Read Online Breakout (A Dallas Demons Hockey Romance) by Aven Ellis - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Aven Ellis
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make her being Greek a priority. I’m not Dimitri. I won’t do it.”
Okay, we are light years away from that even being a possibility, but I can’t help it. Elation fills me from his declaration.
“Dimitri dated all these blonds in college, but when it was time to find a wife, he started going to Greek events to find The One,” Niko continues. “The field was narrowed immediately to that trait when he was ready to settle down. So he followed the family script.”
“So even if you fell in love with someone who wasn’t Greek, and she was a really good person and made you happy, your parents still wouldn’t approve of that?”
“They’ve never supported me,” Niko says matter-of-factly. “I challenge them, and they think that’s disrespectful. But there’s no way in hell I’m making a decision on who to marry based on their ethnic background. So no, they wouldn’t support it. In fact, they’d be furious. But I’ve learned to live with that. I’d rather they be disappointed in me than for me to live a life I didn’t want to live.”
Admiration for Niko swells in me.
“You have a lot of strength,” I say. “It takes a very strong person to face what you did and still pursue your dream. You had zero support from the people who are supposed to believe in you more than anyone else. You could have used all of this as an excuse not to pursue your dream, but instead, you used it to achieve it.”
Niko seems surprised by my words. “You see it that way?”
“How can I not? The kid from the Greektown bakery did good, Niko.”
“Well, we’ll see. I know I got this job only because Total Access Total Sports was in a jam. I have a one-year contract,” Niko confesses. “They are test driving the car before buying it.”
“But don’t you see? To even have this opportunity says a lot ,” I insist. “They might have been in crisis mode when they found you, but trust me, TATS wasn’t going to hand it over to you unless they thought you were qualified.”
“I guess.”
“Come on, you know it,” I say. But then I circle back to his family again. “But surely your family can’t be angry now, right? They have to see how you’ve made it in TV. You moved across the country, rose through the ranks, and now produce a world-championship hockey team. I mean, you’re extremely successful.”
Niko grins. “Oh, leaving Baltimore was another mistake. Family stays near family. So add another check mark in my screw-up column.”
I groan, and he laughs.
“But I vowed I would prove them wrong. My dream was to get all the way back to Baltimore to produce the Blades,” Niko says, referring to the Baltimore hockey team. “That way, I could prove to them not only did I make it, but I made it in my hometown, just like I claimed I would all those years ago. I’d be fulfilling that prophecy.”
I notice he used the word “was” to describe his dream to get back to Baltimore.
Not is .
Could Dallas change his mind about going all the way home?
“So there you go,” Niko says, breaking my thoughts. “All my emotional dirty laundry. Care to pass the detergent?”
“We can share,” I say, smiling at him. “And next time, I’ll remember to bring the fabric softener.”
Niko laughs. “I like your sense of humor.”
“I like that you get it,” I say. “Most people don’t.”
“Then you obviously haven’t met the right people.”
No, I haven’t , I think, studying him. Until I met you .
We stay at the café for a long time, sharing bits and pieces of our lives with each other. The conversation is so natural and easy that I don’t want it to end. I throw all kinds of questions at Niko, and he answers them all. Even better, he asks his own questions of me, and I can tell by the way he looks at me that he is enjoying this night as much as I am.
Suddenly we notice chairs being put up on tables and Niko glances down at his watch.
“Oh, shit, it’s almost midnight. And you’ve got work
Okay, we are light years away from that even being a possibility, but I can’t help it. Elation fills me from his declaration.
“Dimitri dated all these blonds in college, but when it was time to find a wife, he started going to Greek events to find The One,” Niko continues. “The field was narrowed immediately to that trait when he was ready to settle down. So he followed the family script.”
“So even if you fell in love with someone who wasn’t Greek, and she was a really good person and made you happy, your parents still wouldn’t approve of that?”
“They’ve never supported me,” Niko says matter-of-factly. “I challenge them, and they think that’s disrespectful. But there’s no way in hell I’m making a decision on who to marry based on their ethnic background. So no, they wouldn’t support it. In fact, they’d be furious. But I’ve learned to live with that. I’d rather they be disappointed in me than for me to live a life I didn’t want to live.”
Admiration for Niko swells in me.
“You have a lot of strength,” I say. “It takes a very strong person to face what you did and still pursue your dream. You had zero support from the people who are supposed to believe in you more than anyone else. You could have used all of this as an excuse not to pursue your dream, but instead, you used it to achieve it.”
Niko seems surprised by my words. “You see it that way?”
“How can I not? The kid from the Greektown bakery did good, Niko.”
“Well, we’ll see. I know I got this job only because Total Access Total Sports was in a jam. I have a one-year contract,” Niko confesses. “They are test driving the car before buying it.”
“But don’t you see? To even have this opportunity says a lot ,” I insist. “They might have been in crisis mode when they found you, but trust me, TATS wasn’t going to hand it over to you unless they thought you were qualified.”
“I guess.”
“Come on, you know it,” I say. But then I circle back to his family again. “But surely your family can’t be angry now, right? They have to see how you’ve made it in TV. You moved across the country, rose through the ranks, and now produce a world-championship hockey team. I mean, you’re extremely successful.”
Niko grins. “Oh, leaving Baltimore was another mistake. Family stays near family. So add another check mark in my screw-up column.”
I groan, and he laughs.
“But I vowed I would prove them wrong. My dream was to get all the way back to Baltimore to produce the Blades,” Niko says, referring to the Baltimore hockey team. “That way, I could prove to them not only did I make it, but I made it in my hometown, just like I claimed I would all those years ago. I’d be fulfilling that prophecy.”
I notice he used the word “was” to describe his dream to get back to Baltimore.
Not is .
Could Dallas change his mind about going all the way home?
“So there you go,” Niko says, breaking my thoughts. “All my emotional dirty laundry. Care to pass the detergent?”
“We can share,” I say, smiling at him. “And next time, I’ll remember to bring the fabric softener.”
Niko laughs. “I like your sense of humor.”
“I like that you get it,” I say. “Most people don’t.”
“Then you obviously haven’t met the right people.”
No, I haven’t , I think, studying him. Until I met you .
We stay at the café for a long time, sharing bits and pieces of our lives with each other. The conversation is so natural and easy that I don’t want it to end. I throw all kinds of questions at Niko, and he answers them all. Even better, he asks his own questions of me, and I can tell by the way he looks at me that he is enjoying this night as much as I am.
Suddenly we notice chairs being put up on tables and Niko glances down at his watch.
“Oh, shit, it’s almost midnight. And you’ve got work
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