by Aleo, Toni
“For you or for him?”
“That’s not fair, I care about you.”
“Yeah, but you care about Shea more, and that’s fine.” Elli said warming her hands from the cup she was holding, “I’m fine Grace, I’m starting a new chapter in my life and I have to move on.”
Sadness filled Grace’s eyes, “Why Elli? He told me what happened; you honestly don’t believe he kissed your sister do you?”
“It wasn’t the first time Grace.”
“What?”
“When I was in Tampa, a girl at the bar kissed him and he didn’t stop. He said it was cause the girl sucked his lips off and I believed him, but when I saw him with Victoria,” Elli shook her head, “I still have nightmares about it. She swears up and down he kissed her from what my mother says, and he says she kissed him. So I just cut them both out of my life.”
“And you okay with that?”
“Oh, course not, I miss him every day, but what am I supposed to do?”
“Talk to him maybe?”
Elli shook her head, letting out an aggravated sigh, “I can’t do what I did with the guy I was with before Shea. I always took him back, always accepted his apologies. I can’t do it this time, no matter how hard it hurts.”
“Elli, he loves you, so much.”
“No, if he still loved me he wouldn’t have been out with some woman last night.”
Grace pinched the bridge of the nose, closing her eyes as she let out a long breath, “What woman?”
“I don’t know; some blonde. I went to this event last night knowing I would see him there; I was hoping that seeing him would-hell I don’t know what I was hoping it would do. I just wanted to see him,” a tear leaked from her eye, rolling down her cheek, “I just missed him, and to be honest, I’m not over him, no matter how much I say that I am, no matter how many times I say I’m fine. I’m not.” More tears ran down her cheeks before Grace wrapped her arms around Elli, holding her close as they both sobbed.
They stayed liked that for a long time. Elli didn’t realize how much she missed being hugged by someone, even if it wasn’t the arms she longed for, it still warmed her from head to toe. The only reason they parted, Elli thought, was because Grace’s phone rang. Grace pulled back, grabbing her phone explaining that it might be the pharmacy about Ryan’s meds. Elli knew by the look on Grace’s face, that it was Shea.
“Hey, um, just having some tea, what are you doing? Oh, okay, yeah, um, he’s awake, yeah. Sure, okay love you, bye.”
Elli finished her tea before standing up and taking the cup to the sink, “He’s on his way over?” Elli asked as she moved her fingers through her hair, pulling it up in the pony tail.
“Yeah,” Grace said standing up, “Why don’t you stay? James and I could leave with Ryan, and, you know, maybe it will help.”
Elli shook her head, “No Grace, he needs to spend time with Ryan, not see me,” she said before walking up to Grace, enveloping her in a tight hug. “I’ll come see you guys, I promise.”
When she pulled back, Grace was still crying. “Good, but I wish you’d stay.”
“I can’t.”
“Please.”
“No, I can’t. The faster I get over him the easier my life will be,” Elli said as she made her way out the kitchen and down the hall to Ryan’s room. He smiled up at her when she entered; he had on Elli’s old jersey, along with the stick Shea had signed for her when he first got signed to the Assassins.
“I’m leaving buddy, I just wanted to say bye.”
“Okay, Ms. Elli, thanks for all my new stuff,” he said before throwing his little arms around her neck, hugging her tightly. “Will I see you soon?”
“Sure darlin’, maybe I’ll come when Grandma and Grandpa get here.”
“Awesome!” he said punching his fist in the air. Elli stood, and with a wave she left. Grace stood at the end of the hall and when Elli reached her, they hugged once more before walking towards the door.
“Are you sure you can’t stay?” Grace asked again, hope filling her eyes.
“I’m sure,” Elli said, walking down the steps, “but I’ll be back.”
“Okay, bye Elli.”
“Bye Grace,” Elli said with a wave, before getting into her truck and driving off. The new chapter in Elli’s life might not include Shea, but it would include his family.
