Page 50 of Guarded Love
I wait a beat for him to say something else, but he doesn’t.
I give a small nod and turn on my heel and leave the Red Wolves’ arena. I replay the scene that happened just a few minutes ago three times on my walk to my car. Once I’m safely inside my vehicle, I lock the doors and rest my forehead on the steering wheel.
Ari isn’t going to believe this shit.
14
WILLOW
The last few weeks have been...weird. Finals ended in a blur, and winter break has mostly been a mix of sleeping too much, feeling way too much, and pretending everything’s totally fine. I’ve barely left the house and don’t feel an ounce of guilt about it. My mom says it’s normal burnout. I say it’s what happens when your brain doesn’t come with an off switch.
Now I’m at the airport, about to fly to Puerto Rico with a bunch of people I don’t really know. The only thing that’s making me nervous other than the trip itself is the fact that I’m going to be in close proximity to Blaise Dalton without my brother or any of his hockey teammates to be a buffer.
“Are you sure you didn’t forget anything?”
While I’m grateful my mother’s question brought my thoughts back to present day, I roll my eyes because I can’t help it. It’s the fifth time I’ve been asked this question and my answer still hasn’t changed. "Mom, I triple-checked everything. And if I somehow forgot something, they have stores in Puerto Rico. Plus we’re already at the airport. There isn’t much I can do about it now."
She gives me a look. "I'm just making sure you're prepared, Wills."
"I know." I soften my tone. "But I've got this. Promise. You don’t need to worry." I lean down to hug her and inhale her favorite perfume. For all my eye-rolling, I'm going to miss her. This is our prepping for what it’s going to be like when I’m gone this summer due to my internship in New York City.
“Moms always worry, but I’m so proud of you for doing this.”
“I’m proud of me too.” And that wasn’t a lie.
"Text me when you land," she says into my hair. "And every day after that."
"I will." I pull back and check the time on my phone. "I should go through security."
Dad steps forward then, having been silent during most of Mom's fussing over me. He wraps me in a quick, firm hug. "Have fun, kiddo. Learn something interesting."
"That's the plan." I smile up at him, grateful for his straightforward approach. If he became mushy over my departure, I knew it would be game over for me keeping any tears back.
With one last wave, I turn and head toward the TSA line. The morning crowd isn't terrible, but there's still a decent number of people waiting to go through security. I take my place at the end of the line and pull out my phone to distract myself.
Two unread texts from Ari:
Ari: Have the best time! Send pics of hot men!
Ari: But not to your mom. She'll worry.
I smile and type back a quick response.
Me: Just got to security. Will send pictures of buildings and food, not men.
I'm still smiling at my phone when I look around and spot Blaise. And he isn’t alone.
He's standing with an older woman a ways away from security. If I had to guess, she is probably in her seventies and has her silver hair pulled into an elegant twist. I’m thoroughly impressed with her posture because it’s impeccable. Not to mention she looks stunning in her navy-blue tailored wool coat.
Blaise continues to lean down, giving her his full and undivided attention.His entire demeanor has softened, the rigid control he normally maintains is nowhere to be found. He's gesturing with his hands as he explains something to the woman in front of him. My first thought is that she must be his grandmother, but I don’t want to assume.
She reaches up and gently touches his cheek, her expression full of affection. Blaise’s shoulders visibly relax under her touch and he smiles softly at her. This is a Blaise I’ve never seen. Not the guarded hockey player, not the focused student, not even the guy who'd kissed me senseless years ago and then acted like I was invisible. This is someone open and it’s throwing me completely off balance and I’m sure it won’t be for the last time on this trip.
The woman says something else before she gives his arm a final squeeze and then gestures toward the security line. He says one last thing before he gives her a big hug, then turns and starts walking my way.
My heart jumps into my throat and I quickly look down at my phone. It’s easier to pretend to be engrossed in Ari’s texts than to explain why I was staring him down. The line moves, and I moveforward with my eyes still glued to my phone screen. I haven’t read a single word, but he doesn’t need to know that.
When I finally dare to glance up, he’s just a few people behind me in the line and I notice that his expression is back to its usual neutral mask. But I saw how he reacted to that woman. I saw that other side of him, and now I can't unsee it.
