Page 30 of Resist

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Most of the guys I know have a side piece.”

“I don’t cheat, Ainsley. Don’t sleep around.”

She obviously didn’t believe him.

“Ididhave a girlfriend, Evelyn.”

Ainsley glanced toward the hallway in the direction of the guest room. “Is that the pretty blonde with you in the picture on the dresser, in the guest room?”

Coulton nodded. “Shit. I forgot that picture was in there. I don’t go in the guest room much and I didn’t really know what to do with that picture, so I just shoved it on the dresser in there. So yeah. That’s Evelyn. We were together for five years when I played for Vancouver. We did the long-distance thing for a short while, after I was traded to Baltimore.”

“But she wanted to stay in Vancouver?”

“She’s a nurse practitioner, and she works in a good practice in the city. Plus, her entire family lives in Vancouver. It’s where she grew up, so it’s home to her and she didn’t want to leave.”

“When did you break up?”

“A couple years ago, not long after I moved to Baltimore.”

“Why?”

Coulton grinned, pleased by her questions. It gave him hope that she was as interested in him as he was in her. “We both realized splitting up was for the best. She was a born-and-bred Canuck, with zero interest in moving to the U.S.”

“You could have moved there.”

“I could have, but I’m under contract with the Stingrays. And my plan is to play hockey until my body tells me I can’t anymore. I’m hoping that doesn’t happen for a while.”

“Five years is a long time to date someone, only to give up.”

“I wouldn’t say we gave up. We just changed the parameters of our relationship.”

“What’s that mean?”

“It means she’s still a very good friend, hence me holding on to the picture. We keep in touch, and she’ll always be a part of my life.”

Ainsley shook her head, as if remaining friends with an ex was a concept she couldn’t wrap her head around, so he sought to explain it better. “We dated a long time, but in the end, I wondered how much of us staying together was due to a sense of familiarity and comfort versus true love.”

Ainsley snorted. “True love? God, you don’t really think that’s a thing, do you?”

Coulton frowned. “Of course I do. My parents have been married over forty years, and it’s definitely true love. You don’t believe in it?”

“Hard to believe in something you’ve never seen.”

Coulton thought about her parents. It was obvious they’d had an unhappy marriage, but what about Ainsley? Hadn’t she ever experienced love? “So no long-term relationships in your past?”

“My record is three years, and that was at least twelve months too long.”

Coulton waited, hoping Ainsley would expound on her comment, but she simply took a sip of coffee then glanced at her phone, a sure sign she was anxious to end the discussion.

“Well, I guess I should be going.”

Coulton wasn’t ready to see her leave, because he’d enjoyed this chance to get to know her better, even if she had only shown him bits and pieces.

Then he considered what was waiting for her at home. She mentioned that Mick would be pissed off about the stolen money, which pissed Coulton off. Her father was obviously as big a douchebag as her brother, and the more he learned about them, the angrier he became.

However, as much as he hated her returning home, the idea of her returning to Cherry Hill while those assholes who’d robbed her were still around sat even heavier on his chest. He didn’t share her confidence that they’d leave her alone now that they’d gotten some of their money. Those men struck him as the type who’d hold a grudge, and the lack of payment was probably lower on their list of concerns now. They’d no doubt want payback for the beatdown.

Which meant Ainsley was in danger.

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