“What’s her problem?” I asked, as we ate our breakfast without the resident diva.
Donna frowned. “I just told her that her privacy would be respected. I’m not going to talk about her issues with you.”
Ah, there were issues. I had a feeling the pain killer addiction wasn’t the only one.
#wipsnips
We’ve started rewatching it too as a pre-Pit Noah Wyle experience
Right now, I needed to run to clear my head. Meeting Stella had been a trip. It was horrible and a relief both. Now I just had to do my part for this documentary, and then that chapter of my life could finally be put to bed.
#wipsnips
He did! Did not work out well though...
Somehow it was never anyone’s f*cking fault, and yet I got screwed over. Every. Single. Time. I couldn’t just shove it down and pretend it was nothing. Not this time. My fists clenched, and I wasn’t stopping. I dropped the gloves and let my hands curl up.
#wipsnips
Mia was beaming, staring directly at the photographer, my arms wrapped around her. Our caps were off but we were still in our robes. I wasn’t looking at the camera. I was staring at her. As if she was the center of the world.
Back then, she had been.
#wipsnips
When we stopped in a bedroom, a massive bed in the middle, I freed my hand to grab the hem of my sweater to remove it. So glad I wore the sexy underwear. But his hands gripped mine.
I froze. Had I been too eager? Turned him off?
“May I?”
#wipsnips
Dad’s lips tightened. “Well, you’re here now, no money problems, so you’re free to pursue Mia again.”
I almost choked. “Are you serious? After what happened back then?
#wipsnips
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I stepped toward the porch, then he held out his hand. I stopped. I wasn’t supposed to risk my hand, but if this guy wanted to prove something…
“You hurt her, really badly,” he said. I froze. “When you left, it almost destroyed her.”
Not just her.
#wipsnips
So many people had been curious. So many had felt comfortable asking intrusive questions.
What happened? Did he dump you? No wonder, you’re not that pretty.
There were enough mean-spirited comments that I’d turned off social media.
#wipsnips
Mia leaned against the counter. “Do you want to go back to school?”
Did I? “I don’t know. It won’t be the same. I’m older, and hockey hasn’t made me any smarter. Maybe I will, after I retire, so I don’t go crazy with boredom.” I was frustrated now, when I didn’t have my usual routines.
#wipsnips
“I heard the car pull out. They’re gone. Let’s make the most of our time.” I ran my hands over her hair and gently pulled the tie out, letting the strands fall freely around her face. She looked more like my Mia that way. I cradled her face and reached down to kiss her again.
#wipsnips
“Yeah, but in hockey they get a stick to hit the ball with.”
“Puck,” I corrected without thinking.
“Yeah, the puck. I think I’d like a stick.”
No, no, NO! I glanced at my watch. “We gotta get going, buddy, or you’ll miss the bus.” The reminder got Arne going, bit the respite wouldn't last. #wipsnips
Before she could push the screen door open, I pressed my lips to hers. Just for a moment, not asking for anything, reminding her that I loved her.
“Make the decision that’s best for you, Mia.”
But as I watched her walk away, I was afraid she’d decide for everyone else, like she always did. #wipsnips
“Okay, I’ll ask him but not count on it.”
No kid should have that don’t count on it expectation with their own. I wanted to slap the younger me who’d been careless and got pregnant. But then I wouldn’t have Arne, and he was the best thing in my life.
I couldn’t change things anyway.
#wipsnips
We were in Paris - 20 degrees C and sunny. It was amazing.
Sorry I missed yesterday - we were out all day.
It was hard to ignore how fit he was when his shirt was clinging to him, highlighting every muscle. And there had been a lot of muscles.
There’d also been a lot of dust. Enough that Nate had almost looked like a stranger.
A good looking, well built stranger, not her childhood friend.
#wipsnips
It's time to focus on that women's hockey series I've been thinking about...
#romancelandia #hockeyromance
"I hoped he might hate skating and get over it.”
“He didn’t, did he?”
I drew in a breath. “No. So I’ll let him take skating lessons in the fall and maybe he’ll not be very good or get diverted into speed skating or figure skating. I have neither the time nor money for hockey.”
#wipsnips
High school. They go way back.
I started up the sidewalk when the screen door opened and a man stepped out.
Tall, broad shoulders, messy brown hair and a full bushy beard. Familiar blue eyes that locked on mine. My heartbeat picked up the way it always used to, whenever I saw him, since that first day in science class.
#wipsnips
I tapped my chest. “Health care worker here. I know what damage sports can do to a body. Soccer isn’t bad, but hockey is faster, involves sharp metal blades and rubber pucks, and is played on a very hard surface.”
Tonya lifted a hand. “And yet they love it.”
#wipsnips
That could work - haven't written that scene yet
She left the spoon in the ice cream. “You let me stay with you. That’s – it’s a lot, okay? I’ve got time to figure out what I’m doing without worrying about bumping into Miles around every corner. When I get back, I’ll pack up all his stuff. Possibly burn it, maybe give it back to him.”
#corner
He tried to be subtle, but he’d seen that she was tired and sore, and he’d changed the work to make it easier for her.
And there’d been that moment, after she painted his face…
If it hadn’t been Nate, her friend and Harper’s brother, she’d have tried to do something with that moment. #wipsnips
Home renovations.
I hunt out the sparkling water that just has fruit flavorings. And unsweetened ice tea. But they're harder to find now.
Gemma responded defensively. She wasn't used to this. He'd asked her to hang on to the stupid roll of carpet. It didn't require a lot of experience.
When Gemma got angry, she got mulish. Mulish, as in jaw set, arms crossed, eyes narrowed into laser glares. Her heels were well dug in.
#wipsnips
