by Lane Martin
Luckily, I didn’t have to worry about Rhett running into any of the McGills because shortly after I got his text, I got an excited call from Adelaide telling me her charming husband was whisking her away, and her in-laws were taking the kids.
I was both excited and nervous as I got ready for Rhett’s arrival, and he didn’t disappoint when he arrived. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d gone out on a real date. He was wearing a pair of faded jeans with a black button-up dress shirt and sporting a neatly trimmed beard I yearned to rub the backs of my fingers over.
He took a sweeping look at me and appeared agitated. “You look…” I had spent extra time getting ready. I wanted to look good for him. I thought this was a date. Maybe I misinterpreted him. I suddenly grew self-conscious and moved my arms to cover myself. I wore a dark green knit sweater dress cinched at my waist with a belt and thigh-high boots that added at least another four inches to my height.
“Don’t,” he demanded as he grabbed my arm that covered my body and pulled it back, opening me back up to his gaze. “I want to look at you.” He swallowed hard before raising his head and looking straight into my eyes. “You always light up any room you are in, but knowing you dressed up like this for me…” He shook his head as if in disbelief as he stepped closer to me. “It makes me worry what I’ll have to do if I catch anyone else looking at you.”
“Impossible. Everyone will be looking at you.” Rhett was massive in stature, not to mention the way he carried himself. I couldn’t help but think of him on the ice. The imagine of his power and confidence, combined with grace and beauty, were a heady combination.
“As long as you’re by my side, I seriously doubt anyone will be looking at me.” I was about to argue the point when he asked if I was ready to go. I told him that I was, and Rhett helped me into my coat. He protectively helped me down the flight of stairs before he lifted me effortlessly into his truck. Every single one of his touches had me wanting more. Once he was settled behind the wheel, he took my hand in his. The simple connection drove me mad.
We drove in comfortable silence before he let go of my hand at a red light and began to look for something. I missed his touch immediately.
“Shit,” he cursed. “I don’t have my wallet. Do you mind if I stop to grab it really quick?” He seemed so disappointed in himself. Never had a guy gone to such lengths to try and impress me before. I was tempted to tell him to forget it and that he should just take us back to my place. The thought of being somewhere alone with him made my panties wet, but this date seemed important to him. I didn’t want to admit to anyone, not even myself, just how much it meant to me too.
“If you’re hoping I’ll say no and offer to pick up the tab, you’re with the wrong girl,” I joked to make light of both the situation and my feelings.
“Eden, I would never.” Rhett looked at me with equal parts shock and horror. The driver behind us honked his horn, indicating the light had changed. Regret clear on his face, Rhett returned his eyes to the road and pulled forward.
“You act like it’s so far-fetched, but it’s happened before. Prom, actually.” His robust laughter filled the truck cab. I never wanted him to stop laughing. “I’m not even kidding. But no, I don’t mind if we need to stop and get your wallet.”
He reached his hand out for mine and laced our fingers together again as he continued to drive. “Wow, you’ve dated some real winners. Thank you, assholes before me, who set the bar so low, I should have no problem looking like Prince Charming.” Rhett Crawford was in a league of his own. He really didn’t have any competition. Everyone else before him paled in comparison.
“You have no idea.” He seemed too good to be true, which worried me. Seldom did things ever live up to the hype. By now I should be used to being let down, but for some dumb reason I still let myself believe in the fairy tale. Which was silly because glass slippers didn’t fit; they shattered like every dream I’d ever had.
“Tell me. I want to know everything about you.” Rhett seemed so genuine.
Ha! If he knew everything, he would run as fast as he could in the other direction. So while Rhett held my hand, I stuck to telling him safe things, like all of my best dating horror stories. I was enjoying watching his pained reactions so much, I wasn’t paying any attention to where we were going.
I gasped when he put the truck in park, and I looked up. When he said he had to stop, I thought we would be stopping at his place.
“Are you okay?” Rhett’s brow was raised as he eyed me with concern.
Just the sight of the building we were parked in front of had me breaking out in a cold sweat. I wiped my clammy palms down my thighs.
“I’m fine,” I lied before taking what I hoped was a calming breath and reminding myself he was only grabbing his wallet.
“Are you sure you’re not mad?” Rhett asked for what felt like the fifth time. “I promise it will only take a few minutes. You can come in with me if you’d rather not wait out here by yourself.” The parking lot of the Miners’ practice facility was nearly empty. We were parked adjacent to the door in a well-lit spot.
“I’m not upset, Rhett.” Not at you, anyway. Just at myself for overreacting to a building—a building I had no intention of going inside. “I’ll be fine out here.” I leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to his lips to try and reassure him. He placed his hand gently on the side of my face and I leaned into it contentedly as he pressed his lips to mine again, this time more greedily. His tongue parted my lips and I willingly opened my mouth. Good lord, the man could kiss and don’t even get me started on the way he cradled my face. He made me feel like I was precious.
