“Wait a second,” Elijah piped up. “To me that just screams Josh.”
“Exactly,” Josh agreed.
Michaela studied him, making him squirm under her gaze. Tilting her head to the side, she asked, “Who is she?”
“There’s no one,” he answered, his voice faltering over the words.
“You’re obviously spending time with someone.” She glanced at Mack, who gave her a slight nod.
“Michaela.” Jason put a hand on her arm in warning. “Maybe he doesn’t want to talk about it.”
Josh should have been grateful to Jason, but he found himself ready to burst instead. “It’s just complicated,” he finally said.
“She’s Coach’s daughter,” Mack clarified.
Michaela couldn’t hide her surprise and Josh knew she was putting the pieces together. He’d told her about meeting the new coach’s daughter at the memorial service for her dead boyfriend.
“I told you,” Josh muttered. “Complicated.”
“That’s one word for it,” she said. “Kinda stupid is another.”
The rest of their group stared at them in confusion, and Josh couldn’t meet Michaela’s eyes. “She’s still not over it, is she?” Michaela continued talking as if the rest of them weren’t there wanting answers.
“Not even close,” Josh admitted, pressing his hand against his eyes. “But, Mic, I want to help her. I have to.”
“You’re too good, you know that?” She shook her head. “Just promise me you’ll be careful. I don’t want you getting hurt.”
“I will,” he said, finally looking around at the rest of them.
“So,” Maggie broke the tension, reaching a colored drawing across the table. “Kimberly made me promise to give this to you. She was sad she couldn’t come.”
He looked down at the lion she’d colored and smiled. “Tell her I’ll see her in January at the wedding.”
“So, why am I not invited to this wedding?” Mack asked, turning to Michaela. “Afraid you’ll want to run off with me if I’m there?”
Michaela did a half-nod, half-head shake, “That’s exactly not what I was thinking.” She laughed.
“We figured you’d be in the All-Star game that weekend,” Jason said.
Mack puffed out his chest. “Well, yeah.” His head grew larger with each word. “Us All-Stars are pretty busy, you know, important.”
Everyone laughed and Josh slapped him on the back of the head. “You’re something, all right.”
Before they left the restaurant, Michaela pulled a wedding invitation out of her purse and held it out towards Mack. “I was working on them today. I know you can’t come, but if it makes you feel better…” She waved it in front of his face and he snatched it from her.
“Aw, Michaela, I didn’t know you cared how I felt.” He held it to his heart and grinned.
“Don’t make me regret that.”
“Never.” He laughed.
Chapter Ten
Thursday arrived quickly, and Taylor found herself standing outside the restaurant with a nervous Josh by her side.
“Thanks for coming with me,” he said, staring at the door. He walked mechanically towards it and reached for the handle.
“Of course,” she replied, her eyes shifting towards him. The stiff set of his shoulders and the tenseness in his jaw told her everything she needed to know. This was going to be hard on him.
He stilled before swinging the door open and she put her hand on his arm, feeling him relax slightly under her touch. They walked into an elegant space. It was a white-tablecloth-and-champagne kind of place. The large restaurant was cordoned off into smaller rooms to provide a semblance of privacy and quiet.
A man in all black with a silver bow tie led them down the hall to their waiting party. Modern black-and-white paintings hung on the walls, interspersed with tiny mirrors. Every few feet Taylor got a glimpse of herself and was surprised each time at the woman staring back at her. It wasn’t the grieving, depressed little girl who’d spent the last year hiding away.
No, this was a woman who looked older than her nineteen years. The sadness only added a look of experience. Wearing a deep blue dress she’d borrowed from Abigail, she felt almost beautiful. Its square neckline was mature, and provided enough modesty that allowed the sides to hug her curves, the hemline stopping mid-thigh. She’d refused to wear heels, but let Abigail apply her makeup and curl her short hair. The black framed glasses sitting on the bridge of her nose were the only part of her outfit that screamed it was her.
When Josh picked her up, she’d been disappointed when he didn’t seem to notice her new look for the night. For a reason unknown to her, she wanted to impress his father. And she wanted Josh to say something, anything that gave her the impression he liked what he saw. But his distractions had won out.
She wasn’t delusional. Josh was an attractive professional hockey player and there was the fact that he was actually a nice guy. She knew the kinds of girls he could have.
She shook her head to rid it of those thoughts, not knowing where they’d come from. It was confusing. They’d agreed to be friends, and he was only helping her move on.
They reached a room that held four tables, only one of which was occupied. The two men stood immediately upon seeing them. Josh stepped into the waiting arms of the older man and gave him a long hug. The man smiled at Taylor over Josh’s shoulder and released him.
“Son.” He draped an arm over Josh’s shoulders as he regarded her. “Are you going to introduce me to this lovely woman?” He smiled widely and winked.
Taylor suddenly felt a little sick. Was he flirting with her? He was attractive, sure, in an older kind of way, with twinkling eyes and an open, inviting smile. But, he was Josh’s father.
