“Yes, just like that. Only I won’t make the mistake of having kids. This is what I want to do, what I’ve always wanted to do, with or without your approval.”
Izzy glanced over at Riley, knowing he was getting an earful. He kept his back to them as he studied the trophies, picking several up and reading the inscriptions. He paid more attention to her sister’s prizes than Izzy ever had. In fact, with a twinge of guilt, Izzy tried to remember if she’d ever attended one of her sister’s horse shows.
Not that she could recall.
She’d always prided herself on being there for her sisters because their parents weren’t. She’d attended their high school choir concerts, their sports activities, yet she’d never attended any of Avery’s horse shows. Mostly because she didn’t approve of the horses. Considering how expensive horses were, she’d resented the time Avery spent with them, the money she’d spent on them, even though it’d been money Avery earned. Every penny Izzy earned went toward her sisters, and Izzy disliked Avery’s selfishness. So she’d responded in the only way she could, by being absent at the one thing Avery held most dear.
Izzy swallowed hard and looked into the cold eyes of her sister. She’d never seen Avery so angry. Turning to Riley, Izzy pointed toward the door. “It’s time we go.”
Riley glanced from Izzy to Avery and back. “Yeah,” he said, visibly relieved they were leaving.
Izzy hugged Emma, who was obviously distressed that her attempt to reconcile her two sisters failed miserably. She turned to Avery and nodded. “Good night, Ave, you know how to reach me if you need me.”
“I won’t need you,” Avery responded stiffly.
That was exactly what Izzy was afraid of.
* * * *
Riley kept his mouth shut as they drove down the long driveway and onto the country road and wondered why the adults in his life always disappointed him. He’d considered Izzy as near perfect as a person could get until tonight. She’d been his champion, and he was pretty damn sure that Izzy was responsible for his uncle’s change of heart toward him.
He’d adored her until this evening. Gone were the good feelings he’d had flirting with the daughters of one of the players at the party. Now he felt this big lump in his gut, as if he’d eaten concrete, and it’d hardened in his stomach.
“You’re mad,” Izzy finally said.
“No,” Riley lied.
“Yes, you are. I can feel the disappointment and disapproval rolling off you in waves, and I want to set the record straight.” She didn’t look at him but kept her eyes on the road.
“Go ahead.” Riley looked at her beautiful profile in the dashboard light. He’d always been a tiny bit jealous of Cooper for having such a gorgeous girlfriend. Tonight, not so much.
“Avery has always been a top student; she had her pick of colleges, earned scholarships, and only had a year and a half to go until graduation.”
“What’s her major?”
“Pre-med.”
Riley was surprised. Avery didn’t seem the doctor type, whatever type that was. “Was that her idea or yours?”
“She’s always wanted to be a—” Izzy stopped in mid-sentence as if suddenly realizing something. “I mean the family always had such high hopes for her.”
Riley blew out a breath. “Maybe they aren’t her hopes.”
Izzy glanced at him, a funny look on her face. As if she’d just realized something.
Riley figured he’d gotten this far, why stop now. “Why aren’t you proud of your sister?”
“Proud of her?”
“Did you see all those trophies? She’s good.”
“I, uh, horses aren’t a viable career path.”
“Maybe they are to her. She’s won all these championships. It can’t be easy. I mean, piloting around huge animals like that.” Riley watched her face, pretty sure he was actually getting through to her.
Izzy sighed and said nothing, but Riley could tell what he said bothered her. He stared out the window, deep in thought. He had his own troubles, most of which centered around his missing mom, his guilt over enjoying his new life, and the realization that he didn’t want it to end. Sure, he wanted his mother found, but he wanted to live in a normal household rather than dumpster diving for his next dinner or getting teased by kids ’cuz his clothes were torn and dirty.
The weirdest thing had happened when Uncle Cooper left for this last road trip. Riley kinda missed his uncle. Strange, but true. They’d been getting along okay, and Uncle Coop had made it to Riley’s game which shocked the shit out of Riley, but he loved having his uncle there. He’d even called and texted him a few times since he’d been gone.
