Zambonis and Mistletoe - A Holiday Romance (The Renegades Series Book 4)

by Melody Heck Gatto

  “Where are we going?” She really didn’t care where he was leading her, right now she’d go anywhere with him. But her curiosity got the best of her.

  “Don’t you know better than to ask that yet? I’m not going to tell you.” He fought back a laugh without much luck.

  “Fine,” she said, mildly irritated. But as they walked through the halls of the Rivers Arena, she really did wonder where they were going. The elevator took them down past the lobby, and down towards the locker rooms. Her stomach dropped as she felt the rush of cold; they were close to the ice. As nice as their dinner had been there, she still disliked being near it. Her speed slowed, and she fell a step behind him.

  He stopped and turned to her. “You okay?”

  “Yeah, I guess. We’re not going on the ice, are we?” Her voice shook. Visions of her flying in the air flooded her thoughts.

  “Don’t worry, I would never put you in danger. Just trust me.” He reached out for her hand and led her down towards the end of the hallway.

  Quietly she followed him to where the Zamboni was parked. They had gone this way the night of their dinner. But this time the ice was still exposed; her stomach did flops but she trusted him. She had no reason not to. After all, it wasn’t his fault she’d taken her tumble on the ice.

  A man in a Renegades jacket stood by the doors. He nodded to them, “Nick. Ready?”

  After Nick nodded, the man opened up the doors leading to the ice and Nick pulled her in that direction.

  Seeing the ice made her heart race, and not in a good way. The man climbed onto the Zamboni and drove it on to the ice, then shut the engine off. As he passed Nick, he said, “All yours.”

  “What’s all yours?” Her head was starting to spin.

  “Follow me.” He looped his arm tight around her waist, bracing her against his hard body as they walked out on to the ice. “I won’t let you fall, I promise.” He stopped at the Zamboni. “Here we are.”

  “What?”

  “Here.” He pointed to the Zamboni. “Give me your hand and I’ll help you up.”

  Not having any idea what he was talking about, she took his hand. He hiked her up to the seat on the side of the Zamboni. What is he doing? Am I riding this thing?

  “Now stay there, and let me hop up in the driver’s seat.” He hurried up onto the bench and turned on the engine.

  “Wait, are you going to drive this thing?”

  “Of course. Hold on.” Before she could protest he was driving the big machine around the ice. Her initial panic faded and it was actually pretty fun the way it glided around the ice. The arena lights dimmed except for a spotlight lighting up the ice surface. Graphics of red and green holly danced along the monitors that surrounded the arena seats. Christmas music blared over the speakers.

  Lasers created holiday images that danced on the ice. It took her breath away. After taking their last lap around the ice, Nick leaned over and kissed her temple. The seating really wasn’t perfect for a mid-ice kiss, so she pushed that from her mind. But the way he’d gently dropped that kiss on her head was sexy enough.

  As they made one last loop around the rink, heading for the exit doors, a figure was waiting by the Renegades’ bench.

  “Aw, aren’t you two cute?” Tyler stood at the bench watching them.

  She felt her face warm at his comment.

  It’s not like they were making out mid-ice, it was just an innocent peck. But she still felt like her face must be beat red; it sure burned enough.

  “Tyler don’t you have interviews to do?” Nick questioned with authority, but his tone was joking.

  “Did them. Heard the music and figured I better come see what was going on.”

  “Well, you saw. Time to go now, right?” Nick sounded as if he was all but pleading.

  “Okay, okay.” Tyler smirked. “Night Rylee, Nick.” He waved before he disappeared down the hallway.

  “Well, our ride is almost over. Mind if I drive it off the ice?”

  “No—I would prefer that, actually.” She’d prefer any opportunity to step down onto concrete versus ice.

  The large machine slid off the ice and into the hallway. Nick jumped down off the bench and quickly grabbed for her. Wrapping his arms around her, he lifted her down to the floor. They spent a moment with his arms tangled around her; she didn’t want to move and didn’t want this to be over.

