Page 8 of Crossing the Red Line
“This way.”
We made our way through the restaurant, Lucas leading the way.Finally, he paused and glanced over his shoulder at me.
“You ready?”
I smiled, hoping this wasn’t a huge mistake, and nodded as he pulled me up beside him.There in front of us sat his mother and sisters, all of them staring at us in shock.
“Mom, you remember Ella,” Lucas said, his hand resting on the small of my back.“Ella, you remember my mother, Dorothy, and my sisters, Janice and Corinne?”He nodded toward the two girls who sat there looking dumbfounded.
“Ella, it’s wonderful to see you, darling,” Lucas’s mother said, taking hold of my hand and then pulling me in for a hug.
“You as well,” I said, feeling my body tense as she hugged me.
His mother had barely let me go when I faced his first sister, Janice.She gave me a questioning look as she, too, gave me a hug, welcoming me.When she let go, Corinne stepped in front of me.She looked me up and down and then placed her hands on her hips and turned toward Lucas.
“Ella Larson?Your ex-girlfriend from your college days?Guy Larson’s daughter?”She pursed her lips, looking at me.
Alarm bells went off inside me as she turned toward her brother.Corinne had never really liked me, but she acted as if I were a different person just because her brother now played for the team my father owned.
“What?”his mother said, turning back toward us.
I could feel my heart beating so hard I felt as if I were going to faint.Lucas didn’t falter, instead he wrapped his arm around my waist, which I was thankful for, and cleared his throat.
“I know what you all must be thinking.Yes, this is Guy Larson’s daughter.I am dating my boss’s daughter, but remember, I have dated her before,” he said proudly.“Which, to be honest, is why we have kept it so hush-hush.We had to, you know, to keep it out of the media.”
Thank god he’d come up with that because I was just about to blurt out everything to relieve the stress I was feeling.
“Do you really think this is a good idea, Lucas?”Corrine asked.“Things have changed.Ella was once just Ella.Now you are dipping your stick in the—”
“Do you think I care?I can’t help who I fall in love with,” he blurted, cutting her off.
“It’s your career.You should fucking care.You worked hard to get to where you are and have been with the Dominators for your entire career.I don’t think the owner would be happy to know you are scre—”
“Whoa, Corinne, that is enough,” Lucas’s mother said, stepping in.“Ella, darling, why don’t you come and sit with me?”she said, guiding me over to an empty chair, while Lucas slipped into the one beside mine.
Lucas’s mother asked us some questions while we looked over the menu and finally placed an order.I answered each question but could still feel Corinne staring at me with questioning eyes.
The moment the table quieted, she looked at her brother and I and cleared her throat.“So, what do the guys on the team think about you doing the owner’s daughter?That must cause some tension in the locker room,” she said, resting her chin on her palm.
“Not really.That is why we’ve kept it so hush-hush,” Lucas said.
It was then I placed my hand on his forearm.“Yes, it was my idea, to be honest.I see how Lucas is with his teammates, and I really didn’t want any tension between them.As for my father, he approved of Lucas when I was younger.I can’t imagine his thoughts would have changed over the years.Remember, he isn’t only Lucas’s boss but mine as well, and my father cares more about the team than anything.A player like Lucas is an asset.We haven’t told my father we are back together yet and probably won’t until the end of the season.I don’t want to disrupt the team’s winning streak either.”
“Is that because you care more about your father than my brother?”Corrine asked, tapping her fingers on the table.
“Not at all.Lucas cares about the team and the playoffs, and he has asked me if it’s okay for us to wait to share about our coming back together.Since it’s important to him, I want to respect his wishes.”
“Oh, please,” Corinne mumbled, rolling her eyes.
“Corinne, that is enough,” Dorothy barked.“Ella, that shows me you care about my son very much.When my daughters started dating their significant others, they both wanted the entire world to know.There was no keeping them quiet about it.I can see you aren’t the same as my daughters.I really admire that you will keep the news about your relationship with Lucas quiet, even though I’m sure in the hockey circles it’s an enormous deal.You want to let other women know he’s taken.However, the fact that you care more about him and his love for the game and his relationships with his teammates than sharing the news that you two are together tells me you are one special girl, and I hope my Lucas knows that.”
“Of course I know that, Mom,” Lucas chimed in.
I turned to him, gently smiled, and was about to say something to his mother when the servers arrived with our food.Within minutes, everyone was eating, and wine had been poured.I worked hard to reconnect with his sisters, and shortly after dessert had been served, Janice and even Corinne came around and started sharing pictures of their kids with me.
I don’t know how it happened but before long, I had agreed to an invitation to spend Christmas and New Year’s with Lucas and his family.
I was having such a good time that it made me sad when Lucas tapped me on the shoulder and leaned into me, letting me know the time.I glanced down at my watch to see it was almost nine thirty.
