Pucking Only (Night Hawks Hockey #2)

Chapter Twenty-Seven A Few Hours Earlier, Back at the Party

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN: A FEW HOURS EARLIER, BACK AT THE PARTY

CARSON

Elizabeth’s arms wrap around me in a tight hug, her perfume — something floral and overly sweet — filling my nostrils. I pat her back awkwardly, searching for an escape route. How did I even get roped into this? One minute I was just standing near the bar, and the next, she was draped all over me like old times. But it’s not old times. We’re not in high school anymore. Whatever we had back then was never as serious as she seems to think it was. Why the hell did my mom invite her? I know she and Dad are friends with Elizabeth’s parents, but why did they feel the need to include her , especially without asking me?

“Carson, it’s so good to see you,” she says, pulling back just enough to look up at me with a smile. It’s the same smile that used to make my heart race, but now it just makes me uncomfortable.

“Yeah, you too, Elizabeth,” I reply, patting her back while trying to keep my tone light and polite. She doesn’t let me go, though, and I glance around the room, desperately hoping someone will interrupt, or I’ll spot an excuse to step away. Anything to get out of this situation .

Suddenly, Elizabeth calls out, “Skyler! Over here!”

I freeze. Skyler? She’s here? I’ve been waiting for her to show up. I look in the direction Elizabeth is waving and I see her.

Skyler’s standing near the entrance, her eyes locked on me. My heart drops into my stomach. She’s here, finally, after weeks of radio silence, and I’m standing here with Elizabeth draped all over me. I can see the hurt and confusion in her eyes even from across the room. She looks like she’s just been punched in the gut.

No. No, no, no.

I open my mouth to call out to her, to explain, but she turns and starts walking away before I can say anything. Panic surges through me. This isn’t what it looks like. Skyler needs to know that. I have to get to her before she leaves. I need to make her understand.

“Wow, what a bitch,” Elizabeth grumbles. “Can’t even come over to say hi. Must be too good for us small-towners now that she’s living in California.”

“Elizabeth, I — ” I start, trying to pull away from her, but she tightens her grip, laughing lightly.

“Don’t go,” she says with a teasing pout. “We need to catch up. It’s been ages since we’ve seen each other.”

My eyes are glued to the spot where Skyler disappeared. I need to go after her, right now.

I’m on the verge of physically shaking her off me, but before I can make a move, my parents appear out of nowhere. My mom’s hand rests on my arm, her face glowing with happiness.

“Carson, honey, your sister and Jensen are almost here, so you can go ahead and get ready to give the toast.”

Not now. God, not now. I force a smile, trying to keep my tone steady as I finally manage to slip out of Elizabeth’s hold. “Mom, can it wait just a minute? I need to — ”

“Nonsense,” my dad chimes in, already guiding me toward the front of the room where everyone’s gathered. “You’re the oldest, technically speaking. You have to kick things off.”

I look back over my shoulder, desperately searching for any sign of Skyler, but she’s gone. My heart is racing, my mind whirling with thoughts of her, of the look on her face when she saw me with Elizabeth.

The crowd gathers around, glasses raised, all eyes on me. My dad hands me a microphone. I clear my throat, trying to focus, but my thoughts keep drifting back to Skyler. What if she’s leaving? What if I don’t get a chance to explain? What if I’ve already lost her?

I stand at the front of the room, holding a glass of champagne, my heart pounding in my chest as everyone quiets down. My parents are sitting at the head table, beaming, and the sight of them together makes my throat tighten. Their love is the kind people talk about but rarely see. Real, unwavering, and decades strong.

Just then, Grace and Jensen come hurrying into the room. Grace waves at me as they make their way to Mom and Dad’s table, and then gives me a thumbs up, as if to say I’m good to go.

Taking a breath and trying to steady myself, I glance around the room at all the familiar faces, and then down at my glass. I lift it, forcing a smile that I hope hides how distracted I feel.