  The empty arena, the lights, the music. It was all surreal and magical. Nick ran his knuckle gently down her cheek, pushing her hair out of her face. His lips were so close to hers, and her heart skipped a beat. She wanted this. There was no moment more perfect. But his lips brushed her cheek instead, and still it made her heart flutter.

  “Did you enjoy yourself tonight?” He almost whispered in her ear, his breath tickling her.

  “Yes, thank you. I did.”

  “Good, so did I.” He gently ran his hands down over her back, and back up again, making her lean into him. “I like you Rylee. I want to spend more time with you.” He pulled back so he could look into her eyes. “I don’t know why, but I can tell you’re having a difficult time letting me in. But I want to give this… whatever is between us a chance. I want you to give me a chance.”

  She frowned, uncertainty hovering in the corners of her heart. “Nick, I don’t—”

  He put his fingers over her lips. “Shh. You don’t have to say anything now. Just promise me you’ll think about it.”

  Her voice failed her at that moment, the blood rushed to her head and her heart raced. All she could do was nod.

  CHAPTER 13

  A few days had passed and Rylee couldn’t keep Nick off her mind. He called a few times a day and texted, but besides that her days had been quiet. Which is probably why she hadn’t dug her heels in at the opportunity to go with Paige when she called.

  The Renegades were hosting a private party for the Children’s Hospital and Paige had somehow managed to convince her to tag along. What would she do there, she’d argued with Paige. She wasn’t with the team and was worried she’d be out of place. But Paige swore she would be fine, and Paige was not an easy person to say no to.

  Keeping up with her friend’s pace, she hurried behind her down the hall. Some children were gathered by the nurse’s station beside a Christmas tree.

  “Rylee, c’mon!” Paige called over her shoulder.

  Paige stopped by the tree where Tyler was helping some of the kids decorate it. Patrick Dubois was talking to some children who were sitting around the tree.

  “Hey kids!” Kaden O’Conner called as he entered the area carrying a bag full of goodies. The kids cheered, and some jumped up and down, and Rylee smiled at their excitement.

  Kris Lafleur was behind him also carrying a sack of goodies. They were getting into the Christmas spirit; all of the players had Santa hats on. As a handful of kids surrounded Kaden, Kris walked over to a group of children in wheelchairs. Some were hooked up to IVs and not very mobile. It was sad to see these sick kids stuck here during the holidays, but their faces were priceless when they interacted with the Renegades players.

  Nick had to be here somewhere; it was just a matter of finding him. She hadn’t told him she’d be here, because she really didn’t know herself until Paige dragged her out of the house. She was glad she agreed to come though. Her heart warmed watching each player take his time with the children.

  Paige waved to Tyler, flashing him a cute smile.

  “You two are adorable,” Rylee said, her words laced with sarcasm. She loved Paige, but somedays they were cuteness overload.

  “Speaking of adorable, will it be your turn anytime soon? You and Nick have been spending a lot of time together.”

  Absently grabbing at her necklace she thought a moment before saying, “Maybe.”

  Paige’s eyebrows shot up. “Maybe? Wow. I wasn’t expecting that.”

  “Yeah well, it just feels like it could be time...” Her thoughts started spinning through her mind.

  Their last d
ate was amazing and perfect. He couldn’t have been more of a gentleman. She had thought for sure that he’d been going to kiss her. With him so close and his cologne doing weird things to her brain, she just wasn’t sure if she was ready for that next step, and yet she hadn’t moved away. Then, after he had left, she stood at the mirror staring at her reflection, and the gold heart around her neck had caught her attention. Her heart had twisted almost painfully, and she felt as though she was clinging to the edge of a cliff. After all this time holding on to the past, it was terrifying to admit she might really be ready to let go. Nick just might be it. Was she ready to give him a chance? Was it really time?

  “Really?” Paige cut into her thoughts. “Cause you’re still hanging on to that necklace for dear life.” Beneath Paige’s teasing, Rylee heard the concern in her friend’s voice.

