Shot at Love

by Melody Heck Gatto

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  Luc

  Luc sat with Kaden at the coffee shop across from Ali’s pet salon. While he was here, he planned to grab some cupcakes for him and Kassie to have later. That was a bonus to meeting Kaden here.

  It had been two days since the accident. Luc’s neck was still sore, and he hadn’t practiced since. But it seemed like a good time to talk to Kaden about everything and clear the air. Especially since he was planning to get back on the ice sooner rather than later.

  “So,” Kaden said, before taking a drink of his iced tea. His demeanor was calm. The anger he had displayed for so long was gone.

  “Yeah.” Luc swirled his usual coffee, dark roast with vanilla syrup. The steam floated into the cool morning air. “Are you opting in to practice this afternoon?”

  “Yeah. You?”

  Luc nodded. “Coach said I could take some time to recover, but I think the sooner I get back out there the better. I’m still sore, but that’s nothing some ibuprofen can’t help. I know it’s only been a few days, but I’m going stir-crazy not being on the ice.”

  They’d had a couple days off since their last game. It was an unusual gap in the game schedule, so Coach Walker scheduled an optional practice this afternoon. Optional, because some guys liked the extra time off and some didn’t. Most didn’t.

  Luc took a long sip of the hot coffee and sat back in his chair. He stretched his neck to the side, trying to loosen the tight muscles. “Well, O’Conner, how would you like to start this? I mean, we can continue to sit here and stare at each other, but that seems counterproductive.” He joked because he didn’t know what else to say.

  Kaden chuckled. It’d been a while since Luc saw a relaxed reaction like that from his teammate. “I just wanted to talk. Get things out in the open and hopefully move on. I know I’ve made things uncomfortable for both of us. But you haven’t made this very easy on me, Marcella. Your history with the bunnies isn’t an easy thing to forget. And she is my sister. So… yeah.”

  “I get that.” What does he want me to say? “That shit is in my past, and I can’t change that. A lot of us have things we did that we regret now, even you, and I don’t see Ali holding that against you. Dom was a serious ladies’ man before Hailee returned, yet her brother isn’t stalking him.” He leaned forward in his seat. “I like Kassie, a lot. I didn’t mean for it to happen, but it did. You either trust me or you don’t. But your decision won’t change how I feel about her.” Luc held his breath, waiting for Kaden to lash out at him or even take a swing at him over the table.

  Kaden simply shook his head and sighed. “I want to trust you, Luc.” The look on his face was a cross between nervous and disappointed. “But she’s my sister, and I’m having a hard time with this.”

  “Kaden, I don’t know what I need to do to convince you that I care about her. What can I say for you to give me a chance?” Luc was exhausted from trying to convince Kaden of his sincerity. It had become a full-time job, and that time could be better spent with Kassie. Even though their conversations had become less angry and more rational, he wished he could stop explaining.

  “That’s the thing, Luc. I don’t know. I just need to hear or see something that will make me okay with it. I mean, I am okay with it. You and her. I just need… I don’t even know. She’s my sister, man. You know? It isn’t easy for me to see her… with you.”

  “Excuse me? I thought we were getting past this shit?” Luc’s jaw clenched and his heart sped up. Heat rushed to his face. Was Kaden really going to start this again?

  “No, Luc, I didn’t mean it like that. She swore off athletes years ago, once I started playing in leagues and my teammates began to hit on her. It would piss me off that they crossed that line, that they ignored the guy code so easily, and it annoyed her too, since they were my teammates. They didn’t find it important to follow the rules, but at least she knew better. Kassie didn’t want anything to do with them. So, for her even to give you the time of day was shocking.”

  Kaden’s words sure didn’t encourage a warm and fuzzy feeling in Luc. He took a deep breath and tried to stay calm. This was one of the hardest discussions he’d ever been part of.

  “Um, thanks?” He had no idea how to take what Kaden had said. It didn’t seem like there was any good way.

  Kaden waved his hand frantically, like he was telling Luc to forget what he just said. “I just need to figure out a way to make this all okay.”

