Faceoff, p.23
Faceoff, page 23
“No, I haven’t,” she shot back.
“Come off it, Sara. What is going on? Is it Sully? Did he do something? I mean, he’s been a friend for over a decade, but if I have to take him out, I will,” Adam said.
She couldn’t stop her half-smile at his offer. And then she felt even worse.
She dropped her head to the desk. “I don’t know what to do,” she mumbled into a stack of invoices.
“I can’t understand you,” Adam said, stepping into the office and taking the other chair in the cramped space.
She lifted her head. “I don’t know what to do. There are rumors going around about me and Sully and my history with athletes, and my mother called this morning to remind me about said history, and I don’t know what to do because I fell in love with an athlete, and he’s going to break my heart. They always do,” she said, the words rushing out.
“Whoa. Back up a minute. First. What rumors? And why are you believing rumors to begin with?”
“Because there’s always a little truth in them, and in the stories about me, there is a good deal of truth. Not that I’m trying to make my way through the Strikers one player at a time, but I have a history of falling for athletes.”
“Where are you reading all this garbage? No one thinks you’re working your way through the team. We all know you’ve been hung up on Sully for as long as he’s been hung up on you.”
“It was online. My mother called to tell me about it.”
“Jesus Christ, the balls on that woman. We’ll get back to that in a minute. What did this great piece of journalism say?”
Her laugh was harsh. “It was more than one article, and there were pictures of me being friendly with the guys when they came in the bar. A source ‘close to the team,’” she said with air quotes, “said that Sully never does long term, so I’m clearly biding my time before I move on to the next guy. They called me a damn bunny.”
“A source close to the team, huh?”
“Yeah, it was probably Amber. She made her feelings known at a game that Sully doesn’t stick around. I brushed it off, but it’s true. He’s never dated anyone long term before me. Why should I believe I managed to change him?”
“Because he’s been in love with you for years and you kept pushing him away, so he didn’t pursue it until now. Not sure what changed his mind, but you’re the one he wants, Sara. Why is that so hard to believe?”
“Honestly, I have no idea. Because it’s easier to move on now than wait to get hurt in the end.”
“Okay, first, the articles are garbage. This is because of your mother. That woman calls you after years of not speaking to you and, with a few words, destroys the trust you have in Sully. Your past has no bearing on what is going on right now.”
“We are shaped by our past, Adam. Everyone knows that. Maybe I needed the reminder.”
“And maybe you’re being ridiculous,” Adam replied.
“Or maybe I should end it now. Maybe what I have with Sully isn’t real. Maybe it won’t last. I don’t know, but he doesn’t have the best track record, and you know I’m a horrible judge of character when it comes to men,” she said.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
Sully’s angry voice came from the doorway, and she spun with a gasp.
“Your girlfriend is being absurd. I’m going to let you two handle this,” Adam said, moving toward the door. He turned around to face Sara. “For what it’s worth, you’re being an idiot.”
“What is going on, Sara?” he asked, moving into the office that Adam had just exited. His eyes were filled with confusion and frustration.
“Sully, we should stop.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“This isn’t going to work.”
“It was working just fine this morning,” he said.
He took her hand, and she wanted to cave.
“Someone is spreading rumors. Well, most of them are based in fact.”
“What rumors?” he gritted out.
“That you never date the same person for long and I have a history of moving from athlete to athlete. And I’ll do the same to you because I have my pick of the Strikers.”
“What the actual fuck. No one has said anything about fucking rumors. And those are absurd.”
“Except that, for the most part, they are true. You don’t have a history of hanging around with the same woman, and I do have a history with athletes. We should end it now before it gets even messier.”
He dropped her hand and took a step back. Her heart started to break, but it was her own damn fault.
“Are you kidding me? We’ve told each other that we love each other. Which I still do, by the way. How much messier could it get with you trying to bail again based on bullshit? I told you I wouldn’t play these games with you. I’ve been playing them for five years with you, and I can’t keep doing that.”
“I’m sorry,” she said.
He sneered. “You’re sorry? That’s it? Bullshit rumors and you’re going to bolt? Were you ever as invested in this relationship as I was, or were you screwing me and now you’re done?”
“Sully, please.”
“No. I’m done with the games. You freak at every small thing, and I can’t keep going through that. Enough is enough,” he said, and he stormed out of the office, the door slamming in his wake.
She dropped into the chair, wanting to chase after him, but unable to move.
She really was an idiot, but it was for the best, right?
Sara: Please talk to me, Colin. I’m sorry. I was an idiot, and we need to talk.
Sully flipped his phone over on the table. He’d ignored all of her calls and texts for the last three days. He didn’t have it in him to listen to her apologize and promise it wasn’t going to happen again. She’d already done that more than once, and he had to stop falling for it. The truth was in her actions, not her words.
He’d looked up the online rumors after he’d left C&B. They were bad, but they were just rumors. She shouldn’t have caved to them so quickly. It was like she was waiting for an excuse to end it first. And that irritated the shit out of him. He deserved better than that.
