by Toni Aleo
That was a lie. The Erik she knew had loved having a fuss made over him when it came to hockey. When it came to all things off the ice, he wasn’t as good with other people’s emotions, though.
“I’m a professional,” Chelsea insisted, though the excited gleam in her eye made Andie nervous.
As if she didn’t have enough to be anxious about. She didn’t have the mental bandwidth to worry about how Chelsea would react to Erik walking through the doors tomorrow morning.
She had enough to worry about when it came to herself. She had a little more than twelve hours, give or take a few, to get a hold of herself before she saw him again.
Forget the blue eyes, she told herself. Forget how just the sight of him made her pulse quicken. She needed to remember how much it had hurt when he’d let her walk out his door for the last time.
She couldn’t let herself forget that when it came to a choice between hockey and Andie, Erik chose the game every time.
Chapter Two
Erik tossed his bag on the floor and his keys on the table, kicking the door closed behind him. Usually his mind would be turning the game over and over in a constant replay loop. Analyzing his play. Noting his mistakes. Cataloging his aches and pains, though they didn’t matter. Mentally telling himself what he needed to do better for the next game.
Tonight there was only one thing on his mind.
Andie.
Taking Peanut into the clinic and coming face to face with Andrea Morgan had blown every other thought out of his head.
Walking away from her was the stupidest move he’d ever made. They’d been together eight months and they’d been the best eight months of his life, but like every relationship he’d ever had with a woman, it started taking time and focus away from his game.
His phone rang and the few seconds he thought it might be Andie were a rollercoaster. There was the spike in his pulse at the thought of talking to her again, but then he was afraid she might be calling with bad news about Peanut.
But it was his sister, Kristen, and he flopped down on the couch as he answered. “Hey, Kris.”
“Are you home?”
“Literally just walked in the door.”
“Good game,” she said, and he knew that she meant it, but she also didn’t call to talk about it. That would be his dad’s call once he let him know he was home. While falling in love with a hockey player had loosened her up a bit, to say she wasn’t a hockey fan was an understatement. Before she hooked up with Cross, she’d actually hated the game, probably because of all the sacrifices the family had made for Erik’s career.
“Thanks,” he said. “What’s up?”
“Are you going to Dad’s for Christmas break?”
It seemed like an odd question. “I’d planned on it. Why?”
“Is he going to be a dick if I bring Will over?”
Lamont Burke wasn’t any more of a fan of Will “Cross” Lecroix than Erik had been, but the guy wasn’t actually that bad. And he was head-over-heels for Kristen. They were happy, so Erik was willing to leave their rivalry on the ice. “I’ll talk to him. I think he’ll be okay, though. He’s getting used to the idea and now when Cross comes up, most of the words that come out of his mouth could be said on TV.”
“Network or cable?”
Erik chuckled. “Give him time. Oh hey, I got a dog.”
There was a long silence. “What do you mean, you got a dog?”
“I found her and now I have a dog.”
“Erik, you need to back up.” He could tell she’d put him on speakerphone, but she only did that when she was alone. “You found her?”
“She ran across the road in front of me and I stopped. She’s spending the night at the clinic because she’s obviously been on her own for a while. But she’s cute and she likes me.”
“Last time I suggested you get a dog or a cat or a damn fish or anything to keep you company, you said you couldn’t care for a pet because you spend too much time on the road.”
“Yes, I did say that. And it’s still true, but you can help us out with that, right Auntie Kristen?”
“Don’t call me that, and I am not babysitting your dog, Erik.”
“But she’s—”
“No. Nope. Not a chance.”
“You should meet her,” he said. “She’s the cutest little thing.”
“There are plenty of kids out there who’d love to babysit the cutest little thing.”
Erik frowned. “You want me to leave her with some random kid I find on the internet?”
“You found her on the side of the road.” Erik was very offended on Peanut’s behalf, so he didn’t respond. Kristen finally broke the awkward silence with a sigh. “Okay. I’ll help you, but I’m not going to be your dog sitter. I’m busy. But I’ll help you find somebody who will take really good care of Peanut because she’s had a rough go and she deserves to be a princess.”
“Thank you,” he said, relieved she was on board. He knew she’d give in because she loved animals and she had a hard time resisting her brother, too, but she had a lot going on in her own life.
“I’ll get back to you tomorrow sometime with some potentials.”
“Thanks.” And then, because it was on his mind and he needed to talk about it, he spilled the rest. “So there’s more to the story.”
“There’s more? I’m still trying to get over picturing you with a dog.”
“The vet I took her to was…somebody from my past.”
“Yeah, you’re going to have to narrow that down. Way down.”
He rolled his eyes, even though she couldn’t see him. “Andrea Morgan.”
Kristen sucked in an audible breath. “Oh, shit.”
Those two words meant Kristen got it and he wouldn’t have to explain why it was a big deal. She could probably guess how rocked he was by seeing Andie again, which was good since he didn’t really want to vocalize it.
“That was the first time you’ve seen her since the break-up, right?” she asked.
“Yeah.” When he was awake, anyway. He dreamed about her a lot.
