Chapter 8

Eight

Tanner

I don't care if I'm speeding through our well-policed neighborhood. Okay, I do care because if the cops catch me, that will only slow me down. After hearing the fear in Maeve's voice, I can't let that happen.

"Are you still with me?" I ask, speaking to Maeve through my Bluetooth as she goes quiet on the other end.

"I'm here." Even though her voice isn't quite as shaky as it was when she first called, it's easy to tell she's still terrified. "I'm sure it's nothing, Tanner. I shouldn't have called."

"Damn right you should have." I shoot back, working to keep the panic from my voice. That's not what she needs from me right now "Are you still in your bedroom, door locked?"

"Yes, I'm just getting under my covers now."

I listen to the rustle of blankets as she crawls between her sheets. "I'm almost there. Just turning onto Dover now."

"Tanner—"

Sensing she's going to try to stop me again, I work to get her mind on something else, because short of an entire defense team taking me down, nothing is going to stop me from getting to her. "Did you make your spaghetti and meatballs yet?"

"No, not yet."

"My leftover chicken was pretty rubbery," I tell her. "I am not living my best Friday night."

A small chuckle and then, "Are you inviting yourself for dinner?"

I laugh at that. "Did I tell you my mother was a great cook? I miss her cooking. I suck at it."

"No, you didn't tell me that. If she's such a good cook, why aren't you going home for Thanksgiving?"

I groan. "You know why."

"Right, she wants the last of her kids married. Maybe marriage isn't so bad. Look at my folks. Happily married. Just like yours."

"Then go get married, Maeve," I counter, although the idea of her with any other man doesn't sit well with me. But if she had a good man in her life, one who was always there for her, maybe she wouldn't be so frightened all the time. Yeah, I should want that for her.

She laughs. "Okay, I'll shut up."

"No, don't shut up." I continue to speed through the streets. "Keep talking."

I can almost picture her relaxing against her headboard, her sheets tucked around her body when she says, "Tell me more about your mom."

"She needs a hobby," I grumble.

"I think you are her hobby."

My heart goes out to my mother. "She lost her best friend not too long ago. I think she's pretty lonely."

"I'm sorry, T. That must be really hard for her."

"She still writes to her, like in a journal. I think it helps a lot."

"Has she been here to visit you in Boston? Maybe she would like that. I could give you a list of places to take her."

"Yeah, you'd do that?"

"Sure, why not?"

"Maybe you could come with us. I haven't really done much exploring." I flick my signal on and roll to a stop at the stop sign. When the road clears, I take a left. "Been busy proving myself to the team."

"I haven't really explored much myself, either. I didn't even really take Kate anywhere." There's a sadness in her voice that I fucking hate. Her bastard ex really did a number on her and it guts me that she hides herself from the world. I'd like to hunt the fucker down and introduce his face to my fist. "Dad told me about all the good spots, though. I was talking to my parents before I got home, and didn't want to call them back when they were heading out for the evening." She exhales, her voice trembling slightly. "I'm tired of them worrying so much about me, Tanner."

The deep regret hidden behind the agony wraps around my throat and squeezes tight. "I'm glad you called me, Maeve."

"Me too," she agrees. "I feel better." A beat and then, "I think?—"

"I'm still coming."

Her voice has calmed significantly, and I loosen my grip on the steering wheel. I don't, however, lift my foot off the gas pedal. I spot her house and pull into the driveway, parking behind her car.

"Is that you?" she asks as my lights flicker across the front of her house.

"It's me."

I look up to what must be her bedroom window and the curtains move. My heart thunders in my chest when I spot her. She gives me a wave.

"You stay inside. I'm going to go out back and have a look around." I step from my truck and quietly close my door. If her bastard ex is out there, I don't want to scare him off. I want to come face to face with him.

She puts her hand on her window, her palms flat, like she's reaching out to me. "Tanner, I don't know if you should do that."

I hold her gaze. "Sweetness, I'm going to be okay. I promise."

"Okay," she whispers.

"Why don't you hang up now." If there's an altercation, I don't need her hearing it. Plus, I want both hands free. "I'll go to your front door, when I'm done. You can keep an eye out for me from your window."

