Just Another Season

by Longley, Avery J.

  Emma gave him another look like she was prepared to argue, but perhaps the weight of the day made it so that she was running out of fight and she just nodded at him, telling him, “I’ll handle moving and storage, if you guys can get my Grandpa’s chair over here, then that’ll be my big thing.”

  Standing up to wrap Emma in another hug, sensing she was beginning to fray again, Trent lowered his face into her hair, telling her soft, “We’ll get you through this sweetie. Can’t turn back time, but we can move forward, okay?”

  She only nodded her head and pressed her face further into his shirt.

  ~*~

  It hurt.

  If Emma could admit anything to herself as she watched a half-dozen hockey players loading up a U-Haul she’d managed to scrounge up on short notice, it was that the whole experience hurt. She’d moved the letter Ryan wrote into his bedroom, and deposited it on his computer desk before closing the door on him and that room.

  Her table, desk, and a good chunk of her ‘winter’ clothes were loaded into the U-Haul, leaving summer clothes and suits to be moved into Trent’s, to share closet space with his jeans and t-shirts. Trent, and one of the defensemen, Gabe Gordon, handled moving her grandfather’s chair, and it almost brought Emma to tears watching the care they showed the rough and tumble object. Before long, her TV and couch had joined the other meager objects in the U-Haul, and Emma joined the gathered hockey players. “Thank you guys. You don’t know how much I appreciate your help with this.”

  Gabe almost immediately spoke up, telling her, “We’re happy to help, and glad to know you’ll be somewhere safe. But if he gives you any trouble when the Captain isn’t around.” And one by one, pieces of paper with cell phone numbers slid her way, leaving Emma to bite hard on her lip to keep the tears at bay.

  Without even seeing him move, Emma felt Trent edge closer, and wrap an arm around her shoulders, leaning down to whisper in her hair, “It’s okay hon. Let it out if you need to. No one here is going to judge you for it.” But still, she resisted, and instead just leaned a bit closer to Trent, failing to notice Gabe’s eyebrows roof for a moment before settling back into their normal positions. “Gordon, you up for ridin’ with me, helpin’ us unload when we get there?”

  “Yeah sure. I’ll ride with you, Ms. Emma here can follow behind in her car, and we can all carpool back when we’re done.” Gabe replied, eyes a bit curious but locked on Trent’s the entire while.

  Trent resisted the urge to groan but did nod his head as he gave Emma another squeeze before letting her go so they could finish up Operation: Move Out.

  ~*~

  “You’re movin’ in where Goals left off mighty quick.”

  Trent had expected the comment as soon as he and Gordon were alone, but it didn’t prevent him from shaking his head and letting out a sigh. “It’s not like that, Gabe, I swear to you on my little niece’s head. It coulda been like that at one point, but that was before the season. Before the Goalie. We’ve stayed at least friends the entire time so fortunately there’s someone left around to pick her up, dust her off, and right her back onto her feet again.”

  Out of the corner of his eye, Trent noticed the defenseman giving him a small smirk. “So, then I don’t hafta threaten you to an inch of your life if you break her heart is what you’re telling me?”

  Flipping the other man off, Trent shook his head to the negative. “Naw, right now, my main priority is to be her friend. To help get my friend through her broken heart, and if maybe, maybe, some months down the line she feels it’s appropriate to give me another chance? Well, I won’t object to that.”

  “So, you did a number on her before the goalie was ever in the picture too, got it.”

  “No,” And Trent’s voice got softer, a trace sadder as he spoke, “I just didn’t know how to react to her interest until she’d grown tired of waiting for me to figure it out. Few weeks after that, Goals got hurt, had to move into her place, and the rest was history.”

  Again, Trent could feel Gabe giving him a curious eye as he questioned, “What, you of all people, never been in a relationship or something? I figured you, like our former captain, would have had them lining up at the door for the chance.”

  Trent snorted at him before turning the U-Haul into the storage lot, telling him in a simple voice, “That’s not me.” But after another moment he added, “But between you, me, and these closed doors, no. Never had a significant other before. And if that gets out.” Stopping the vehicle, Trent turned to give him a full dark-eyed glower.

  “Yeah, yeah, I’m not that stupid, trust me. Just never woulda guessed it for you.”

  Shaking his head as they climbed from the vehicle to prepare to empty it, Trent couldn’t help but wonder if Gabe’s thoughts there were a good thing or a bad.

  Chapter 33 - Sweet Dreams

  After a long, exhausting day that found Emma in tears more times than she’d care to admit, her ‘stuff’ was settled into Trent’s place. They’d gone back and forth on sleeping arrangements, Trent more than happy to give up his bed for her and to take the sleeper sofa. But in the end, Emma won the battle, convincing Trent that she could sleep well in Grandpa Connelly’s chair – that she’d done so many times before.

  The problem she encountered at bedtime though was one she didn’t expect. Every time Emma closed her eyes, started to settle into sleep, she saw images of Ryan sacked out in that same chair instead of herself. It was distracting, and more than that, it made the tears start anew once more.