  “Make it all okay? For who? Her or you? Kaden, if you’d take a second and really listen to your sister, you’d see she’s happy. You heard her at the hospital the other night—”

  “I know what she said,” Kaden interrupted. “I was there. And I want to add that I’m thankful that neither of you were injured.”

  Luc unintentionally ignored Kaden’s last comment, because he was still trying to figure out where Kaden stood with him. “Then you heard how she feels. Kaden, I care about her more than life itself. And I don’t know why she gave me the time of day, either. I’ve never done anything in my life to deserve someone as wonderful as her. She’s a much better person than I can ever hope to be. The sheer fact that she’s been so worried about how our relationship would affect you, and how it would cause a problem between you and me on the ice, shows that. She was going to put her own happiness aside for yours. Did you even know that? I mean, who does that? She is the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. I swear to you, I would never hurt her.”

  Kaden nodded and pursed his lips as if he was thinking. “Do you love her?”

  “O’Conner, I’m as shocked about it as you are, but for the first time in my life, I can honestly say, yes, I love this girl.”

  Kaden didn’t react at all to his words. He sipped at his iced tea and drummed his fingers on the table. His voice was calm when he finally spoke. “You do understand that if you ever do hurt my sister, I will kick your ass. I’m talking ass whooping first, ask questions later.”

  “I absolutely understand.”

  “Do you also understand that in the case that you do hurt Kassie, I will go to Coach Walker and Nicholas and demand you be traded, that I can’t play on the same ice as you and it’ll be me or you. And Marcella, you are young. You are replaceable.” Kaden’s words were stern, and in another situation, they’d be hurtful. But he was protecting his family. Any man would do the same.

  Luc slowly nodded. “I wouldn’t expect any less.”

  “This is as much of an okay as you’re going to get from me until you prove yourself.” Kaden sat back with a satisfied smile on his face and his tea in hand. “Marcella, I’m glad we understand one another.”

  This was as close to Kaden’s blessing as Luc was going to get. He would take it, knowing he’d be under a microscope until his actions proved his words. But Kassie was worth every bit of it.

  Luc swept his eyes over Kassie. She looked so cute tonight in her fitted black t-shirt and Halloween-themed leggings. But the high-heeled black ankle boots were what topped off the outfit for him. She looked cuddly and comfortable, yet sexy as all get-out. He tried to go with a Halloween theme as well: ripped blue jeans, black converse tennis shoes, an orange t-shirt with a skull on it, and a black-and-white flannel shirt.

  “I thought I might come over and find you in a scary mask, doing your best to scare the kids before awarding them with candy,” Kassie said, as she tugged at his usual flannel.

  He squinted and cocked his head. Her hands were on his waist as she talked about his flannel. Her eyes sparkled, matching the glittery orange-and-black bow she had around her ponytail. “Oh? You think you know me that well?”

  “I’d like to think I can read people,” Kassie said with a smirk.

  “Well, I went easy on the dress up. Don’t want to scare the little ones. But I’m really glad you could come over and help me hand out candy tonight. And actually, I am a big fan of Halloween. When I was younger, I’d help my dad decorate the front yard all spooky. You know, with jack-o’-lanterns, zombie
s, spider webs, maybe a monster or two.” Luc chuckled. “It was great. Scaring the kids was the best. I know that sounds terrible.”

  “No, it sounds like you enjoy Halloween.”

  “Oh, he did!” his dad called from the couch. He chuckled. “One year he dressed up as a zombie and hid in the yard. He’d crawl out of his hiding spot and scare every one of the kids as they walked up to the door! We had such fun with Halloween! Too bad these homeowner organizations don’t let you decorate like that nowadays.”

  “They let us decorate, Dad. Sort of,” Luc responded. He lived in a townhouse, and they did have specific rules.

  “What, you mean the festive Halloween wreath on your door?” his dad asked, his words full of sarcasm.

  “Um, well yeah.”

  His dad shook his head with a scoff. “That’s not decorating.”

  “Dad, I’d have put more out, but I’ve been busy this year. I could put things on my porch, too.”

