Page 15 of Ice Rivals (Desert Ice Hockey #3)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

MASON

“ W e lost a pre-season game. So what?” I shifted in the back seat of our Uber, watching the crawling traffic on the other side of the highway. Good thing we weren’t traveling in that direction.

“I don’t know. I don’t like losing, no matter the importance of the game.” Jett pursed his lips and looked out his window.

“You’re worried about tonight.” I glanced at our driver, not paying any attention to us as far as I could tell, and squeezed Jett’s thigh. He’d been on edge all day, which was probably why he missed the shot at the end of the game.

“Yeah, guess I am.” He hung his head, rubbed his temple and snickered. “I still can’t believe you got Coach to let you stay here another night with me.”

“Somehow, I think he knew it would be good for you to have back up from someone like me.” I eyed him. “If Coach knows about you…” I glanced at the driver. Shit, I had to be careful about what I said, especially after those IG posts. “He knows about the situation with your dad, right?”

With a nod, he said, “Yeah.” His gaze met mine. “I’m glad you’re here with me.”

The car left the freeway and drove through a neighborhood with l arge homes hiding behind tall trees and masonry walls. “Wow, where are we again?”

“Thousand Oaks.” He tipped his head back to touch his seat. “We grew up here, but Dad didn’t buy this house until after he’d been married to Eleanor for a few years.”

“Okay.” I peered out the window as the Uber drove into a rounded driveway in front of a sprawling Craftsman-style home with a large covered portico in a goldish beige with white trim. There was stone cladding on one accent wall and the four-car garage was made up to look like an old carriage house. “This place is huge.”

As the car stopped in front of the portico, he grabbed the door handle. “Yeah? Didn’t you grow up in a mansion back east? I mean, you are the son of an NHL player.”

“We had a decent-sized house, but I think my dad was a little more frugal with his money.” I stepped out of the car and breathed in the cool California evening air with a hint of the salty ocean tinging it. “How far are we from the beach?”

“Thanks.” He waved off the Uber driver and then strolled to me. “Oh, about twelve miles.” He scanned over the house. “I think I only lived here during two years of high school.”

The white-painted front door opened, and a young woman stepped out with wavy brown hair cropped at her shoulders and funky blue glasses. This must be Iris. “Oh my God, you brought Mason with you?” She jogged to us and threw her arms around me. “It’s so nice to meet you in person.”

“Uh, she’s a hugger.” With a soft cackle, he scratched the back of his neck.

Wrapping my arms around her waist, I said, “I see that.” I gave her a squeeze. “Nice to meet you too.” I looked over her Notre Dame sweatshirt and jean shorts. She was pretty casual for this birthday affair. Maybe I hadn’t needed to wear my nice sweater and khakis.

She freed me and stepped back, clapped her hands over her chest, and beamed at me, then Jett. “So, why didn’t you tell me and wh at’s going on? Are you coming out tonight?” She gave us an open-mouthed smile and gave Jett a brief hug.

“Having him here was last minute, and I didn’t have time to tell you and…no, we’re not coming out to Dad.” He glanced at me. “He’s here as, uh?—”

“Support.” Lifting my chin, I gave her a smirk. “I’ve already met your dad once. We went to dinner together in Phoenix.”

“You did?” She backhanded Jett’s shoulder. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I don’t know. Slipped my mind?” He gave me a wry smile. “And that was before we started dating.” His gaze snapped to the house and his face went slack.

“Don’t worry, they’re in the kitchen. They can’t hear us.” She grabbed my hand and pulled. “Come on. I’ll show you around.”

“Okay.” I peeked back at Jett, snickering with his fingers covering his lips. I could already see how she hadn’t needed a nanny after Jett had left for college.

After stepping into the house with Jett following us in, she twirled around. “This is the front room.” She spread her arms wide over a room with cream and light wood furniture in a traditional style, the tables all with marble tops. “Eleanor likes everything fancy.” She giggled.

