Natalie
As the cab pulls up to the curb in front of The Park Hotel, I throw a wad of bills at the driver and tell him to keep the change. Was it really six hours ago when I raced home from the hockey house and searched for flights to Milwaukee on my laptop? Before I could overthink it, I pressed purchase and printed off the plane ticket. Then I grabbed an overnight bag, stuffed some clothes in it along with a toothbrush, and called a taxi to go to the airport. Three hours later, I lifted off, bound for Milwaukee.
If I’d thought I was nervous driving over to Brody’s house earlier, it’s nothing compared to what I felt during the two-hour flight north. I barely had time to concoct a plan in my head before the stewardess told us to buckle up and prepare for landing. Without luggage to wait for, I ran through the airport and found a cab.
And now here I am.
Huffing and puffing like a lunatic.
Repositioning my bag on my shoulder, I walk through the revolving glass doors and head toward the posh check-in desk at the other end of the lobby.
A woman dressed in a tailored gray suit with perfect makeup smiles. “Welcome to The Milwaukee Park Hotel. Will you be checking in with us this evening?”
I suck in a breath, hoping to settle my careening nerves. Now that I’m actually standing here, I’m shaking in my shoes. “No, I’m not. One of my friends is staying here, though, and I was hoping you could tell me what room he’s in?” I end the sentence on a hopeful note.
I’m not above begging and pleading, if that’s what it takes.
If she refuses to give me the information, I’m screwed. What am I going to do? Camp out in the lobby and hope Brody walks through at some point? I glance around, taking it all in. This is a pretty swanky place. They’ll probably kick me out within fifteen minutes.
Her face turns sympathetic, and she shakes her head. “Oh, I’m sorry. I can’t do that. It’s against hotel policy for us to give out any guest information.”
My spirits nosedive. “Is it possible for me to leave a message?”
“Absolutely, but I can’t do anything more than that,” she adds firmly as if I might argue.
“Okay.” I sigh and root around in my purse for a pen and a piece of paper. Of course, I can find everything else under the sun but that. Feeling like an idiot, I glance at the woman behind the desk. “I’m sorry. Could I use a piece of paper and a pen?”
“Certainly.”
Just as she reaches under the long stretch of glossy counter, a deep voice says, “That won’t be necessary, Abigail. I’ll take care of this.”
My belly spasms as I spin around and find Brody’s father a few feet from where I’m standing. He’s the one person I was hoping to avoid and the first I run into.
That’s the kind of luck I’m having.
“Of course, Mr. McKinnon,” Abigail says. “Please let me know if there’s anything else I can assist you with.”
“I’ll be sure to do that,” he says, his eyes never deviating from mine. “Natalie, what an unexpected surprise.”
And not a happy one, if his stoic expression is any indication.
I straighten to my full height, which is still a good six inches shorter than him. I allowed this man to intimidate me once, and I refuse to do it again.
“I’m here to see Brody,” I say, keeping my voice firm.
His gaze flicks to Abigail, who is busy helping another customer. “Perhaps we can move this conversation somewhere else?”
He doesn’t wait for me to respond and simply walks away, leaving me to trail reluctantly after him as he takes a seat at one of the groupings of chairs and couches scattered throughout the enormous lobby.
He settles on the couch, and I’m forced to choose between the chairs flanking it. Feeling ill at ease, I sit on the very edge. “Look, Mr. McKinnon, I know you don’t like me.” I have no idea if what I’m about to say will make a damn bit of difference, but I have to try. His mind was made up before he ever met me. “But I love your son.”
He leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees, loosely knotting his hands together in front of him. “I can appreciate that you have feelings for Brody, I really can. But I know what’s best for him. I’ve been in his position. I understand what he needs to do to be successful. And that’s staying focused on finishing his degree and preparing for the NHL.”
My tongue darts out to moisten my lips. “I’m not trying to get in the way of that.”
“Natalie, you’re young.” His tone is placating, as if I’m a child. “You’re going to fall in and out of love several times before you find the right man. What are you? Twenty-one or twenty-two years old?”
“Twenty-two,” I whisper.
A patronizing smile touches his lips as he shakes his head. “You can’t possibly know what you want out of life and who you want it with.” He allows those words to sink in. “And neither does my son. You’re the first girl he’s ever been involved with. How long do you think that’s going to last? Two months? Four? Maybe, if you’re lucky, six?”
Just as I open my mouth to respond, a deep voice cuts in, “I don’t know how long it’s going to last, but that’s for Natalie and me to figure out. Not you.”
I shoot to my feet and spin around. As soon as I do, our gazes collide. Everything in me tightens. It’s only been a couple of days since I’ve seen him, but it feels like forever. The urge to throw myself into his arms floods me, but I don’t make a move.
I can’t.
Not yet.
Not until we’ve hashed everything out between us.
“Brody,” I whisper. My heart feels like it’s sitting in the middle of my throat, making it impossible to breathe.
His golden eyes coast over me before skewering mine with intensity. “What are you doing here?” he asks softly.
“I had to speak with you.” There’s so much pent-up emotion bubbling beneath the surface of my words. It’s difficult to keep it contained. It’s all I can do not to blurt out my feelings. To beg for Brody’s forgiveness.
He raises a brow. “And it couldn’t wait until I got back?”
I shake my head. “No.” It’s silently that my eyes plead with his. I just want him to give me a chance to explain. To make it right.
Brody turns to his father. That’s when I notice the bag hoisted over his shoulder. “I can handle the rest of the weekend myself.” His voice turns cold and hard. “I won’t be needing your help.”