All too soon, he pulled away. “I better go before this date takes an entirely different direction than I had planned.” I liked that direction. He must have noticed the spark of desire that ran through me. “You’re killin’ me, Eden. I know, we’d both enjoy it, but it’s not happening. Not tonight anyway. We’re doing this the right way.” He gave me a short but sweet kiss. “I’ll be back before you miss me.” I seriously doubted it. Then he hopped out of his truck and left me to wonder what exactly he had planned for tonight. Robin was right. Rhett was unlike any man I had been interested in before. He was fun to be with a seemed to really want to get to know me. The question was could I let him?
Rhett stopped at the door to speak with a gentleman who was exiting the building as he entered. They shook hands and spent several seconds talking. Each wore a smile as they turned their gaze to me in the waiting vehicle. The man grinned and Rhett nodded his head in agreement before the two parted ways. As the door closed behind my date, the older man walked toward me.
“Ma’am,” he offered sweetly with a nod as he strolled past me in the parked truck. I lifted my hand to offer a friendly wave when we both froze in recognition. His skin was more wrinkled and his hair, once gray only at the temples, was now thoroughly silver. But his eyes still held the same gleam they did before, and his smile was still infectious.
“Sprout?” I wasn’t sure if I should cry or smile hearing the nickname I hadn’t been called in years.
“It’s me, Mr. Lawrence,” I confirmed through the window as I wiped at my leaking eyes.
“Well, I’ll be.” I opened the door and got out of the truck to say hello properly. “Mr. Rhett said he had a special someone waiting for him, but I never in a thousand years would have expected it to be you, Sprout.” I didn’t know what made me more emotional, hearing that Rhett thought I was “special” or Mr. Lawrence calling me “Sprout” again. “Make my day sweetheart and give an old man a hug.” He didn’t have to ask me twice. He engulfed me, and the embrace ended all too soon for my liking. The blast from my past took a step back and looked me up and down. “I guess you’re about done growing now. You look good, but I’m a little confused as to why you’re waiting out here. The ice is in there.” He pointed toward the building. Just the thought made me visibly shiver. “Oh, that just won’t do. The girl I knew practically lived on the ice.
It’s who you are.”
“Who I was,” I corrected a little harsher than I intended.
“I don’t think so.” Mr. Lawrence took hold of my hand, seemingly unfazed by my comment. Before I knew what was happening, he had me inside the building. My breath caught as I fought the flood of emotions that came over me. “You can take the girl off the ice, but you can’t take the ice out of the girl. I believe I owe you a ride.” He’d remembered.
“That’s okay. Rhett should be back any second.” I couldn’t take my eyes off the rink in front of me as I fought back more tears. The door we’d entered through was on the side of the building; it was probably used by the maintenance crew. I was feet away from the ice I once loved so much I had to be dragged off it. Rhett had mentioned when he was parking, he wanted to sneak in because the team owner was known for being a chatterbox if he caught anyone alone without the timer on the clock running down. I exhaled, hoping he hadn’t been caught, and a large cloud filled the air. I forgot how much I used to love this. The smooth ice begged to be marked.
“Come on now, before your beau comes back and steals you away from me.” I didn’t move. I couldn’t. Mr. Lawrence sensed my hesitation and lifted his hand to my elbow and guided me around the corner. “Sit right up here.” He patted the seat he wanted me to fill before he made his way to the boards and unlatched a hook to create an opening for us. I sat obediently.
“This really isn’t necessary,” I protested as he took his seat and fired up the magnificent piece of machinery I’d always wanted to ride on. I never got that ride, but I was always promised one. It wasn’t his fault—I knew that. Mr. Lawrence had always been kind to me. He called me “Sprout” because he said I grew every time he saw me, and he always had a smile for me.
“It may not be necessary, but it is severely overdue. Now hold on and enjoy the ride.”
We glided across the ice. Okay, glided might not have been the appropriate word for a machine weighing thousands of pounds, but that was what it felt like. It took everything I had in me not to wave at the non-existent crowd in the stands like a beauty queen in a parade. Shit. A crowd. Rhett was raising hell against the glass, cheering us on as we drove by and he wasn’t alone.
Mr. Lawrence parked the Zamboni, and before I could climb down, Rhett lifted me down to the ground. The gentleman in the suit who had been with him before stood next to him.
“Mr. Carroll, this is Eden, my girlfriend.” The title was the last thing I expected to hear, but I liked the sound of it.
“Eden, this is the team owner, Mr. Carroll.” The pride in Rhett’s introduction was evident.
“No need to introduce Miss—” Obviously, the older man with Rhett recognized me. I instantly paled.
“Eden Snow.” I jumped in before he could call me by my birth name of Lloyd. The first thing I did when I turned eighteen was change my last name. I didn’t want to be Eden Lloyd anymore; I wanted a fresh start. It was snowing the day I filled out my petition. Behind the blank change of name to I wrote Eden and then looked up and out the window. Everything was covered in white. It looked so clean and fresh. New, even, like I wanted my name to be. I wrote the word Snow down without hesitation. It was exactly what I needed—a blanket covering my ugly past. Maybe at the time, part of me wanted to be frozen too. Now, my heart was melting. I just hoped I didn’t turn into that nasty brown slush.
