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“Shit. Yeah. That’s probably a good idea.”
43
GARRETT
Cooper shut down the second that bang echoed around the arena. I saw the shutters come down, and I hated it.
I hadn’t felt the chill in the air up until that point; I was too distracted by him and the fun we were having. But all of that changed in a heartbeat, and suddenly, I was freezing.
Was there another person in here? Or was it just the empty building making noises, freaking us out?
I guess only time will tell.
My stomach knots as I think about waking up in the morning to photos of the two of us locked in a filthy kiss on center ice being headline news.
No. Surely not.
Even if someone was in here, they wouldn’t do that.
Only members of the Vipers’ family would have access to the building this late; surely they wouldn’t throw a member of their own under the bus?
My heart races and my hands tremble with fear for Cooper as we make our way off the ice and return all our equipment.
He doesn’t say a word. And despite wanting to reassure him, I can’t find any either.
Only a second later, we’re back in the deserted parking lot and climbing into his car.
I don’t miss the way he looks around, or the way his shoulders continue to tighten.
“I’m sorry,” I blurt the second we’re enclosed in the car.
“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Cooper says roughly as he starts the engine.
“No, I know. But—”
“It was my idea to come back here. I knew the risks. I just didn’t think—”
“It’ll be fine,” I say, reaching over and squeezing his thigh.
“I know. I just…I worry about my brothers. They’d be forced to watch it all play out; they’d see all the hate that would no doubt come my way, and no little kids need to see that.”
“You really love them, don’t you?” I ask, my heart swelling in my chest.
“Yeah. I just wish I could do more for them.”
“I’m sure you do plenty.”
“I’m too far away to give them what they really need. If I could, I’d move them across the country and into my place in a heartbeat, but life isn’t that easy.”
My breath catches at how serious that sounds. “Don’t they like Michigan?”
“The place is fine. They have a fantastic school, and thanks to Dad’s career, they have access to everything they could need financially. But there’s much more to life than money.”
“Amen.”
“The thought of them living through the same childhood as I did haunts me.”
Silence falls between us for a few seconds.