  “It’s not what you think, and I know you won’t understand, but the necklace just may have helped me make this decision.” It’s true she was rolling it between her thumb and fingers and running her finger tips over the gold, but it was comforting. Right now, she needed all the comfort she could find. The idea of moving on with someone was new and scary. If Scott really was okay with it, maybe he could give her the strength to get through it.

  “You know you don’t need his help.”

  “Who?”

  “Scott.”

  Rylee stared at Paige before moving her stare to the floor. Hearing her say his name was hard, like a blow to the chest.

  “Rylee, you are a strong woman. I believe if this is what you want, you can do this all on your own. If you think Nick will make you happy, just go for it. And if he is not the one, there are plenty of other guys out there. But you have to take that first step.”

  “And if he’s not the one? I don’t want to get hurt.”

  “Rylee, we all get hurt. It’s part of life. By the way, loving and hurting, it’s all the same, it’s how we know we’re alive, and I know that may sound insensitive, but it’s true. Going through life not feeling anything isn’t really living. So take a chance.”

  “You aren’t wrong.” She knew Paige was right. Was her mind made up? Was it really time to move on? Nick wanted to take her out again, and now was the perfect time to find him and tell him yes. She took a deep breath. “Is he here?”

  “He should be.” Paige looked around and pointed down the hall. “I think he should be down that way. I know they set up a conference room for lunch and treats, and Santa of course.”

  “Who is dressing up as Santa?”

  “Sal, the assistant coach. This is going to be epic; I can’t wait to cover this. Melanie is taking the pictures and I’m mingling with the kids, making sure everyone has a good time. I’ll take some cell phone pics and do a wrap up later today on the website.”

  “Okay, well… I’m going to see if I can find Nick, are you coming?” Rylee was barely able to stand still, her mind and her heart both in a spin over the fact that maybe she was ready to do this. That she needed to do this.

  “You go ahead. I’ll catch up with you. I just want to talk to Tyler for a second. I’ll be right there.”

  Rylee nodded and started down the hall. Her heart pounded in her chest; she couldn’t believe she was going to do this. But she knew he was waiting for her to make the next move, and she felt ready. It was time to move on, and Nick was who she wanted to move on with.

  She found the conference room and paused in the doorway to catch her breath. There was Nick, standing at the back of the room by Santa’s chair. There was another Christmas tree and wrapped gifts. Tables were made up with green and red tablecloths and plates of cookies.

  She took a cleansing breath and was ready to march right up to him and accept his invitation to another date. But she stopped in her tracks as two young ladies dressed as elves approached him. One was tall, slim and gorgeous. Her long wavy blond hair bounced on her shoulders every time she laughed. She grabbed at Nick’s arm, standing way too close for Rylee’s comfort as the other girl, a pretty, petite brunette, batted her eye lashes at him and rubbed at his side.

  What the hell?

  He must’ve been saying something funny because the blonde laughed way too hard, grabbing her stomach like he was the funniest person in the world. The brunette continued to flirt with him, pretending to brush something off his shoulder.

  Rylee couldn’t move, staying within the comfort of the door frame, letting it take some of her weight because suddenly her legs felt weak. She surely couldn’t compete with either of those beautiful girls.

  Paige appeared at her side. “Hey, did you find him—”

  “Shhh!” Rylee scolded. She pointed to the back of the room.

  “What are we—oh…”

  As Paige joined her spying, Nick slid his arm around the blonde and pulled her into a tight hug, then placed a kiss on her cheek.

  “Rylee, maybe we should—” But before Paige could say anymore, Rylee tore off down the hallway. “Rylee! Wait!”

  This was not how things were supposed to go. Rylee’s stomach twisted into knots and her chest burned. How could she be so stupid to think she was ready to move on? Nick surely wasn’t waiting around for her. Tears threatened to fall, but she refused to cry here.

  She was far enough ahead of Paige that she was unable to catch her. Especially not in those stripper heels that Paige liked to wear. Rylee didn’t know where she was going; she just needed to get out of here.

  Where was the stairway? There had to be one around here somewhere. Spying the sign above the doorway, she hurried to it, until she heard him.