“Thank you all for being here tonight,” I start, my voice sounding steady but distant even to my own ears. “We’re here to celebrate 30 years of marriage. 30 years of love, strength, and a bond that’s only grown stronger over time. ”

I look over at my parents, and my chest tightens again. They smile at each other, my mom reaching out to squeeze my dad’s hand. I can see the love between them in that small gesture. It’s the kind of love that lasts through every high and low, through arguments and hardships, and never fades. Mom’s blue eyes sparkle and Dad brushes a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear, his dark gaze locked on her as if no one else exists in the world at that moment but the two of them. Skyler and Jensen are standing next to them, their arms around each other as they smile up at me as well. Yet another couple impossibly in love.

It hits me at that moment that I always thought Mom and Dad set the bar too high, that trying to find a love like theirs was a near impossible goal. Yet, Grace did it. She found Jensen and their bond is just as strong as our parents’ is. Maybe finding that kind of love is possible, after all.

“Mom and Dad,” I continue, “you’ve shown me and everyone else here what it means to truly love someone. You’ve built something beautiful — a partnership that can’t be broken, no matter what life throws at you. I admire that more than you know.”

The room is quiet. The whole party is listening intently, but my mind isn’t focused on them anymore. My thoughts drift, and I can’t stop them from going to Skyler. I imagine her sitting beside me at a table like this as we celebrate our own anniversary someday. I picture her laughing, her brown eyes bright, and that soft smile she gets when she’s really happy.

God, I want that with her. I want what my parents have — with her. Skyler is the only one I can imagine building a life with. She’s the only one who’s ever made me think about a future like this. It’s always been her.

“Finding someone to share your life with,” I say, my words slipping out softer, “someone who understands you, who challenges you, who stands by your side no matter what… that’s wh at my parents have. And I can only hope that one day I’ll be lucky enough to find that with someone.”

I swallow, my eyes scanning the room briefly, but all I can picture is Skyler and how badly I wish she was still here right now.

I’ve learned from my parents,” I continue, pulling my thoughts back to the present, “that love isn’t just about the good times. It’s about sticking together through the hard times, about fighting for each other, and never letting go. It’s about building a future, brick by brick, day by day, until you’ve made something that lasts.”

I lift my glass a little higher. “Here’s to my parents and their unshakeable love and commitment.”

There’s a murmur of agreement, glasses clinking around the room, but I barely hear it. All I can think about is Skyler, how much I need to talk to her, to make things right. I can’t just let her go, and I can’t just ignore the way I feel when I’m with her. She’s the only person I can imagine building a future with, the only one I want by my side when I’m standing in a room like this again years from now.

I smile and nod as the applause starts, but inside, I’m already thinking of how to make my way to Skyler. I’ve waited too long already. I just hope it’s not too late.

When I’m able to finally get away from the crowd, I hurry out of the country club, hoping that there’s a chance I can still catch her. She’s nowhere to be seen. I curse under my breath, frustration and fear clawing at my insides. I can’t let her leave like this, thinking… whatever she’s thinking. I have to find her. I have to make this right.

Pulling out my phone, I try calling her, but she doesn’t answer. I text her, begging her to call me, but the message goes unanswered.

Fuck! I don’t even know where she’s staying. If she’s not going to answer my texts and calls, there’s nothing I can do to try to find her except ask Grace. As tempted as I am to go hunt my sister down right this second and grill her for Skyler’s location, I resist. I can’t do anything to risk ruining my parents’ party in any way. Cornering my sister and potentially getting into a bit of back and forth isn’t really an option right now.

Clenching and unclenching my hands, I release a long breath and turn to make my way back into the party. First thing in the morning, I’ll focus on finding Skyler before she disappears back to California.

I toss and turn all night long. Every time I close my eyes, I see Skyler’s face, her big brown eyes filled with confusion and pain, and then the image of her rushing out of the party without a backward glance. I can’t shake the image, can’t stop replaying the moment in my head. By morning, I’m still groggy, but the urgency is pounding in my chest, pushing me to action. I need to talk to her. I need to make this right. First I need to find Grace so she can tell me where Skyler is because when I check my phone, I still have no response to my texts or calls.

