Page 113 of Fear of Intimacy

“We’ll get there in time, don’t worry.” Wyatt tried to soothe my nerves but it wasn’t helping.

“I’m already going to be ten minutes late.” I promised Tasha I would be there for her at her parents’ gala, so I had to be there.

“Trust me, she’ll be happy you’re there, whether you’re late or not.” Wyatt said.

“I know it’s just…” I ran a hand down my face. “This will be the first time I’ll meet her parents, and they already want her to marry someone else. What if they convince her to be with this other guy?” Who would have thought me, Trevor Hall, would be so insecure when it came to a girl?

Tasha Davis made me feel emotions I had never imagined. I thought I knew what love was before, but it was nothing compared to the intensity of what I felt for her. With Tasha, it was deeper, more consuming—like she had unlocked a partof me I didn't even know existed. Every glance, every touch, stirred something in me that I couldn’t ignore, and it left me wondering how I ever mistook anything else for love.

Every time I was with Tasha, I felt…alive. Like there was a part inside of me I didn’t know was missing until I met her. Don’t get me wrong, I was happy before I met Tasha. I loved my life. Playing hockey every other day, sleeping around with no commitment, hanging out with my boys—it was a life I was happy with

The only thing that changed was instead of going out to the bar after a game and hitting on women, I went home with the only girl I had eyes for. There was nothing better than being wrapped around Tasha. I understood why Wyatt and Bryton loved to go home with their girlfriends after a game. I wasn’t even ashamed at how obsessed I was with Tasha.

“Are you blind?” Bryton sent me a look like I was crazy. “That girl is so in love with you. Her parents aren’t going to get her to change her mind.”

I knew he was right. Hell, Tasha flat out said she was never going to do what her parents wanted her to, so I shouldn’t have worried. It didn’t stop the pit in my stomach, though.

"Who would've guessed Trevor Hall would be all twisted up over a girl?" Fitz, one of my teammates, gave me a shove from behind.

“First Bryton and Wyatt, now our man Trevor. Sad day,” another chimed in.

I clenched my jaw as a few others added their own thoughts.

Next to me, Bryton rolled his eyes. When he first got together with Mila, the guys gave him a lot of shit about being tied down with one woman. Same went with Wyattbut he was quick to threaten anyone who said a bad word about Josie.

“The man is pussy whipped.” The words barely left Fitz’s mouth before I was up and out of my seat. My fist wrapped in his shirt within seconds, yanking him toward me.

“You say another word about my girl, and we are going to have a problem, Fitz. Are we clear?” No one around us dared to get up and separate us. I wasn’t going to do anything to him, but if he spoke another word about Tasha, I wouldn’t hesitate in kicking his ass. Teammate or not.

“We’re good. We’re good.” Fitz quickly nodded his head, putting his hands out. I kept my grip on him for another moment before letting him go.

Wyatt and Bryton gave me a knowing look. They would have done the same thing if it was Josie or Mila. Most of the men on the team only thought with their dicks. There were a few that had serious girlfriends or wives, but a good chunk only chased puck bunnies. They’d learn that it gets old quickly.

“How are the girls doing?” Coach Barnum asked out of the blue from his spot in front of us. Wyatt shot Bryton and I a confused look before answering.

“Good. Josie is busy planning stuff for the wedding,” was Wyatt’s reply.

“She already invited me,” Coach said, making the three of us raise our eyebrows.

I didn’t know what it was about Josie and Mila, but the two wiggled their way onto Coach’s soft side. To everyone on the team, he could be a total jackass but as soon as either of them appeared, he would smile and ask them how their days were. I didn’t think I'd ever been asked that from him.

Hell, even Tasha somehow got on his good side even though she only met him a few times. I wouldn’t say he had a soft spot for all women, though. Sometimes when the puckbunnies sat outside the locker room, Coach would storm outside and demand they move their asses. But our girls were somehow his favorite.

While Wyatt and Coach kept talking about the wedding, I zoned back out. I wished my phone worked this high up in the air so I could text her. Last thing I wanted was for her to think I wasn’t going to show.

Trying not to let my nerves get the best of me, I settled back in my seat and waited impatiently for the plane to land.

“What doyou mean we can’t get off?” I asked the stewardess in front of me.

“The runway has debris that needs to be cleared before we can pull in and disembark,” the stewardess explained.

“Can’t you just open the doors now and let us off?” This was a private jet for crying out loud. We shouldn’t have even had to wait to get off.

“It’s unsafe to get off where we are at. We can’t let anyone off until we get to the designated spot.” The stewardess was being as nice as she could, but it was not helping my mood.

Instead of being ten minutes late to Tasha’s gala, I was now looking at half an hour if I got off right now. Didn’t help that the plane took off late. But from what the lady said in front of me, it could take another hour just to get off.

Breathing through my nose, I tried not to blow my shit. This wasn’t happening.

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