“Speaking of which, when are you changing for dinner?” Jett arched a brow at her.

“In a little bit. Don’t worry.” She walked into a hallway and opened a door. “This is Dad’s study.”

I walked across the wooden floor and peeked my head in. The room was filled with rich wood paneling and shelves of hard-bound books. An ornate desk centered the room. “Nice.” I glanced at Jett, eyeing me.

“When Mom was alive, our house was more…” He scratched his brow. “What would you call it, Iris?”

“Bohemian, definitely bohemian.” She quirked the corner of her lips. “Anyway, the dining room is next.” Strolling farther down t he hallway, she stopped between two columns. “This is where we’ll be eating.”

Something had put a damper on her mood. Was it the mention of her mom? “Very nice.” I perused the long table set with gold and white china and crystal stemware. Holy shit, Eleanor was the church lady. Everything looked so formal.

“Iris, have you changed yet?” An older woman strolled down the hallway in a wrap-around blue dress that fell past her knees and was synched at the waist by a belt. Her platinum-blonde hair was cut in a bob at her chin and her lips were a dark shade of red. “Oh, Jett and his friend are here.” She gave us a once-over. “You both look nice.” She walked to us, her heels clicking on the floor, and leaned in toward Jett.

He kissed her cheek. “Hello, Eleanor.” Holding a hand out to me, he said, “This is my friend and teammate, Mason.”

“Pleased to meet you, Eleanor.” I pushed my hand at her, and she took it, giving me a loose shake. “And happy birthday.”

“Thank you. Nice to meet you.” Lifting her chin, she gave me a slight smile. “Dear, Jett and his friend are here.” She patted the edge of her curled hairline at her neck and flicked her gaze behind her.

“Nice home you have here, Eleanor.” Clasping my hands in front of me, I studied her. She seemed fairly disinterested in me and gave off some cold vibes for sure.

“Oh, thank you.” She turned her profile to me. “Rod, where are you?” She tsked, her gaze finding mine. “That man. I wonder where he’s gone off to now?”

“Come on.” Iris grabbed my hand and led me down the hallway. “I still have to show him the rest of the house, and apparently, he’s already met Dad.” She gave Eleanor a pointed look.

I sauntered behind Iris as she hauled me into the kitchen, where a woman in an apron cooked over a massive six-burner stove tucked into dark wooden cabinets. She peered at us. “Hello, I’m Clara ”

“Hi.” I waved at her. Who the hell was this? They had their own cook?

“Clara’s the caterer from an Italian restaurant Eleanor likes.” Iris led me across a stone tile floor to a bar tucked into the corner of the family room with puffy leather couches and a set of casual wood and iron tables. “We have some red wine over here. It’s the only type of alcohol Eleanor allows in the house.” She ducked behind the bar and came up with a bottle, pulling off the already-opened cork. “You look like you need a drink.” She gave me a sly grin.

“I most certainly do.” Setting my hand on my hip, I gazed out the large windows behind the couch, looking over a large pool, a tennis court, and mountains farther out. “Jesus, how much property is here?”

As she poured the wine, she said, “Almost two acres.” She handed me the glass. “Here.”

I sipped it, the hints of cherry and oak sliding down my throat. “Damn, that’s good.” Again, with the wine snob shit. But then, Jett said he and his dad had gone wine tasting.

“Yeah, I like this one too.” She poured herself a glass and held it up. “To you and Jett.”

“To me and Jett.” I tapped my glass on hers and drank some more. Speaking of which, where the hell was he? I looked in the direction we’d come.

Jett hurried through the kitchen, greeting Clara along the way, and stopped next to me. “Fuck, she already knows Mason is gay.” With a slight tremble, he grabbed the bottle and a glass from the counter, and then poured some wine. “How the hell would she have found out?”

“Who cares?” As my chest pinched, I drank more wine. “It’s not a secret. Maybe she or your dad looked me up after our dinner?” She better not start shit with me. I’d come too far to take any shit from the church lady.