A scowl flashed across Josh’s face for just a second before it disappeared. He surprised her by stepping towards her and pulling her to his side, his hand on her waist possessively.
“Dad, this is Taylor.”
His dad looked like he was going to give her a hug, but then stuck his hand out instead. Josh’s grip on her tightened as she took it.
“She’s my girlfriend.”
Taylor almost choked on her own tongue.
“It’s nice to meet you, Taylor.” He released her hand.
She glanced at Josh in question, but he was staring at the younger man behind his father.
“You too, Dr. Walker,” she finally said, following Josh’s gaze to the man who looked eerily similar to him.
“Ethan,” Dr. Walker said. “Isn’t it wonderful that your brother has found such a beautiful woman?”
Ethan didn’t respond as he ran a shaky hand through his short, blond hair. That was one of the differences between the brothers. Josh had much longer hair. He was also taller than his brother by a few inches at least and his broad, well-defined shoulders dwarfed Ethan’s smaller frame. Ethan had a narrow, chiseled jaw where Josh’s still held some roundness. But the eyes… those were the same.
“Hey, Bro,” Ethan said tentatively.
Taylor watched him shift from one foot to the other and couldn’t imagine this was the same cruel man Josh had described.
Josh stood with his feet planted shoulder-width apart, one arm still around her waist and the other undoing the single button on his suit coat. He released her and slid his coat down his arms to drape it on the back of a chair. Then, pulling out a chair for Taylor, he nodded to her and took his own seat.
“Ethan,” he finally said, inclining his head.
Tension somewhat passed, the other two men took their seats.
The waiter arrived to take their order and then left.
“Aren’t getting any wine, Ethan?” Josh said calmly, a hint of something Taylor couldn’t parse out. A challenge.
“Not tonight,” he responded stiffly.
Wanting to ease the tension a bit, Taylor asked, “How long are you guys staying in Columbus?”
“Alas,” Dr. Walker sighed dramatically. “Only thr
ee nights.” His eyes didn’t leave hers and she squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze.
She felt a pressure on her hand and looked down to see Josh threading his fingers through hers. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and then didn’t let go. She looked over at him and smiled, hoping to reassure him a bit. His smile was tight in return.
“We’re going to the game tomorrow,” Ethan said to her. “Are you going to be there?”
“No,” Josh said quickly. “She can’t make it.”
“That’s a shame,” his father said before they all dropped into silence.
Taylor circled her thumb against the back of Josh’s hand, wanting to lend him some strength as he held on to her tighter.
Their food came, and he was forced to give her back her hand in order to eat. She suddenly felt cold without it.
“I can’t take this anymore,” Ethan grunted, letting his fork clatter to his plate. “We need to have this out.”
“Ethan,” Dr. Walker warned.
“No,” he barked. “It’s been two years in the making. Josh, I know what you think of me. Would you even believe me if I told you I’ve changed?”
“I can’t do this.” Josh shot to his feet, the chair wobbling behind him, and left the room.
Taylor wiped her napkin across her lips before folding it and placing it on the table. She scooted back from the table and stood. “I should go after him.”
She stepped out of the room, unsure which way he would have gone.
“He went out the front door,” a passing waiter told her.
“Thanks.”
Outside, leaning against the building, she found what she was looking for. Josh had his head in his hands, breathing as if he’d just run a marathon.
“I’m sorry,” he said, hearing her footsteps echo off the pavement.
She pulled his hands away from his face. “Josh, you’re going to have to deal with your brother at some point.”
“You’re right, I know you are.” He pounded his fist against the brick building and looked away. “I shouldn’t have brought you tonight.”
She felt the breath leave her at the sudden change in subject. He didn’t want her there. “If this is about lying to your family about the girlfriend thing…” She took a step back, but he grabbed her arm.
“No, I don’t care about lying to them.” He pressed a hand to his brow. “God, I’m saying this all wrong. I don’t know how to explain my family to you without making it seem worse than it is.” He released her and stepped away, turning his back. “My Dad is great. He’s always been there for me. Without him, I wouldn’t be in this league. But he isn’t perfect. He has one weakness. Women. He hasn’t met a pretty one that he hasn’t wanted to…”
“What does that have to do with me?” Her stomach tightened painfully.
“The way he’s looking at you.” He finally turned back to face her. “I can’t stand it. I should have known that when you looked like that he wouldn’t be able to help himself.”
“Hence the girlfriend thing.” She was finally beginning to understand.
“Yeah,” he kicked his toes against the ground. “Sorry about that.”
“Do you want to leave?”
“Yeah. I’ll try again after the game tomorrow, but tonight I need to get out of here.”
“Okay, but we still have to go get your jacket.” She opened the door, and he reluctantly followed her in. Placing a hand on the small of her back, he guided her to their table.
Both men looked up as they returned. Taylor felt Dr. Walker’s gaze slide down the length of her dress. Josh said he was a great dad, but all she could sense at the moment was the sleaze in him.
“We’re leaving,” Josh said. Ethan opened his mouth to speak, but Josh cut him off. “I promise, we’ll talk about whatever you want before you leave, but I can’t be here right now.”
