and I walk her outside to her car, which is parked beside mine.
“Don’t worry about your dad so much, Levi. He can take care of himself and if he can’t, I’m sure he’ll call you and go to the doctor.”
“I don’t know about that, Smarty.” I tuck her into my arms, resting my chin on the top of her head.
“What do you mean?”
I hadn’t told her this. I don’t know why. Maybe because she didn’t ask, and I didn’t offer. “When he had his heart attack, he was at home. Alone.” Pausing, I try to keep myself together. “I walked in and it was like losing my mom all over again.” My voice is barely audible, and I just want to go home. “That’s why I worry. I’ll catch ya later, okay?” After giving a quick kiss to the top of her head, I open her car door for her. Please just let her go home this time.
“Levi,” she starts.
“Go home, Smarty.”
I sigh a breath of relief and regret when she does as I ask. Back in my SUV, I grab my phone from the console. Sure enough, there’s a handful of missed calls. I speed dial my dad.
“I don’t need an answer now,” Pops answers with a chuckle.
“Sorry, Pops. I am coming this weekend, but not sure about Presley yet. Everything okay, though?”
“Of course, son. Make sure she comes. I have a surprise for you two.”
“What kind of surprise?” I ask, suspiciously.
Off the Ice (The Penalty Kill Trilogy) (Volume 2) Page 4