Riley wanted to live with his uncle permanently, but his mother needed him, and as soon as Uncle Cooper found her, he’d have to move back in with her. Someone had to take care of her, try to keep her off the drugs and be there when she came down from a high.
What if she never came back? The thought made Riley’s stomach hurt even worse so he tried not to think about it.
Uncle Coop would send him away to live with grandparents he’d never met. He didn’t want to live with old people. He wanted to stay right where he was, play with the same guys on the same team all through high school, like normal kids did. Was that really too much to ask?
For him, it probably was because if anyone knew about living a tough life, Riley sure as heck did. He also knew that stuff never worked out for him. Just when things were going well, the bottom would drop out and everything would fall to pieces. But Izzy liked Riley. Izzy might convince Uncle Coop to let him stay.
“Do you love Uncle Coop?” Riley asked.
Izzy was quiet for so long, Riley assumed she wouldn’t answer. “Why would you ask a thing like that?” she finally said.
“Because of the way you look at him, how you’re always together or texting. Isn’t that what people do when they’re in love?”
Izzy choked and her face turned red. Really, really red. Riley almost laughed. And they said teenagers were flaky. “I like him. A lot,” she admitted.
“Are you going to marry him?”
She coughed again. “I think it’s a little early for that.”
“Isn’t that what normal people do? Fall in love and get married?”
Izzy glanced at him. In the light of a street lamp he saw pity in her eyes. “Riley,” she hedged.
He’d come too far to stop now. “We could be a family if you guys got married.”
She reached over and patted his shoulder as they pulled into Cooper’s garage. “Riley, don’t get your hopes up. Cooper’s set on leaving Seattle, and I’m not.”
Riley’s heart sank. “I can’t leave either. I can’t leave my mother.”
“Then I guess you’ll need to get those crazy thoughts out of your head.”
Riley got out of the car and trudged into Cooper’s house, feeling more lost and alone than he had in weeks. If Uncle Cooper moved, then every hope and dream he’d had these past couple months moved with him.
Nothing ever worked out for Riley Black.
Nothing.
* * * *
Thank God for roommates who were man whores and partiers. Cooper could count on at least an hour or two alone in his room every night. Cedric was so hyped up after a game he’d either find a willing female or party with the boys. Cooper jacked off while having video phone sex with Izzy.
It didn’t make up for the real thing, but it was close.
Yet, it wasn’t just the sex. They talked. Actually talked. He couldn’t recall when he’d spent as much time talking to a woman as he did having sex with her. He loved talking to Izzy, loved that she didn’t cater to him, but was honest and straightforward. They talked about anything and everything. Her family. His family. Riley. Their dreams. Their hopes. She even gave him tips on his game.
Cooper talked to Riley a few times, too. The kid had a girlfriend and sounded so happy. Riley’s happiness gave Cooper a warm feeling inside, like he’d done something truly
good and meaningful for the kid.
The team won two out of three on the road with two more games to go on Sunday and Tuesday night. Cooper couldn’t wait to get home.
It was Saturday night, and Izzy happened to be working. Cooper didn’t feel like going to the room and sitting by himself so he headed for the hotel bar. Across the room sat a table full of his teammates, as usual. Near the door sat Ethan and Coach. Cooper fast-tracked it to his guys and was almost home free when Ethan called to him.
Reluctantly, he turned and walked back to their table. “Yeah?” he asked as he looked down at them.
Ethan nudged a chair with his foot. “Have a seat, Coop.”
Cooper dropped his big body into the chair, while Ethan signaled for a waitress to bring Cooper a beer. They made small talk until she’d delivered another round of drinks and left.
“So,” Cooper cut to the chase, “you didn’t call me over here to chat. What’s up?”
