Delayed Penalty (Crossing the Line, #1)(71)

"Baby, it's okay." I pressed my lips into her hair. She moved, crawling into my lap as I sat on the floor of the steaming shower in my underwear, rocking us back and forth. I had absolutely no idea if I was helping her, but f*ck, I was trying.

The anger and emotion had still been building inside me and brought a wave of tears I had no intention of letting her see, so I turned my head, thankful for the water masking the sadness.

She smiled and took my doubt, resentment, and anger with her. I stroked slowly over her cheek with my right hand, moving to her lips.

"You know, there's a place I go in my head. My dreams are there, my hopes, and…you. You're there. You've always been there lately, and I could never figure it out, but then I got it. I finally understood it." Ami smiled, soft and sweet. "When I was out of it, I remembered a voice. I remember being drawn to it. It was calming, soothing, and telling me to fight, holding my hand when no one else was there to hold it. I fought for you…" she said through tears, and I had to swallow back my own. "I knew whose voice it was when you walked into the hospital that day." Her hands moved to touch my face and my chin quivered. I was annoyed as f*ck I couldn't get my shit together. "I knew then it was you who got me through it."

The following morning, the fight was all over every news broadcasting station, NHL site, and all the social media websites. There was no hiding from it. What happened, what Dave did, was out in the open for all to see. The NHL suspended both of us for the remainder of the series, but would allow me to play in the next round. Dave, however, wouldn't be playing. He had been arrested and was about to be charged with attempted murder. The DNA came back a match. It would more than likely be months before everything was final and he was officially charged with anything, but the fact that we finally knew was a relief.

Turns out when news broke, three more women came forward and said they'd been raped by him, too. Who knew if it was true or not. Given his status, some people would say it just for the money. After I found out about Callie, it wasn't about the money. Dave really was a piece of shit.

Leo went to the jail and had a conversation with him, mostly fueled by him finding out Dave had roughed Callie up and how close Callie came to being hurt as bad as Ami had been.

I later asked Leo what he said to Dave, and he replied with, "I needed to know why he did it. Was it because he's just an ass who goes around beating women or was there a real reason."

"And he said?"

Leo let out an annoyed snort. "He said Callie needed to be knocked down a peg or two and Ami..." Leo swallowed and looked at me, his eyes narrowing. He was about to tell me something I didn't want to hear. "She had blown him off when he asked her to have a drink with him. I guess that was his revenge."

It figured it was something like that. He had no real reason. Not only did that have me seeing red again, but I was suspended that very same day Leo told me.

I was pissed about being suspended.

One by one, the games went by. Some were easier than others, like the ones we won, but when we lost it was difficult.

Ami tried everything to get me to cheer up, but I was hung up on it pretty bad.

My mind immediately went back to all those nights I spent sitting beside her bed, talking to her even though she wasn't awake, forgoing sleep just because I couldn't leave that girl.

One night, she tried to get me to have sex with her, as if that would be the distraction I needed. It wasn't. I wasn't ready to give in. Though the discussion wasn't over, I wasn't ready to say anything else. And I wasn't sure that she was either.

"Ami, a lot has happened to you in a short amount of time. It's okay to not be okay. It's okay for us to struggle a little," I said, sounding a bit exasperated. She flinched slightly. I caught the movement and continued, "I just want you to know that if you need time, I understand. Ami, look at me, will you?" I lifted her chin gently to meet my gaze. Those same beautiful, bright blue eyes that met me that day she woke up found mine, familiar and full of trust. "It's just me. Just you and me, and if you don't want that, I need to know. Don't think you have to—"

Her kiss cut me off, which was fine by me.

When she pulled away, I breathed. "Okay," I said after a moment, physically making myself relax and reaching up to lightly touch her cheek.

"Okay," she repeated, placing her hand over mine. "I know that it seems like we've just kind of been together because you were there for me, but if I wanted to leave, I would have."

"That's all I needed to hear." I sighed.





Playing the point – This refers to the player with the puck keeping it in position for scoring a goal.



Round 4 Stanley Cup (Game 6) Philadelphia Flyers

Wednesday, June 9, 2010




I was just getting ready to leave for the airport. Ami was cuddled up on the couch with my cat. She named him Zamboni. Apparently, Jerk Face wasn't a good name for a cat. I didn't really think Zamboni was either, but hey, if it made my girl happy, she could name the cat.

I watched her eating her Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal she ate every morning, a habit started by Leo. When I looked at her now, her hair hanging near her shoulders, artfully styled in a crazy way that fit her personality, and those starry blues, she looked good. She was healthy, she was in love, and she was mine. I saved her, but in reality she saved me when I didn't even know I needed saving.