Page 79 of Absolutely Not in Love
“Yes, I did,” he says.
I sit up so I can look into his eyes. They are intensely serious, focused only on me.
“I appreciate that your mom apologized. But they owe you more than that. They need to understand how truly incredible you are.”
I shake my head and look away. “Am I, though? I hear what you’re saying, but Felix, I didn’t make it easy on them. I was snobbish and rude and acted like I was so much better than they were. It’s not a wonder they didn’t want to watch me play.”
“No,” he says. “You were a kid who was protecting herself. If you pushed them away, it would hurt less when they let you down. That’s not your fault. That’s not on you.”
“I don’t know. I think we pushed each other away. But I don’t want to do that anymore.”
He shrugs. “Then don’t. But it’s still okay for you to have boundaries. For you to rebuild the relationship on terms that you’re comfortable with.”
I sniff and wipe the tears from under my eyes. “How do you know so much?”
He lifts his lips into a small grin. “Ten thousand dollars in therapy can make you pretty smart.”
I lift my hands to his cheeks, my fingers brushing against his beard, and lean forward, pressing my lips against his. “Thank you,” I whisper when I pull away. “For coming and for dealing with all the chaos and attention.”
“I’m happy to be here,” he says. “I’ve had a good time.”
The front door pushes open again, and Maddox steps out wearing the hoodie Felix and I brought him. He holds out his arms and spins around. “Looking good, right?” he says, and we both laugh.
“Amazing,” I say. “But you’d look cool in anything.”
Maddox runs his hand over the side of his head in an exaggerated gesture of coolness, then pulls out a pair of finger guns, shooting at us with dramatic flair and looking way too much like his dad. Serves Josh right, I guess, to have a kid with even more personality than he has.
“Hey, Felix?” Maddox asks. “We’re thinking about going over to the rink so I can try out my new skates. Want to come?”
Felix looks at me, his eyebrows raised.
I shrug. I never mind hanging out with Josh and Jadah. Especially if Maddox is along. “It’s okay with me,” I say.
Felix nods, his look turning mischievous. “I’d love to go skating, but I’ve got an idea about where we might go instead.”
Chapter Nineteen
Felix
I’veneverbeensograteful I didn’t make a big deal about Gracie not going to my hockey games. Not that she’s really even had a chance yet. But after spending the afternoon with her family, I get it.
The last thing I want to do is pressure her.
She’s quiet in the car beside me, and I get the sense she needs to be for a while longer. Even though it looked like the hug she shared with her mom was pretty cathartic, I’m sure she still has a lot to process.
We’re on our way over to the Summit, Josh, Jadah, and Maddox following behind us. It only took one phone call to Malik, the Appies manager, to get the okay, then a second to Javi, head of maintenance at the Summit, to get the arena opened for us. This way, Maddox can try out his skates, and I can give him and Josh a behind-the-scenes tour of the Appies’ official stomping ground.
Maddox is a cool kid, and I like Josh and Jadah. But a bigger part of me is excited to bring Gracie to the Summit—to show her where I work every day. I may understand why she feels the way she feels. That doesn’t mean I don’t still want her to be a part of my life. And the Summit is a huge part of my life.
“This is really sweet of you, Felix,” Gracie says from the passenger seat. “You’ve already done so much for my family today. More than you needed to.”
“I don’t mind,” I say as I turn into the back parking lot reserved for players and staff. “Maddox seems like a great kid.”
“I think you’ve made his entire life,” she says. “Or at least given him a birthday he’ll never forget.”
As soon as we get out of the car, Maddox comes charging over. “Am I really gonna get to skate at the Summit?!” he yells.
“Yeah, you are. But you have to listen to everything I say, all right? No messing around.”