"Okay," she agrees and the line goes dead.

I turn on my flashlight app and walk around her house. When I find her backyard well lit, I turn off the app and tuck my phone into my back pocket. I scan the yard, looking around a tipped over garbage can before I examine the fence to find it intact. Wind blows the leaves on the big maple tree, and the branches creek. I glance up, look around, and hear only a squirrel chirping. Something lands on my head and I jump back.

"Little fucker," I mutter and bend to pick up the acorn. "Did you throw this at me?" The squirrel chirps again, and I shake my head at the craziness of this. How did I land in Maeve's backyard yelling at a squirrel? I take one last glance around, and when I'm one hundred percent confident no one is back here, I walk around to the front of the house and glance up to find Maeve still standing at her window.

I give her the thumbs up and she drops the curtain. Seconds later, her front door is swinging open and I take one look at her as she stares up at me, and pull her into my arms.

I hold her tight, and she snakes her arms around my back, hugging me back. "Thank you," she whispers.

"Everything is okay. No one was back there. It was probably a raccoon. Your trash bin was knocked over."

"I overreacted."

"Hey," I say and inch back. I take her face into my palms. "You didn't overreact and you did the right thing by calling me. Something had to save me from that rubbery chicken before it took me out." My heart hurts at the worry in her eyes. "Has this happened before?"

She shakes her head. "Not since I've been here."

"Why now, do you think?"

"I don't know. It's just…maybe because he's out of prison." She frowns and inches back, removing my hands from her face. Shit, am I scaring her, crossing boundaries by cradling her face? My stomach tightens. Am I scaring her with my intimacy?

"What is in your hand?" she asks, and opens my palm to expose the acorn.

I relax and laugh. "Your squirrel tried to take me out."

"I saved you from the chicken, but not Buck."

A cool breeze blows in and she wraps her arms around herself. "Buck?"

"My squirrel. I put a bird feeder out when I moved here, but Buck, I named him after the team because he's tenacious like the players, eats all the seeds."

"You two are close, huh?" I tease.

"We do okay. Although there was that time I caught him peeking in my bedroom window."

I examine the acorn. "Ooh, a voyeur squirrel. Maybe we can be friends after all."

She whacks me. "Stop it."

"I like that he tried to protect you, but I can take over his job."

"Tanner…"

"It's October in Boston and the winters are long. I need something to keep me occupied when not playing hockey. You're actually doing me a favor."

Her face softens as she takes the acorn from me, then her eyes go wide. "Ohmigod, where are my manners." She tugs on my jacket and pulls me inside, shutting and locking the door behind me. The warm scent of vanilla reaches my nostrils. Does she have the same wall infuser from her office here in her home? I don't know, but I want to know. I want to know everything about this incredible woman, even though I should be hauling my ass back to my place and putting her out of my thoughts.

"Come on, I'm going to get started on dinner. Drink?"

"Sure." I resist the urge to ask if she could add in a little rat poison. That's the only thing that's going to put me out of my misery. Don't get me wrong. Being with her doesn't make me miserable. Being with her and being friends only is what's making me insane.

I shrug out of my coat and toe off my boots. She hangs my coat in the closet, leaving my boots on the front entranceway mat, and as we head toward the kitchen my phone pings. "Why don't you get that, and I'll run upstairs and get out of this skirt."

"Great, now I'm going to be thinking about that," I mumble to myself.

I pull my phone out and read the message from my brother. As Maeve hurries upstairs, I grin as I look at the pictures of my nephews trying on their Halloween costumes. I message back as she comes into the kitchen. Gone is the professional look from earlier. Now she looks comfy and relaxed in tight yoga pants and a big loose sweater. The clip is gone from her hair, leaving it long and loose. God, she is sexy. I stare at her as she smiles at me and walks to the counter. My damn phone pings again.

She glances at me over her shoulder. "Your mom?"

"No. It's not my mom. I have other friends you know," I shoot back.

"Oh, it's a friend, then. Anyone I know?"

