Page 121 of Born of Ice

“Disappoint? This is great! This is amazing. Are you skating at all?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Oh my God! When are you coming back?”

“Coming back?” I frown. “Coming back where?”

“To train?” He says it as if I insulted him with my question. “In fact, you should’ve called me right away, we could’ve already swapped you back into your place. Ohhh, the media is going to love this! And Erik! He’ll be ecstatic.”

“Okayyyyy,” I draw out, “I’m going to stop you right there.” Filip looks confused. “There is no coming back. There is no training with you. There is nomyplace. Not with you or Erik.”

“What are you going to do? Just give up?” he huffs. “Throw away your career?”

“That’s not really any of your business anymore, is it? As I remember you were all too eager to come in the morning after Erik left, thrusting papers into my hand that stated I was being let out of my contract with your team.”

“But…”

“Goodbye, Filip.”

“You’ll be nothing without us!” he calls out. “There is no Elle without Erik!”

“Thank God,” I mumble, tugging on Exton’s arm and pulling his taut body after mine. The man was a second from putting his fist through Filip’s face but there wasn’t any need.

Because he gave me enough to fight for myself.

I was broken—and not just physically. It was my spirit. Erik broke my spirit with Filip’s help and Exton put it back together. Piece by piece. Shard by shard, placing each icicle back into one, tough, and this time unbreakable iceberg.

And any Titanic that comes my way, will be crushed upon sight.

“My badass little star.” Exton’s lips twitch into a half-smirk, he winds his arm around my shoulder as we make the rest of the way to his G-wagon. When I look out the window as we drive outof the parking lot, Filip is still there, watching us with unblinking eyes.

So, to accentuate my point, I lift my middle finger up and mouth “Kindly, go fuck yourself” with a sweet smile on my face.

“I had no idea hockey was so intense,” I say, walking up to Exton and sitting next to him on the couch as the storm outside beats against the huge window. The only thing visible are the tiny raindrops fighting against the glass.

The weather is changing quickly, washing away the snow and replacing it with lightning and booming thunder.

Exton jumps slightly at my appearance having been too lost in his own head he didn’t notice me. Instantly, though, his face softens, the frown lines he was wearing disappear, and he wraps an arm around my shoulders, pulling me into him. We sit there in silence for a bit with only the soft crackling from the fireplace breaking it. Exton started it when we got in, and it feels very nice.

The soft, amber light dancing across the darkened room. The warmth, wrapping around us on this stormy night like a soft blanket and the cracking sounds, comforting.

“It is.” He nods. “Did you like it?”

“To my surprise, I did.” I smile softly, catching a glimpse of the letter and the little key on the coffee table. The one that got him all lost here, and I tilt my head up to look at him. “Open it.” I nod my head toward the piece of paper without taking my eyes off his.

“Open it?” he huffs. “I was thinking more along the lines of burn it.”

“And what will that achieve?”

“Give me peace,” he grits out, finally focusing on the storm outside as if he missed it just like he missed my presence.

“Will it though?” I tilt my head to the side. “I want honesty, baby. Whatever it is.” I place my hand on his thigh, and Exton grabs it right away in his, lacing our fingers together as he runs his thumb over mine.

“If burning it will take away the pain you feel, I’ll go get the matches,” I say and wait. Wait for him to tell me or even nod but he doesn’t. He just keeps rubbing his thumb against mine.

“Why do I have to open it?” He asks. “What could he possibly have said in it to make everything he put me through worth it?” The questions, the conflicting emotions, they all run through his face.

“Nothing. Nothing will ever be worth that. But I think you need to open it for yourself. Not for him. He’s dead, Exton, but you are the one who can’t move on.”

---