Breaking Away

by Toni Aleo

  He hadn’t talked to Reese that day, and it was her fault. He had tried and even felt the pang of jealously when she didn’t answer. He didn’t know what was up, but he didn’t want to seem like the jealous boyfriend so he refrained from calling her over and over again. Instead, he sent her a few texts wondering what was up, which she promptly ignored. This was unusual for him. Usually if a girl didn’t want to talk, he would ignore her, not even caring. In this case, he did care and he wanted to know why she wouldn’t answer but again, he didn’t want to be a bother, so he ignored the urge to pick up his phone again and text her once more.

  “Dude, stop staring at your phone and look at the rack on that Asian hottie.”

  Phillip looked up to Karson, who was grinning at him, pointing out the woman he was speaking of. He was right. She was hot and did have a great rack, but she wasn’t Reese. Phillip could sit there and point out all the things that Reese had better but instead, he said, “Not in the mood.”

  “What’s up with you? You’ve been weird lately.”

  Shrugging, Phillip looked back down at his phone. “I’m not being weird; I just have no interest in any females right now.”

  “He’s crushing on my sister-in-law,” Erik said, nursing a beer.

  “Oh, what’s her name, Reese? Yeah, she’s super hot.”

  Phillip looked up and glared. Within seconds, he was madder than hell and wanted to gut Karson with a hockey stick. Yes, he understood that might be very hard to do since it was a blunt end, but he was mad enough to make it work. Setting Karson with a look that could kill, he said, “And mine.”

  Karson was taken aback but grinned anyway, while Erik laughed before saying, “Actually, that has not been confirmed. Last time I checked, you two were just having fun.”

  “Shut up, Erik, no one was talking to you,” Phillip sneered, before flipping his phone over. He was going to drive himself crazy staring at it like a lovesick teenager.

  Erik and Karson shared a good laugh over this, while Phillip downed a beer and then called for another. He needed to slow down, but he couldn’t. All he could do was think she had moved on without telling him, but that just seemed wrong. She was feeling him, and they were together. Even if it wasn’t official to everyone else, it was official to him and maybe even her. Looking out at the bar, he watched as Jordie Thomas, who they called JT, moved from female to female. They called him ‘JT’ not only because of his name, but also because he had the swag of the real JT. He was a cool dude but careless. He got hurt a lot and didn’t take care of himself the way he should so usually it resulted in another injury. Despite that though, everyone liked him, especially the ladies.

  When Karson cupped his shoulder, he shook him off, taking a long swig of his beer.

  “Dude, it’s no big deal, didn’t mean to piss you off.”

  Phillip let out a breath. “No worries.”

  Karson leaned on the bar, looking over at him. When Karson first came to the Assassins, Phillip didn’t like him. He was competition on and off the ice. The guy had a killer wrist shot and Coach liked that, replacing Phillip on the first line, but that only fueled Phillip to work harder. Soon, he had his spot back. Karson was also a ladies man, and usually pulled the women that Phillip wanted when they went out, but it didn’t matter to Phillip anymore. Things changed, Claire came into his life, and he stopped messing around with the women he used to go after. He fooled with the same women over and over again in different cities. Then he met Reese. His world was blown to smithereens, and he didn’t want anyone but her. He just wished she realized the same thing and would make them official, so everyone would shut the fuck up and know she was his.

  Because she was, at least in his mind. Anyway, Phillip didn’t mind Karson anymore. He actually liked the guy most the time, except for right now. At that moment, he was annoying.

  “You know, being in love blows.”

  Phillip scrunched up his face. “What the hell, man? I’m trying to drink a beer, and unwind before getting on the plane. I don’t want to talk about this shit.”

  Karson laughed. “I get that, but you are also the poster child for a lovesick fool. You’ve looked at your phone at least nine times since we’ve sat down. If she’s ignoring you, there are at least six gorgeous babes we can get right now.”

  Phillip shook his head. The bar was filled with beautiful women. He had noticed, but he didn’t want them. He wanted a fucking text from Reese. How pathetic was that? “I’m good.”

