TWENTY-SEVEN

Jared

I don’t like the smirk on the face of that asshole when Brian opens the door for him.

At least he’s on time, I’ll give him that. Ten o’clock, on the dot, he walks up to my door, loaded down with camera equipment and a messenger bag. Douche.

“Morning,” he says, way too cheerfully, and I force a curt nod, which is about all I can manage. His sneaky eyes scan the inside of my house and land on Jordy, who just walks into the kitchen. “Are we missing someone?”

“Ms. Thompson will be joining us soon,” Brian says quickly, hearing the low growl coming from me.

Had it been up to me, she’d be far away. Especially after last night.

-

I heard her clearly, but the words had been so unexpected, I stood there frozen, only moving when she snatched up her stuff and beelined it inside. The moment the door closed behind her, I became unstuck and hurried up the dock to get around to her place, but Jordy stood right outside the house.

“Let her come to you,” she said, putting a hand on my arm.

“You don’t understand.” I shook her off and continued toward the trail, when her next words stopped me in my tracks.

“It’s important, Jared. She’s building up her strength, don’t take that away from her by storming over there. You’ll only minimize the courage it took for her to put herself out there. She said those words as much for you, as she did for herself.” I swing around to face my sister.

“You heard,” I concluded.

“I did,” she said, a smile on her face. “And I know you’re dying to tell her you feel the same way, but what she just did was huge. Let her have that moment without taking it over with a grand gesture of your own.”

I hated that she made sense, but I let her guide me inside the house anyway. I couldn’t let Mia’s statement go entirely unanswered though, so the moment I hit my bed, I pulled out my phone and sent her a message.

I didn’t hear anything back, but I closed my eyes smiling. The Enforcer has officially retired.

-

“Before we start,” Brian addresses him. “I’d like to make sure you brought the tape we’d discussed as part of the agreement?” Torrence glances at Jordy, who slides a coffee in front of him, before digging through his bag and coming up with a USB key.

“I saved it on here. Feel free to check.” Brian takes the key from him and disappears into the office, probably to spare Jordy from having to hear the voice of her ex.

In the awkward silence that follows, my eyes are drawn to the sliding doors and Mia’s cottage on the other side. I catch a glimpse of something moving into the tree line, but it’s so brief, I can’t be sure if it’s human or animal. Not wanting to draw attention to the fact I’m feeling a bit anxious that Mia still hasn’t shown, I turn to Torrence and force myself to speak.

“When will this go to print?”

“Friday edition,” he responds just as curtly. I’m just thinking this interview will be a riveting event, when Brian walks back in.

“Sent the files to Mary,” he informs me as he sidles up to the island, picking up his abandoned coffee cup. “It’s all there, so let’s get this show on the road,” he directs at Torrence.

“Still waiting for Ms. Thompson,” the asshole says again, although I’m still at a loss what his hard-on over her being there is.

“She’ll be here,” Jordy jumps in before I can question his motivations. I face her and lift my eyebrows in question. Her light nod is all I need to know she’s probably spoken with Mia already this morning. “Let’s take a seat in the living room.” She grabs her tea, and moves in that direction, without waiting for an answer, fully expecting us to follow.

Torrence is the last one to take a seat when there’s a knock. Jordy’s already on her feet to get the door, showing Mia followed closely by LeBlanc. I have no idea what he’s doing here, but it’s clearly not a surprise to my sister. Remembering Jordy’s caution, I remain seated, but my gaze is firmly locked on Mia, who hugs my sister back, before her eyes dart through the room and finally land on me. She seems a little lost when Jordy gives her attention to LeBlanc next. He leans down and has the good sense to kiss only her cheek, while Mia hesitates in the doorway. I give her a little encouraging nod and that appears to be enough to get her moving—straight for me. I figure I’ve been patient enough and meet her halfway, pulling her in my arms. I smile in her hair when hers slip around my waist right away.

“We’ll talk after,” I whisper for her ears only. She seems to understand instinctively, pulling away from me and plastering a smile on as she faces first Brian and next Torrence. He seems unhappy to see LeBlanc here, which fucking thrills me, even though I may not have been excited about it myself at first. I give Mia the chair and sit down on the armrest myself.

“Good to see you again, Mia,” Brian says.

“You, too.” She smiles a little shyly and I realize the last time they were in the same room they weren’t exactly seeing eye to eye. Another wrinkle that needs to be ironed out, but not now.

