Crashing the Net

by Jami Davenport

  “He’s stronger than both of us, Coop, because any tough times we’ve lived through, he’s seen in spades.”

  Cooper nodded slowly as he turned to her. Nothing but concern and affection shone in her eyes. Her beautiful mouth was drawn in a tight line of worry. “It’s time to look ahead, instead of behind, to heal the scars of the past, and move onto a better future.”

  “Yes, it’s time.” She rubbed his arm, and her touch comforted him, warming him a little in this cold, soulless place.

  “That’s why I came here. To say goodbye, once and for all.” And to stop being a coward, to be the brave man Riley and Izzy deserved.

  “What happened here, Coop?” Izzy grabbed his hand. Hers was warm and dry, while his was cold and clammy.

  He stayed silent for a long while, gathering the nerve to put into words a summer he’d locked away in his mind, just as he’d been locked away all those years ago.

  “My siblings and I used to love this place. My aunt was childless and had us visit every summer. When Julie turned thirteen, and I was nine, our aunt married a guy we all adored. He was a city cop, an upstanding guy, and a good provider. Or so we thought. We were wrong. Eventually I came to hate Seattle because of him.”

  Izzy kept quiet, letting him talk at his own pace. He didn’t need prompting. It was as if once he started, he couldn’t stop, despite how hard it was for him. She leaned into his solid body, giving him the strength he didn’t have on his own.

  “The first summer we loved our new uncle. He was such a great guy, and he took us all sorts of places. The next summer, we knew as soon as we arrived that things had changed. Drastically. He’d turned into someone else, and my aunt tiptoed around him as if she were scared to death. He worked graveyard so he was home while she was at work. Instead of taking us fun places, he kept us inside with all the drapes shut. In fact, he hated us boys and liked my sister too much. He did weird things, like was really friendly with my sister. I didn’t understand at the time. But it got worse. He started locking my brother and me into a large steamer trunk during the day, sometimes for so long that we’d end up peeing our pants in there, then he’d spank us for doing so. And I mean spank. While we were locked in the trunk, we could hear our sister begging him to leave her alone. He swore he’d kill us all if we told anyone.”

  Cooper sucked in a breath. “We just wanted to go home and never come back, but we loved our aunt and were afraid of what he’d do to her as well as us if we said anything. If she suspected what was going on, she never said. Not once. She didn’t seem to know how to get out of the situation. He was a cop, and he had power she didn’t have.” Cooper paused and buried his face in Izzy’s shoulder, drawing in deep, calming breaths while she rubbed his back.

  “Oh, Cooper, I’m so sorry. So very sorry.” She held him to her, and he never wanted to leave her calming presence. He felt the love flowing from her to him and knew as he knew how to put a puck on the top shelf that she would forever be the best thing that ever happened to him.

  Finally, Cooper drew back and the words started again, as if he couldn’t contain them. Cooper avoided looking in her eyes. If he looked now, he’d lose it, and he couldn’t, not yet. Not until he’d told her everything.

  “One night he threatened all of us with a gun, shot it into the ceiling, and the neighbors called the police. Of course, a couple of his buddies answered the call and asked us a few questions. My sister spilled her guts, crying and wailing. My brother and I were so afraid of all of them that we said everything was fine. So they left, assuming my sister was being a dramatic teenager. But my aunt, she knew, I know she did. She never said a word, but the next day, we were on the plane flying home. Within twenty-four hours, she was dead.”

  Izzy stared at him, horrified. “He killed her?”

  “I’m positive he did, but it was ruled an accident. He claimed he’d been about to clean his gun and it misfired or some dumbshit excuse. We never said a word because we were so afraid he’d hunt us down and kill us and our parents.”

  “So your sister blames you for not speaking up that night?” Izzy wrapped her arms around his waist, holding him.

  “My sister blames everyone in her life—me, my brother, our parents. Hell, she blames Riley for being born. I see that now. I feel as if the sister I knew died in this house that summer.”