“From Sara?” Finn asked from the seat next to him.
They were on the team plane, flying from Montreal to Boston, and he was exhausted. They’d beaten Montreal by one a few hours ago and would get into Boston in an hour. He planned to crash at the hotel until he had to be up for a late morning skate. They would play Boston tomorrow night, and then it was Thanksgiving.
Most of the guys were having a catered dinner with the team, but they’d all been invited to come to his parents’ house for dessert. He’d decided that was easier than picking a few guys to come for the entire meal.
Finn nudged his side, and Sully turned to him.
“What?”
“That text that has you all pissed off again? From Sara?”
“Maybe.”
“You should talk to her.”
“Why?”
“Because she’s in love with you, and yes, she freaked out, but don’t throw everything away.”
Sully regretted confiding in his friend. It had bit him in the ass repeatedly for the last three days.
“She threw it away. I didn’t.”
“And you’re both fucking miserable. You should talk it out.”
“I don’t want to talk about it right now,” he said. “Hey, Jake, want to play cards?” he asked, moving to the other side of the aisle and sliding into the empty seat across from Jake.
“Sure, man,” Jake said, shuffling the deck, and not prying into Sully’s business.
That’s exactly what he needed right now. He didn’t want to be prodded by anyone to talk about what was going on.
***
“I’m starving, Ma. The smells in this kitchen are making my mouth water,” he said, popping a stuffed mushroom in his mouth before she could swat his hand away.
“Colin O’Sullivan, you can wait until everyone is here,” she scolded.
“I’m a growing boy, and you didn’t feed me breakfast this morning. Cereal and coffee are not enough,” he stated, pretending to pout as he grabbed another mushroom when she wasn’t looking.
“I saw that,” she said.
The woman missed nothing.
“And you are a grown adult. You can make your own breakfast.”
“Not when you threatened to chop off my hand if I got in your way, Ma,” he said, reminding her of her threat when he’d come downstairs that morning as she put the turkey in the oven.
“Can’t fault him there, Moira,” his father called out from the living room as he flipped through the channels waiting for the football game to start.
It was a damn shame that hockey wasn’t on today. Sully was grateful to have the day off and spend the holiday with his family, but who wanted to watch football?
“Are you going to be okay with Liam today?” his mother asked.
“Of course.”
“Good, because that game was a little chippy last night. I’m proud of you for winning, but at least it was in overtime, so Boston got a point,” his mother said, her loyalties always split when Sully played against his brother.
The game had been rough, and Sully’s celly might’ve been slightly exaggerated when he scored a goal late in the third period to send it to overtime. Liam had been pointless for the night, but he would not hold that over his brother’s head today. The next time he played against him would be another story.
His hip hurt from where his brother had pushed him into the boards, but he’d used a combination of heat and ice to dull the pain. It was something he was used to, especially from his brother.
“It’s a shame that Sara couldn’t come,” his mother said.
“Uh. Yeah, that’s too bad.” Shit. He didn’t want to think about her. She’d sent a few more texts in the last two days, and he still hadn’t responded. Finn’s words echoed in his head, and he wanted to ignore every doubt he had and talk to her, but where would that get him? Would something else spook her in six months and bring them back to square one again? Could he continue to take that chance? Fuck, it was frustrating as hell.
“Colin, is everything okay with Sara? You sounded like you really liked her when I called the other day,” his mother said, handing him a small plate of appetizers.
Apparently, his mood was obvious.
“Yeah, I’m not sure what we’re doing, and I’d really rather not talk about it today,” he said.
The front door burst open. “I’m starving,” Liam called out. “What are we not talking about?”
“Nothing,” Sully muttered. “Here, eat something.”
Liam grabbed the plate without questioning Sully any further. His mother looked at him like the conversation wasn’t over, but luckily, the rest of his family had started walking through the front door, putting inquisitions from his mother on hold for at least a few hours.
He probably should’ve stayed at the team hotel.
“You boys going to play nice today? Not like that crap hit you had on Colin last night, Liam,” Danny said, his gaze darting between his two younger brothers.
“That hit wasn’t dirty,” Liam said between a mouthful of food.
Sully rolled his eyes and greeted the rest of his family.
“Uncle Colin, that game was awesome last night. I’m glad you won,” Sabine, his ten-year-old niece, said.
“Hey, you’re a Boston fan, sprite,” Liam said.
“Only when Uncle Colin isn’t playing against you,” she said.
“Have I told you that you’re the best niece ever?” Sully said, tugging her into a hug.
“I could hear it more,” she teased back. “You should bring us all out to San Francisco for a game.”
“Sabine, we talked about this,” Eliza, Danny’s wife, said with a shake of her head. “Sorry, Colin, she’s been on us to take a trip out to San Francisco. She has an unhealthy fascination with Alcatraz. I think they must’ve mentioned it at school.”
Sully laughed. “You can come any time you want, sprite.”
Sabine turned to beam at her parents. “See.”
“She’s trouble, that one. Wait until she’s a teenager,” his mother said, and Sully swore he saw his older brother shudder.