Brian encourages Torrence to ask his questions, once Jordy and John sit down, saving Mia the need to acknowledge the guy. At first the questions are as expected. How do I feel about Gunnarson, the guy whose hit caused my final injury? Do I hold him responsible for the end of my career?

Then he moves to my retirement, plans for the future, and I’m able to let him know there are some job leads I’m looking into. Brian cuts off that line of questioning quickly, letting him know in no uncertain terms that there is no more he’ll get on that subject for now.

His next question throws me off.

“I did a little research; your parents died tragically your first full year in the NHL, how did that affect your career?” I don’t trust the quick glance he shoots at Jordy, and I notice LeBlanc catching that as well. He drapes his arm around my sister and tucks her closer.

“They did, and if there was any effect on my career, it would’ve been that I worked even harder after,” I recover quickly and think I’m back in control, but then he turns to Jordy.

“Must be tough, raising a baby as a single mom,” he suddenly shifts gears again with his focus on my sister.

“Hey,” Brian interjects before anyone else can. “Is there any purpose to this?”

“Just getting a feel for the family,” he says with a shrug and a look of fake innocence. “You’ve got to admit, it looks like there’ve been some dramatic changes since Jared got injured. I think the public would be interested. The whole familial, domestic scene is a far cry from the hard playing, hard partying Enforcer we know.”

“Shows you how little that is,” Jordy snaps, taking the bait. “My brother has always been much more than what the press chose to focus on. The only difference is that our family of two has expanded.”

And like a well-seasoned fisherman, Torrence sets the hook.

“It certainly has,” he says, a smug grin on his face as he takes in not only LeBlanc, but shifts his eyes to Mia. “I can tell you’ve settled in nicely with the locals. Although, you’re a transplant yourself, aren’t you, Ms. Thompson?”

Mia

Jared’s arm tightens around my shoulders when the man’s focus falls on me. I’d been waiting for it, knowing he probably had a reason for demanding I’d be here for the interview as well, but I still had to suppress the urge to go hide in the nursery. Instead I square my shoulders and look him straight in the eyes.

“I moved here five years ago.”

“You must’ve thought the gods were smiling on you when you saw who your new neighbour was,” he says suggestively. I snort at his implications.

“Not quite,” I inform him. “First of all, I know nothing about hockey, so I had not the faintest idea who Jared was. If anything, I was upset when I discovered my wonderful, quiet neighbours had sold to someone with a speedboat.”

“Right, but you don’t seem too upset now.”

“I’m not quite sure what point you’re trying to make, but I know there is one, otherwise, you wouldn’t have demanded I be here.” I could feel Jared shifting after Torrence’s last remark, but I put my hand on his knee to hold him back. I don’t want to be rescued, he’s done enough of that.

“There is.” The smirk is back on his face, like he can’t wait to pounce on me. “I think it makes a fascinating story that a woman whose mental instability lost her everything—her clinic, her career, her house, her marriage—managed to snag herself one of hockey’s most eligible, rich bachelors.”

The room immediately fills with indignant shouts from Jordy and Brian, and I have to hang on to Jared, or he’d have the guy decked out on the ground. Even Ole joins in the fray, his loud cries piercing the heated exchanges. I am remarkably unaffected. Cool as a cucumber as I watch a grumbling Jordy take off to the nursery. But that doesn’t last long.

“You’ve done your homework,” I say, loud enough to be heard over the din, as I stand up. One by one, all eyes come to me and suddenly I’m not so cool anymore, but I forge ahead. “Too bad you didn’t do it well and only bothered to take what fits your story. Otherwise, you might’ve known someone diagnosed with PTSD and resulting agoraphobia, would not voluntarily put themselves in the public eye for anything. Trust me, I fought hard not to fall for a man most of whose adult life has been lived in the limelight. I never expected anything but to live my nice, quiet existence out on this lake. But we don’t always get what we hope for—If we’re lucky, we get what we need.”

Having said all I plan to, I follow Jordy down the hall and close the nursery door behind me, leaning my back and head against the door.

“How the hell did you stay so calm?” Jordy wants to know. She’s rocking back and forth in the glider, feeding Ole.

“Not that calm, trust me. Right now my heart is wanting to pound out of my chest, and I feel like I’m going to black out,” I admit.

