Ice Dreams Part 1

by Melissa Johns

One of the other teammates jumped in. “Guys, knock it off. Miller, you were way out of line. That’s his sister and clearly Longo’s girl!”

  “Man! You let Longo date your sister? That guy has been around the block more than I have!” Miller yelled at Carter. “No way in hell would I let my sister anywhere near that guy!”

  Carter didn’t have a chance to move as Hunter launched himself at Miller. He grabbed him by his jacket and pinned him up against the wall. “Watch it, Miller. I swear to God, I will finish what Sinclair started.”

  Miller laughed at him. “Once she realizes what a loser you are, send her my way. I will show her how a real man pleases a woman.”

  In a split second, Hunter punched him in the stomach with a heavy fist and then a hard punch to the face. A bunch of other guys ran over and broke up the fight. Alicia ran over to Madison and took her by the hand. “You don’t need to see or hear anymore of this. We are going.”

  “Are they going to be ok?” Madison asked.

  “They are idiots. Yes, our guys will be fine. I think Miller will need some medical attention though.”

  They walked across the street and got into Alicia’s car and drove back to their apartment. During the car, Madison softly sobbed. “Alicia, what the hell just happened?”

  “Miller is a huge pain in the ass. He is always getting suspended and getting into trouble around the league. He’s a major hothead and he found a way to get to Carter and Hunter.”

  Madison put her head against the glass. “I’m not good with conflict, Alicia. I grew up around it and I don’t want to revisit it anytime soon. After watching Hunter beat up that guy, it showed me a different side of him.”

  Alicia quickly jumped in. “He was standing up for you!”

  “I realize that but it turned ugly so fast, Alicia. Plus, what did Miller mean by saying all that stuff about Hunter’s past?”

  “Don’t you give that another thought, Carter and I would never have allowed you near him if we didn’t think he was a stand up guy.”

  Madison remained quiet for the rest of the drive back to the apartment. As soon as they returned, she decided to take a shower and try to forget about what happened. As she stood in the shower and let the water ran over her, she started to cry. Life started to get away from her again. She was happy that Hunter and Carter stood up for her but she also worried about Miller’s comments and Hunter’s quick reaction.

  She was about to open her heart and life to a man that she honestly didn’t know. Maybe things were moving too fast between them and it was time for her to return to her life in Canada. As she finished her shower, she wrapped herself in a towel and heard a soft knock on the door.

  “Madison? It’s Alicia, can I come in?”

  “Sure, it’s open.”

  “The guys are back but I wanted time with you first. Are you ok?”

  Madison sat on the toilet and looked at her. “I don’t know. I’m so confused about everything. I was ready to start a relationship with him and now I wonder if I’m rushing into things and in way over my head.”

  Alicia sat on the floor next to her. “Miller is a jackass. He has been fighting with Carter since the minor leagues. He likes to stir the pot so you can’t listen to him. Does Hunter have a past? Of course, he does. We all do, Madison. Please don’t let one idiot ruin what I think will be beautiful thing.”

  Madison shook her head. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m not ready for this kind of life yet. I’m scared about everything now.”

  Alicia sighed. “You have to remember, if I thought Hunter was a creep, I wouldn’t have allowed him anywhere near you.”

  “I know that but I think I need to go home, Alicia. This experiment of mine didn’t work. My parents found me, yelled at me and told me to go back home. I found a guy who clearly was out of my league and convinced myself that I could handle it. Now the truth has presented itself and I can’t handle it. I need to return to my normal, safe life.”

  “Madison, you can’t leave us. Please, we will talk you through all of this tomorrow and get everything back on track.”

  “Can I stay here tonight and tomorrow go home with you?”

  Alicia nodded as she stood up. “Just think about everything tonight before you decide on things. You are deep in your emotions tonight. Clear your head.”

  Madison nodded as Alicia closed the door behind her. She wiped the mist from the mirror and looked at herself in the mirror. She needed to get some sleep and deal with everything in the morning.

  She opened the bathroom door and peeked down the hallway as she heard everyone talking in the living room. She disappeared down the hallway and into the spare bedroom and closed the door behind her. She just needed to be alone.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Madison got up and changed back into her jeans and t-shirt before anyone stirred around the apartment. She gathered the few items that she had and walked down the hallway. She passed by the living room and stopped when she saw Hunter asleep on the couch. She sighed as she continued to walk into the kitchen.

  She grabbed a cup of coffee and sat at the table. She still had problems wrapping her head around the events of last night. She knew that she was falling in love with Hunter but she couldn’t allow herself to go any further until she knew more about his past. This was all her fault to begin with. She was supposed to be on vacation with her brother but instead she allowed herself to get sidetracked and just like everything else in her life, she messed it up. She was so desperate for something new in her life that she threw caution to the wind.

  “Good morning,” Alicia said as she entered the kitchen.

  “Hey,” Madison said as she went back to filling her coffee cup.

  “Did you manage to get some sleep?”

  Madison nodded as she took a sip of coffee.

  “Hunter wanted to talk with you but I told him he better give you the night to think things over. He refused to leave. I told you, Madison, he’s in love with you.”