A smile tugged at the corner of Ethan’s mouth. “Cooper, I know I should be talking with your agent, but I wanted to approach you directly first because that’s how I do business.”
Cooper shrugged non-committedly, but he had a good idea what was coming. Less than a month ago, he knew what his answer would be, now he wasn’t so sure. There were so many variables. Riley and Izzy, to name a few.
Cooper raised a brow. “What do you want, Ethan?”
Ethan’s slow smile seemed almost predatory; at the least it was calculating. “I want what’s best for the team, and that happens to be you. You’re the heart and soul of this team. The cornerstone. The piece that makes all the other pieces fit together.”
Cooper glanced at Coach, who was rubbing his chin and saying nothing.
“We’d like to wrap you up before you enter unrestricted free agency, and we’ll make you the richest man in the NHL.”
“It’s not about the money. It never has been.”
“Okay, what is it about?” Ethan pushed.
“Stuff you can’t change.” Cooper stared at a point on the wall. A nerve ticked in his jaw and his head pounded.
“I can’t change the weather, if that’s your complaint,” Ethan said quietly. “But anything I can change, I will. The Sockeyes’ organization is committed to putting championship teams on the ice year after year. We need you to do that. You’re irreplaceable.”
“Cooper,” Coach finally spoke. “This is one of the best organizations in the NHL, even though it’s in its infancy.”
Cooper nodded slowly. “I know. It’s not that. Not anymore. It’s Seattle. I can’t stay there.”
Both men stared at him like he was nuts. Maybe he was, but the gray clouds hanging over Seattle had nothing to do with the weather, and the only way to exorcise the demons from his past was to leave Seattle and never look back.
Cooper stood and shook both men’s hands. “Thanks, but I’m not interested.”
“That won’t stop me from trying,” Ethan promised.
Cooper shrugged and headed for his teammates, but his phone vibrated. It was Russ. Cooper took a detour to a quiet table and sat down. “Russ, you have news for me?”
“Yeah, I do. I found her.”
“Is she in jail?” That was the only plausible explanation Cooper could imagine for his sister abandoning her son and not bothering to look for him.
“No. She’s in Tacoma with a guy. Some biker dude who works as a bouncer at a strip joint. They’re living in a trailer park.”
“Seriously? Is he holding her against her will?”
“No, she’s been coming and going.”
Cooper sat back in his chair and absorbed this information. “Are they doing drugs?”
“Meth, at least.”
Anger vibrated through Cooper. “I want to talk to her. Can you keep her in your sights until I get back next week?”
“Sure, as long as you keep those checks coming.”
“You know I will. Thanks. I appreciate all your help.”
“Just part of the job,” Russ said. Being a man of few words, Russ ended the call. Cooper wrapped his hands around the cold glass of beer and stared at the painting on the wall of a tranquil farm with rolling green meadows. Only he didn’t feel so tranquil right about now. He was pissed at his irresponsible sister. She’d walked away from Riley without a word, not even bothering to make sure he was okay or dropping him off somewhere so he’d be safe.
God, he wanted to throttle her. He didn’t give a shit about what she did with her life, but Riley didn’t deserve her neglect.
Shit. Cooper buried his face in his hands.
Riley didn’t deserve his neglect either.
No longer feeling like joining the guys, Cooper took the elevator to his room and lay on the bed in the dark, staring at the ceiling and waiting for Izzy to call.
He needed to talk to her in the worst way, needed her sympathy and understanding and her sound advice. With her mama-bear attitude toward Riley, she’d be even more pissed than Cooper was.
He’d be home soon and in her arms once again.
He missed her, he needed her, and he loved her.
Jesus, he loved her. He did. He really did. And it changed everything. Maybe he’d made bad choices in the past when it came to women, but he’d protected his heart too long. Life was pretty boring without risk, and Cooper had always been the ultimate risk-taker.
Loving her was a risk he’d take, and he couldn’t wait to tell her.
That was the last thought he had before he fell asleep.
