Page 19 of Christmas on Ice
“I need to, um—” I looked around, as if I could find words when my pulse was racing a mile a minute as this huge, wonderful, handsome guy cradled my now-sleeping baby to his chest.
“Go ahead and get your stuff, Kami. I’ve still got your keys. I’ll get her into her car seat and then I can follow you home.”
I nodded and raced to the break room, past Brenna’s quizzical look, and was out the side door and back at my car before a rational thought—like not wanting a relationship with this man—could take hold in my brain.
As I turned the corner onto our street, my stomach sank at the familiar car parked in front of the house. I glanced in the rearview mirror. Ryleigh was asleep, and Trask was still behind me.
This wasn’t good.
I pulled into the driveway and jumped out, leaving the car running and lifting a silent prayer that Ryleigh wouldn’t wake up to see her parents fighting again. Trask pulled in behind me as Sutton got out of his car.
The next few minutes passed in a blur. Trask hopped out of his truck and was by my side before Sutton could reach me. When he did, he glared at Trask before launching into his usual abusive rhetoric.
This time, though, he went too far.
“So you and this jock, huh?” He jerked his thumb and turned to face Trask. “You trying to steal my family?”
“Steal your—what the heck, Sutton!” I shook with anger. “First, he’s a friend. Second, you’re the one who broke up this family. Carlotta’s what? Your fourth girlfriend? Third, he’s here to read Ryleigh a bedtime story.” Saying that out loud, I realized how lame it sounded. “Fourth … fourth…” I stuttered, unsure of what to say next.
He didn’t deserve an explanation, especially after cheating on me. Now, because I had afriend,he was concerned about his family?
“Fourth”—Trask glanced at me before continuing—“it’s none of your damn business what I’m doing here.”
Sutton stepped closer to Trask and held his head up so that they were eye to eye. I glanced at the car window. Ryleigh was still sleeping, thank goodness.
“Everything she does with my kid is my damn business.” Sutton’s clenched fists indicated this was going to escalate quickly if I didn’t intervene.
“Sutton, you need to go. Now,” I said.
“You don’t tell me what to do.” He spoke to me but didn’t divert his attention from Trask. They’d be an even match if they started fighting. I didn’t want to see that.
“Sutton,” I said again, this time gently. “Please stop. You’ll scare Ryleigh. I know you don’t want her to be afraid of you.”
He took a step back, and I saw clarity in his eyes. “Fine. We’ll talk about this another time.” He turned back to Trask. “Watch yourself.”
Trask pressed his lips together but didn’t respond. We watched Sutton return to his car and drive away. I stood, frozen and shaking, not from the cold, while Trask turned off the car, retrieved Ryleigh from it, and carried her to the front door.
The picture of him in a long eighteenth-century coat standing on my stoop, weighed down by my sleeping daughter, her Halloween bags on one shoulder and my tote bag on the other, would be forever burned into my brain as one of the most endearing images I’d ever seen.
11
Trask
“Your guests are here,” Brendan announced as we waited for our cue to skate out for our next home game. “Do you think if I gave Brenna a jersey she’d wear it?”
“Never know till you ask,” I replied. I pushed past him and peeked out of the tunnel. I’d gotten Kami, Ryleigh, and Brenna tickets at the glass. I wanted to be able to skate by and high-five Ryleigh if I scored.
There they were, wearing jerseys with my number on them. I felt a weird sensation bubble up inside me and swallowed it down. I hadn’t been this nervous to play in a game since my first time on ice with the Voltage.
This was no time for jitters.
It had been a week since Halloween. That night, I’d stayed at Kami’s just long enough to read to Ryleigh. I picked up on the signs that she needed some time to be alone, and I didn’t want to overstay my welcome. I didn’t understand Kami’s relationship with Sutton. Sometimes it seemed amicable, other times explosive. I was glad they split up. She was way too good for him.
And as caveman-ish as it might sound, I wanted to protect them from Sutton’s nonsense.
I’d only stopped by Brewski’s once this week and on impulse invited her and Ryleigh to the game. I didn’t want her to think that her ex had spooked me, but the truth was, the confrontation on Halloween had made me uncomfortable and I wondered if I should back off a little. Deep down, I felt an overwhelming need to protect Kami and Ryleigh, but I didn’t know the ins and outs of their relationship with Sutton. And the last thing I wanted was to make more problems for Kami.
“Please get on your feet for your Voltage starting lineup!”
