Page 262 of Breaking the Pucking Rules
I’m trying not to let myself run away with it all, because it’s a fickle dream that won’t come true.
But what if it could?
What if there is a woman out there who could slot into our lives? Be a partner for me and an incredible role model for Sutton?
No.
I shake my head, dragging my hand down my face.
Don’t go there, Rivers. It’s too fucking dangerous.
“Good morning, Rivers,” Casey calls once we’re close enough to hear.
My heart skips a beat, and it only gets worse when I discover that she’s not talking to me. All her focus is on Sutton. Right now, she’s Rivers, number fifty-five. It’s time for me to take a back seat, both in the game and with Casey.
62
CASEY
Man, I love hockey. It doesn’t matter if it’s men’s or women’s; professional, juniors, or youth.
I love it all.
And watching my own team of talented girls play…I think that might just be my favorite.
I’ve only been coaching them a couple of weeks, but I can see them improving with each training session and each game we have. The fact that I might just have something to do with that blows me away.
But as much as I love it, and as focused as I am on the game, at no point do I forget that Kodie is sitting in the stands.
He’s not here for me. He has no interest in talking to me—he’s made that clear enough the last two times I’ve messaged him. And it’s fine; I get it.
I thrust myself into his life without his permission, and I kept something from him that I should have confessed the moment I found out.
As I lay in bed last night, reflecting on my embarrassing freak-out in the bathroom, I came to realize that it’s probably for the best.
Kodie is everything I could possibly want in a man. He’s the whole package. Sweet and caring, sexy, smart, incredibly dedicated and hardworking.
Therein lies the problem.
He’s too good to be true.
I’ve been telling myself these past two weeks that this might be it, that after all these years watching him, pining after him, he could actually be the one.
But it’s just a pipe dream.
He’s exactly what he’s always been.
A fantasy.
I should be grateful. I mean, I am grateful that I got to spend that time with him. And given a chance, I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat.
But I’m not going to be the kind of woman who continues clinging on to a man who doesn’t want her.
It hurts.
It really fucking hurts.
But what else can I do?
