Hot Puck, A Rough Riders Hockey Novel

Beckett stared at his fingers tapping on the arm of the chair. He wondered if Eden was working tonight. Wondered how she’d done on that big physiology test she’d had yesterday. Wondered if she missed him, or if she still believed the worst of him and thanked her lucky stars he’d bailed.

“Beck.”

Thoughts of Eden snapped off, and Beckett refocused on Fred across his wide desk. “Yeah.”

“Did you hear anything I just said?”

Beckett rubbed his face with both hands and sighed. “Sorry. Haven’t gotten much sleep.”

Between Lily’s restless nights and Beckett’s regrets over Eden, he was seriously sleep-deprived.

“Well, it’s not hurting your game any.”

No, his games were his opportunity to take out his frustrations. His opportunity to push all his troubles aside and focus on something he could control. And he played harder than ever. But the last week without Eden in his life was long enough for him to realize he’d fucked up big-time. That expecting her to rally behind him the day after Kim’s news had broken was unreasonable and insensitive.

“I heard you through the part about Kim’s press conference.”

“Then you missed my comment about your brilliant move to call Henderson. His corroboration of the information we had from others put the last nail in Kim’s coffin.”

Beckett shook his head. “I’m so glad this didn’t go to court.”

“Agreed,” Fred said. “I’ll have all the legal documents finished up by the end of the week. Once Kim’s press conference airs, this mess will be behind you. You and Lily can move forward without worrying about Kim popping up in the future. The Rough Riders can sign you again without worrying about your image.”

Beckett sighed and pushed to his feet. “I can’t thank you enough, Fred.” He reached across the desk and shook his attorney’s hand. “I don’t know what I would have done without Lily.”

Fred grinned. “I’m glad you’ll never have to find out.”

Beckett walked out of Fred’s office wishing he’d never have to find out what he was going to do without Eden too.

Eden paced the concrete path beyond the mouth of the tunnel the players used to exit the Verizon arena, waiting for Beckett. Twenty-three players had already passed her, half of whom she knew now and said hello to. But with every passing moment, her nerves coiled a little tighter. Not only was she starting to think coming here was a really stupid idea, but coming on one of the coldest freaking nights this winter had been beyond stupid.

She repositioned her scarf to cover more of her face and continued pacing. Five more minutes. She’d give him five more—

The doors scraped open again and Eden’s stomach flipped. This was it. And after the initial burst of nerves died, she relaxed into the anticipation of getting rid of this horrible guilt. Two sets of footsteps echoed through the tunnel along with the low hum of male voices.

Eden wandered toward the tunnel as they grew closer and met Beckett and Tate at the entrance. Both men stopped. She couldn’t read Beckett’s expression.

“Hey,” she said.

“Hey, Eden.” Tate stepped up to her and gave her a hug. “Good to see you.”

Gratitude warmed her chest. “You too.”

“Later,” Tate told Beckett, who lifted his chin in answer.

Tate wandered toward the parking lot, and Eden and Beckett were left alone, staring at each other.

Finally, a soft smile lifted his lips. “Hi.”

Nervous laughter escaped on a whispery huff of air. “Hi.” Another moment of silence while they held each other’s gaze. “You don’t look surprised to see me.”

“The guys texted me that you were here.”

“Ah.” She laughed. “Right.”

“Eden—”

“I just—”

They spoke at the same time. But Eden pushed on. “I know you probably don’t want to hear what I have to say, and I realize it may not matter to you now, but I think it’s important for you to know because it might be something you can find value in when you look back.” She stopped only long enough to draw breath. “I’m here to apologize for doubting you.”

He stepped forward and opened his mouth to speak.

Eden held up a hand. “I don’t expect you to forgive me. It was wrong and so hurtful. It wasn’t meant that way, but that doesn’t matter either, because I know that’s how it felt. And you were right, I do know you. My heart knows you. But I was letting my head lead because I was afraid to trust my gut. But I know my gut was right. And I’m so very sorry for judging you and judging you wrongly. So, yeah, I wanted you to know that I don’t doubt you, no matter what Kim says.”

She needed to turn. Needed to walk away. Needed to let him move on.

Turn. Walk away. Move on.

Biting the inside of her lip, Eden dropped her gaze to the concrete and the exterior light pooling on the ground blurred in the tears gathering in her eyes.

She started to turn, but Beckett’s hand closed on her arm.

“My turn,” he said.

He dropped his duffel and wrapped her in his arms so tight, he pulled her off her feet. A half laugh ebbed from her throat, and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

He pressed his face to her hair and murmured an emotional “I’ve missed you so fucking bad.”

That did it. Her tears spilled over her lashes, and the sobs she’d been holding back all week rolled out. And nothing in the world felt better than having Beckett’s arms around her when she needed him.

He set her on her feet but continued to hold her tight and stroke her hair as her emotions quieted.

“I was coming to see you after the game, because I was wrong too.” He eased back and cupped her cheek, wiping at her tears with his thumb. “Given who you are, what you’ve been through, you weren’t wrong to wonder. And I want you to know that however long it takes for you to feel comfortable, for you to believe in me, I’ll wait. I don’t care if it takes a week or a month or a year, I’ll give you the time you need to find the truth, because I love you, Eden. I love you, and I don’t want to live without you any more than I want to live without Lily.”

Another sob bubbled from her throat, this one from an abundance of love. She slid her arms around his waist and held him tight, unable to get words out of her thickened throat.

“I have the entire legal file in the car,” Beckett continued. “Kim’s holding a press conference Monday, recanting her allegations. She’s signing custody of Lily over to me permanently in lieu of criminal charges. And she’s not getting a dime. You can read her statement—”

“I don’t need to read it. I have no doubt.” She lifted her gaze to his and framed his face with her hands. “My heart knows.” She pulled his lips to hers for a kiss and murmured, “And my heart knows I love you. So very much.”