His gaze locked on mine. “I care, Mason. If she says anything derogatory to you, I might?— ”

“I’ll handle it.” Iris pressed her lips into a thin line. “I will handle this. I don’t want either of you dealing with that shit, and then Dad can be pissed at me.” She sipped her wine. “I want you both to have a decent time here tonight.” She smirked. “Notice I said decent. I don’t expect it to be a good time.” She chortled.

Jett’s father entered the room, his beige polo shirt stretching across wide shoulders and tucked into black trousers. “Hello, everyone.” He rubbed his hands together in front of his chest. “Nice to see you again, Mason.” After stopping next to me, he shook my hand and peered at Iris. “You will change for dinner tonight, right?”

“Of course, Dad.” She held up her wine to him and drank it down. “I’ll be back.” Setting the glass on the counter, she sauntered off.

“So, what’s for dinner?” Jett watched his father over the lip of his wine glass and took a sip.

“A chicken risotto dish your stepmother loves.” He turned to glance at Clara.

Jett winced and swirled his wine in his glass.

His father leaned in toward him. “I have a card for you and Iris to sign in my study. I expect you to give her a nice message in it too.”

“Yeah, okay.” With a quick peek at me, he finished his drink and poured another.

“And watch your drinking. You know how your stepmother feels about it.” His dad twisted around. “Eleanor, my birthday girl, how are you?” He held his arms out.

As she strolled toward us, she clucked her tongue. “Clara didn’t bring the special focaccia I wanted.” She glanced behind her as Clara threw her a glare.

I had a feeling Clara wasn’t happy to be here either. I breathed in the aromas of garlic and rosemary. “Well, I’m sure the risotto will be heavenly, based on what I’m smelling right now.” With a smile, I drank my wine.

She harrumphed and clasped her hands together over her chest. “Yes, well, she makes it often enough.” She looked me up and down. “Funny, you don’t look gay to me.”

Jett spat his wine into his glass, patted his chest and coughed.

“Yeah? How is a gay man supposed to look?” I gave her a wicked grin. Oh, she’d better tread lightly here. “I suppose I should have gone with a pink shirt or bright flowers? Something a little more flamboyant?”

Jett stared at me, his mouth gaping.

“Well, that would certainly be more, uh, typical, I suppose.” She pursed her lips, eyeing me. “I guess I didn’t expect you to be so…” She tilted her head as if sizing me up. “Manly.”

“Should I make my wrists a little limp for you?” I held out my hand and flopped it down. “Does this make you comfort?—”

“Mason.” Jett stepped between me and Eleanor. “I’ll need this conversation to stop right here.” He glanced at his father. “Right, Dad?”

With a scoff, Eleanor crossed her arms over her chest.

Rod looked from Jett to Eleanor and grabbed her by the elbow. “Come along, dear. I have some things you need to take a look at.” He walked off with her.

Jett faced me. “I’m sorry about that.” He drew a deep inhale. “It figures she’d come after you right after Iris left.”

Scratching my brow, I said, “Yeah, well, you know how much I like fucking with people, and it was sort of fun to fuck with her.” I gave him my best grin. He needed to understand shit like that barely fazed me at this point. I’d seen way more bullshit in the rink.

Iris walked into the room, now wearing a flowery dress. “What did I miss? Eleanor and Dad are having some sort of argument in their bedroom.” She strode to the bar and refilled her wine glass.

“Eleanor said some stupid things to Mason, but he put her in her place.” Jett wrapped his arm around my waist and side-hugged me.

I leaned into him, enjoying his touch .

“Oh?” She hooked a brow. “Damn, wish I would have seen it.” She sipped some wine.

Clara plated food at the kitchen island. “Dinner is almost ready. Can you get everyone seated?”

“Sure thing.” Iris ticked her head at me. “Let’s go sign the card and sit at the table. I’ll text Dad to join us.”

A little while later, we all sat around one end of the long dining table, eating. The sound of clanking silverware filled the space. I glanced at Jett to my left. This was weird. Wasn’t someone going to say something? I cleared my throat and wiped my mouth. “So, Iris, how are your classes going?”