  “I get that. I was you once, but I decided I loved hockey more than her or, really, I was forced to choose hockey over her. But that’s the way the cookie crumbles, you know? You don’t always get what you want, even when you work so fucking hard for it. It all just blows up in your face, and then you’re left with nothing but your stick and a puck. At least we’ll always have hockey, huh?” he said, holding his beer out to cheers.

  Phillip tapped his beer to his, knowing that there was a story there, but Phillip didn’t know if he wanted to know it because Karson was right. It did blow being in love, especially when that person doesn’t want to love you back. So many things were clear indications that this thing with Reese wasn’t going to work, but he still allowed himself to fall, to want her more than his next breath. He couldn’t help it.

  Nodding his head, he took a long swig of his beer as Erik said, “I love my wife.”

  Karson and Phillip both looked over at him, but he just shrugged his shoulders before draining his beer and laying a five on the bar. “And because of that, I’m going to go call her and make sure her and my kiddo are good. Goodnight, boys.”

  They watched him walk away and then turned back to the bar, both draining their own beers before ordering another. Phillip looked over at Karson and said, “Sometimes I think I should give up, but it’s not who I am. I know what I want, and it’s her.”

  Karson nodded. “Yeah, Lacey was that to me but, in the end, I had to protect her. I know I hurt her and I know she probably hates me, but I had to leave her because I couldn’t give her what she deserved. I’ll never be the same without her, and I’ve accepted that to protect her.”

  It was obvious that this was not a happy tale; he could see it in Karson’s eyes. The guy was still torn up about it, and that scared Phillip. Would he be like that if things ended with Reese? He didn’t want to think about that, though, so taking a swig of his beer, he pushed the thoughts away and let out a breath.

  “Do you think it was worth it?” he suddenly asked.

  Karson looked up. “Worth it?”

  “Loving her.”

  Karson smiled. “Hell yeah, the time I did have with her was…” He paused as he grinned like a fool before shaking his head. “She was perfect to me but we were kids, and the cards weren’t in our favor. Maybe we’ll cross paths one day, and we can amend it all, but yeah, it was worth it. I’d fall for her all over again and then again. I still love her. Miss her like you wouldn’t believe.”

  Phillip looked back down at his phone. He knew it was worth it. Reese was meant for him. Like the way a stick was meant for a puck. The way skates were meant for the ice. It was natural, perfect even, and that was the way he saw him and Reese. The perfect match. All she had to do was break away from all the things that had her tied to the motion that being alone was what she was meant to do. It wasn’t. She was meant to love him, damn it.

  Letting out a breath, he reached for his phone to tuck it in his pocket, so that he’d stop looking at it, but as he did it, it went off and he saw that it was a text from Reese.

  Thank sweet baby Jesus! It was about damn time!

  Sorry, I’ve been asleep. I wish you were here. I feel like poo. I could use a hug or two.

  Relive flooded him as he smiled, and Karson said, “There she is.”

  Phillip nodded. “Yeah, she’s been asleep. She’s sick.”

  “Cool. Well, while you talk to your girl, I’m going to go find one to fill the void I’m feeling. Talking about Lacey fucks me up, and it looks
like JT has found the motherload of females.”

  Looking out at where JT was surrounded by many gorgeous ladies, Phillip smiled. He then reached out, cupping Karson’s shoulder. “Have you tried contacting her?”

  Karson laughed. “Once and her brother answered, telling me to get lost, but I kept calling and then her phone was disconnected. Oh well, I always hope that when we go to Chicago, I’ll see her, but I won’t hold my breath. She probably hides when we come into town.” With a sad shrug, he tilted his head at Phillip before saying, “See ya tomorrow, have a good flight.”

  “Thanks, man,” he said as Karson turned and headed towards JT and the girls. Phillip watched them for a moment and then looked away, picking up his phone. He hated that Karson’s love life sucked, and he had every intention of making sure his didn’t. Opening Reese’s text, he wrote back quickly.