Ethan nodded.
“You can stay, you know,” Dr. Walker said to her. “I’m sure my son has no more need of his ‘girlfriend’ tonight.”
Revulsion rolled around inside of Taylor as she realized the man didn’t believe she was his girlfriend. He knew his son well, and Taylor suddenly wondered how many times Josh lied to this man about it. She glanced at Ethan, who was looking at his father with a hint of disgust.
Josh was silent behind her, the fury emanating from him in waves. Before the situation could escalate, Taylor spun around and grabbed Josh by the shoulders to pull him to her. He reacted immediately as his lips found hers, snaking his arms around her back. She tilted her head to allow his further access, and he took full advantage. A fire burned in the pit of her belly, but it was extinguished too quickly as someone coughed behind them.
Taylor pulled away, slightly embarrassed, but fully satisfied that she’d gotten rid of the fully justified doubts as to the validity of their relationship.
“Get the hint, Dad?” Ethan chuckled, and she found she liked the sound. He was much less intimidating when he smiled.
Dr. Walker cleared his throat. “We’ll see you after the game tomorrow, Josh.” His eyes held none of the flirtation from earlier as he fixed his gaze on Taylor one last time. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Taylor.”
She nodded to him and then let Josh guide her out of the restaurant. The valet brought the car, and they drove the short distance back to campus.
“I don’t know how I’m going to play well tomorrow, knowing they’re in the stands,” Josh said, banging his hand on the dash as he parked outside Taylor’s building.
“Don’t you guys always say you leave the outside world off the ice?”
“That never actually works, Tay.” He sighed. “I’m already on thin ice with Coach. Your dad thinks something is wrong with me. He wants me to sit a game or two. I don’t want that to happen.” He rolled his head to look sideways at her. “How do I do it?”
She reached out and played with the ends of his hair, which was about the same length as hers. “You just do. It’s your job.”
“I know.” He sighed again. “I wish you were going to be there.” As if realizing what he just said, he tried to backtrack quickly. “That isn’t me asking. I know you can’t.”
Taylor pulled her hand back from his hair and hugged her arms across her chest. “You should get home,” she said. “It’s getting late.”
She opened the door and stepped out before leaning back in, her eyes twinkling. “I had fun tonight.”
A harsh laugh burst past his lips. “Whatever you say.”
“Good luck tomorrow,” she said. “Don’t let them ruin the game you love.”
Chapter Eleven
How did I get here? Taylor thought to herself for the hundredth time as she stared up at the building she swore she’d never enter.
People streamed by her, only parting wide enough to avoid contact. A sea of jerseys stretched out before her. The Pittsburgh Penguins were in town, so it’d be a sold out crowd, but she had a ticket. She’d known this was her father’s plan all along - to get her back to the arena, back to the sport she loved. For every game, he left a ticket at will call, hoping she’d pick it up, hoping she’d walk through those doors.
Well, she was here now, when every bone in her body wanted to turn and walk away, but it wasn’t for the game. She’d spent all day thinking about Josh. His smile, his lips, and the look in his eyes from the night before. He was terrified of screwing up in front of his family. A family that Taylor couldn’t understand, but Josh loved them despite their actions - even his brother.
He had no faith in himself. His confidence was gone.
Taylor sat in her dorm room only hours ago, remembering everything he’d done for her. He’d been there for her more than anyone else, giving her the strength she needed. Now it was time to return some of that, but her feet were rooted to the spot, not willing to move closer, but reluctant to flee. Her knuckles turned white as she clutched her purse in a death grip, her gaze lifting to the massive picture of Mack that graced the front of the building.
When school didn’t get in the way, she traveled with the Winterhawks while her dad was coach. Something about the game mesmerized her. She’d never played herself because she could never get the skating down.
Someone bumped her shoulder as they passed, sending her stumbling forward. She caught herself and took three deep breaths before putting one foot in front of the other. Her ticket was waiting for her as she knew it would be, and as soon as she entered the arena, memories came flooding in.
I’m going to the NHL, Danny had said the first time she met him. You can bet on that. He’d been sixteen and scrawny. It took another year before any of the scouts agreed with him.
Walking around the concourse, she inhaled to take in the smells that were very much hockey - popcorn and fried food and the clean smell of the ice.
Taylor thought she couldn’t come here because it’d make her feel the loss even deeper. She was wrong. She suddenly felt closer to Danny than she had in the past year. She wanted that feeling to last forever, to know he was watching over her.
Glancing at her ticket once more, she turned into the section named and show it to the attendant. She followed his pointing finger with her eyes and met the gaze of her mom who was staring at her with a mixture of disbelief and wonder. She brought her hand to her mouth as Taylor smiled down at her. Evie was waving frantically.
Taylor walked down the steps to their row and faced her family.
“Sissy, you came!” Evie jumped towards her and wrapped her little arms around Taylor’s legs.
“Hey, Ev.” She bent down and returned her sister’s hug.
As soon as she straightened up, her mom was crushing her in her arms.
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