  The chime of the doorbell saved him from the rest of this conversation.

  Kids yelled from outside his door, “Trick or treat!”

  Luc opened the door. “Hey guys!” He grabbed a few candy bars from the basket and handed them out, talking to the kids as he did. “I like the costumes! A zombie, a princess, and a pirate. Nice! Be careful out there, guys.”

  “Thank you!” they all yelled, as they ran off to the next house.

  “Kass, you want to sit outside? It’s not too cold, and if you need a jacket, you can wear one of mine. That way we don’t have to keep interrupting Dad’s television show.”

  “Sure, use me as your excuse,” his father muttered with a smile.

  Luc took Kassie by the hand and led her outside before closing the front door behind them. He pulled up a bench for them to sit on and turned to her, wanting to wrap his arms around her. But instead he caught her opening one of the candy bars.

  “Did you just steal a candy bar?” Luc asked, trying to hold back the grin that threatened to form.

  Kassie tried not to laugh as she hid the candy bar behind her back. “Maybe.”

  Luc faced her and wrapped his arms around her waist, with the objective of grabbing the candy bar. “You know those are for the kids, right?”

  Kassie laughed as his hands ran over her. She slapped him away with amusement. “Stop it! You have plenty.”

  Her laugh warmed his chest. He loved seeing her happy. Giving up on getting the candy bar, because she was not letting him have it, he pulled her close with his arms still wrapped around her. His voice lowered, and her lips were only inches away. “But what if I run out? And that one last little kid comes to the door—Can I please have some candy—and we’re out of candy, because you ate it.”

  She looked from his eyes to his lips, then back to his eyes. “Then we’ll just give that destitute-sounding little kid a signed hockey puck. Better yet, I’m sure you can spare a stick, and maybe a twenty-dollar bill, just as an added bonus so he can buy his own chocolate.”

  Luc dropped a kiss on her forehead and pulled her with him to sit down on the bench. “You have an answer for everything, don’t you?”

  “I do. Speaking of the chocolate, I’m impressed by the candy selection. Jumbo size bars. No one gives these away anymore. At least, not that I ever got. We typically only got the fun-size bars, more like bite-sized. My least favorite candy on Halloween were Now and Laters. I always preferred a good Kit-Kat, or anything chocolate.”

  “Really? Hating on Now and Laters? They were great to eat while you were sitting in class.”

  Kassie shrugged and glanced at the floor. “Well, I had braces, too. I wasn’t allowed to eat anything sticky. Plus, why waste calories on taffy when you can eat chocolate?”

  He tipped her chin in his direction. “You mean you weren’t born with this stunning smile? I don’t believe it.” His words may have sounded like he was flirting, but he hoped the look in his eyes would convey his honest thoughts.

  Kassie tried to respond to his comment, her cheeks darkening. “Oh, please—”

  She was interrupted by a group of kids. “Trick or treat!”

  “Hey guys!” Kassie jumped to meet them at the steps with the basket of candy in hand. “Everybody take one. Love the costumes!”

  Right behind them were two more children. One was dressed as a doctor, the other a hockey player. They looked to be about seven or eight. Luc jumped to greet them alongside Kassie.

  “Nice costumes! Doctor and hockey player. You two get an extra chocolate bar!”

  Kassie laughed. “I think you’re his favorite, because he plays hockey.”

  The little boy in the hockey jersey smiled nervously. “I know… I know you play hockey.”

  The little guy in the doctor costume spoke up. “We live way down the street, but we had to come to your house and see if it was really you.”

  “If it was really me?” Luc squatted down as the boys met them on the porch.

  “Yeah. We heard from people that you lived here,” the doctor said.

  “I’m a big fan,” the hockey player spoke up, shuffling his one foot and avoiding Luc’s eyes. “We watch all the games, and we play hockey too.”

  “And you know who I am?” Luc asked, as if he didn’t believe these kids were here specifically to see him.

  “Of course! You’re Luc Marcella from the Renegades,” the boys said together.

  “Aw, that’s sweet,” Kassie whispered.