Climbing out of bed, I move around my hotel room, quickly getting ready. I’m glad I opted to pay for a room to myself instead of staying at Mom and Dad’s. Their house is crowded with family this weekend and I wouldn’t be able to slip away so easily. Just as I’m pulling on a shirt, there’s a sharp knock on my door.

I go to answer it, but I’ve barely even cracked the door open before Grace shoves her way inside and past me. When she spins to face me, I can tell she’s fuming, her eyes narrowed, arms crossed over her chest.

“What the hell were you thinking last night, Carson?”

I blink, caught off guard by her anger and totally blanking on what she could be mad about. “Grace, I — ”

“Elizabeth?” she snaps, cutting me off. “Of all people, Carson! And right in front of Skyler? Do you have any idea how that looked?”

“It wasn’t what it looked like,” I start, holding up my hands in defense. “Elizabeth just… she caught me off guard. I didn’t want to be rude, but I wasn’t interested in her. I’m not interested in her at all. You of all people should understand that! If I recall, I ripped into Jensen after you thought he was with someone else behind your back when he had no interest in anyone but you!”

Grace’s glare softens a bit, but she’s still not letting me off the hook. “You weren’t interested, but Skyler doesn’t know that. She saw you with your ex, Carson. And now, she thinks — ” She stops herself, letting out a frustrated sigh. “She took an early flight out this morning, and the only reason I didn’t come over here last night and drag your ass over to talk to her is because she made me swear not to. She was in no state to face you last night, but that doesn’t mean you’re getting off the hook today!”

“What?” My heart stops. “She’s already gone?”

“Yeah, Carson. She’s on her way back home.” Grace’s tone is exasperated, but there’s a hint of sympathy in her eyes now. “She was hurt, Carson. You have to understand that.”

She didn’t even say goodbye. She just left.

“I…I don’t understand,” I murmur. “Why would she just leave? I know seeing me with Elizabeth upset her, but…”

“You really don’t know, do you?” Grace sighs and looks exasperated. “All right, here’s the deal — before she left last night, Skyler told me that once, when we were fifteen, she told you that she liked you and you not only rejected her, but you completely obliterated her self-confidence by saying she wasn’t your type and you preferred girls like Elizabeth. So, of course she would react so intensely to seeing the two of you together. It brought up all that pain and disappointment from the past.”

I stare at Grace with a furrowed brow, momentarily at a loss for words. Did I really say those things to Skyler? I don’t remember…

Wait. The image of her standing with me in my backyard, pain flashing across her face suddenly slams through my mind. Oh, shit. I did reject her and compare her to Elizabeth. What kind of a fucking moron was I back then? How the fuck did I forget about that?

My mind is racing. I can’t believe she’s gone. Just like that, without giving me a chance to explain and to tell her how I feel. But then again, why would she? From her perspective, it probably looked like I was falling back into old habits, like Elizabeth was the one I wanted. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

“I can’t let her go,” I say, more to myself than to Grace. “Not like this.”

“Then don’t,” Grace replies, her tone firm. “If you really care about Skyler, Carson, you can’t just let her slip away. You’ve been dense about your feelings for her for years, but now… now you need to do something about it.”

She’s right. I’ve been blind, stupid even, when it comes to Skyler. I never realized just how deep my feelings ran until it was almost too late. But I’m not letting her go without a fight. I can’t.

“I’m going after her,” I say, determination hardening in my voice. “I’ll fly to California.” Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I open my travel app. “Whatever it costs, I’ll buy a ticket right now and go.”

Grace’s expression softens into something almost like a smile. “Good. Because if you didn’t, I’d have to kick your ass. Skyler deserves someone who’s willing to fight for her.”

“And that’s exactly what I’m going to do,” I tell her, already planning my next move. “I’m not letting her go.”

Grace nods, satisfied. “You better not. Now go get your girl, Carson.”

I don’t need to be told twice. There’s no time to waste. Skyler’s probably already halfway to California by now, but I’m not going to let that stop me. I’ve lost her once before, but this time I’m not letting her slip through my fingers.

I’m going after her, and this time, I’ll make sure she knows exactly how much she means to me.