  “It wasn’t your fault. You were just a kid dealing with abuse and fear the best way you knew how.”

  “My sister never recovered from that summer. She’d been a happy, energetic teenager, loving, great student, and full of life. After that she turned sullen and angry, started hanging with the wrong crowd and went into self-destruct mode. Everything went downhill from there.”

  “I’m sorry, Cooper, so very sorry. Whatever happened to your uncle? Is he still around?”

  “No, he was shot by an armed robber about ten years ago. I’m glad or I’d have tracked him down and killed him with my bare hands.”

  Izzy nodded grimly. “That bastard wasn’t worth going to jail.”

  “No, he wasn’t, which is the only thing that held me back.”

  “Do your parents know about all this?” Izzy asked.

  “No, my mom has Crohn’s, and she would suffer a relapse if she knew the truth. I don’t know if she could handle it. Telling her won’t make the past go away.” Cooper glanced around the room one last time and turned to Izzy. “Let’s get out of here.”

  “Let’s do.”

  They headed back to the hospital and Riley.

  “Cooper,” Izzy said before they got out of the car, “I want you to know that it meant a lot to me that you shared your pain with me today.”

  “I’m glad I did, too.” Cooper took the key out of the ignition and turned to her, hugging her to him as best he could with the console between them. Much to his surprise telling her made him feel better, as if he’d cut free this anchor that’d weighed him down all these years.

  “We’ve come a long way,” Izzy said. “I always thought I had to be independent because of my parents’ irresponsible behavior and what it did to my sisters and me. I didn’t want to depend on anyone because I knew I’d be hurt, and they’d disappoint me.”

  “And now?”

  “I realize trusting someone enough to depend on them doesn’t mean that I have to give up my independence. That trust is power in itself.”

  He understood her words. Sharing his secret had miraculously minimized the past’s power over him. Yeah, he’d still be claustrophobic in tight spaces, and he’d jump when he heard a gun go off, but he’d finally started down the path to healing.

  They all had.

  “I love you, Izzy.” He cupped her face between his big hands and kissed the hell out of her. It was a kiss like no other, a kiss full of passion and promises, a kiss that gave hope, a kiss that healed.

  Chapter 23—Home Ice

  Cooper loved his early morning skates, just him and the sound of his blades gliding across the ice. He turned on the speed, relishing the wind he’d created in his hair, and the ache in his muscles as he pushed himself faster and faster.

  It was Christmastime, a month after the shooting, and Riley and Izzy’s life had settled into a routine.

  Cooper was so proud of his kid, and Riley was his kid, that his chest swelled with pride. Cooper had wanted to put Riley in a different school, but Riley refused his offer. He said he wanted to face what happened and be part of the healing process. Gina didn’t make it, but Riley took the news like a trooper, jumping in to help her parents with a memorial to her and the other kids who lost their lives.

  Riley and Cooper worked with the team and the Kids at Play organization to start the healing process for the school and the city. Tanner joined in, giving his time, along with generous donations. While Tanner still wasn’t one of Cooper’s favorite people, Cooper had to admit he was an all right guy. So was Ethan. Cooper and Ethan had started skating together again in the early morning hours a couple days a week.

  He con
tacted his attorney to take steps to adopt Riley, offering to pay Julie money to sign the papers. She took the money and ran. In some ways, he wished she had cared enough to fight for Riley, but she hadn’t. The court papers gave her visitation rights as long as she agreed to regular drug testing.

  So far she hadn’t bothered.

  Izzy insisted Riley go to regular therapy. While he wasn’t wild about it, he did it for her, which made Cooper smile. He called her Aunt Izzy now, and that made Izzy smile.

  They weren’t half bad at this parenting thing, and Cooper decided he wanted more kids and soon.

  He wasn’t sure what Izzy would think of that, but hey, he wanted them, just the same, and he’d convince her to see things his way. He was damn good at it, especially when they were in bed.