Everyone looked up from their plates.

Iris gave me a warm smile. “It’s early still, but very well, thank you.” She flicked her gaze at Eleanor.

After sipping her sparkling mineral water from a champagne flute, Eleanor said, “Have you met any nice young men at school?”

Iris clenched her jaw. “Of course, but I’m not dating anyone. I want to get my degree first, like I’ve told you.”

Setting down her fork, Eleanor said, “You’re surrounded by plenty of wealthy, upstanding men at that college, yet you insist on getting a degree instead of finding a husband?” Shaking her head, she tsked.

Iris rolled her eyes. “We’ve gone over this. I’m not there to find a husband. I’m there to make sure I have a lucrative career, so I don’t have to depend on a man to provide for me.” She cut her gaze to her father’s.

Rod straightened in his chair. “You can do both, you know. I’d like to see you find a nice young man while you’re there.” He scooped risotto onto his fork and ate it.

“I know how it is, Iris.” I took a bite of the creamy risotto, the rosemary and garlic blend exploding on my tongue. Clara was a damn g ood cook. I’d never had anything like this. “I didn’t date anyone in college either. I wanted to focus on my studies and hockey.”

“Oh? What did you study in college, Mason?” Rod sipped some mineral water.

“I studied business with an emphasis on finance. Being already drafted to the Coyotes, I wanted to be sure I handled all my contract money correctly and invested it properly.” Hooking a brow, I chuckled.

“Good man.” Rod nodded and tapped his fork on his risotto. “That should come in handy.” He snapped his gaze to Jett. “Maybe you can help Jett invest his money too. He never quite finished college.”

“Dad, I know how to handle my money.” With a scoff, Jett ate some of the side salad Clara had also prepared.

“What did you study in college, Jett?” Funny, but I didn’t think we’d ever talked about that. I drank some of my wine. We’d opened a bottle of chianti, and it went well with the meal. There was something to this wine and food pairing shit, and if drinking pissed off Eleanor, I was all for it.

“Computer science.” Jett threw a look at his father and shrugged a shoulder. “I figured if, for whatever reason, I didn’t make it in hockey, I might work with Dad.”

“But hockey was his destiny.” Iris stuffed a bite of risotto into her mouth.

Eleanor’s narrow gaze raked over me. “Will you date now, Mason?” She smirked at me. “I’ve heard all you gay men are promiscuous and don’t do well in committed relationships.”

“Actually, gay men do very well in their marriages.” My chest heated. Here we go.

Iris flashed her eyes at me. “You know, Eleanor, studies show that the divorce rate is lower for same-sex couples than for straight couples and gay men get divorced at even lower rates than lesbian women.” She flashed me a quick smile .

Eleanor scowled. “Marriage is supposed to be a holy union between a man and a woman. Not some twisted?—”

“It’s not twisted. Who someone loves is their own business. How does Mason being gay have anything to do with you? Has it hurt you in some way?” Iris curled her lip. “Of course not.”

Eleanor planted her elbow on the table and pointed at Iris. “Are you a lesbian now? Is that why you’re not dating a man at college? What is that school teaching you?”

“Eleanor.” Pinching his lips, Rod glared at her. “Let’s talk about something else, shall we? It is your birthday, after all.” He inhaled deeply. “I was waiting to surprise you, but maybe I’ll give you your gift now.” He reached under the table, pulled out a blue Tiffany box wrapped in a white bow and set it in front of her.

Her eyes widened. “Oh, Rod, you shouldn’t have.” She set her fork next to her plate, untied the bow and opened the box, her eyes rounding. With a gasp, she placed her fingers over her lips. “Does this mean?” She pulled out a silver ring with diamonds surrounding a blue stone.

“Yes, I’m taking you on that second honeymoon to Tuscany.” He gave her a broad smile.

“Oh, I love it.” She slid the ring onto her finger. “When are we going?”

