Blowing out a breath, I opened my eyes to glare at him, even though I knew he was right. As desperate as I was to make sure Bristol was okay, running to her now would be a mistake.
It made more sense than ever why she’d sworn off hockey players if that idiot was her most recent experience.
The responsibility rested solely on me to show her I was different.
When Bristol skipped the game between the Comets and the Speed, I was forced to take action.
Flashes came to mind of her in my office, begging me to keep our one night a secret because of how badly she needed her new job and the fresh start it provided. To this point, she’d been dedicated, attending every single practice, and never wasting an opportunity to speak with the players or staff to gain as much information as possible for her articles about the team.
One brush with her ex in a darkened hallway, and she was hiding, putting her hard-won position at risk.
Once the arena cleared and the press was handled, I hopped in my car and drove to her house. I’d dropped a pin the morning after our night together, just in case. And we would pretend I hadn’t spent many a night staring at the location on my phone, memorizing the address until I knew it as well as my own. That obsessive behavior came in handy now. That was the important part.
The tiny ranch-style home was as quaint as I remembered from nearly six weeks ago. My cock stirred at the memories of what had transpired within those walls, but I told him to calm the fuck down. Today’s visit was about ensuring her emotional well-being after the trauma of last night.
Stepping up to her front door, doubt nagged at the back of my brain. What if she was avoiding me instead of her ex? If that was the case, showing up at her house uninvited could blow up in my face. But I couldn’t stay away. I needed to see with my own two eyes how she was doing.
Honestly, it was a miracle I’d been able to wait this long.
For the past twenty-four hours, I’d been restless, the uncertainty driving me insane. Whenever I heard heels in a hallway at the arena, my heart raced, anticipating her presence. But I was disappointed every time. Pretty sureAlyssa thought I was going insane because I kept bumping into her in hallways with how fast my feet moved, trained toward the sound.
It was no small miracle the Speed topped the Comets by a score of three-to-two because my head wasn’t in the game. Thankfully, rivalry games were charged, and my players rose to the challenge to beat their divisional opponents. There would be a round of beers on me the next time we hit the road as a thank-you for covering my ass and making me look good behind the bench.
As I raised my hand to knock, I pictured the last time I’d seen Bristol—pale and trembling—and my fist came down harder on the wood than I intended.
Great. An aggressive knock would set her on edge. That was the last thing I wanted.
Tentative footsteps sounded on the other side of the door, and the deadbolt turned moments before light from inside filtered onto the front porch.
My eyes had been cast down but snapped up at Bristol’s soft sigh. Backlit as she was, she looked like an angel. And maybe she was, sent here to bring me back to life. But as my vision adjusted and I saw the sadness etched on her beautiful face, my heart shattered.
Leaning against the doorframe, she asked, “What are you doing here, Maddox?”
That organ inside my chest that had been frozen since the last time I saw her, suddenly beat again hearing her say my name.
Shoving my hands into my suit pants pockets to keep from touching her, I replied, “You didn’t come to the game. I needed to make sure you were okay.” When she stood there, staring and not speaking, I squirmed, adding, “And to apologize.”
One of Bristol’s eyebrows rose. “For what?”
I blew out a heavy breath, looking skyward. “For being an asshole.”
A tiny huff flew from her lips. “Which time?”
Snapping my head to meet her eye, relief stole through my chest when I saw the tiniest hint of a smile tip up on one corner of those plush lips. “All of them?” That earned me the other corner turning up. “But mainly last night.”
Bristol nodded. “Okay. You want to come in?” She rubbed at her exposed arms, only clad in a tank top and leggings. It was early November, and the nights were moving past cool into cold as fall sped closer to winter. She had to be freezing with the door open.
“Yeah.” I gripped the back of my neck. “If that’s all right?”
Stepping aside, she shrugged. “Yeah, it’s fine.”
I crossed the threshold, allowing her to close the door behind me. Removing my suit jacket, I tugged on the tie around my neck, loosening it before rolling up my shirt sleeves. Most people felt suits were stuffy, and they might be right, but having been forced to wear one almost daily since I was a teenager—it being a requirement for travel and before games—I was used to it. Sure, it didn’t hurt that they were all custom-tailored, made for my uniquely muscular frame.
Scanning the living room, I noted that all the boxes from the last time I’d been there were gone. The walls were still white, but Bristol had made it her own. There were cute throw pillows on the couch, framed art on the walls, and pictures of what I assumed were family and friends scattered along the end tables.
“Do you want to sit down?” Bristol said softly from behind.
Whipping around, I was reminded of the purpose of my visit.