  After a handful of hours just trying to push past her mental block, to try to keep the ghosts at bay, Emma gave up and climbed out of the chair, wandering into Trent’s open bedroom door and finding Trent splayed across his king-sized bed. With a brief hesitation, she moved to climb in alongside him, surprised to find the bed was a waterbed, and tucked in against his side.

  And even though she wasn’t sure how he’d feel about the arrangement once he woke up – come morning or sooner – his unconscious reaction was to wrap an arm around Emma and tug her closer. Closing her eyes once more, it wasn’t long before Emma found the restful sleep she’d been lacking in the chair.

  ~*~

  He wasn’t sure what woke him up – the urge to empty his bladder, or the arm circled around his bare chest. One wouldn’t have been a surprise but the other, quite a bit! In either case Trent carefully eased out of the bed, trying not to rock it too much, and even offering up his pillow for Emma to snuggle with as well, which she did. Watching her for several long moments, and hoping that his staring wouldn’t wake her up, Trent was left with quite the problem.

  Go to the bathroom, then go back to bed, knowing full well he’d wake up in the morning ‘happy to see her’? Or find someplace else to sleep that didn’t involve waking her again? Wandering off towards the bathroom, he paused when he noted that Emma’s chair was still reclined out, and after a brief detour in the bathroom, he moved off towards the chair. Hoping she’d understand and appreciate his absence when she woke, Trent climbed up into the chair, settling himself in, surprised by how comfortable the ragged chair was.

  Before long, Trent drifted back asleep, ankles dangling over the edge of the recliner, but comfortable nonetheless.

  ~*~

  The lack of body warmth was the first thing Emma was aware of when she woke in the middle of the night. And while she was in the possession of a pillow that smelled of Trent, she found herself lacking Trent himself. Where had he wandered off to, she wondered?

  Easing out of the bed and stretching out, aware of a dull ache in the small of her back, Emma went investigating, soon enough finding Trent sacked out in her grandfather’s chair. And like it had been so many months ago with Ryan, Emma found the tug to be closer hit her harder than she expected. As careful as possible, she moved to climb onto the chair with him, head tucked under his chin and body draped over his. And once again, his arm wrapped securely around her, holding her in close, making her smile.

  Maybe she’d found a way
to erase the demons of the chair, after all.

  ~*~

  It was the light of the morning casting in through his kitchen window that woke Trent up, rather than the warm body curled across his chest. Realizing she must have joined him at some time during the night, Trent bit on his lip, before stroking a hand through Emma’s hair, trying to wake her up.

  It took several minutes, but soon enough those gray eyes blinked open to gaze up at him, giving him a shy smile that momentarily took his breath away. “Good morning, sweetie,” he said in a soft voice, watching her blink the sleep from her eyes. “Are you feeling any better today?”

  “You’re here.” Emma murmured at him, settling her head back against his shoulder before admitting in a quiet voice, “Stomach is off though. Can only assume it’s the last 24 hours hitting me.”

  Shifting a bit to be able to press his hand against her forehead, Trent told her, “You are a little bit warm. Why don’t we get you settled back in the waterbed, and I’ll get you anything you need or want, okay?”

  Shyly, ducking her head down so that she was looking up at him through her lashes, she asked, “Will you stay close? I rested best when you were nearby, I could tell when you were gone.”

  Nodding his head at her, Trent nonetheless told her in a soft voice, “So long as it’s like this and nothing more, sweetie. I’m going to do everything in my power to not take advantage of you, to try and help you heal and get better.”

  With a sad smile, Emma nodded, agreeing, “That’s for the best, I think. Because I don’t know who or what I want at this point, but I know I need time to recover, to put the pieces of my heart back together again.”

  Giving her forehead a quiet kiss, Trent murmured, “I can’t guarantee I’ll behave. Lord knows my reputation with your ex precedes me there, but if anything comes between the two of us, I want it to be when you’re ready, not because I pushed you.”

  Rubbing her cheek against his neck, Emma nodded once more, telling him, “I know. All of that. And I respect that you’re trying to respect me.” And after another moment, she asked, “Can we go back to your bed? Curled up here is good, but I think we’d both be more comfortable there.”

  “Only if you let me feed us both first. Scrambled eggs and toast sound okay? Should be light on your stomach.”

  Smiling up at him through her lashes again, Emma agreed, “That sounds good.”

  Carefully pulling himself from beneath her, and adjusting himself when he hoped she wasn’t looking, Trent wandered off to the kitchen to make their breakfast. He didn’t think today was going to be much of a productive day, but if it was what Emma needed to start feeling more like herself, then so be it.

  Chapter 34 - The News

  Curled up in Trent’s waterbed with cell phone in hand, Emma debated which of her phone calls she wanted to make first: to her brother to request his help in finding a new place; or to Gabi and Devin to inform them of the latest developments. After a good deal of mental back and forth, the call was placed to the Malone household, where Emma wasn’t too surprised Gabi answered.