  The Sockeyes were winning more than losing. The city embraced the team, selling out almost every single game.

  Yeah, life was pretty good.

  Cooper had a few more loose ends to tie up before he opened the next chapter in his life. He didn’t like to leave anything hanging.

  When Ethan stepped onto the ice for their morning skate, Cooper was already breathing hard. He waited for Ethan to catch up to him, and they skated side by side around the rink several times. Ethan’s skating had improved considerably. Maybe he’d never be NHL caliber, but he was a damn good amateur skater.

  As they slowed to cool down, Cooper glanced over at Ethan. “My arm’s pretty sore.”

  Ethan gave him a sideways glance, “And you’re telling me this why?”

  Cooper pulled off his sweatshirt to reveal his bare chest.

  Ethan stumbled on the ice and skidded to a halt. Cooper skated a sharp circle and did a perfect stop a few feet in front of his boss. Hands on hips, chests heaving, both men stared at each other.

  “My agent will be calling Garrett next week, but I warn you, he’s a ruthless bastard, and he drives a hard bargain,” Cooper said.

  “So do I,” Ethan said with a slow smile.

  “Yeah, I’m sure you do.” Cooper smiled back.

  “Welcome to the Sockeyes for the next ten years, Mr. Black.” Ethan held out his hand.

  Cooper shook it firmly. “You’d better be putting some Stanley-Cup caliber teams on the ice, Mr. Parker, or there’ll be hell to pay. I expect nothing less.”

  “So do I.” Ethan sobered for a minute. “What changed your mind? I thought you hated Seattle.”

  “I thought I did, too. Guess I was wrong.”

  Ethan nodded a grin breaking across his face. “Let me buy you breakfast.”

  “It’d be an honor.”

  One down, one to go. Cooper grinned as he skated off the ice, feeling better about this decision than he’d ever imagined. He rubbed his arm. That damn new tattoo hurt. Cooper held up his arm and admired the blue and green fish with a Space Needle hooked in its mouth, Mount Rainier in the background, and a space for the Stanley Cup to be inked somewhere down the road. The tattoo artist did a fine job.

  Cooper was home, and it felt damn good.

  * * * *

  Izzy stood at the deck railing of the same tour boat where she’d first met Cooper. It was all decked out in Christmas lights for the annual Christmas boat parade on Lake Washington and Lake Union. Inside, she could see their table, complete with Riley and a few of his buddies, Tanner and a date, Cedric, Brick, a few other teammates, and her sisters.

  Cooper stood beside her, hugging her close. The night was cold and clear, but not even the chilly air could dampen her spirits. She loved Christmas, and right after Thanksgiving, she’d put up a huge tree. Riley and her sisters helped decorate, while Cooper and Cedric grumbled about having to put up Christmas lights on the eaves of the house.

  “Are you happy, honey?” Cooper asked, bending his head so his blue eyes stared straight into hers.

  “Ecstatic.” She smiled at him and pulled his mouth to hers, tasting the hot buttered rum on his lips and reveling in the warmth of his body.

  He nuzzled her cheek with his rough one. “Izzy, there’s something you need to know.” The seriousness of his tone made her stiffen and pull back slightly.

  “Is everything okay?”

  “I’m going to sign a new contract effective at the end of the season.”

  Izzy held her breath. Oh, God, here it came. The moment she’d been dreading. “With who?” She couldn’t keep the worry out of her voice.

  “The best team in the NHL with best ownership, coaches, and front office. It’s long-term, and I’ll retire with this team.”

  She held his arms tightly. “What team?”

  Cooper glanced out at the water. The Seattle skyscrapers and the Space Needle lit up the distant skyline. “The team that plays for the most beautiful city in the country.”

  “Cooper, you’re killing me here.”

  Cooper looked so serious, which made her dread his answer all the more. He was building up their new city before he dropped the bombshell, but she’d promised, and she’d follow him wherever he went.

  But damn, she’d miss Seattle.