  “Rylee! Wait!” It was Nick. His voice carried down the hall as he tried to catch up to her, but he was too far away and she was almost at the steps.

  There was no way she was going to talk to him here, not after his little public show of affection with the sexy elves. She just needed out of here. There was no way she’d be able to run down the steps with her ankle; he would surely catch up to her. But the elevator was just up ahead, and the loud ding meant it was opening to this floor. Moving quickly she hopped into the car and frantically hit the button to close the doors. They were closing slowly but at least they were closing.

  Please close before he gets here, please, she silently begged the doors. She didn’t want to be trapped in this elevator with him. Her face burned, her chest heaved and her mind was spinning. She wasn’t ready to talk to him. Although she wasn’t clear about what she’d just seen, it made her sick to her stomach. It was all she needed to send slivers of doubt into her heart, to question her choices.

  “Rylee!” Nick called, just as the doors shut.

  Whew. Her full weight was now being supported by the elevator wall. Her legs were weak and shaking, not able to hold her up on their own. She was headed down to the parking garage before she realized she didn’t have a way home. She had driven here with Paige. Continuing to move for fear Nick would catch up with her, she thought on her feet. How was she going to get home? She was in the middle of town. Looking up, her eyes caught the back end of a taxi. This was Pittsburgh, and taxis weren’t everywhere like in New York, but she knew they made rounds in town. She pulled her phone from her pocket, looked up their phone number and dialed as she power walked along the sidewalk.

  “Hi, I need a taxi. I’m on Forbes by the drug store.”

  There was a car in that area and would be there in about five minutes.

  “Thank you.” She ended the call and searched the sidewalk for Nick. She wasn’t seeing him, and that gave her a little relief. She wasn’t ready to face him.

  ***

  Her phone had been ringing non-stop since she got home. Her head hurt from crying, and she wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone. It wasn’t so much the loss of Nick; she’d only just met him. It was the fact that she was so stupid. He’d made a fool out of her. Made her think she had a good reason finally to reevaluate her life, to consider moving on after all these years. Made her feel that happiness might be within her grasp. Just the tho
ught of him made her stomach twist, and the knot that had taken up residence there pulled tighter.

  Paige wasn’t letting up, and Rylee wondered if she had some information about those girls. After all, if they were in the organization, she would be able to find out. Taking in a deep breath she picked up her cell phone.

  “Yes, Paige.” Her voice was shaky and hoarse. Why was she so upset over this guy that she’d just met?

  “Rylee, I was able to find out that they are both Ice Girls.” There was no sense in formalities between them, asking how Rylee was doing would’ve been a waste of time, Paige obviously already knew how upset she was. “The brunette’s name is Tanya Smyth, and the blonde is Kourtney Miller.”

  She was grinding her teeth as Paige spoke. It felt even worse knowing their names, because that made them real. Real women who had Nick’s interest.

  “Are you listening to me?” Paige interrupted her thoughts.

  “I am. But I’m not sure why it matters.”

  “It matters because you like him.”

  “Not anymore.” That was a lie. She liked him more than she realized and seeing that he had Kourtney Miller all over him hurt a lot more than it should.

  “Liar. Look, it took you a long time to get here. Don’t let this ruin it.”

  “You did see what I saw, right? He put his arm around her and kissed her!” Why did Paige always have to be so level headed?

  “I did.” She paused. “Let me tell you what else I found on her, okay?”

  “Whatever.” Rylee bit out.

  “She is twenty-one, has been an Ice Girl with the team since she was eighteen. Looks like she works with a few non-profit charities, but one cancer charity in particular she is the head of.”

  “Well isn’t she just wonderful?”

  “Rylee Davis, listen to me. You need to talk to Nick and find out what’s going on. Put it all out there and tell him how you feel. Things aren’t always what they seem; we of all people know that.”

  Her words reminded her of Scott. They hadn’t seen what everyone else saw. They had seen the real Scott. He’d been kind, sweet, and very smart. He could’ve been something big if he hadn’t…