Elli swore to that.
When Elli got home, she cried, and cried instead of doing something productive. There was a list of things she needed to do, but crying seemed like a better idea. Maybe she should have stayed, seen what Shea’s reaction would have been. Would he of beg her for another chance? Would he ask why she was there? Or would he just take her in his arms, and kiss her senseless?
What would she have done if he had said or done any of them things?
The questions swarmed in her head as she turned on her laptop, checking her email. She deleted all the junk mail before coming to the one from her Papa.
Eleanor, you are not sitting with me tomorrow night, sit in your seats. I know the family will be up in the boxes, but I need pictures since this is the final game. When we win it, we’ll be going to the cup finals. Not that you don’t know that, but still I better not see you anywhere but in your seats, taking picture.
Love you.
Well shit.
“Was that Elli?” Shea asked when Grace answered the door. Grace stood there for a minute, before nodding her head. “What the hell was she doing here?” he asked as he came inside, still staring his twin down.
“She came to drop off some things to Ryan.”
Shea’s eye brows drew together and his heart continued to hammer against his chest. He had missed her by a matter of seconds. She pulled out as he was pulling in. When he heard a pair of little feet running up the hall, he turned to see his special little guy with a biggest grin on his face and the biggest jersey on.
“Unky Shea!” he yelled running to him, jumping into his arms. Shea caught him eagerly, nuzzling his nose in Ryan’s hair, taking in his scent, peanut butter and strawberries. When he pulled back grinning at Shea, Shea gave him a loud smacking kiss on the cheeks.
“How is my buddy doing?”
“Good, I’ve missed you so much. Where have you been?”
“Been busy, Ryan, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, you see the new jersey Ms. Elli brought over, you should see all the things she bought me, it’s awesome!”
Shea cut Grace a look, but she wasn’t looking at him, “Ms. Elli came by to see you?”
“Yup, and she said when Grandma and Grandpa come next week, she’ll come! Isn’t that great?”
“Sure is, bud,” Shea said painfully as he put Ryan on his hip, walking with him towards his room.
“You should come, too,” Ryan gushed.
“Probably can’t bud, got the finals next week.”
“You should try.”
“Yeah, I should,” Shea agreed as they walked down the hall. When he saw all Elli’s things from her foyer, he felt like the last nail to his coffin was nailed in. Elli wasn’t kidding when she said she was done with him. Maybe he didn’t fight hard enough, but he did everything short of breaking into her house and taping her to a chair to make her listen. He sent flowers for weeks, called at least three times a day, sent texts every hour it seemed. He fought, he tried, but what else could he of done?
After spending the afternoon with Ryan, Shea played dolls with Amelia. It hurt to see how much Amelia had changed in the last two months. Ryan was basically the same, a little taller, but not Amelia. She was taller, had longer hair, and she was talking so much more. How did so much change in two months and how could he have missed it?
When he made his way back into the kitchen, Grace was sitting at the table. She had her hand under her chin, the other tangled in her long black hair as she leaned on her elbow. He watched her for a moment, she was so beautiful, and he wondered what she was thinking.
“Amelia is talking a lot more,”
he said pulling out the chair that was across from her, and lowering himself into it. She looked up at him, nodding her head.
“She is, James says just like her mommy does.” Shea smiled, nodding his head. They all knew how much Grace liked to talk. “How are-”
“What did she say, Grace?” Shea said cutting her off, he didn’t mean too but he didn’t think he could wait much longer to know. He felt like the biggest ass since the whole time he played with Ryan and Amelia, all he was thinking about was what Elli told Grace.
“What do you mean?” Grace asked innocently.
“Come on now, I know she said something.”
“Just that she was doing okay.”
“Liar, tell me what she said.”
They shared a long intense look before Grace cracked, like Shea knew she would, “She said she went last night to see you because she missed you and that she isn’t okay or fine, she just tried to act like she is. But when she saw you with some blonde, seeing that you moved on, she figured she needed too.”