“Do you want to sit down?” I slide my back down the door until my ass hits the carpet. “I meant the chair,” Jordy says, chuckling.

“I’m good here,” I mumble with my eyes closed, concentrating on breathing in and out.

The quiet of the nursery, with only the occasional little noise coming from Ole, does wonders to settle me. By the time a knock sounds on the door, my heart rate is back to normal, and I open my eyes to find Jordy observing me.

“Better?” she asks.

“Much,” I tell her, scrambling to my feet to open the door.

I’m expecting Jared and am surprised to find Brian standing outside.

“I left your cop out there to make sure Jared doesn’t wipe the floor with Torrence,” he directs at Jordy, who has the baby on her shoulder, rubbing his back. “Came to check if you ladies are up for a few pictures. It looks like we won’t get rid of the guy until he has those.”

“Fine,” Jordy answers for both of us. “But no pictures of Ole.”

“Of course,” Brian acknowledges. “I believe that’s been made very clear already, by both your men.”

-

Forty-five minutes later, we all let go a collective sigh when the journalist’s van disappears over the hill.

John had taken Ole from Jordy, and seemed quite at ease with the little guy, keeping him occupied and eventually rocking him to sleep. Torrence had us all over the living room and kitchen, as well as out on the dock and even in the boat for his shots. My jaw hurt from smiling so much. It certainly isn’t something I’d want to do again anytime soon, the close scrutiny with the camera a bit too invasive for my taste. Jared was clearly an old pro at this and looked at ease in front of the camera, despite the frustration I knew was bubbling right under the surface.

Brian had walked the man to his vehicle to, as Jared explained, remind him of the stipulations of their agreement. This was supposed to be a one time exclusive, and he was to steer clear of our personal lives from here on out

“Come out on the boat with me?” Jared asks, as he turns me in his arms. We’re the last ones out on the dock. Jordy followed John in the house to put the baby down and Brian had to take a call. Jared had gone to let the dog out, who’d been cooped up in the cottage and came running when he saw me out here.

“Sure.” I look to the house. “Should we let them know?”

“They’ll figure it out,” he says, leading me to the edge of the dock and helping me in. Griffin isn’t about to be left behind and makes his own way into the boat.

He finds his way onto the bench in the stern and has his face stuck in the air, his eyes almost squeezed shut against the wind, as soon as Jared hits the throttle. All the tension of the day disappears as I do the same, stick my face into the wind that whips my curls around my head. I let myself sink into the moment, feeling the weight of the past few days slip off my shoulders as we speed across the water. I’ll never give up the leisurely pace of my kayak, but I have to admit, I have a new appreciation for speed.

When I hear the engine slow, I open my eyes to find Jared looking at me, his eyes warm. I look around to find us coasting toward a familiar spot. I spot the moose standing knee-high in the water the moment Griffin does too, and I quickly put my hand on his back when he emits a soft growl. Jared cuts the engine completely and carefully moves from the pilot’s seat to wedge himself behind me on the bench, both his arms coming around me to pull my back into his chest.

“Wait for it,” he says softly in my curls, and as we watch, a calf steps out from behind its mother.

“Oh, he’s so beautiful.” I keep my voice low as well, knowing how rare a sight this is, especially when the sun is still fairly high in the sky. Dawn and dusk are the times to spot wildlife. During the heat of the day in summer, they prefer to stay under the canopy of the trees, where it’s much cooler.

“First time I saw her with her calf was the day Ole was born,” Jared tells me. “He was much smaller then. It was right here, at this spot, where you came to our rescue and everything changed.” I tilt back to get a look at his face. His eyes are set on the moose and her young, but his focus is on me. I can feel it in his touch. “Since Mom and Dad died, I’d done a pretty good job of avoiding feeling anything too deep or too profound. Lived my life on the surface. But that day there was no avoiding it. Not with Ole’s birth impacting me the way it did—and most definitely not with you appearing out of nowhere, and being the calm in the raging storm of my emotions. I may have fallen for you right then.” Now he drops his eyes to my face, the moose and her baby all but forgotten as he seems to take in my features.

“Jared...”

“You did it again today, Beautiful. I know you were probably shaking inside yourself, but still managed to instantly calm the hothead in me.” His hand curves around my jaw, lifting my face as he covers my mouth with his in a sweet, lazy kiss before releasing me. “Not sure what I’ve done to deserve you in my life, but I’m keeping you here. I love you, Mia.”