John pales as he quickly gets to his feet. “Brody—”
“I’m serious,” Brody snaps. “I’ll handle it from here on out. I don’t need you to hold my hand or decide what’s best for me. I’m more than capable of making those decisions for myself.”
It looks as though John will argue, but at the last moment he jerks his head into a tight nod. “If that’s what you want.”
“It is,” Brody confirms.
“Then I’ll change my flight and head back tonight. Keep the appointment in the morning with Dana and let me know if you come to any decisions.’
Brody rolls his shoulders and relaxes his jaw. “Thank you,” he says gruffly.
John glances away for a moment before his eyes come back to rest on his son. Emotion seeps into his voice. “I was only trying to do what I thought was right. That’s all.”
“I tried telling you what was best for me and you didn’t want to hear it. I won’t be ignored any longer. I’m tired of you making all of the decisions and steamrolling over the ones you don’t agree with.”
By the humbled look on his face, I don’t think John McKinnon is used to his son taking control of his life. I get the feeling that it’s going to be difficult for him to step back and give Brody the breathing room he so desperately needs.
John shoves his hands into the pockets of his black slacks and shrugs. “Fine, I’ll back off.”
Brody releases a pent-up breath. “Thank you.”
“I’m going to head upstairs and make a few calls. Then I’ll be out of your way.”
“I’ll contact you when I get back to town.”
John nods. “Sounds good.”
Ignoring me, his father walks away, heading to the bank of glass elevators. Once we’re alone, Brody pins me with his eyes. My body vibrates with nerves. I have no idea how this conversation will go and that scares me to death.
The man standing in front of me is my everything, and I pushed him away instead of holding him close the way I should have.
I point to the grouping of furniture. “Can we sit and talk?”
“Sure.” His whiskey-colored eyes stay locked on mine as he drops down onto the chair next to me.
I suck in a deep breath, unsure of where to begin. I’ve traveled all this way to tell him how I feel and the words that need to be spoken are stuck in my throat. Tears fill my eyes, and I have to blink them away. Brody reaches over and scoops me out of the chair, hauling me onto his lap. Surprised by the movement, I stare at him with wide eyes.
There’s a slight twist to his lips as his arms snake around my body and press me close. His voice is low and just like always, it strums something deep inside me. “Jesus Christ, Davies. You’re killing me over here. Just say the damn words and put us both out of our misery.”
The thick tension that had choked the life out of me dissolves.
Believe it or not, I giggle. Tears splash onto my cheeks and stream down my face. I swipe at them with the back of my hand. “I’m sorry, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
He smirks and shakes his head. My heart flips over in my chest. Did I ever think he would look at me like that again?
I wasn’t sure. I was so afraid I’d lost him.
Before I can open my mouth and say anything, his fingers attack my ribs. I shriek with laughter so loudly that it causes people to turn and glance our way. But I don’t care about the unwanted attention. I only care about the man holding me in his arms.
“Say the words, Davies. Or we can sit here all night long, and I’ll tickle you until you pee your pants.”
He’ll do it, too. But that’s not why I’ll say the words. I’m going to tell him everything that’s in my heart because it’s the truth and he needs to hear it. He needs to know just how much I care about him.
“I love you, Brody,” I say between gasping breaths. “I love you so much.”
His eyes go soft and his fingers still. I loop my arms around his neck and tug him close so that I can press a kiss to his lips.
“I love you, too.” He leans his forehead against mine but still holds my gaze. “You mean everything to me. You know that, right?”
“Yes.” How could I not? Even before he told me the night he surprised me with dinner, he showed me in a hundred different ways each and every day. It kills me that I caused him one moment of pain. “I’m so sorry for hurting you,” I say with sincerity. “I thought letting you go was the best thing for you.”
A shadow passes over his eyes. “I know what my dad did. I’m sorry he put you in that position.”
I exhale a breath, relieved that everything is out in the open. “I should have told you right away. But…I was afraid it would cause problems between the two of you. He’s all you have.”
“Don’t worry about my dad. We’re solid. He needs to learn to back off, that’s all. We’ll be fine.” He sobers, becoming more serious. “Just promise you’ll never keep anything from me again. If there’s something that needs to be discussed, we’ll sit down and hash it out. These last couple of days without you…” He shakes his head and grimaces. “They were a killer. I don’t want to go through that again. Promise me.”
“I promise, Brody.” I drop my gaze. “I’m so sorry.”
“The only thing that matters is that you’re here in my arms where you belong.”
I sigh and lay my head against his strong chest.
He’s absolutely right.
This is exactly where I belong. With him. Always.
“Good. Now that we’ve straightened that out, we can move on to the next order of business.” He shifts me around in his arms and gets to his feet.
I frown. What’s he talking about? “We have business?”
“Damn right, we do.” With me held securely in his arms, he walks with a determined stride toward the elevators. “You’re going to make the last couple of days up to me.”
Holding back a grin, I arch a brow instead. “Oh, am I?”
Heat flares to life in his eyes. My tummy trembles in response. I don’t know how he does it. All it takes is one look, and my panties melt.
“Yep, and you’re going to start by doing that little swirly thing with your tongue that I love so much.”
I burrow against his strength, feeling more content than I ever have. “I thought you liked when I…” leaning toward him, I whisper in his ear.
He groans. “Fuck, baby…you know I love that, too.”
“Yup, I do.” I slant my eyes at him as a smug expression settles on my face. “I guess it’s a good thing for you that I’ve finally learned what to do with my mouth.”
He swears harshly under his breath and I chuckle as he stabs the button for the elevator half a dozen times.