“Is that why she brought her stuff over?”
“She said she didn’t want to give it to goodwill.”
“Okay, so she brings it over here, knowing I’ll see it?”
“I don’t know what she was thinking Shea; she just wanted Ryan to have your things.”
Shea was getting more pissed by the minute, “Pack it all up, Ryan can’t have it.”
“Shea! That’s not right.”
“No, I want her stuff because I’ve had enough. She is gonna listen to me. I don’t want anyone else but her. I’m not over her, and she’s gonna know it,” he said as he stood, slamming the chair against the table.
“Where are you going?”
“Home.”
“Home? I thought you were gonna go talk to her!” Grace said, following him from the kitchen to the door.
“I need to get my speech out right; I’ll get her tomorrow before the game. I know she’ll be there, from what Harper said she has been sitting with Bryan all this time.”
“Oh,” Grace said as he gave her a kiss on the cheek, “So you’re going to do this in front of your boss?”
Shea nodded, “If I have too, but she will know tomorrow that I love her and I haven’t given up on us.”
Shea felt good the next morning. He worked out with Jakob, went to have lunch before going home for a nap, all with the confidence that by the end of the night not only would he be going to the Stanley Cup Finals, but he would have Elli back in his life. For good. He was done with all this nonsense, hell he was done with it two months ago, but she wasn’t getting away anymore. He would tell her everything he felt, then he would kiss her. He knew that when their lips met everything would be okay. She would feel all the love he had been holding onto just for her. He just knew it.
The whole truck ride to the arena, he was ready, even after parking the car and going in the back way to the locker room. He was ready. When he enter the locker room, some of the team were getting ready, one being Phillip Anderson. Shea and Phillip had always butted heads, especially after him hitting on Elli when they were in Tampa, but being in the mood he was, he smiled at Phillip, and when Phillip looked behind him, Shea guessed to see if anyone else was there, he said, “Ready for tonight, Anderson?”
“Yeah Adler, you?”
“Always ready,” Shea said confidently as he walked towards his locker, throwing off his clothes. As he dressed he kept telling himself that Elli wasn’t over him, and that she missed him. That had to mean she still loved him. It took forever for her to say she loved him, so he knew that she wasn’t over it. She couldn’t be. After being fully dressed, he stood putting on his shoes. Members of the team were starting to fill up the locker room and Shea smiled and nodded towards each of them as he left the locker room heading for the elevator that took him up to the company boxes.
Shea walked with all the confidence in the world as he made him way to Bryan Fisher’s box, but when he got closer, he became nervous, jerky even with every step. He saw the door to the box, and took a deep breath, before walking in unannounced. What he didn’t expect was to have fourteen pairs of eyes gawking at him. Shea was expecting just Elli and Bryan, not the whole family. Shea took a deep breath, swallowing loudly as he moved from each face, trying to find Elli.
But she wasn’t there.
“Adler, everything okay?”
Disappointment raked through Shea’s body. Where was she?
“Yeah, um, is Elli here?” Shea found himself asking even though he knew the answer.
“No and if she was, you wouldn’t be seeing her. What in God’s name are you doing here anyways?” Olivia sneered, “You are not welcome anywhere near my family.”
“Livi, please,” Michael said, moving in front of her, “Shea, son, she isn’t here.”
Which meant Shea wouldn’t be able to see her till the end of the game, if he could even find her. Last time he went to her house, she wouldn’t even answer the door.
Shea nodded slowly, “Well, thank you, you guys enjoy the game.”
Shea turned, going for towards the door when he met eyes with Victoria. Anger filled him as he stared her down, but she wouldn’t look him in the eyes. “You have a lot of gall sitting up here, Victoria.”
“Don’t you talk to her!” Olivia yelled as Victoria looked up at him.
