Page 39 of Blindside Love

As I sing the beginning word for word, Ellie bursts into a fit of giggles.

“What? Weren’t expecting me to be a fan of the great Shania? My mom and sister used to crank this on the radio when we would clean the house on the weekends. My dad and I would roll our eyes but secretly loved it. He used to make her stop cleaning just to dance with her, and her eyes would light up as she jokingly scowled at him for making her stop what she was doing.”

“That’s cute. My parents were never like that. They didn’t even show affection around me. I thought it was normal until I went to a friend’s house in high school and saw their parents actually touch each other, and it was just something as simple as a hug. If my parents ever slow-danced in front of me, I probably would’ve passed out from shock. But seeing your parents made me realize that the love they share is the kind I should strive for. I want Addy to be able to witness something real.”

“I get it. That’s what I always thought about as I watched them growing up. Hell, even now I think about it. They have something so pure, so real, that it’s almost effortless. I’m not saying they’ve never had their problems or that they’ve never had to work at anything, but they’ve always done it together.”

“It’s sweet,” Ellie says as she looks down at the phone she’s currently picking a new song on. She starts giggling as she plays some Taylor Swift song, which I know all the words to because I, of course, I have a sister.

“You’re different than I expected,” Ellie says as she watches me intently. She’s curled up into her blanket, slightly shivering as she sips her bourbon. I don’t respond, waiting for her to elaborate. “I thought you were going to be all high and mighty, the playboy who loved all the attention, but you’re just like your parents, so down to earth. If you hadn’t told me, I never would’ve expected you to be an NHL star.”

“I don’t know whether to be happy or offended,” I joke.

“Shut it, I just mean you’re humble. I like it,” She smiles, still shivering. I take off my blanket and cover her in it.

“Stop it. Now you’ll be cold,” she whines.

“I’ll be fine,” I tell her, but she’s not wrong, it’s cold, but honestly not cold enough that I’m willing to go inside and risk this night ending.

She surprises me, though, and lifts her arm, holding the blanket up and gesturing for me to get under with her. I hesitate, not because I don’t want to, but because I don’t trust myself to keep my hands to myself if we’re that close.

“Hurry up, it’s cold,” she says, and I slide in next to her, slipping my arm around her shoulder. “There. Now we’ll both be warm.”

I smile, afraid of what I’ll say if I open my mouth. The feeling of her next to me is almost unmanageable. I feel my hands vibrating with the desire to touch her, but I’m trying to distract myself.

“What were you and your dad talking about when you went to his office? It was obvious when you two came out that you were thinking about something. You do this little thing with your eyebrows where you scrunch them together, it’s cute,” she says as she pokes the spot in between my eyebrows and giggles. She scoots over just enough that our thighs are pressed together.

I can’t help but smile, especially when her cheeks turn rosy, and she looks away to her phone quickly where she selects a country playlist and sets her phone back down.

“Not what I went in there to talk to him about, that’s for damn sure,” I grumble, shaking the ice cube still in my glass. “I wanted to talk to him about the possibility of me retiring, but instead, we only talked about how this season has been going.”

“Retirement?” Ellie questions, shocked by my response.

“Yeah, I’ve been considering it, I just haven’t been able to bring it up to my dad yet. Whenever I think it’s the perfect time, something gets in the way. It’s usually something ridiculous like a phone call or someone showing up unexpectedly, but I just haven’t found the right time. When I tried to talk to him about it tonight, he spent fifteen minutes telling me how much he loves watching me play and how he can’t wait to see what my contract extension offer will be. It terrifies me because I feel like I’m letting him down if I retire,” I say, staring out at the city.

It’s dark now, but there are still the bright lights from all the buildings lighting up the sky, enough so that when I look back at Ellie, I can see her solemn face staring at me, her eyes filled with sadness.

“I’m sorry that you’re struggling with this. If my opinion matters at all?—”

“It does,” I tell her matter-of-factly, earning me her usual shy smile.

“Look, your parents love you. A lot. Your dad loves watching you play because he knows you love it. That’s how parents are, well, how they’re supposed to be. Just talk to him. Having just met them tonight, I can already tell you that they will support you in anything you do—including retirement.”

I think about what she’s saying. They do love me, that much I know. I just get scared that he and I won’t have anything to talk about if I retire. But I know they’ll support me regardless of what I choose. We all know retirement is happening eventually; I can’t exactly play hockey for the rest of my life.

I sit there thinking, letting the voice of Cody Johnson singing “The Painter” calm my mind. But when I look at Ellie, I feel this connection, this sense of calmness that hasn’t been in my life, probably ever. I don’t need to be terrified of making big decisions because as long as she’s in my life, everything will be okay, even if we are just friends.

Standing up, I look down at Ellie, who looks confused, and offer her my hand. “Dance with me.”

She looks between me and my hand, back and forth, like she can’t quite decide what to do. Before I’m able to rethink what I’m doing and how crazy it is, she puts her hand in mine and stands up.

I pull her close to me, my hands resting on her hips as I hold her flush with my body. When her hands move from my shoulders up to my neck, I feel fire move through my body. A simple touch, and she’s set my body on fire. I can only imagine what would happen between us if we crossed that line and gave in.

I feel her watching me as she rolls her lower lip between her teeth, but I continue moving us to the music, one hand on her lower back. All I can think about is how much I love how her body fits right in with mine, like two parts of a whole.

“You keep surprising me, Mr. Adams,” she says as she looks up at me, her blue eyes staring deep into mine as desire has coated the air between us, making it almost difficult to breathe.

“What do you mean?” I ask as I grab her hand and spin her away, pulling her back and lowering her into a dip. Her hands are gripping my shoulder tightly as she licks her lips.

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