Page 56 of Tempting the Goalie
Izzy:I’m fine. I’m more worried about you.
Of course she is because that’s how Izzy is. Always worrying about others before herself.
Me:My mind is reeling. I would call you, but the little guy is sleeping. I’m trying to make sense of the nonsense my dad was spewing tonight.
I wait for a response from her as I watch the balls rolling on the screen.
I hear the front door open, and I leave the room and close the door. I stomp down the stairs.
“Why didn’t you tell me Papa lost his mind?” I demand, feeling the blood pumping hard in my veins when I see Elyna walking through the front door.
“What are you talking about?” Elyna asks, looking worried. “Is Braden, okay?” She starts to rush up the stairs.
“My nephew is perfect. He’s fast asleep,” I assure, and she spins around to look at me. “He came home drunk off his ass. Some black car dropped him off. Izzy was here helping me, and he went off on her, saying how she looks exactly like Helen. Then he went off on Braden being the spawn of Satan. He scared the shit out of Izzy. She was worried he might harm Braden,” I explain, looking at my sister while trying to understand her. I know she is a good mom. She may not have been the most responsible person in the past, but it sounded like becoming a mom changed her.
Her eyes fill with tears. “I had nowhere else to go, Luc. Don’t look at me with your judgment because you couldn’t possibly understand what I’ve been through."
"I’m not judging. I’m trying to understand why you would stay in a house with a crazy man,” I say to her. I’m trying to calm my nerves because my emotions are rolling off me in hot waves. Putting myself in Elyna’s position is a little hard for me. “If you were in trouble. You should’ve told me. I can maybe get a loan that’ll cover a rental. But staying in this house with that man isn’t an option. He needs to be admitted to a hospital. I’ve never seen him like this before.”
“I don’t know what happened,” she begins to cry. “Ever since I came home, he started drinking more. I thought meeting Braden would soften him up and make him stop drinking, but the opposite happened. I haven’t left Braden alone for a minute, and I sleep with a baseball bat in my bed. I had a plan in place,” she argues, as she breaks down into ugly tears. My heart twists as I take her in my arms and try to calm her.
“Shit, Elyna. You need to be honest with me,” I say to her.
“I want you focusing on school. We both need you in the NHL. Actually, all three of us need you,” she says, adding my nephew to the list.
“I do focus on school, and I work hard on the team. I’m doing the best I can,” I assure her. The situation with the viral Instagram reel of my threesome enters my mind, and I wince at my indiscretions. How stupid was I for jeopardizing not just my future but my sister’s and nephew’s too.
“I know,” she whimpers.
“It’s okay. We’ll figure this out, but we can’t stay here with Braden. Izzy has a bad feeling about Papa.”
“I’ve been worried sick too. I’ve been so stressed because of it,” she says and my heart breaks for her.
I release her from my arms. “You need to promise that you’ll never keep any secrets from me. You and Braden are the only family I have left.”
She nods.
“Say it, Elyna. Say you promise,” I urge.
“I promise.” She wipes at her eyes. “Thanks for staying with him. Sorry it ended up being such a late night. Kristie drove and we saw some girls from high school. They were all drinking, including Kristie, so I had to drive everyone home. I’ll need to figure out a way of getting her car back to her tomorrow.”
“It’s fine. We had some good bonding time together. He’s a handsome little guy. We have a lot in common,” I gloat, almost letting it slip that he liked Izzy almost as much as I do.
Elyna laughs through her tears. “You’re such a man child.”
“Get some rest. I’ll take the couch and keep an eye on things. But come morning, we need to find a way out of this house.”
“I know, thanks, Luc.” She pats my shoulder and heads up to her room. She’s definitely grown-up since having Braden, but she clearly has a lot of weight on her shoulders with being a single mom.
I grab a blanket and lie down on the couch.
Izzy texted me back but I missed it.
Izzy:Were you serious when you said you’d talk to my dad about us?
I was as serious as a heartbeat.
Me:Sorry if I wake you up, but I didn’t want to leave you unanswered. I was serious about talking to your dad.