  What’s wrong?

  You really don’t want to know, I promise. It’s TMI.

  Lol. Sure I do. Tell me.

  Fine, don’t say I didn’t warn ya.

  You did.

  My uterus and vagina are dying a slow, bleeding death.

  Phillip cringed as he shook his head. Gross, that blows.

  Lol, told you! I just want cake with lots of frosting, and maybe ice cream and a heating pad cause mine broke, but I can’t move, so I’ve been loading up on pain pills and sleeping it off. I need this shit to stop. I have classes tomorrow.

  I’m sorry. If I were there, I’d hold you to make you feel better.

  And bring me cake right? I really want cake.

  He smiled. Yes, I’d bring you cake.

  Cause you’re awesome.

  So are you.

  When she didn’t text him back, he figured it was because she went to sleep and he was fine with that. At least he heard from her and knew that things were okay for the most part. He needed to go out and meet the car that was waiting for him. As he gathered his things and headed that way, his phone went off and he looked down at it, smiling at the words he saw.

  So can I say I kinda sorta miss you, and it not be weird?

  Yeah, you can.

  Good, cause I kinda sorta do.

  His grin grew as he typed back: Well, I miss you too.

  ☺ Good to know.

  And you miss me.

  Kinda sorta.

  No, you do.

  Maybe.

  He laughed. Fine, I know the truth.

  Lol. Okay, I’m going to go back to sleep.

  Okay. Sweet dreams.

  You too.

  Sliding into the car that was waiting for him, he leaned back in the seat with his mouth curved up at the side. He may not be able to have naughty time with her when he saw her, but he could make her happy in another way, and that was what he intended to do.

  For the rest of his life if she allowed him too.

  Reese should have known when she was a blubbering mess the other day that it was because she was about to start her period. Wrapped in a ball in her bed, she groaned as she reached for the water that sat on her nightstand. God, the things she’d do for a heating pad. Glancing at the clock, she wanted to cry. She had classes in five hours, and she was pretty sure her uterus had no plans of relaxing. She should be used to the pain by now—she had been dealing with her period since she was fourteen—but she was a baby. She hated pain, and she especially hated the pain her period brought on.

  Rolling over in the bed, she wrapped her legs around her pillow and then cuddled into another pillow as she closed her eyes, hoping sleep would take her until she needed to teach classes. Thankfully, it was just her rec classes and little bits tonight. She wouldn’t have to do much and that was blessing, because she was pretty sure her uterus was about to fall out of her and just die. Blah, she felt like poo.

  When her phone began to ring, she groaned as she reached for it and looked at the display to see that it was Piper. She almost ignored it, but she hadn’t spoken to her sister in day, so she hit answer and said, “Hey.”

  “Hey, what are you up to?” Piper asked, way too happily in Reese’s opinion.

  “Nothing much, my uterus is just dying and all.”

  “Ack, that time of the month?”

  “Yup, and I’m dying.”

  “I know, I’m sorry. I hate that, and I miss not having it. I almost want to get pregnant again just to make it go away for nine months.”

  Reese laughed but stopped because it hurt. “But that won’t happen.”

  “No fucking way, Dimitri ruined childbirth for me,” she said but then she quickly added, “But Mama loves you and wouldn’t trade you for the world.”

  Reese smiled; she missed her little man. She hadn’t seen him in a while. That was her fault. She was working and having lots of sex with Phillip. Since giving up either of those things wasn’t going to happen any time soon, she needed to make the time to go over to see him and Ally. She promised to do that as Piper said, “So we are finally settled in our new house!”

  “Yay,” Reese said with as much excitement as she could muster.

  “Yeah, we are pretty excited! I was calling because I wanted to invite you over for a big dinner after Chicago. Hopefully, we can celebrate a winning competition and our house.”

  Reese smiled. “Count me in.”

  “Awesome, I’m gonna invite everyone. Mom, Dad, Harper, Jakob, Ally, Elli, Shea and their clan, and then Claire and Phillip.”