It had been so long since anyone had recognized me, it caught me off guard, and now it had happened twice in one night. “But you can just call me Eden.” I soften and offered my hand, which he shook, clearly a bit confused. He made no further comment other than to tell me I was welcome back any time before Rhett and I left the practice facility.
Rhett held my hand and walked us back to his vehicle. Everything had changed. My earlier excitement at going out on a real date with the man sitting beside me was gone. My head hit the cold glass of the window with a thud. They recognized you because of where you were. I berated myself. It wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t gone there. I could tell Rhett had so much to say, but the ever-patient man said nothing as he backed out of his parking space without a word.
“Would you mind just taking me home?” Not even the blast of the heater on high could warm me. I’d said it would be a cold day in hell before I returned to the ice. Apparently, hell had just frozen over.
What the hell just happened? Eden clearly knew Mr. Lawrence, who not only got her inside the building but had her riding the Zamboni. Mr. Carroll knew her too, and now she wanted to go home. I gripped my steering wheel tighter than was necessary. Eden was physically next to me in the cab of my truck, but the emotional distance she'd put between us made it feel like she was a million miles away. God, the way she was shutting down reminded me of my mother, only Dad hadn’t pressed Mom to talk and look where that got them. I wasn’t about to let the same thing happen with Eden—not without trying. Without a word, I pulled into the first grocery store I drove by.
“What are we doing?” Eden frowned as I put the truck in park.
“I just need to pick up a few things before I take you home. Come in with me.” I didn’t want her to wait in the car this time. It hadn’t worked out last time, and with the current mood she was in, I couldn’t trust she would be here when I got back. I wouldn’t put it past her to call a car for a ride while I was inside. Taking her with me was my only option.
“Fine.” She squirmed away from me as I attempted to help her out of my truck. I’d let her get away with being “fine” for now. I grabbed a cart and she followed me silently. I made a mental list of what I needed before I put Eden to work by asking her to grab a loaf of French bread from the bakery. As upset as I was at the turn of events, I still wanted to kiss the pout she wore right off her gorgeous face. Instead, I loaded what I needed into my cart and started another mental checklist: Questions Eden needs to answer.
“I’m sorry about tonight. You don’t need to walk me up.” Eden scrambled out the door while the truck was practically still moving.
Fuck that shit. I got out and grabbed the grocery bags before following her quickly up the steps.
“What are you doing, Rhett?” Her voice trembled. With what? Anger, sadness, fear? It was hard to tell, and frankly, I was also feeling an unsettling mix of emotions. I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down before I looked up and answered.
“I’m making you dinner, and we’re going to talk.”
She briefly lost her balance but quickly righted herself as she stumbled inside her door. “What?” She flushed as I set the bags on her small kitchen counter and began unpacking them.
“You heard me. I’m making dinner. Why don’t you go change into something more comfortable?” Damn, she was cute. Her mouth hung open. To keep from walking over to her and kissing her, I busied myself by checking her cupboards for what I needed. A few seconds later I heard the click of her heels walking away. I just hoped she didn’t come out wearing those short shorts she was wearing that first night in my room. I wouldn’t be able to control myself if I saw her in those again and we really did need to talk.
I rolled up my sleeves before I filled her biggest pot full of water and set it to boil while I melted butter in a skillet and got to work slicing the mushrooms. All the while, a million questions ran through my head. I opened the bottle of wine I would need later and poured one glass before Eden returned in an oversized DU sweatshirt, a pair of leggings, and fuzzy purple socks on her feet. “Take a seat.” I motioned toward the barstool that sat on her side of the counter and put the glass in front of her.
“You cook?” she asked, and I shrugged in response as she took a sip. I could get by in the kitchen. It was a skill I’d picked up out of necessity, but I didn’t want to talk about that at the moment. I wasn’t about to let her divert me from the conversation we needed to have.
“Have you ever dated a hockey player before?” I salted and peppered the chicken with my back turned to her.
“Besides you? No, I have not.”
I liked her answer.
“It smells fantastic. What are you making?” I shook my head. She didn’t give up easily. It was a trait I liked.
“How did you meet Barrett and Adelaide?” The chicken sizzled as I placed it in the skillet I’d removed the mushrooms from. I wiped my hands on a kitchen towel as I turned to face to Eden. She took a large gulp of her wine.
“I moved in here when the semester started.” Eden became fascinated with the placemat in front of her. I placed both my hands on the edge of the counter in front of her and leaned forward.
“That doesn’t exactly answer my question, Eden.” I pushed off and returned to the chicken, flipping it with more frustration than it deserved. “Does it?” I didn’t let her respond. “You’re the nanny, but Addie and Barrett don’t like asking you to watch the kids.” I had noticed it on more than one occasion while I was staying here and since then had witnessed it several more times.
“Adelaide and Barrett don’t like other people raising their kids.” Eden sighed heavily.
“Then why have a nanny? And why is Barrett so protective of you?” I could tell this revelation surprised her from her reaction.
Eden drank the rest of her glass of wine and looked up at me. “I guess I remind him of Adelaide in some ways. Are you sure you’re a teacher and not a lawyer?”