“That must have been quite the emotional sucker-punch.” That was his sister, always getting right to the heart of a thing. “How was she?”
“She didn’t throw anything at me or try to stab me with a doggy needle or anything, but I wouldn’t say she was happy to see me.”
“I wouldn’t expect her to be. Not after…what happened.”
What happened. Such a bland way of describing the day he’d broken Andie’s heart and probably ruined any chance of happiness he’d ever have, not that he’d realized that at the time. At the time, he’d been almost proud of himself—proud of his laser focus on his game, because hockey was the only thing that mattered. It was how his father had raised him. Hockey first. He’d never amount to much if he let anything affect his game.
“She’s going to be there tomorrow when I pick up Peanut,” he said.
“I still can’t believe you have a dog.”
He couldn’t believe it, either. He still wasn’t sure what he was going to do with her, but he sure as hell couldn’t just dump her with a vet—even if it was Andie—and walk away. “What should I say to her?”
“Sit. Stay. No, you can’t have my bacon.”
“I mean Andie, smartass.” He snorted. “And she can have my bacon.”
“If that’s meant as some kind of sexual euphemism, I’m hanging up on you.”
“No, I mean I would literally share my bacon with her.”
“So let me get this straight,” Kristen said in a tone that made Erik wince because he wasn’t going to like whatever she was about to say next. “You wouldn’t make room in your twenty-four-seven living and breathing hockey life, but you’ll share your bacon with her? I’m just trying to nail down your rating system.”
“That’s harsh, Kris.” Her words—deserved though they may be—cut him like a blade. “And you’re not exactly unbiased since you hate hockey.”
She sighed
. “I hated that hockey devoured our lives and didn’t leave much room for me, so yeah, I’m not unbiased when it comes to Andie feeling like she wasn’t as important to you as the game and being hurt by it.”
“And yet you still hooked up with a hockey player.”
“If by hooked up, you mean I’m marrying one, yeah. But Will is…it’s just different. And he loves me more than he loves the game.”
Erik sucked on the inside of his cheek for a few seconds, keeping his mouth shut to keep himself from saying something stupid. He was happy for his sister, but it still smarted a little that she’d found her Prince Charming in Cross Lecroix—the Lex Luthor to Erik’s Superman. Or maybe Erik was Lex Luthor. Either way, they weren’t friends.
They were learning to be, though, because when they took off their skates, the one thing they had in common—loving Kristen—was more powerful than a career-long rivalry.
“You’re deflecting the conversation back to me,” Kristen said after a long silence. “Because you don’t want to talk about you and Andie. What are you doing, Erik?”
“I don’t know.” It was the truth.
“Don’t play with her. Assuming she’s even willing to open that door again, you know the price of admission. Don’t knock if you’re not willing to pay.”
“I’m not ready to retire.” It was around the corner, like catching glimpses of the shadow of a creature waiting to jump out and scare him, but he wasn’t there yet.
“The fact you still think that’s what she was asking of you is why nothing has changed.” Another dramatic sigh. “It’s not an all-or-nothing thing, and until you figure that out, you need to leave her alone.”
“I can’t leave her alone. She has my dog.”
“I’m hanging up now. I’ll ask around tomorrow and try to come up with some potential names to help you out.”
“Thanks. Goodnight, Kristen.”
He tossed his cell on the cushion next to him and rested his head against the buttery soft leather.
The fact you still think that’s what she was asking of you is why nothing has changed.
What had changed was that, for the first time in his life, there was a hole that hockey didn’t fill. But maybe with a little Christmas luck and with the help of a little lost dog, he’d get a second chance.
After a restless night spent trying to remember the bad times instead of the good times when it came to Erik, Andie decided she’d need an extra-large coffee to get through the morning. And as she waited in line at her favorite coffee shop, she thought about how poorly she’d done at achieving that objective.
She’d carried the lingering pain of their breakup with her for the last year, but last night she’d only been able to remember the way his eyes crinkled when he laughed and the delicious smell of him when he was freshly showered. And, lord help her, she had no trouble remembering how good the man had been in bed. The first time they’d gotten naked together, his big and very muscled frame had made her nervous, but his touch was the perfect blend of gentleness and strength.
She’d missed that touch. A lot.
“Your regular, Andie?”
She blinked, realizing she’d gotten to the front of the line. “Extra-large this morning, please. And, what the hell, throw in a raspberry danish, too.”
Sugar with her extra caffeine was probably a mistake, but she was going to be seeing Erik again very soon, and she needed the boost. She suspected that, even if she found something to keep her occupied in the exam rooms or lab, he would wait. Seeing Peanut wouldn’t be enough. The intensity in his gaze when he left last night made it clear he wouldn’t leave without seeing her, as well.
After greeting the other staff members, Andie locked herself in her tiny office and turned her computer on to review the notes from the overnight staff. It had been a quiet night, she thought as she ate the pastry over a napkin to keep sticky crumbs from falling into her keyboard. They couldn’t afford to replace any equipment right now.