  She didn’t miss Phillip’s name, but there was no way in hell she was going to comment on his going. On one hand, it scared the piss out of her. She didn’t want him in the same room with her and her family, but then, on the other hand, it excited her. She wanted him there but then that freaked her out, so she ignored it.

  “Sounds good. Party time.”

  Piper was quiet for a moment. “So you’re good with Claire and Phillip?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Okay good, because I figured since Claire is basically family, since she is always with Harper and we all love her to pieces, and then with how you and Phillip are getting along, it just fit.”

  She was fishing, and Reese would not take the damn bait. “Sounds good to me.”

  “So you’re cool with Phillip being there? No big deal, y’all are still dating?”

  Reese rolled her eyes. “Bye Piper.”

  “No! Don’t hang up!”

  “What?”

  “You know what! Are y’all dating? We all saw you at the airfield. We weren’t sure, but then I saw you kiss him and I knew this was it! Mom is really excited because we knew the day would come when someone else would get close enough. Maybe it will work, and y’all can get married and be happy like—”

  Hanging up the phone, Reese threw it down on the bed, rolling her eyes. She knew it was coming, she had told Phillip so, but it didn’t mean she wasn’t annoyed. This was her family, she expected it, but the thing that bothered her most was that she wasn’t just annoyed with Piper—she was annoyed with the fact that she didn’t really care what they all thought. She was good with it. She was good with what she had with Phillip. He made her happy, they had fun, and there was no way she was messing that up. She liked things the way they were and so did he, so yeah, they’d go to dinner and nothing would change. They weren’t together; they were friends.

  That was all.

  When her phone went off again, she reached for it, about to hang up because she knew it was Piper, but it wasn’t, it was Phillip.

  “Speak of the devil.”

  He laughed. “Oh no, should I be worried you were just talking about me?”

  “Well, if you and Claire being invited to dinner with my whole family at Piper’s housewarming party makes you worried, then worry on, my friend,” she said, rolling onto her back and cringing.

  “That doesn’t make me worried at all. What’s the worst that can happen?”

  “They’ll have a preacher and a wedding set up?”

  He laughed at that, and she smiled at his low chuckle. Even with her dying ute
rus, he still made her tingle all over.

  “You’re crazy. Hey, is there a key down here I can use?”

  She paused. “Huh?”

  “I’m downstairs. Since you aren’t feeling good, is there a key I can use to get upstairs?”

  Shocked, she muttered, “Yeah, under the stone star by the stairs.”

  “Okay, see you in a bit.”

  She couldn’t believe he was here. He was supposed to be in Colorado, but that wasn’t what was making her panic. She looked like a crazy dead raccoon! He was going to be scared away! She wanted to jump up and try to look decent, but there was no way.

  Oh well, hopefully he’d still want to have sex with her after her uterus calmed down.

  When her door opened, she looked over at it and was surprised at what she saw. Of course, he looked freaking fantastic in a blue, button-up shirt with a bright red bow tie and khaki pants. His hair was brushed to the side and his eyes were extra bright from his shirt, but he also had his arms full of things. Kicking the door closed, he came towards her, a smile pulling at his lips before he reached the bed and leaned down to kiss her lips softly.

  She smiled as they parted, so glad to see him, and said, “What the heck? I thought you weren’t gonna be home for another couple of weeks?”

  He smiled as he laid the bags on her bed. “Claire had a parent-teacher conference I had to go to.”

  “Oh, cool, everything okay?”

  “Yeah, great, she’s on the A-honor roll.”

  Reese smiled. “That’s great.”

  “Yeah, I’m pretty proud of her. I think I might buy her a car when we get back from Chicago.”

  “She’ll love that.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, and I’ll probably get a head full of grey hair. Hope you like that type of thing.”

  She giggled as she flashed him a grin. “It’s hot.” He scoffed and Reese reached out, cupping his face. “She won’t disappoint you. She loves you.”