Chapter 17—Out of the Game
Izzy woke up to warm lips on hers. She curled into Cooper and sighed happily. He held her close, drugging her with his urgent kisses.
“You’re home,” she said sleepily.
“Damn, I missed you,” he said against her mouth.
“Me, too.”
He cut her muffled response short as his mouth toyed with hers, while his big strong hands cupped her butt, pulling her tight against his erection.
“You feel so good,” she whimpered and laid little kisses along his shoulder and collarbone.
“So do you, baby, so do you.” He nipped and bit his way down her body, making short work of the oversized Sockeyes T-shirt she’d worn to bed. His hands slid up her body to her breasts, and she closed her eyes, enjoying his hard body pressed against her softer one.
In a matter of seconds, she was flat on her back, and he was moving inside her. She arched her back and took him deeper, her fingernails digging into his bare back. He set a strong rhythm. Despite the obvious difficulty he was having holding back, he slid in and out of her, refusing to let her hurry him along.
It didn’t take them long to climax and collapse in a sweaty heap of tangled limbs and spent bodies.
Izzy lay in contented silence with her head resting on his broad chest. Cooper held her loosely to him, his now steady breathing causing his chest to rise and fall under her cheek. She wanted to talk to him about Riley, but somehow she didn’t think this was a good time.
“Izzy?” His voice vibrated in her ear.
“Yes?”
A long pause. She could tell he was holding his breath. She waited, forcing herself to be patient. A girl couldn’t hurry a man like Cooper.
“I’m in love with you,” he said simply.
Izzy raised up and looked him in the eyes. “You are?” Her heart soared with joy, and a small smile sneaked onto her face. Even a few weeks ago, his declaration would’ve frightened the hell out of her, but not now because she’d fallen in love with him.
“Yeah. That doesn’t surprise you, does it?” He watched her intently, as if her answers were as crucial to him as his breathing.
Izzy thought about his question for a split second, but she already knew the answer. “No, not really.”
“I love you, Izzy,” he said again, as if savoring the taste of the words on his tongue. She savored them, too, embraced them, and oddly enough they didn’t scare her like she thought they would.
“I
love you, too, Cooper.” She said the words without thinking, without taking the time to protect her heart. She said them because she felt them from the tips of her raspberry plum toenails to the roots of her brunette hair. He’d been special from the moment she hooked her arm in his and pretended to be his girlfriend, despite his shock and annoyance at a total stranger accosting him at a party. Yes, she’d known, and now he knew.
“I know you do.” His slow sexy smile warmed every empty place inside her. He kissed her forehead and laced his fingers behind her back.
“Conceited much?” She winked at him, feeling her own smile spread across her face.
He chuckled. “Confident. There’s a difference.” He studied her face, and his smile faltered a bit. “I sense a but.”
“What kind of future could we possibly have? You want out of Seattle, and I won’t leave.”
“We’ll work it out. We’re in love.” He planted little kisses on her checks.
“Sometimes love isn’t enough,” she said. “This isn’t just about location. There’s more to it than that.”
“What is enough, Izzy? If location isn’t a deal breaker, tell me what is, and I’ll fix it.”
“How about trust? Mutual respect. Letting go and not trying to control the outcome of every aspect of your life and the lives of the people around you.”
“It’s hard to trust when the people who are supposed to care about you let you down,” he said.
“Hello. This is me you’re talking to.” Izzy managed a smile.
“True, but we don’t have to solve the world’s problems tonight. We have lots of time to figure this out. In the meantime, I have news.”
“News?” She couldn’t imagine news any bigger than the news he’d just given her.
“Russ found my sister.”
Izzy sat up, wrapping the sheets around her and flipped on the nightstand light. “He found her? Is she okay?”
“I almost wish she wasn’t. At least then I’d be able to understand why she deserted Riley.”
“Where is she?” Izzy hugged herself, feeling cold after feeling so warm.
Crashing the Net Page 20
