Page 7 of The Love Comeback (Glaciers Hockey #3)

Chapter Seven

Ella

“I can’t believe Kade invited us to the circus!” Colton chimes, pumping his fist in the air. “You never let me do stuff like this on a school night.”

“You’re right,” I mutter, chewing on the inside of my cheek. “But tonight’s an exception.” I keep a smile on my face as headlights fill the glass of my front door. I normally wouldn’t have agreed to this with Kade, but…

I felt sorry for him.

“He’s here! He’s here!” Colton grabs my arm as he rushes for the door, dragging me behind him. I give into the pull, my Nikes squeaking across the floor. Colton rips the door open and Kade gives us both an amused look, his fist clenched in a mid-knock position .

“Whoa, you guys are ready to go.” He chuckles, flashing me his perfect freaking smile. My heart does a little flip-flop, but I ignore it. The only thing my heart is good for is keeping me alive.

“It’s gonna be so much fun,” Colton breathes, dropping my arm as he falls in step beside Kade. “I don’t remember the last time I went to the circus.”

“It’s been a few years,” I say from behind the two of them. I feel like a third wheel—not that I care. In fact, I love the way that Colton is grinning up at Kade and Kade is grinning right back.

Colton needs this.

I watch as Kade opens the back door of his truck for Colton to climb in and then turns to the passenger door, gesturing for me.

“Thanks,” I tell him, giving him a half-smile as I slip past him. I’m immediately hit with the scent of leather and Kade’s cologne as I scramble in. Even though he’s changed brands since we were together, there’s still something strikingly familiar about it all.

“You need to get buckled up,” I say to Colton, steering my mind away from the past. “We don’t want to be late.”

He gives me a funny look but then scoots back in the seat as Kade jumps in. He pulls the seatbelt strap across his lap without any protest, and a big grin stretches across his face as Kade shifts the truck into reverse .

“So…” My voice trails off as he heads out of the quaint neighborhood street. Part of me wonders what Kade thinks about the tiny little house I’m renting, or if he thought about it at all.

He eyes me. “So?”

“So, the date didn’t go well?” I keep my voice low as he merges onto the highway, heading toward downtown. My mouth feels excessively dry as he frowns, his shoulders slumping slightly.

“No, it didn’t. Everything that could go wrong went wrong. I even spilled my milkshake on her dress.” He chuckles and I raise my brows, wrapping my arms around myself a little tighter. “And then she drank enough wine for a whole army.”

“Oh…” A giggle tries to slip out, but I clamp my hand over my mouth, shaking my head. “I’m so sorry, that’s not funny.”

Kade lets out a heavy sigh, glancing back in the rearview at Colton before catching my gaze. “It was pretty disappointing, but also … now, saying it out loud, it’s a little funny. I’m not sure I would’ve felt like that before I picked you guys up.”

“Girls are gross,” Colton hums from the backseat. “My friend Aaron doesn’t think so, though. He wants a girlfriend.”

My heart jumps to my throat as I spin in the seat. “Wait, what? No girlfriends!” Kade burst into a fit of laughter at my freak-out, and I shoot him a glare. “I’m serious .”

“You act like it’s not innocent.”

“Aaron said he wants to kiss Lilly Evans.” Colton curls up his lip. “I don’t know why he’d want to kiss her. I mean, how would he know if she brushed her teeth? ”

“That’s a very valid point,” Kade says. “He wouldn’t know. And you know what’s crazy? You don’t even know the answer to that question when you’re my age.”

Colton’s eyes go wide. “I thought all adults brushed their teeth.”

“Nope,” Kade says, nonchalantly shrugging as he pulls into the circus parking lot. “Some adults don’t brush their teeth. Some don’t shower. It’s just part of it.”

“I’d totally not shower.” Colton breaks into a grin. “I mean, Ella makes me shower once a day, but I still don’t understand why showering once a week isn’t good enough. It’s not like I get that dirty.”

“Nah.” Kade shakes his head. “You gotta shower. Especially because you break a sweat on the ice. I sometimes shower twice a day.”

“You do?” I can’t help my surprise as he pulls into a space and puts the truck in park.

“Uh yeah.” He laughs. “The last thing I want is for someone to think I reek. That would just be bad.”

“I guess I’ll keep showering, then.” Colton lets out a pained sigh.

Kade and I exchange glances, both of us trying not to laugh as we climb out of the truck. I don’t know what it is about being around Kade, but he always seems to brighten the mood. Well, my mood .

“Will there be clowns?” Colton asks as we head for the front doors, where a whole line of people are waiting outside to get in. “I don’t think I like clowns.”

“They’re just grown-ups who act silly with a bunch of face paint on.” Kade chuckles, shrugging his broad shoulders. I hate the way I’m drawn to stare at him, my mind running circles with how attractive he is.

It should be a crime.

“What’s your favorite part of the circus?” Colton turns to me as we linger in the back of the now-moving line of people.