“Do you know what I’ve been through? Do you know how much I ache for her and she won’t even speak to me? You did this to me, and because of that, I will always hate you.”
Victoria had tears well up in her eyes as she looked up at him; she started shaking her head, her mouth trying to form words.
“Leave my daughter alone!” Olivia dug her nails into Shea’s jersey pulling him back, he turned looking down at the Elli’s mother, and held back the rage that was filling him as she screamed up at him, “You are a low life, nothing but a piece of crap! You would never deserve my daughter and the fact that y’all aren’t together is not my baby’s fault, it’s your own! You’re a playboy, the man that sleeps with anything that has legs.”
“Olivia, stop!” Michael said, trying to pull Olivia back, but she kept screaming.
“You are nothing, even if Eleanor was here, what did you expect? For her to take you back? My daughter has more class than that, you thug! Get out of here and never come back.”
“Jesus, woman, shut the hell up, Mike, please get this woman!” Bryan said standing in front of her, and looking up at Shea.
“Son, please just go.”
Shea nodded, sending one more enraged look at Victoria before leaving.
Well that sure did blow Shea’s confidence all to hell.
Olivia Fisher’s words played over and over again as Shea made his way down to the locker room. Why did she think he was a thug? Or a piece of shit? He was a good guy, he always treated Elli with all the respect in the world, and he loved her. It was like he was a zombie, going through the motions of putting on his skates. How was he supposed to play game seven of the semifinals when he was just told he was a low life, no good, piece of shit, thug? Oh, and that he would never get Elli back?
“Shea, I know that look. Get it together man.”
“I got it, Jakob,” he said, looking up at the ceiling before taking a deep breath. He followed his team mates down the hall to the entrance to the ice still in a daze as his confidence continued to break with every word Olivia Fisher said. This was not going to be his best game and he knew it, which was extremely bad since this was the damn finals! What he needed was to see Grace, she would know what to say, what to do. Or better yet, he needed Elli. Elli would make this all better.
When he stepped on the ice, like always his eyes went straight to Elli’s seats. There were people sitting there, so he looked always but then jerked his head back, because it was Elli.
With some guy.
The rage from earlier filled Shea from the inside out. He knew that if his gloves weren’t on, his nails would be biting into his palm, he was clenching his
fist so hard. With every glance at her, his body tensed. When she would lean into the dude, he felt his nostrils flare as his temper rose with every lap he did around the ice. His face was hot, his heartbeat hammering against his chest. He wanted to beat the living fuck out of the guy, tear him limb from limb; smash his face into the ice.
Oh, Shea wanted to kill him.
Elli was his damn girl…will be his damn girl.
Shea moved the puck back and forth with his stick, watching as Elli laughed, acting as if he wasn’t ten fucking feet from her! He wasn’t thinking straight, he didn’t even feel his self set up, he just pulled back, and the only thing he heard was the crack of his stick.
And then the shattering of the glass.
When Elli stood with glass falling from her lap, she glared at him as if she was about to come on the ice and kick his ass.
But all he could do was think was, Hey, at least I got her attention.
Chapter 34
“Are you freaking crazy!? You could have killed me!” Elli screamed, shaking off the glass. She was wearing them naughty wool shorts that drove Shea crazy. Not only were they unpractical in a hockey rink, they were too hot. Elli was so pretty, skinny, but pretty. God, he had missed her.
“Do you really think I would do something that could hurt someone I love!” Shea yelled back, the guy that sat beside Elli, stood up also shaking off some glass. That guy he would kill, but not Elli. “Whats up with this guy!”
“Why does it matter to you, you crazy ass!”
“Damn right I’m a crazy ass, you’re trying to make me jealous!”
“Oh, please! Like I care if I make you jealous!”
“You know you do!”
Elli gave him a “whatever” kind of look before saying, “You’re acting like an idiot!”
“Damn right, love does this to a person!” She shook her head, throwing her arms up in the air.
“I ain’t going around breaking glass!”