Page 27 of Tempting the Goalie (Riverside U #5)

“Aw, thanks, little brother. I haven’t had a sip of alcohol since I found out I was pregnant. I’m determined to do right by him,” she says, and her words bring me relief and joy.

“I’m proud of you,” I say to her. “Now both of you go on up and get ready.”

I wave them upstairs.

“Why are you going over to the Thornes’?” she asks.

“If you would’ve let me finish what I was saying, then you’d know that I’m asking Mr. Thorne for permission to officially date his daughter.”

“How chivalrous of you,” she beams.

“Elyna, that man was more like a dad to me than our own father. I owe it to him so he knows I respect him and Izzy.”

“Wow, I’m proud of you, Luc. Never thought I’d see the day,” she says.

“Me neither, but things have changed.”

“Mind enlightening me?” she asks.

“No,” I say bluntly because it only took one kiss for me to know it would never be enough.

Elyna laughs.

“Go on and get yourselves ready.” I wave her upstairs impatiently.

“Okay. Okay.” She rolls her eyes playfully.

I’m on a mission today. While she’s getting ready, I feel antsy. What do I say to Mr. Thorne? Will he approve of me? No one is good enough for Izzy. She’s too perfect.

It’s been a good half an hour, and they still aren’t down.

“Are you almost ready?” I shout so she can hear me upstairs.

“Yup,” she hollers back.

Dad’s bedroom door swings open and he comes down the stairs. He looks stiff as a board and doesn’t make eye contact.

“Want to tell me what’s gotten into you?” I ask him.

He grunts and doesn’t answer. When he reaches the main floor, he walks past me to the kitchen and goes straight for the coffee. A part of me wants to force him to speak, but at this point I don’t want to be late for Izzy.

Elyna finally comes down the stairs with a happy Braden on her hip.

“You two finally ready?” I ask. I can’t help but smile at my nephew. I didn’t realize babies would have this effect on me.

Braden smiles back then shoves his fist in his mouth.

“I have his stroller in the garage. You want to grab it?” she asks.

“Sure thing.”

I head outside. It’s a partly cloudy day but the sun is peeking through. At least it’s warm out and perfect weather for the short walk to the Thornes’.

Elyna meets me outside with a large bag on her shoulder. Braden is wearing a baseball cap on his head, and she places him in the stroller and throws a light blanket on him.

We walk the short distance to the Thornes’ property. There’s a sign that says Maple Valley Orchards out front. Elyna continues down one of the paths toward the orchard, and I go to look for Izzy in the shed next to the main house.

The door to the shed is open and I see Izzy working on the potter’s wheel. She is shaping a vase. Her hair is in a bun with wisps hanging on the side of her face. She’s wearing a pair of short jean overalls. She looks content. Relaxed.

I walk up to the door slowly. “Hey,” I greet quietly, not wanting to startle her. “This place hasn’t changed much.”

“Hi, Luc,” she says. I can tell she’s a bit startled but she smiles warmly when she sees me. “I hope everything went okay last night.”

“As much as it could. Elyna’s been keeping things from me, but all that is going to change.” I want to reach down and kiss her but that isn’t the call until her father and I have the talk.

“Come in,” she invites.

I walk into the small shed. She has a fan going.

“What are you making?” I ask her.

“Another vase,” she laughs.

“It’s a piece of art,” I say to her.

“Let me just finish up and I’ll walk you to the main house,” she offers. I remain quiet, knowing she likes to focus. When she gets the form she wants, she places the vase on a shelf to dry, and walks over to the large sink to wash her hands.

“All ready,” she says. We start walking toward the main house. “Are Elyna and Braden okay?”

“They will be once I make a plan to get them out of the house.” I’ve always tried to cover up my dad’s behavior because I felt embarrassed or ashamed. Last night he showed Izzy his crazy at full blast.

“Yeah, they definitely can’t live there anymore,” she agrees. “Daddy said he’d make a pit stop home from work. Are you nervous to speak to him?”

“Yes, I care what your father thinks.”

Her eyes crease at the corners and her lips tip up. “He loves you like a son, Luc. I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

“Thanks, Izzy.” I squeeze her arm, wanting to play it safe.

