Gametime: A Moo U Hockey Romance by Jami Davenport (shoe dog free ebook txt) 📗

“Pressures?”

“Yeah, school, going pro, upping your level of play. That kind of stuff.”

“Maybe.” He wasn’t committing to anything.

“He’s at the Biscuit. Go talk to him.”

“Yeah, I will.” Patrick finished his burger and excused himself. He bussed his tray and left the dining hall. I hoped to God I’d done the right thing pushing those two together.

It was time for them to mend fences, even if Paxton and I couldn’t.

I returned to my lonely dorm room haunted by the many nights and some afternoons Pax and I had spent naked in this room, cuddled together on the small bed or sitting up and eating popcorn to restore our energy before the next round of sex.

My phone rang, and I answered my Dad’s call.

“Hi, Dad.”

“Hi, honey, sorry I missed your call. I was working a game tonight.” Dad’s attitude had improved considerably since he’d started working again. My dad needed a job to be happy, and this temporary gig with the league made him happier than I’d seen him in a while.

“Glad to see you enjoying yourself, Dad.”

“Yeah, this has been good for me. Keeps me out of your hair.” He laughed and so did I.

“Your team played well this weekend. How was the trip?”

“I didn’t go, but I watched on TV.”

“You didn’t go? Are you sick?”

“Not physically.”

“Is something wrong?”

“I didn’t…I didn’t feel like going.”

He was silent for a long while, and I tilted the phone to see the display screen to make sure he was still on the line. “What’s going on?” His voice was quiet, as if he were tiptoeing through enemy lines and didn’t want anyone to hear him. Alarm bells sounded in my head, but I didn’t know why. Something was off.

“I broke up with Paxton.” His name came out on a choked sob.

“Oh, honey, I’m sorry. I’m sure it’s for the best. You shouldn’t have been leading that poor kid on like that when he wasn’t the one for you.”

I frowned into the phone, as if he could see me. “What do you mean?”

“I saw you and Patrick having an intimate moment.”

“What?” I was incredulous and confused. “Are you sure it was Patrick?”

“Absolutely. I spoke with Paxton that evening about it. Seems he saw you two also.”

“I don’t understand.” I racked my brain, trying to remember an intimate moment I’d had with Patrick, but there weren’t any. “Where did you see us?”

“Last week, in the hallway by the locker room.”

Oh, no. The truth crashed down on me. Paxton had seen me, and he’d planned to set me free to be with his brother, but I’d beaten him to it and broken it off with him first, proving his suspicions.

“He and I met in the rink that night, and we had a heart-to-heart. I told him he should concentrate on hockey and that you’d always loved Patrick. I tried to let the kid down easy.”

“Dad, Patrick was consoling me because I was upset about Pax backing off from me. I’m not in love with Patrick. I don’t believe I ever was. It’s always been Paxton, but I’ve spent the majority of my life trying to please others. You wanted me to be with Patrick, and I obliged by convincing myself that’s what I wanted.”

“Omi, I never meant to cause you pain and take away your happiness. I…I thought I was doing what was right for you. I’ve fucked things up, haven’t I?”

“No, Dad, I did. I shoulder the majority of the blame. I didn’t have to go along with any of it. I didn’t listen to my heart. I didn’t fight for what Paxton and I had. I let my pride interfere.” I cleared my throat. “I called you tonight to ask you if it was possible to have a good relationship with a professional hockey player. I wanted to know if I’d made the right decision or if I should’ve hung in there and made this work.”

“Do you miss him?”

“I’m brokenhearted. I can’t study. I can’t sleep. I cry at the drop of a hat. I miss him so much the it hurts like someone ripped open my chest and put a stranglehold on my heart.”

“That’s how I felt when your mother died.” His voice was so soft I strained to hear the words.

“I’m sorry, Dad.” Silence stretched between us.

Dad sniffled, or what sounded like a sniffle. “Don’t be,” he said in a voice suspiciously husky. “I’m the one who’s sorry. I shouldn’t have interfered. I made things worse instead of better. I’ve been pushing you in a direction you haven’t wanted to go for a long time.”

“Especially when it comes to skating?” I joked.

“Especially that.” He laughed then sobered. “Naomi, I know I’m a controlling, hard-nosed ass at times, and I haven’t been the best father or husband.”

“You did the best you could.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. Being with a hockey player isn’t all glamour and fame. There are a lot of lonely nights where you’re left wondering what’s going on with the person you love. Wondering if they’re being faithful. Your mom and I had our good times and bad times, but through it all, I loved her and she loved me. I wouldn’t trade what we had for anything.” He blew out a long breath, and I could tell this wasn’t easy for him.

“I don’t know what to do.”

“You know in your heart what you want and how badly you want it.”

“Okay.”

“Naomi, I want you to know I’m proud of you, and I love you.”

I choked up even more than I had before. “I love you, too, Dad.” Everything was going to be okay despite what happened with Pax and me.

“If you love the boy, go after him. I chased your mom until I finally caught her.”

“How did you catch her?”

He chuckled as if reliving a fond memory. “I made a grand gesture.”

“A grand gesture?”

“I spent every penny I had, which wasn’t much back then, and rented a rooftop garden in the city, hired a chef, and invited her to dinner under false pretenses. I almost