“In a week. It’s all booked.” He glanced at Jett. “Sorry, but I’ll be missing some of your hockey games.”

“No worries, Dad. I know how much Eleanor wanted this.” He bobbed a brow at me.

Oh, there was a story there. I’d have to remember to ask about it later. “It’s lovely, Eleanor. Congratulations.” Yeah, I could put on an act and be cordial to someone, even if they didn’t deserve it.

Rod set two cards on the table and pushed them toward Eleanor.

My pulse picked up. Shit, Rod had wanted nice messages in the card, but Jett had refused to say anything more than happy birthd ay. I snuck a peek at him and rubbed my palms over my trouser legs.

“Thank you, dear.” With a smile, she opened the first card, read it and set it next to her plate. “You’re the love of my life too.” Leaning toward him, she placed her hand on his forearm and kissed his cheek. She then opened the second card, read it, and crept her gaze to Iris. “Thank you, Iris, it was a very nice message.” Her gaze wound to Jett. “Thank you for the birthday wishes, Jett.”

“You’re welcome.” Jett’s gaze met mine for a beat and he focused on his father.

Rod blew out a breath and ticked his brows. “Okay, let’s finish eating.”

After dinner, we decided to take an Uber to a beach Jett used to go to in high school. As I sat next to him in the back seat, riding along PCH with the ocean waves twinkling in the moonlight, I thought about the evening. His father hadn’t seemed like a bad guy, but he did let Eleanor rule the roost. “Hey, how are you doing?”

My hand rested next to his on the seat, our pinky fingers touching. I wound mine around his.

As a slow smile crept over his lips, his gaze found mine. “I’m okay. How about you?”

“Great. Eleanor stopped preaching after your dad gave her that ring.” Yeah, she’d shut the hell up and let us all enjoy the rest of our meal. “What’s the story there anyway?”

“About the honeymoon?” Puffing a breath through his nose, he said, “Their first honeymoon didn’t go well. Dad took her to Paris and managed to get a bad flu. He had to stay in the hotel room most of the time.” His smile widened. “Turns out, Eleanor never wanted to go there in the first place. She thinks the French are basically heathens. ”

“Heathens? With their fancy wines and fine dining?” I twisted my lips. The woman had a lot of odd ways of thinking. “I suppose she’d prefer the statues were all clothed at the Louvre.”

He huffed a chuckle. “Yeah, I’m sure that bothered her. Not sure if she even went there though.”

The Uber driver pulled into a long parking lot and stopped.

After thanking the driver, we both stepped out of the car. I stretched my arms over my head, taking in the rumbling of the waves before us and the expanse of sand. “Sure looks peaceful.” A small bonfire flickered to the left of us with people sitting around it.

“Yep.” He waved at me. “Come on, this way.” He walked behind a barrier for the parking lot and took off his sneakers and socks. “Nothing worse than sand in your shoes.”

“Oh, I agree.” As I stepped into the sand, I removed my shoes and socks and held them in my hand.

He twined his fingers in mine and led me down the beach toward the water. “I used to come out here a lot after Mom died.” He strolled beside me, chuckling. “Well, I came down here a lot when I was in town too.” As we reached the wet sand, he turned and walked in the opposite direction of the bonfire toward a bluff.

“Yeah? So this is a special spot for you.” As I gazed at him, I took in the way the moonlight glinted off his blowing hair, the stubble on his chin, and the fullness of his lips. God, he was gorgeous, and he was really all mine. He’d been opening up to me, and I couldn’t believe I was lucky enough to be his first. My heart swelled with emotion. Jesus, I was falling in love hard and fast.

He squeezed my hand, stopped and pulled me close to him and cupped my cheek, his gaze searching my face. “I know you didn’t have to put up with all that shit from Eleanor. But I’m glad you did. I’m glad you got to see firsthand the fucked-up dynamic in my family and you didn’t run out the door. ”

“Oh hell, Jett. Did you forget I’m a hockey player? We don’t spook that easily.” Leaning in, I pressed my lips to his and grabbed him by the nape, deepening the kiss, sliding my tongue along his.