  Madison quickly looked at Alicia. “What did you say?”

  “You had to know that. I told you, I’ve never seen him like this with a woman. He’s a different person, a better person.”

  “And apparently, there have been a lot of them. What makes you think he won’t get bored with me too?”

  Alicia sighed. “You need to talk with him.”

  Carter walked into the kitchen and sat down next to Madison. “Are you ok?”

  She nodded. “Yeah but I think I need to cut my losses and head back home.”

  He frowned at her. “Why? Please don’t leave, not over this. We’re finally reconnecting.”

  “I don’t think I’m cut out for this lifestyle,” Madison explained.

  “What you saw last night, isn’t normal. Miller was an asshole who needed be set straight,” Carter explained to her. “We were protecting you.”

  “I know that you were and I’m grateful for that. But, I allowed myself to fall for Hunter and I shouldn’t have, not yet. That’s my fault. I was so wrapped up in the emotion of it and so taken by him that things started to move really fast and I didn’t stop to think. I think I need to go back to Canada and just continue to live my life there.”

  “I can’t let you do that,” Hunter said as he entered the room. “Madison, I can’t let you leave.”

  Madison sighed as she stood up. “You have to admit there is so much that we don’t know about each other yet and this is going so fast.”

  “Of course we don’t know everything yet, we are days into this relationship. That’s what people do, Madison. They talk and get to know other. Don’t run off because of last night.”

  “Hunter, I saw a different side of you last night. You beat the crap out of that guy!”

  “He was talking trash about you. I would do the same thing for anyone that I cared about!” Hunter yelled. “I defended you. We both were,” he said as he pointed at Carter.

  “I understand that and I thank both of you but I need to slow down and have time to gather
my thoughts. I don’t know what I’m doing and I’m scared.”

  “Madison, we just need to talk through this,” Hunter pleaded.

  She turned to Alicia. “I have my bags at Hunter’s apartment.”

  Hunter jumped in. “I will take you there and then we can talk on the way back to the beach.”

  Madison shook her head. “I can’t, I’m sorry.”

  Alicia responded, “Hunter, grab her things and bring them to our house. We will take Madison back to the beach and then we can reschedule her flight, if she wants that.”

  Hunter turned red and yelled at Alicia. “Why are you letting her go so easily? After what I told you last night, how could you do this to me?”

  Madison looked at Alicia. “What happened last night?”

  “This isn’t my fight, you need to work through this together.”

  Carter reached for Madison. “Come on, we will finish up here and take you home.”

  Hunter grabbed Madison’s arm and stopped her. “I beg you, don’t leave me.”

  She looked at the floor as she walked away from him. She cried the entire way down to their car and continued as they entered the highway.

  Madison looked out the window and watched the scenery pass her by.

  "Maddy, I really wish you wouldn't leave," Carter said.

  "I agree. I think if you just take a deep breath and realize that you need to learn more about Hunter, you will be ok. No one is holding a gun to your head that says you need to marry him tomorrow. A relationship is hard work and it takes time. If you don’t like the way Hunter handled the situation, talk to him about it.”

  Madison sighed. "It was just a wake up call. As I heard those comments about Hunter and having just dealt with my parents, it has been a little bit more than I wanted to handle right now."

  Alicia turned in her seat and faced her. "Madison, listen to me. You are overacting, plain and simple. All these big moments are happening at the same time and you flipped out. Every child dreams of the day that they can tell off their parents, then you enjoyed a very intimate moment with Hunter, which every woman deserves. Don’t let a moment of negatives take away all the positives.”

  Madison nodded. "I never thought that all of that would happen in a million years."

  "It was overdue, in my opinion. Then we introduced you to Hunter and all those dreams of kissing a guy and starting a relationship became a reality. You fell for him and I understand why, he's a great guy and hot as hell."

  "Excuse me?" Carter piped.

  "I won't take it back, he's hot. Anyway, then we have this incident where Miller started to scream about Hunter's love life and your brain started to go into overdrive. Madison, I know how you feel about him and I know what path you were about to head down.”

  Carter sighed. "I feel like I missed something along the way."

  "Don't be stupid, Carter. She loves him."

  "She barely knows him, Alicia."

  "When you fall in love, you just know. Haven't you heard of love at first sight?"

  "Yes but she's only twenty one."

  "Why the hell does that matter?"

  Madison cleared her throat. "Do I get a say in this conversation?"

  "Of course you do," he said as he pulled into the driveway.

  Madison hopped out of the car as soon as it came to a stop and headed to the patio. Alicia ran over to her and grabbed her arm. "I want you to think everything over before you make a final decision, ok? Between us, when you find that certain someone who rocks your world, you hold onto them with both hands and never let go."

  Madison nodded. "I'm going to take a walk on the beach, I will be back later." She skipped down the staircase and out onto the beach. She slipped off her sneakers and carried them as the water lapped at her feet.

  She walked down the coastline and thought about her options. She could return to Carter's, grab her belongings and return to the life that she knew but hated or she could stay here for the next few days and talk things over with Hunter and try to figure out what's going on between them.