Pulling up Peanut’s file, she skimmed the notes and the lab results. If there was cause for concern, they had to send samples out to a lab because they didn’t have the equipment or staff for in-depth analysis, but Peanut was in the clear. She was surprisingly healthy for a dog who’d obviously been on her own for a while in cold temperatures, and she’d be able to go home today.
Home with Erik, she thought, and the corners of her mouth quirked into a smile.
He was going to have to put up or shut up today. It was one thing to claim Peanut when she’d be in the care of the clinic overnight. It was entirely another when he was going to have a dog in his house. A dog who not only required a laundry list of items, but his affection and attention.
Erik was good at providing things. He wasn’t careless with his money, but he was generous. And he was even good at giving affection. But he fell down when it came to attention. Only one thing ever got his full attention and that was hockey.
This time a year ago, she’d been struggling to find her place in Erik’s life. She knew he loved her, but their time together came after everything else. Not only practices and games, though. And not even time with the trainers and watching games and meetings. Even listening to his dad rehash every mistake he’d made in a game came before giving Andie his attention. When she’d told him it was time to go home with her for Christmas and not only meet her family, but spend three hockey-free days together during the league break, he’d balked. When she’d pushed, he’d shut the idea down and she’d walked out his door for the last time.
By the time Erik arrived, Andie was as ready as she could be to face him again. He wouldn’t have the element of surprise this time, and she’d wrapped memories of their parting around her like armor.
She even managed to sound professional when he looked at her with those blue eyes and said her name in a husky voice that made her shiver. “Andie. How did you sleep?”
“Fine, thank you.” Chelsea was staring at them, so Andie was relieved when the vet tech walked through the kennel doors holding Peanut.
“Look at her!” Erik grinned and reached out for the little dog who was squirming with eagerness to get to him. “You’re a pretty little girl, aren’t you?”
She was, Andie thought. Mostly white, with a little tan in her fluffy hair. Probably a mixed breed, but a cute one. Andie didn’t miss his surprise at how pretty Peanut was, which was only natural since he’d never seen the dog clean.
“Is she okay? Ready to go home?” he asked, obviously intending to keep up the pretense.
“Let’s step into a room.” Being closed up in a small space with him again probably wasn’t her best idea, but she also didn’t want to conduct their business with Chelsea watching.
Once she’d closed the door, she practically had to flatten herself against the wall to get around him without their bodies actually touching. “Set her down on the table and we can go over her paperwork.”
“She’s okay, right?”
The pang of nervousness in his voice turned her insides to mush. No, she told herself. No mush around this man. “She’s healthy. A little underweight and she was dehydrated, but that’s to be expected since, well, I’m sure you know exactly how long she’s been lost.”
He didn’t answer, pretending to be too busy fussing over the dog. The effect watching those big hands scratching behind tiny ears had on Andie was ridiculous and she cleared her throat. It sounded loud and harsh in the small room, and it made him look up at her.
“Even though you obviously don’t need it, since Peanut is your dog,” she said, handing him a sheet of paper and trying not to smile. “It’s standard procedure to give this list to every dog owner when we discharge a patient for the first time. It covers basic care and necessities.”
The list being standard procedure was a lie, but she wanted to watch his face when he looked at it. And he didn’t disappoint as he skimmed the list. His expression went from casual interest to furrowed concentration to an incredulous you have got to be kidding me as
he read. It was an exhaustive list, to be sure.
He sighed and held up the list for Peanut to see. “Really?”
Andie had to choke down her laughter when the dog yipped and sat up on her haunches so her tongue could reach his hand. She licked him once and then gazed adoringly at him.
“We do have some collars and leashes for sale from a local company out front,” she said. “Since you didn’t bring Peanut’s with you today.”
“Oh…yeah.” He stroked the dog’s back a couple of times and then shoved his hands in his pockets. “I didn’t think of it. I’ll buy some before we leave.”
As much as Andie had enjoyed the game of making Erik uncomfortable, she couldn’t in good conscience allow him to take Peanut home with him. He was obviously unprepared and if he got overwhelmed—or Peanut interfered with his hockey—she didn’t want him surrendering her to just any shelter. She’d rather handle that herself.
“Look, Erik,” she said, trying to inject some authority into her voice. “We both know Peanut isn’t your dog. While she clearly fell madly in love with you at first sight, she was also alone and cold and scared. If we can’t find her real owner, we’ll make sure she finds somebody new to fall in love with.”
Frowning, he picked Peanut up. She looked tiny in his strong arms, and Andie’s heart melted a little when Peanut rubbed the top of her head against Erik’s beard and he smiled. “She loves me.”
“Trust me, she’ll get over you.”
She flung the bitter words at him without thinking and watched them land. His smile faded and the fingers idly scratching under Peanut’s chin stilled. He was silent, looking at her with those deep blue eyes that gave nothing away.
“She can stay with me while you look for her owner,” he said finally, but some of the light had gone out of his eyes. “I can’t handle the idea of her being alone in a cage, even if she has all the material things she needs. Please, Andie. Just let her go home with me and if we find her owner, then I’ll bring her back.”