"It's my sister, Annie," I mumble and she gives me a knowing grin. "Mom is really hoping for a wedding between her and her old skating partner, Ivan Koskov. I'm not sure Annie is interested though. Between you and me, I think she has a thing for Logan Coates. He plays for the New York Bears, and she's now coaching the team."

She pulls a pan out from her bottom cupboard and sets it on the stove. "Really? Logan Coates? Jeez, after he injured Jensen three years ago and got suspended and fined, I can't imagine she'd want to bring him home."

"I know right."

"I think Logan has grown and matured a lot though."

My head rears back and an instant spark of jealously burns through me. "Oh, you know him well?"

"I don't know him, know him." She takes an elastic off her wrist and ties her hair back, leaving a few loose strands on the right side like she normally does. She doesn't need to cover her scar with me. "Not personally. But I kind of know every player thanks to Dad."

"Right, of course."

"So, Annie and Logan." She grins.

"What?" I guess I am kind of glad to hear he's grown and matured, especially if things become serious between him and my sister. I can get behind the relationship. I can't speak for the rest of the family though.

"I don't know your sister, but if she's anything like you, that's the matchmaking adventure your mom should get behind."

"Don't ever agree with my mom on any matchmaking adventure," I shoot back, feigning annoyance. "What do you mean if she's anything like me?"

She fills a pot with water and sets it on the stove. I casually walk to the patio, glance into the backyard, and turn off the light. I shoot Annie a message back and tell her to hang in there, but when she messages me back, I laugh.

"What?"

"She told me my advice sucks and that my mom was coming for me next. She's wrong. Mom is already after me." I drop my phone onto the kitchen table.

"What was your advice?"

"I told her to hang in there."

She laughs. "Annie is right, that advice sucks."

"I'm a hockey player, not a therapist." I glance around as she opens a package of ground beef and dumps it into a bowl. "What can I do to help?"

"If your cooking is anything like your advice, I'd say open a beer and take a seat."

"Hey, I can do something."

She goes to the fridge and pulls out a beer. "You're not having one?"

"I'm going to go for the girly wine that doesn't have a lot of kick. That just gets me into trouble."

I laugh. "Don't want a repeat of what happened in the hotel after alcohol loosened our inhibitions, huh?"

She gulps.

Shit, why would I say something so stupid…and sexual? Great, now my dick is standing up, paying careful attention to my every word.

I scrub my face, and search for a change in conversation. "Um, anyway, what did you mean if Annie was anything like me?"

She tucks a few loose tendrils behind her ear. "You know. Cares about other people. Nice. Doesn't want to hurt her mom."

"Cute butt," I tease. "Don't forget about my cute butt." I shake my head and wince as she grins at me. "Wait, no. I don't want to think about my sister's butt. That didn't come out right."

That pulls a big laugh from her, and I laugh along. I love that she's a lot less stressed. I crack my beer and take a long pull, hoping it will cool my brain and my body. Maeve grabs a bottle of wine and rummages through her drawer for the corkscrew. She pulls it out and I hold my hand out.

"If you're feeding me, the least I can do is open your wine."

"The least, though I'm pretty sure I owe you a meal after pulling you away from your exciting Friday night activities."

I roll my eyes at her, and open her wine as she grabs a glass. I pour it for her and she goes to work on adding spices to the ground beef. "You like meatballs, right?"

"I like food."

"I do a great spicy meat ball."

"Yeah?"

"The key is to really massage in the spices. Can you grab the breadcrumbs there, and add half a cup?"

I open the box of specialty breadcrumbs. "Do you have a measuring cup?"

"Just start shaking it in. I'll let you know when it's enough."

"My mom would love you." She arches her brow. "I just mean she loves to cook and share recipes."

"You'll have to give me her contact information."

"No," I answer quickly.

"What?" she asks with a laugh, and as I stare at her hands working that beef, my dick twitches.

What has become of my life?

"If she knew I had a woman in my life…" Shit, that isn't coming out right. I'm all tongue-tied tonight. "I mean, a woman friend who wants to share recipes, she'd be all over that trying to marry us off."

"Well, we don't want that." She gives the meat her full attention and I continue to watch with sheer fascination. "Hey."

"Yeah."

"Why don't you get in here, and we can massage these balls together?"

"Um…what?"