Page 2 of Breakaway

“I know.” She nodded thoughtfully. Her uncle was always someone she could count on. And she knew her family would do their best to make her feel at home. But it wasn’t that easy; no one would ever understand the pain of her loss unless they’d experienced it themselves.

MORGAN SAT IN THE QUIET of her new bedroom. Slowly she unpacked her clothes—each item carefully folded just like her mom had taught her—and slid them into the drawers. Aunt Trina had done her best to make the guest room as comfortable as possible, and it really was a nice room, bigger than her room back home. It was probably more updated than any hotel she could’ve picked. Not that she wanted to waste the money on a hotel when she had family here.

Taking a framed photo of her with her mom out of her luggage, her heart ached as she stared at it. She remembered the day it was taken as though it were yesterday. They’d been at the local fair. Her mom had just bought their yearly mega-funnel cake, topped of course with strawberries—Morgan’s favorite. That had been their special yearly tradition at the fair, a tradition that she looked forward to.

Never would she have imagined that would be their last trip to the fair, and the last mega-funnel cake they’d share.

Taking a deep breath and doing the best to control her emotions, Morgan sat the photo on the dresser. Turning to look around the room, she was relieved to see that she was almost all unpacked. Well, besides the items coming with the movers. But most, if not all, of that stuff would be put in storage until she moved into her own place. There were just some things from home that she couldn’t let go of. Like the chairs she and her mom had picked out together last year. Or their matching rockers that had sat on their porch. They used to sit out there and watch the waves roll over the ocean.

A gentle knock on the door was followed by Trina’s soft voice, “Morgan, hon, dinner is almost ready.”

She could hear the kids giggling on the other side of the door, with Trina shushing them.

“I’ll be right down, thanks Aunt Trina.”

She squared off her shoulders. She didn’t have any choice but to live her life. She moved her glance to the table beside her bed, where she’d chosen to set her mom’s urn and another photo of her mom. Morgan was still here, and her mom wouldn’t have wanted her to spend her days moping in her room—even if that was what she really wanted to do.

Morgan opened her purse and pulled out a notebook. She read over her to-do list: Graduate, Find a job, Get an apartment. When she’d written the list, it had been more a motivational reminder than a to-do list. She added a few items: Take it day by day, Take it hour by hour, Breathe.

She could hear her mom’s voice in her head. “Morgan, the most important thing is that you enjoy life. Have fun.”

Having fun was something they’d always done together. Whether it had been their yearly mega-funnel cake, or driving in the convertible with the top down, dancing in the rain, or pigging out on ice cream sundaes, they’d always made it a point to have fun.

With a smile, she added one more thing to her list: Have Fun.

More giggling came from the other side of her closed door. This time she put a smile on her face. She tucked her notebook away, tip-toed to the door, then quickly swung it open. “Last one to the dinner table is a rotten egg!”

Willow and Hank both gasped in surprise when she opened the door, but soon broke into giggles again, as they turned and ran to the dining room.

If anything could bring her out of her sadness, it was those two. Staying here with her uncle and aunt had been a good decision—at least until she had an income. A smile filled her face as she called after her little cousins, “Here I come!”

CHAPTER TWO

Travis

Travis Anderson unpacked his bag, put all his clothes away, and silently prayed this would be an extended stay in Pittsburgh. He’d arrived only about two hours ago, but with every minute that passed, he wondered what it would be like to hear the words, “Get a place.”

Every minor league player longed for those words, because that’s what management would say when they offered the player a permanent position on the team and wanted them to stay in the city long term. Granted, he had only been here a few hours, but it didn’t hurt to set high goals.

“Can you believe we’re here?” Ben Fischer said, as he flopped down on the bed on the other side of the room.

“I know.” Travis looked around the hotel room. It wasn’t anything special, just your average hotel room. But his heart was still racing like a kid on a sugar high. When he looked out the window, he could see the practice facility across the road.

Travis and Ben had been called up to the Renegades from the minor league Falcons. Patrick Dubois had suffered a lower body injury, and they were the lucky ones chosen to see what they could do in the big leagues.

Travis was twenty-four, and he’d been playing hockey since he could walk. This had been his dream—and the dream of every guy he’d ever skated with.

A knock on the door was followed by Noah announcing himself.

Noah Rodgers had been recently traded from Nashville, and all three of them were put up in the hotel by the team. Travis was rooming with Ben, which was fine with him, because they were friends. Noah had a private room, since he’d already played in the league.

“You nervous?”

“Nah, just excited.” The three of them were the new guys in town, and not being alone helped squash his nerves.

His cell phone buzzed. The number that crossed the screen was all too familiar. No longer saved in his phone contacts, there was no name attached, but he knew who was calling. It was his ex-girlfriend, Mariah. He hadn’t spoken to her since he’d broken things off. He didn’t know why she was calling, but he had no interest in talking to her, and let it go to voicemail.

He and his ex were so wrong for one another. Unfortunately, he hadn’t seen it until the coach had started to talk to him about getting a shot in Pittsburgh. She was ready to put down roots. They had only been dating a few months, and already she’d started talking about engagement rings and looking for a house.

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