Page 52 of My Best Bet

Her giggles echoed in their wake… While the nameMrs. Conoverechoed in my head.

12.Mer - Colton Archibald Conover – 13 years ago

“Your mom hates me, Colt.” I was tearing through my closet looking for something to wear. I really wished I would’ve known about this party weeks ago so I could’ve prepared.

He came up behind me and held my waist. “No, she doesn't.”

I leaned back against him. “Yeah, she really does.”

His hand went into my hair, massaging my scalp. “She wants you there, babe.Iwant you there.”

I craned my neck to look up at him. “Are you sure?”

He smoothed my hair off my neck and dropped a kiss there, making my knees go weak. He chuckled against my skin, knowing the effect he had on me. “Yes, I'm sure. My mom comes off a little cold, but she’s just dealing with her own stuff.”

I pulled away from him, making him groan, but I wanted to focus on this conversation. “Like what stuff?”

He sighed. “Well, for one, my dad’s a dick.”

“I’m sorry.” I didn’t see my dad much, but that wasn’t his fault. Actually, it was mine and skating’s fault.

He shrugged. “It is what it is. There’s no fixing it. I used to try, but… It always made things worse. We’d argue, then he’d suddenly have another business trip.” He went to my vanity and started looking at pictures of us I had tacked to the mirror. “It's never just a business trip.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean…” He sighed and leaned against my dresser. He crossed his long legs at the ankles. He was dressed in a neatly pressed white button down and dark blue pants. His suit coat was hanging on the back of my door. “He cheats. On my mom.”

“Oh.”

He shrugged again, but from the dark look on his face, it clearly bugged him.

Catherine Conover suddenly started making a little more sense.

“Why doesn’t she divorce him?”

His eyebrow kicked up. “I don’t know for sure, but I think because he’d be a real bastard about it. He’d leave her with nothing. And I’m pretty sure the only thing my mom loves besides me is money,” he said with a chuckle. “So… they just stay tied together. He cheats. She looks away. I used to think it was weird for my mom not to leave him, but why should she be punished, ya know? Like why should she have to lose our house just because he’s a dick? Sometimes I think…” he trailed off.

I went back to looking in my closet, waiting for him to sort through his thoughts.

“Sometimes I think that they were never in love.” He was suddenly behind me again, wrapping an arm around my waist and leaning his chin on my shoulder. “They don’t know what this is like, so I feel bad for them.”

I felt bad for them, too. I felt bad for the whole world actually. Because no one else got to be loved by Colt Conover. I turned in his arms and leaned my head against his chest, memorizing the feel of his heartbeat. He was all mine. And he made me feel like the luckiest girl alive. But… he was leaving. He was starting with a team in Canada next week. It was an amazing opportunity. He was now only a couple steps away from the NHL. But he’d be eight hours from me.

I couldn’t fathom not seeing him at Centre Ice anymore. I’d miss catching glimpses of him in the stands, I’d miss him stealing kisses in the locker room hallway as we passed each other, I’d miss his encouragement in the weight room.

To make things worse, Kappy and JP were also leaving. It was typically impossible for friends to stick together on the same teams in hockey, but the three of them were unstoppable together and the scouts noticed.

My shoulders shook as I silently cried into his chest.

“Babe, are you… Are you crying?” he asked, pulling back to look at my face. Concern lined his features. “No, don’t cry.” He smoothed his thumbs under my eyes to clear my tears.

“Sorry, I'm just emotional. I know you have to leave, I just wish I could come with you.”

He gave me a look of understanding. “I know.” He hugged me tighter. “This will just be our hard part. But before you know it, I’ll make the NHL, and you’ll make the National team. We’ll both accomplish our goals, then we’ll get our after.”

I nodded against him. I didn’t want to cry and make this harder for him, not when I knew how hard he worked to make this team.

“Okay,” I sniffled up my tears. “What do I wear?”

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