  “Wow, guys, I don’t know what to say. You caught me off guard. I’m really glad you stopped by. Here, Kassie will give you some candy, but wait one minute. Let me go grab something inside.” Luc hurried into the house and searched through a few drawers until he found what he was looking for. Returning to the porch, he opened the marker he brought, scribbled his name on two different hockey pucks, and gave one to each kid. “Here you go guys, it’s all I have with me right now. But if you want to stop back sometime with your parents, I’ll sign something else, or take a picture with you. Whatever you want.”

  “Awesome!” the boys said in unison.

  “Just do me a favor. Let’s keep where I live between us, since this is private property. But if your parents want to give me the info on where you play hockey, maybe I can plan to stop by sometime.”

  “Awesome!” the boys yelled again.

  “By the way, I think your costume choices are perfect,” Kassie spoke up. “The doctor can fix the hockey player when he gets hurt!”

  “Ain’t that the truth?” Luc said with a laugh.

  That made the kids laugh.

  Luc looked around the parking lot and noted there weren’t many kids left walking around. “Here, before you go, each take two more candy bars. I have a feeling the night is almost over.” The boys, still excited, turned to leave, and Luc called after them. “Please be careful walking home! Watch for cars!”

  They watched the kids until they were out of sight. “That was pretty cool.” Luc grabbed a candy bar, opened the wrapper, and took a bite.

  “Now who’s going to make us run out of candy?”

  Luc looked at his watch, guessing that trick or treat was now over. “I think we’re safe to shut it down now.”

  Kassie double checked the parking lot. She shrugged her shoulders. “Yeah. Looks like it. Halloween always seems to go so fast.”

  “It does, doesn’t it?” He’d wanted to bring something up all night, but every time he was going to say something, more kids had showed up. “So… Tomorrow night we have a game, and I’d like you to be my guest.”

  “Oh, yeah, sure.” Her voice was weird, almost as if she was hoping he was going to ask something else.

  Luc ushered her into the house. Setting the basket of remaining chocolate on the table by the door, he noticed his dad wasn’t around. He must’ve retired to the bedroom already. “Want anything to drink?”

  “Um, yeah. I’d like a water, but I can get it myself.” Kassie tried to head to the kitchen before Luc gently stopped her.

  “Swe
ets, sit down. Make yourself comfortable. I’ll be right back with water.”

  Already on his way to the kitchen, he looked over his shoulder. “Oh, and now you can help yourself to the chocolate bars,” he added with a laugh. “You hungry?” Luc called from the refrigerator.

  “No, not really.”

  Carrying the bottled water to the living room, he admired her sitting there on his couch. She looked so adorable. Her Halloween getup added to her cuteness, but that was only like the cherry on top of a sundae. This was where she belonged, on his couch, in his living room. He had everything he’d ever wanted in her.

  With her agreeing to come to the game tomorrow, now was the perfect time to give her the gift he had for her. He wanted to show her that she really was his one and only. And, in a selfish kind of way, he wanted everyone to know she was his, too.

  Sitting down beside her, he flashed a sexy smirk.

  “What’s that smile for?” Kassie asked with a giggle, pink filling her cheeks.

  “You’re just so beautiful, I can’t help it.” Luc slid his arm around her and pulled her into a soft kiss. He needed to control himself, because he still needed to give her the gift. Pulling away before things went too far, he added, “I’d like you to wear this to the game. Only if you want to, that is.” Luc took a box out from under the end table.

  “What is it?” Kassie looked at the gift box that had been placed in front of her.

  “Open it and see,” he urged, pushing the box closer to her.

  Kassie looked at the box again before slowly opening it. A small smile crossed her face when she saw that it was a Renegades jersey. “Oh. Nice. Thanks. I needed a new jersey.”

  “Sweets, take it out and look at it.”

  She needed to look at the whole jersey for the full effect. In the box, all she could see was the logo on the chest. It wasn’t just any Renegades sweater.

  Kassie pulled the whole jersey out and held it up. She took a minute to turn it around and look it over. It had his number and name on the back. She smirked at the fact that it was his jersey. Then she saw what was in the box underneath it.