“I like the acrobats,” I say with a grin. “They do all the stunts I wish I had the courage to try.”

Colton makes a face. “All they do is flip in the air and stuff. I mean, I can do that on a trampoline.”

Kade’s laughter fills the air, the deep boom echoing through my chest cavity.

I force a smile and then divert my gaze to the entrance, where two circus workers, clad in bright red uniforms, are diligently scanning tickets.

He pulls out the tickets as we approach the doors, and they scan the barcode, ushering us into the bustling spectacle inside.

“Whoa,” Colton says as soon as we step through the doors, his eyes as big as saucers. “This place is huge!” He surveys the expanse of the circus tent, the enormity of it all reflecting in his awe-struck gaze .

“Pretty cool, huh?” Kade says, leading us toward the lower tiers of seats because of course , Kade would get the best possible seats.

The anticipation crackles in the air, mingling with the scent of buttered popcorn and cotton candy.

“It’s so cool!” Colton squeals, his face aglow with excitement, and I can’t help but smile.

We take in the brightly colored streamers hanging from the ceiling, the dazzling lights, the energetic music. It’s a scene straight out of a dream. And our seats are in the very front row, so close to the action that we’ll likely feel the heat from the flamethrowers.

“You guys want any popcorn?” Kade turns to us as we take our seats, Colton planted in between Kade and me. “I could go for some.”

“Me too!” Colton says the words enthusiastically, but his eyes are already glued to the clowns circling around the edge of the tent’s arena. I can’t decide by the look on his face if he’s intrigued or terrified by them.

I then glance over at Kade, who gives me a funny look, motioning to Colton. He’s clearly thinking the same thing about my nephew, and both of us stifle a laugh as Colton jumps back in his seat when a clown approaches.

“Nope. I don’t like them,” he mutters, avoiding eye contact with the red-nosed, orange-headed clown. In Colton’s defense, even I cringe a little at the fluffy, off-white vest with pom-poms sticking out everywhere.

Maybe I don’t like clowns either.

“Yeah, but back in the day, this was the main form of entertainment,” Kade says with total ease as the clown performs a handstand. Everyone cheers, and Colton joins in. There’s something about the sight of Colton having a good time that makes me feel lighter.

And I hate that I love how Kade brings it out in him.

“I think it would be so cool to be in the circus,” Colton declares as the night wears on, and the wonder in his eyes seems to grow with every flip of an acrobat and every blow of a flame.

“You know what’s crazy?” Kade shoots me a smirk as he leans into Colton, who pops another piece of popcorn into his mouth. “Back in high school, Ella wanted to be in the circus, too. So much so that she actually tried to train to become an acrobat.”

“Oh my gosh,” I gasp, my hand flying up to cover my mouth. Embarrassment floods my cheeks as Colton turns to me.

“Really?”

I shoot Kade a glare, though I have to admit that it’s playful. “ Yes . But it was only for a few weeks, and I learned very quickly that it wasn’t for me.” I rake my fingers through my dark hair, thinking back to the way Kade cheered for me—never once reminding me of one big problem with my dream .

Colton shoves another handful of popcorn in his mouth. “How come it didn’t work?”

I glance over at Kade, who’s got a grin a mile wide on his face. “I’m terrified of heights.”

My nephew’s brows furrow as if he’s confused for a moment, and then he looks over to Kade—and then back to me. “Then why would you ever consider becoming an acrobat?”

“Because I was silly.” I laugh, shaking my head as Kade begins a deep humming chuckle. It vibrates my chest, its low sound heavier than the music playing overhead in between acts. My heart palpitates with the past memories of us, but I quickly push them away.

I’m only here because his date didn’t work out.

I turn away from his gaze, which I can still feel lingering on my skin as I do my best to focus on the horse and trick rider galloping into the ring. I take a deep breath, pretending like I’m not moved by Kade. He’s always had a way of getting under my skin…

But I can’t afford to let him break my heart again.

My eyes flicker to my nephew, my mind replaying the turmoil of my ex-husband leaving us. That’s the thing with relationships that involve children. It’s not like it would just be my heart potentially being broken. It would be Colton’s, too.

“Man, this is the best night ever .” Colton’s voice rings out as he stands to his feet, cheering as the trick rider hangs off the side of her horse, her bright pink costume glowing under the circus lights. “I think I want to come to the circus every night.”

“Oh, I could totally arrange that,” Kade immediately chimes in return. However, as soon as his gaze meets my glare, he quickly clears his throat. “But unfortunately, I can’t do that. It wouldn’t be a good idea to be here every night. You know, you have … you have homework and stuff.”

Colton makes a face. “Meh, yeah, I guess so. But it would still be cool to spend every night hanging out with you.”

Kade squeezes Colton’s shoulder. “Yeah, it would be cool for me, too.”

I rip my gaze away and do my best to swallow the warm feeling that follows the exchange.

I have to keep my distance from him.