  If she had past boyfriends or experienced anything that compared to a relationship maybe she wouldn’t be so scared and would know of some options to help her in this situation. Alicia was convinced that she was in love with Hunter but Madison was doubtful because she didn’t know what love felt like. She had to make up her mind because it was time for her to either sink or swim.

  She turned around to walk back to the house when she spotted Hunter approaching her. "Before you tell me to get lost, please hear me out."

  Madison didn't say anything and then slowly nodded.

  “I’m not going to say that I made a mistake because in my mind I didn’t. I stood up for someone who has become a very important part of my life. Neither of us have had the time to really get to know each other yet but that’s what we need to do. I will say that I’m sorry because Miller was a mouthy jerk and you shouldn’t have seen or heard any of that,” Hunter paused and whispered. “Please don’t leave. Let’s finish your vacation and if it makes you feel better, I will keep my hands off of you until you give me the sign.”

  Madison chuckled at him. “I quickly got myself wrapped up in the idea of having a boyfriend and being close to someone. I think we can honestly say that we are attracted to each other but I need time, Hunter. I haven’t decided if I’m heading home yet but I know that I need time to sort out my thoughts.”

  Hunter nodded. “I would like to have dinner with you and we can talk about anything. We can get to know each other better and you can ask me any questions that you may have.”

  “I should head back, let me think about dinner,” she said knowing in her heart that she was saying goodbye to him.

  As they headed back towards Carter’s house, Madison watched the water splash over her feet. She was going to miss the feel of that. She wished that she could feel that confidence and strength that she had built up but her old gloomy self returned and she just wanted to be alone.

  When they walked up onto the deck, Madison said good bye to Hunter and headed upstairs to her room. She packed her suitcase and made sure she had all of her stuff.

  “You are leaving, aren’t you?” Carter asked as he walked into the room.

  Madison nodded. “I loved seeing you Carter but I’m just not ready for all this craziness. I never expected our parents to show up here and then everything with the fight. It’s too much for me. I’m used to living under a rock and I think that’s what I’m destined for.”

  “Just tell Hunter that you need to slow things down and stay here, Maddy. I know that you and I need to work through things too.”

  “Yes, we do but we will talk on the phone. Maybe after the season is over, you can come home and visit me. Do you still have Toronto to play this season? I can come down and see the game.”

  Carter smiled. “I will send you tickets for that game. I wish I could change your mind though. I felt as if we were finally making progress between us even though we had a few setbacks.”

  “I know but that’s ok. I learned a lot about myself this trip. I’m still happy that I got to see you and Alicia.”

  “I feel like this is my fault. If you didn’t meet Hunter, you wouldn’t be leaving me right now. I knew I should have put my foot down.”

  Madison smiled at her older brother and kissed his cheek. “I’m happy that I met Hunter too. He’s a nice guy and I’m sure we will still talk on occasion. I just need to step away for awhile and regroup.”

  In the morning, Madison gathered her bags and Carter drove her to the airport. They exchanged her tickets and they hugged good bye.

  “Please tell Hunter goodbye for me. I didn’t have the heart to say it myself last night.”

  Carter nodded and hugged her again. “Take care of yourself, Maddy. I love you.”

  Madison started to cry as she heard those words. “I love you too, Carter.”

  She turned around and headed towards the security gate. She was sad to say goodbye to her b
rother and Alicia but knew this was the correct decision to make.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  The morning after Madison returned to Canada, she woke to a snowstorm. She strolled to her apartment window and couldn’t see the parking lot. She was relieved that she was still on vacation and didn’t have to venture out to work.

  She turned on the coffee maker and sat at her kitchen table. She found herself thinking about Hunter. He had sent her a few text messages asking her to call him or text him back but she wasn’t ready to open that door. She talked with Jessie and found out that she was heading back into town within the next couple of days and couldn’t wait to see her again.

  As the snow fell, Madison curled up on the couch and flipped through the television channels. She threw the remote on the opposite end of the couch when she couldn’t find anything that kept her interest. She reached for her book and lost herself in the romantic world of make believe.

  About an hour later, she heard her cell phone ringing next to her, realizing that she had fallen asleep. She answered. “Hello?”

  “Madison? Hey, it’s Hunter.”

  She didn’t say anything right away. “Hey.”

  “I’m surprised you picked up.”

  “I didn’t realize what was going on, I fell asleep on the couch.”

  Hunter was quiet on the other end and then finally spoke. “I miss you.”

  She sighed. “I know. I miss you too.”

  “We will be in Toronto next week, can we have dinner?”

  Madison sat up and put her head in her hand. “I don’t know, Hunter. Carter arranged for me and my friend, Jessie to go to the game.”

  “We leave town right after the game. There is a place that all the guys eat before the game. It’s across the street from the Centre. I will be there around five, if you can make it, I look forward to seeing you, if you can’t, I understand and wish you all the best.”

  Madison sighed and closed her eyes. “I will think about it, Hunter.”

  With that he hung up the phone and Madison started to cry. She heard a soft knock on her door as she quickly wiped her tears on her sleeve on her shirt. She looked through the peephole and saw Jessie standing on the other side.