He slanted his mouth over mine, kissing me again and again, and broke free, resting his forehead on mine. “I’m falling for you, Mason.” He swallowed hard. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone before.”

My lips twitched in an almost grin. “Good, because I feel the same.” Wrapping my arms around his shoulders, I hugged him against me as the ocean breeze blew over us, the pummeling of the waves matching the hammering of our hearts. “I hated not being able to hold you back there.”

He buried his face in my neck. “Yeah, I wanted to do the same with you. Especially after Eleanor attacked you the way she did.” He huffed. “Fuck, I wanted to slap her in the face a few times.”

“Don’t think that would have been a good idea on her birthday.” I tightened my hold on him, watching the curling waves off in the distance. I wanted to implant this moment in my memory and never forget it.

“That’s why I refrained. But barely.” He let me go and stepped back, his gaze finding mine, his eyes glistening in the low light. “Come on.” Grabbing my hand, he led me farther down the beach.

“Where are we going?” He looked like a man on a mission, and I was dying to see whatever treasure lay ahead. My toes dug into the cool sand as we walked on.

“You’ll see.” He led me into a rocky alcove and then pointed. “Look, a cave.”

Water splashed out of a large hole in the rocks at the bluff. “Cool.” I eyed it. The thing looked like it was filling with water.

“When the tide is out, you can go pretty deep in there.” He kissed my knuckles. “When I was younger, I explored the whole thing.” He flashed me a grin. “I liked pretending I was on some sort o f expedition.” He freed a stuttered chuckle. “Fuck, I don’t know. Guess if I wasn’t playing hockey, I imagined myself exploring the world.”

“Well, you can do that and play hockey, you know.” I wrapped an arm around his waist, and he edged into my side. “Together, we’re going places, Jarvis.” I bumped his shoulder into my chest. “I’ll follow you to any league you want to play in.” Holy fuck, had I said that aloud?

His gaze snapped to mine. “Seriously? So, if someday I wanted to try the European league, you’d come with me?” His lips quirked.

“I…” I stared at him. Fuck if I could say no. At this point, I couldn’t stand to be that far away from him. “Yes, I would. But of course, we’d have to both agree it was good for our careers.” Because that’s what strong couples did, made decisions together.

“Of course. It’s not like I’d go off and leave you.” His eyes rounded. “What have you done to me, Hopkins?”

“I’m irresistible.” I chuckled and pecked his lips.

“And full of yourself.” He rubbed his nose on mine. “But I guess it’s one of the things that attracts me to you.”

“Yeah?” I spied a dry spot in the sand. “Come here, let’s sit.” I hauled him to the spot and sat cross-legged with him beside me. The waves were so soothing after the tenseness of the evening. I could see why he’d come out here to get away.

“What do you think about my father? Given his behavior tonight and the other time we had dinner together, how do you think he’s going to react when he finds out about us?”

I rocked once, thinking about it. “Honestly? I’m way more worried about what Eleanor is going to say. He’s going to have to make a choice between his own flesh and blood and her. I don’t think she’ll tolerate us as a couple.”

Jett drew a circle in the sand with his index finger. “You think she’ll keep me from him?”

“I think she’ll try.” I shook my head, the wind blowing my bangs off my forehead. “If he’s going to be sponsoring the Coyote s, he’ll probably be spending some time in Phoenix. Maybe he’ll choose to see you behind her back or something.” Clearly, if they’d been fighting over her views of me, then how sound was their marriage anyway? What the hell did he see in her?

“Yeah, he might do that.” He furrowed his brows. “I don’t understand why he has no backbone with her. What the hell is he afraid of?” He focused on me.

“I don’t know.” I wound an arm around his shoulders. “Whatever happens, Jett, I’ll be here for you.” And yes, now I did understand what he was up against. I was so glad I was able to come here with him.