We reach the door to the main house and head inside the foyer as her father comes to the door from the kitchen. He’s in uniform.

“Hi, son, we didn’t have time to catch up last night,” he says to me and he extends his hand to shake mine.

“Hi, Mr. Thorne, no we didn’t,” I reply, shaking his hand.

“Do you have time for a cup of coffee with an old guy?” Mr. Thorne asks, a slight kind smile tipping his lips.

“Always,” I reply. “Lead the way.”

“I’ll catch you two soon. There’s something I need to do,” Izzy says. Knowing Izzy, she doesn’t want to be around when I ask permission to date her. Although, she does seem to be a little antsy this morning. I hope my dad’s behavior didn’t scare her that much last night.

I follow Mr. Thorne into the kitchen. He walks up to his espresso maker. “Nothing like a good cup of coffee during the day. What can I make you, Luc?”

“I’ll have what you’re having,” I say to him.

He raises both brows. “You want a double espresso shot, no sugar, black?”

I wince and chuckle. “On second thought, I’ll take a cappuccino. One shot is fine for me. I’m careful with caffeine intake.”

“I watched you play in the finals against Denver. I was proud of you, son,” he says to me. Talking to Mr. Thorne always made me feel good. He has a way of lifting your spirits.

“Thank you. You get to take the credit. If you hadn’t pushed me into hockey, I don’t know where I would be today,” I say to him, and every word rings true.

“Nonsense. I saw the potential and signed you up to play. You did the rest of the work, Luc. Your drive and will to succeed has been an inspiration to watch.”

“Well, it’s because of you I’m headed to the NHL. We both know that is going to change my whole life.”

“It will, but it isn’t a bad thing.”

“It’s a good thing,” I confirm. “I have my sister and nephew to worry about.”

“I had something to discuss with you,” he says.

“I wanted to discuss something with you too,” I say to him at the same time. “Sorry, you go first.”

“Go ahead, Luc. What’s on your mind?” he asks, placing the cappuccino in front of me. Suddenly my hands are too shaky to take it. I worry how he’ll react to the news of Izzy and me together.

“Thanks for the coffee,” I say to him.

“What’s on your mind?” he repeats.

I blink and take a deep breath. “I uh, wanted. . . things have changed. . .I mean. . .” Damn, I can’t even string a sentence together. “I wanted to ask your permission to date Izzy,” I finally blurt.

Mr. Thorne’s lip quirks on one side. “Aren’t you supposed to ask for that permission before you started dating her?”

My eyes must widen to saucers, which elicits a chuckle out of him. “Sir, I’m sorry. I meant no disrespect. Things just sort of. . .”

He lifts a hand. “Don’t need the details, Luc. You’re a good guy and you’ve always watched out for my Izzy. Always thought you two might get together, so yes, I approve, if that’s what you’re looking for.”

“It is,” I say. I want his approval. I want to feel like I’m good enough to date Izzy. Because being back home with Dad is making me feel like shit.

He reaches out and places a hand on my shoulder. “You’re a good guy, Luc. Don’t let your father’s behavior get to you.”

“Izzy told you what happened last night.”

He nods. “But I already knew your dad was having challenges.”

I lean my elbows on the counter and bow my head. “Sure wish someone would’ve told me what was going on.”

He blinks. “That’s what I’m going to do now. Just remember you’re a good man. Your parents’ decisions shouldn’t affect who you are.”

“That doesn’t sound promising.” I chuckle, my nerves getting the best of me.

“Your dad found letters. In those letters was information about your mom,” he starts carefully.

Just mentioning my mom causes a pain in the center of my chest and knowing this concerns her makes it all the more difficult.

“I can see how hard this is for you. Under normal circumstances it probably isn’t necessary to tell a child about their parents’ private life, but in this instance you could say the information affects us all. ”

“It sounds serious.” My palms begin to sweat, and I rub them against my thighs.

“Helen wrote letters to your mom where she tells her to continue her affair with Kyle Jensen,” he says. The world as I know it spins out before coming into focus again.

“Mom wasn’t having an affair with him. They worked together,” I correct.