  “Hey you, haven’t heard from you in a few days, is everything going okay?”

  Emma couldn’t help the snort, telling her friend in a soft voice, “No, I was hoping you could invoke the non-renewal clause in my agreement with the team and the complex.” Taking a slow breath before continuing in an even softer voice, “Your brother and I are over.”

  Silence met her words for several moments before Gabi asked in just as soft a voice, “He did something stupid, didn’t he? He warned me, his birthday dinner, that he and Luke had done something incredibly dumb, and that it would soon bite him in the ass.”

  Choking back a hollow laugh, Emma answered, “You could say that. It seems there never was a real interest in a relationship with me. I was a bet between him and Luke. Who could get me between the sheets first.”

  “That little shit. I’ll beat his ass!”

  In the same soft voice, Emma told her, “I appreciate the sentiment, but it’s over, my friend. I can’t trust him any longer. Not when he couldn’t even tell me face to face, when he left a letter behind outlining his crimes.”

  “I reiterate, I’ll beat his ass!”

  “Don’t do anything on my behalf,” Emma murmured. “But as I said, I want to invoke my escape clause. I’ve got a place to stay for now, but once I get in touch with my brother, we’ll be looking for a new place for me to settle down. A townhouse maybe.”

  “Devin probably has a few properties you could look at – incomplete and not yet sold, or ones where deals fell through – maybe there’ll be something that suits your needs.”

  Managing a small smile, though her friend obviously couldn’t see it through the phone, Emma whispered to her, “Thank you for being so understanding. I know this can’t be easy for you, since it’s your brother, but I appreciate the support, the love.”

  “He may be my little brother, and I may love him with all my heart, but there are times when he doesn’t use that smart brain of his, and this is one of those times. I’m angry at him, but more than that, I’m sad that it came to this. You two seemed to work well as a couple.”

  “I still love him,” Emma whispered to her, “But I’m not sure I can ever trust him again.”

  “I don’t blame you, hon. I don’t blame you at all.”

  ~*~

  Waiting until there was silence from the bedroom for several minutes before daring to enter, Trent eased into the bedroom, no intention of letting Emma know he’d overheard at least her side of the conversation. He could see tears tracking down her cheeks and he moved to climb onto the bed with her, opening his arms and whispering to her, “C’mere, sweetie. It’s gonna be ok.”

  She curled into his arms without hesitation and pressed her face against his shoulder, dampening the shirt with her tears in relatively short order. It took her some minutes before she even tried to speak, voice soft against the fabric, “It huuuuuuuuuurts, Trent. It hurts so much.”

  “I know darlin’, and I wish I could take your hurt away for you.” Placing a soft kiss into her curls he asked in a soft voice, “Do you want to talk about it, or just lie here?” Her only response was to shake her head just a slight bit, and Trent nodded, even though she wasn’t likely to see it. “Then just get some rest, sweetie, see if it helps you feel any better. I’m not going anywhere in the meantime.”

  The hand clenching his shirt tightened before Emma nuzzled closer, shifting her face into the crook of his neck, much as she had been the previous evening. “Thank you.” She whispered against his skin, and it took every ounce of his willpower not to shiver at the feel of her breath so close.

  It took her some time but soon enough he could hear and feel her soft snores, could see and feel her body relax against his own. And throughout the time she slept, Trent just ran a hand down her back in a gentle, reassuring manner, trying to show her even in sleep that she was in a safe place, and taken care of.

  He let her sleep until almost lunchtime before dragging his fingers along her cheek, voice a soft whisper against her ear, “Wake up Emma. It’s time for lunch. You don’t have to move if you don’t feel up to it, but I would like to at least feed you.” She made a soft whiny noise at him before gray eyes drew open to gaze up at him and Trent smiled down at her, asking, “Feel any better?”

  “A bit. My stomach doesn’t feel like the Titanic now at least.” Resting her chin on his collarbone, she asked, “Now what was this I heard about lunch?”

  Chuckling soft at her sudden appetite, Trent smiled, murmuring, “I’ve got a great recipe my Gram used to make for me whenever I wasn’t feeling well. I think it might help settle your stomach a bit more. Shouldn’t hurt, at least.”

  Nodding, even managing a bit of a smile, Emma told him, “I think I’d like that. Even if it does mean I need to let you go.” And with her words she rolled off him, curling up alongside of him instead and just gazing at him without any further words.

  “This
won’t take too long, promise. Take another nap if you need to, I’ll wake you up again if I have to.”

  Emma gave him a shy smile at his words and nodded once more, waiting until Trent stood to grab his pillow and snuggle up to it. “I’ll be here.” She told him in a soft voice.

  “I know sweetie. And I’ll be back soon, I promise.”

  And for the first time since she’d arrived, the smile on Emma’s face seemed sincere.

  ~*~

  After having and enjoying Trent’s ‘secret recipe’ lunch, the soft-boiled eggs with just a touch of butter and milk, Emma spent another few hours curled up against Trent’s side before finally deciding to call her brother.