Page 9 of Dreams on the Ice

Yesterday, I spent the whole day shopping when I should have been working. I rescheduled all my clients, knowing I would want to go shopping, which is exactly what happened. I shopped until I dropped, and now I’m trying to put everything together.

I roll my lips a few times then inhale a deep breath. It’s time to pack. I think my clothes are ready to go. I know I won’t be the best dressed, but I still want to look my best. I want to look like a girlfriend who is trying to impress her boyfriend’s friends and family.

And since I actually want to impress Forrest, it’s stressing me out more than if it were fake. It feels very real, and as I pack my bag, I start to put in a bunch of extra outfits just in case, so I endup with a bag that I know for a fact will not make weight at the airport. I try to pick it up, but it’s just too damn heavy.

“Brooklynn,” Karlie calls out from the bottom of the staircase.

Shit.

I don’t know how I’m going to get this damn bag downstairs. I inhale a deep breath before I let it out slowly. I have to ask Forrest for help. As I move down the stairs, my gaze searches the living room, but it doesn’t take me long to find him.

He’s standing across from Ayden, but if he is talking to her, he stops as soon as he senses my presence. His attention shifts directly to me. His eyes find mine, and his lips curve up into a smirk.

I’ve been somewhat avoiding him since the jogging incident. But there’s no more avoiding him now. The time has come, and we have a flight to catch.

“You ready, babe?” he asks.

Babe. I cannot believe he just called me babe, and it came so effortlessly. Like to the point where it sounded natural, organic, and sweet. Shit. And I liked it. So damn much, like to the point where I crave to hear it again.

And again.

Swallowing hard, I give him a small, shaky smile. “I need help with my bag,” I murmur.

He chuckles, but instead of getting irritated, he jerks his chin and begins to walk straight toward me. Then he moves past me and heads upstairs. Before I realize what’s happening, he’s already back downstairs with my bag in his hand.

“Ready?” he asks again.

Flicking my attention to Ayden, I chew on the corner of my bottom lip. She gives me a smile and a sharp nod. I take a deep breath then turn my attention back to him.

“I’m ready,” I whisper.

But I’m not. I’m not ready at all.

FORREST

The ride to the airport is awkward and silent. I’m not sure what I expected it to be, but this isn’t quite it. I should have canceled this whole fucking party like I did last year and the year before. It’s training season, and I should be at practice every day and in the weight room. What I shouldn’t be doing is wasting almost a week at some stupid, pompous party.

But if I want my inheritance or at least a chance at getting it before I’m ready for retirement, I need to schmooze my parents. And this is the party to do that. I need to prove to them that I’m not playing a game, that this is my life, and that I can be both successful and happy—but I still need my money.

I’m not sure if my plan will work. I hope it does because working for the family business sounds like pure hell to me. I’ve never wanted to do that. Never wanted any part of it. My parents have never understood why, but my world is hockey.

It’s what I love, what I need to breathe.

I can’t give it up, not until my body is so destroyed that I physically can’t play anymore.

I park the car and unload the bags, then silently, we walk together toward the airport terminal to check in. I’ve purchased first-class tickets to the East Hampton Airport, where I’ve also rented a car so we can come and go as we please, because there is no way in fuck I’m going to be beholden to my parents any more than I’m forced to be.

Once we’re checked in, through TSA, and looking for something to eat, I turn toward Brooklynn. She stops, her eyes lift to meet mine, and I can tell she’s hesitant. I don’t blame her.It’s been awkward, and I have to admit that I’ve felt like a damn bear over this.

“I’m stressed out. I’m sorry,” I blurt.

Brooklynn’s eyes widen, then her face softens before she takes a step toward me. My nostrils flare as her scent reaches my nose. I want that scent in my nose when I’m deep inside of her.

“I don’t understand everything that’s going on, but I do understand that you’re stressed. But, Forrest, if you want your parents to believe that we’re together, you can’t ignore me like that.”

My lips twitch at the thought of us being together, truly being together, and I can’t deny that I want that because I do. It makes me feel like a fucking pussy, but I’m not sure I care, at least when it comes to Brooklynn.

This almost week-long trip is going to test my control more than anything else in my life. I already know that if she gives me the green light, I doubt I’ll be able to hold back.

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