“The letters suggest something else. Since your dad learned the truth about their relationship, he hasn’t been the same,” Mr. Thorne says.

I run my fingers through my hair, feeling my insides shaking. “Riley is Braden’s dad. Holy sh. . .I mean, wow, this is making a lot of sense.”

My mind is reeling as I process everything.

“Your father doesn’t like having Kyle Jensen’s grandchild in his home. It’s no excuse for his behavior because that child is Elyna’s too,” he says.

“I agree, now I understand why he’s so unhinged. I’m not making excuses for him though. Elyna was a lot older than me when Mom died. She remembers Dad being an alcoholic back then too. She said he didn’t treat Mom right, and it breaks my heart knowing that.”

Mr. Thorne reaches out and places his hand on my shoulder. “This is tough news. Maggie’s and Kyle’s deaths rocked this town. We never did learn how she lost control of the car, but learning they were in a relationship hits hard.”

“It does.” I blow out a breath. “Do you think it’s why Helen ran?”

Mr. Thorne looks back at me with an intensity in his eyes that matches what I am feeling right now. “I think so. Those two were as close as sisters. Even more so. They did everything together. Helen got pregnant with Phoenix and Maggie soon followed and she had Elyna.”

“Only my mom didn’t continue to have children like you and Helen. I’m pretty sure I must have been an accident if things were so bad between my parents,” I state.

“I don’t know, son. Your dad had a drinking problem, and he didn’t always treat her right. She was scared to leave him,” Mr. Thorne shares, which makes me feel even worse that I was brought into the world under such unloving and difficult circumstances.

“Does my dad still have those letters?” I ask.

“I think so. He came by one night after you and Izzy went back to school at the end of summer and waited while I read through the letters. Then he took them back, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he burned them,” Mr. Thorne says.

“He made a fire out in the backyard that went out of control. We had to call the fire department to put it out.”

“This is all making a whole lot of sense. I saw the missing trees and didn’t understand what happened.”

“Your father’s been on a long bender ever since, but it’s gotten worse in the past month,” Mr. Thorne explains.

“Since Elyna came home with Braden,” I say sadly.

“Yeah,” he agrees. “I wanted to speak with Elyna myself, but I didn’t know what to say to her. I offered her a place to stay in the main house, but she wasn’t having it.”

“Thanks, sir. My sister can be stubborn.”

“I’ve had a car patrolling our street and keeping an eye on your house,” he says. “Don’t want that father of yours starting any more fires. As it is, we’ve picked him up a few times from The Frosted Mug because he was causing a ruckus. Kammy didn’t want to press charges.”

“Maybe that’s the problem. We’ve always seen him as this functioning alcoholic so we cover for him, but it just enables him. He needs help. He isn’t in a good place, and I’m scared of what he’s capable of.”

“I can’t just arrest him, and he needs to sign himself into a rehab facility. Unless he breaks the law, my hands are tied,” he explains.

“I understand. I need to find a place for Elyna and Braden to live. It isn’t safe for them in the house. Izzy felt something off last night after my dad went off on her looking like Helen. I kept an eye on Braden all night.”

“With good measure,” he says. “My Izzy does look a lot like Helen. She’s a beautiful, sweet girl.”

“She is,” I say, feeling my cheeks turn warm.

Mr. Thorne chuckles. “I’m going to need to get used to you two together.”

“Yes, sir,” I agree.

“Remember, you’re a good man. Don’t let your parents tear down what you’re building toward,” he adds.

“You know I grew up with a dad who had an addiction problem too. He started off with prescription meds and it got out of hand,” he says, surprising the hell out of me.

“The reason I’m sharing this with you, Luc, is that we can choose a different path than our parents.

I tried hard to be a good husband to Helen.

I knew she had her own demons she was fighting.

At the end of the day, I dedicated myself to doing right by my kids, and I’d say it has paid off. ”

“You have a great family, sir,” I agree.

“Okay, go find Izzy. I’m guessing she knew you were coming over here and knowing my daughter, she is anxiously waiting to speak to you. I’m happy for you kids.” He claps my back, and I take it as a cue to go find Izzy.