Read Online Cade: Fire And Ice: A Second Chance Hockey Romance by Jessica Lake, Alana Hart - Free Book Online

that we're-just-bros shit Coach Hansen always threw at us. My teammates mostly seemed to eat it up but it always came across as patronizing to me. Coach Hansen wasn't worried about me personally and I resented his assumption that I hadn't figured that out yet. He was worried about his own reputation - a reputation that might be in danger if Cade Parker turned out not to be the next NHL superstar. I looked up at him and shrugged.
    "What do you want me to say? My girlfriend was badly hurt a few days ago, of course I'm worried about her. Even if you want me to just turn that off, I can't."
    Coach leaned back in his chair and interlaced his fingers behind his head, looking at me and just barely managing to conceal the disappointed sigh I knew he wanted to let out.
    "I understand that, Cade. But you're eighteen years old. I'm looking at the big picture here. The decisions you make now are going to effect the rest of your life. You're almost there. You need to stay focused."
    "I know that!" I said, getting heated. "I have the best scoring record in Ice Kings' history and I had one bad game. I wish everyone would just get off my goddamned back."
    "Cade, listen. You're going to be drafted. What do you think is going to happen then? You're going to have to leave North Falls. Do you think Ellie Hesketh is going to come with you? With her family situation?"
    Small towns, man. Everyone knowing everyone else's business. I'd already thought about asking Ellie to come with me, wherever I ended up going. Fantasizing about a life with her in the big city was actually starting to constitute an embarrassing amount of my daily thoughts. I knew her family situation, but I had been putting it aside, pretending we would be able to find a way around it. Coach Hansen bringing it up like that and exposing my daydreams for what they were infuriated me. I stood up, quickly, and looked him in the eye.
    "You don't know Ellie Hesketh. So stop fucking talk about her like you do!"
    When I got to my car and put my hands on the wheel, they were shaking slightly. Coach Hansen was an egomaniac asshole, but he was right about one thing - Ellie wasn't going to be able to leave North Falls. I tried to convince myself there was a chance. I tried to ignore the sinking feeling in my stomach as I drove home clinging to a desperate hope that I wasn't going to be forced to choose between the career I'd dreamed of and the beautiful girl with the small, careworn hands and the lioness's heart.
    My parents were both sitting at the kitchen table, stone-faced, when I walked in. I started to turn around, intending to walk right back out again, but my mother's voice followed me:
    "Cade. We need to talk. Right now."
    Reluctantly, I turned back to face them and noticed a few sheets of paper lying on the table in front of my dad. It was a credit card statement. He picked it up and handed it to me like it was evidence of some great crime.
    "What's this, son?"
    I respected my parents. Eighteen or not, budding superstar or not, they'd always had my back and I knew I wasn't going to be able to stomp out of the room like I'd just done with Coach Hansen. I slumped down into a chair and met their worried glances.
    "It's a credit card statement. My girl- I mean, a friend of mine was badly hurt last week. Her nose was broken. She couldn't pay, so I paid. I'll pay you guys back before the end of the year, like we arranged when you gave me the card."
    Of course, paying them back was dependent on getting the NHL contract everyone had assumed I was destined for, but I was pretty sure that wasn't in any real danger, not due to one crappy game.
    I watched my parents exchange a look.
    "Son, just who is this girl? And why haven't you told us about her?"
    I never told my parents about any of the girls in my life. Admittedly because up until Ellie, I hadn't felt seriously about any of them, but also because I knew my mom and dad were on a constant lookout for 'distractions' in my life and I didn't