Everyone bustled around the kitchen island until his mother threw up her hands and told them to grab the plates of appetizers and go into the living room, where his father was currently groaning about the football game on TV.
An hour later, his mother declared it was time to eat. His father placed the carved turkey in the middle of the table, and everyone dove in.
“Surprised you didn’t bring Sara with you,” Liam said from across the table, and Sully wished it wasn’t so wide so he could kick his brother in the shins.
“Who’s Sara?” Jo, his younger sister, asked.
“Wait. You met Sara?” his mother said from one end of the table.
“Who’s Sara?” Beth asked, and all eyes turned toward him.
“Just someone Colin’s been pining after. I thought she’d finally given in,” Liam said in between smirks and bites of turkey.
He was going to kill the little shit.
“It’s nothing. We dated, and it didn’t work out,” Sully said with as nonchalant a shrug as possible. The team’s catered dinner was looking better by the second.
“Sounds like there’s more to the story,” Beth said.
“Well, there’s not,” he muttered.
“So, the season looks like it’s going well,” his father chimed in, and Sully wanted to kiss the man.
“Yeah, we’re pretty solid this year. Hoping to get even further than last year,” Sully said.
Liam scoffed. “Isn’t that every team’s plan?”
“Why are you such a shit?” Sully said, unable to stop himself.
“Colin, language,” his mother said. “And knock it off, Liam. This is a nice family dinner, and maybe I will give Colin permission to knock your teeth in.”
“Ma, really?” Liam asked.
“Yes, really. Now shovel some food in your mouth.”
Thanksgiving was looking up. He just wished that he wasn’t thinking about Sara again.
Chapter 25
“You should be in Boston,” Callie said as she passed Sara the roasted potatoes to put on the table while Max finished carving the beautiful bird he’d pulled out of the oven twenty minutes ago.
“He doesn’t want to see me. Why would I fly to Boston?” she asked. “He won’t even respond to my texts, and I’ve sent a pathetic amount.” Including another this morning, wishing him a happy Thanksgiving and telling him how great he looked on the ice in the game against Boston last night.
She’d yelled at the TV when his pissant brother shoved him into the boards and just about lost her mind when a penalty wasn’t called as Sully had slowly skated back to the bench.
Liam was a goddamn menace. But she still wished she could be there with his family today. He was a part of her family, no matter where they stood right now, and she wanted to meet them and tell them how wonderful he was.
“You showing up would’ve told him how serious you are. You are serious about him, right? You’re not going to throw this away because of bullshit rumors. I can’t believe you let our mother get to you like that. Never put any stock into what she says. How many times have you drilled that into my head, Sara? And yet, you let her do that to you, when you know she’s being vindictive because she’s not invited to the wedding,” Callie said, grabbing a bowl of grilled corn and placing it on the table.
“I know I messed up royally, but how am I supposed to fix it if he won’t talk to me?” she asked, leaning against the kitchen island. “Max, what do you think? Should I have shown up at his parents’ house in Boston?”
“Definitely not. You’ve never met his family, and that would be a whole new level of awkward. He’ll be back tomorrow, right?” Max asked, and she nodded.
“I’m working tomorrow night. Maybe he’ll come into the bar.”
“You should write him a letter. People don’t do that anymore. Send him a heartfelt email. Tell him how you feel. That you messed up and you want to fix it,” Max said.
Callie stretched up and kissed her fiancé. “That’s really romantic. I think it’s a great idea.”
“A letter? So I’m going to pour my heart out, and he could delete it and still not talk to me,” she said.
“Yes, he could. Or he could read it and realize that you have issues that you can work out together. Take the chance, Sara. That man loves you a lot,” Callie said, leaning into Max when he wrapped his arm around her. They were ridiculously adorable, and dammit, she wanted that more than anything. With Colin.
“Okay, I think I’ll try that. Now, can we eat so I can settle these nerves running around in my belly with food?”
Max laughed. “Yes. Aiden,” he called into the living room, “ready to eat.”
“I’m starving,” her nephew said, walking into the dining room. “Ooh, crescent rolls are my favorite.”
Sara chuckled. “You better save some for me. They’re my favorite too.”
***
A few hours later, sufficiently stuffed with food and back at her house, Sara stared at her computer. What the hell was she supposed to say to him that she hadn’t said in her texts? She wasn’t a fan of groveling, but he was worth it. She hoped that he didn’t think her words were empty.
She opened up her email and took a fortifying sip of wine. She would give anything for her phone to ding with a text from him, but the ball was in her court, and she was done being a coward.
Colin,
I honestly don’t know what to say or how I can make you understand how sorry I am for my actions. It’s not just the rumors, or Jake catching us at the club, but all the little ways I’ve pushed you away when all I wanted to do was hold you close from day one. I’m tired of fighting my stupidity and doubting you because I was so afraid of this not working out. Blaming you for my past disastrous relationships has nothing to do with us, because you have never been like them. You’ve never given me any reason to doubt us except for my brain getting too caught up in “what-ifs.”