  Then she noticed a smile tugging at the corner of Cooper’s lips and realized he was toying with her. The butthead.

  “What team?” she asked through gritted teeth.

  For a minute he didn’t answer, as if relishing her discomfort, the bastard. He met her gaze, his blue eyes sparkling with pure devilment. “The Seattle Sockeyes. Ever heard of them?” He grinned at her now.

  Izzy blew out a breath and started laughing, even though she wanted to throttle him for stringing her along. “Are you sure?”

  He nodded. “Positive. I’ve found my forever home. In fact, I bought it, just yesterday.”

  “Bought it?”

  “The house we’re in. It’s ours.”

  “Ours?” She loved that house, absolutely loved it. Love the funky early sixties’ style and how it hadn’t been modernized to the point of losing its character.

  “Yeah, ours.” He kept grinning, cluing her in that he wasn’t done with his surprises. “And guess what?”

  “What?”

  “A forever house needs a forever love. Don’t you think?”

  Before she could answer, he dropped to one knee and all the breath escaped her lungs.

  He took her hands in his and stared up at her. Oh, God, she couldn’t believe this was happening. Behind Cooper stood their entire group of family and friends, every one of them smiling.

  “Will you be my forever love, Izzy?” Cooper gazed up at her, his eyes filled with love and hope.

  She blinked back the tears and nodded furiously, unable to speak. He put a gorgeous diamond ring on her finger, a single stone ringed with sapphires and emeralds.

  “Blue for the water and green for the mountains,” he explained, but he didn’t need to explain. She knew what they stood for. She threw herself at him before he could stand and almost knocked him to the deck. Their friends and family cheered.

  He managed to stand with her hanging all over him and kissed her possessively on the lips. She was his, and he was hers. He broke the kiss and spun her around in a slow circle, while Izzy held him tightly to her, giggling with joy. When he let her down, Riley joined them for a group hug.

  In the distance, the Space Needle winked at her while Christmas lights reflected off the water on the shore, and the Seattle skyline welcomed her home.

  Their forever home, the perfect place for their forever love.

  ~ THE END ~

  Thank you for spending time in my world. I hope you enjoyed reading this book. If you did, please help other readers discover my books by leaving a review.

  For news on upcoming Jami Davenport books, sign up for my newsletter by clicking here.

  * * *

  COMPLETE BOOKLIST

  The following Jami Davenport titles are available in electronic and some are available in trade paperback format.

  Game On in Seattle—Seattle Sockeyes Hockey

  Skating on Thin Ice

  Crashing the B
oards

  Crashing the Net

  Love at First Snow

  Madrona Island Series

  Madrona Sunset

  Evergreen Dynasty Series

  Save the Last Dance

  Who’s Been Sleeping in My Bed?

  The Gift Horse

  Seattle Lumberjacks Football Series

  Fourth and Goal

  Forward Passes

  Down by Contact

  Backfield in Motion

  Time of Possession

  Roughing the Passer

  Standalone Books

  Christmas Break

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  If you'd like to be notified of new releases, special sales, and contests, subscribe here: http://eepurl.com/LpfaL

  USA Today Bestselling Author Jami Davenport is an advocate of happy endings and writes sexy contemporary and sports romances, including her two new indie endeavors: the Game On in Seattle Series and the Madrona Island Series. Jami's new releases consistently rank in the top fifty on the sports romance and sports genre lists on Amazon, and she has hit the Amazon top hundred authors list in both contemporary romance and genre fiction multiple times.

  Jami lives on a small farm near Puget Sound with her Green Beret-turned-plumber husband, a Newfoundland cross with a tennis ball fetish, a prince disguised as an orange tabby cat, and an opinionated Hanoverian mare.

  Jami works in IT for her day job and is a former high school business teacher. She's a lifetime Seahawks and Mariners fan and is waiting for the day professional hockey comes to Seattle. An avid boater, Jami has spent countless hours in the San Juan Islands, a common setting in her books. In her opinion, it's the most beautiful place on earth.