Ryker (Cold Fury Hockey 4)

Does it mean that we are truly not aligned with the boundaries of this relationship and where it could possibly go? I have no clue, because honestly...I don't want to think about it. I'm so firmly entrenched in the mindset that he needs to be my little secret that I can't see past that.

"You look like you're holding a snake in your hand," Ryker says, and my eyes drag up slowly.

I wince apologetically and give him a tremulous smile. "I didn't get you anything."

"So what," he says with a shrug of his shoulders, and then nudges me with his knee. "Open it."

I reach inside the bag and pull out a square jewelry box covered in red velvet. My heart starts skittering out of control, and I have to believe that there is some type of phenomenon that occurs in a woman's body when she's presented with a jewelry box.

Flipping the lid open, I see two small silver bracelet charms--or maybe white gold--I can't tell. One is a goalie mask and the other is the Olympic rings. I rub my finger over them for a moment, unbelievably choked up over how perfect this gift is.

"I noticed you don't wear much jewelry but that you do have a charm bracelet. I saw a tornado, which I assume represents the Cold Fury; interlocking hearts, which I'm betting represents your dad; and a pair of high-heeled shoes, which I'm assuming means you're just a woman who loves shoes."

My eyes rise to his, blinking hard to dispel the sting. He reaches out and chucks me under the chin, lightening the moment. "But I didn't see anything that represented you as a hockey player, and that is a very important part of your life. So I figured these would be nice to add."

I shake my head, lowering my gaze back to the charms to look at them just another moment before I close the box. I set it on the bed beside me and immediately rise up to my knees on the bed. I scoot in closer to Ryker and drape my arms over his shoulders, clasping my hands behind his neck. A very soft kiss and I whisper, "That's the nicest and most thoughtful gift I ever received."

He can hear the emotion in my voice. I think he senses that kneeling before him is a woman that could be on the verge of cracking. But Ryker is a man that is intuitively in touch with his surroundings and his judgment. He knows that I'm the type of woman who would be ashamed if I cracked.

So he lightens the mood again. "So that means I'm still getting the blow job, right?"

I grin and nod my head. "Oh, yeah...you're definitely getting that, and maybe even a little more."

His arms come around my waist with sudden speed and then he's propelling us sideways onto the mattress, where we lie facing each other, my arms still wrapped around his neck, his gripping me by my hips.

Our noses almost touch, and I smile at him. "Merry Christmas, Ryker."

"Back at ya, babe," he says lightly, then flips to his back so I can give him my own little present.

Chapter 15

Ryker

I burst through the emergency room doors, absolutely frantic and lost as to what to do. When I got a call twenty minutes ago from Ruby's school telling me that there'd been an accident, I literally thought I was having a stroke. I broke out in a sweat, my pulse went through the roof, and my vision dimmed. I was at home, having just finished a light workout because we had a home game this evening and was talking to Gray on the phone.

She's in Boston for a few days and getting ready to head across the Charles River to MIT where she'd be giving her presentation at their Sports Analytics Conference. I was just wishing her luck when another call started beeping in. Although I hated to get off the phone with Gray, because I was indeed missing her, when I saw it was Ruby's school calling, I knew I couldn't ignore it.

After a hasty goodbye to Gray, I answered the call and faced my worst nightmare as a parent.

I don't even remember driving from my house to the hospital. I was still in my sweaty shirt and shorts, forgot to grab my wallet, and was about to come out of my skin with fear because I knew very little about what happened to Ruby. All I was told was that she fell off the monkey bars at school and they thought she had a broken arm. The school nurse thought it was appropriate to go ahead and call an ambulance to take her to the hospital, and that is where I really started freaking out.

How bad was it that it required an ambulance?

I stride up to the registration desk, and when the woman behind it looks up at me, her eyes get big and round with recognition. She starts to give me a fan-girl smile, but whatever she sees on my face makes her back off.

"Can I help you?" she asks crisply.

"My daughter was brought in by ambulance...Ruby Evans," I say urgently as I lean over and put my hands on the desk. I tap my thumbs with nervous energy.

"Let me look her up," she says, and starts working her keyboard. "Yes, she's out of triage and in one of the ER bays."

Efficiently the woman picks up the phone, hits a button, and within seconds she says, "Yes, I have Ruby Evans's father here for her."

After a tiny pause, she hangs up and nods to the left while hitting a button. "Just on through that door and they'll direct you back."

The door starts swinging open slowly and my blood pressure starts to rise as I walk through, absolutely dreading what I might find. I honestly don't know if I can handle one of my kids being in pain. It was absolute torture watching the girls cut their teeth, so I can't even imagine a broken bone.

A nurse meets me and whether she recognizes me or not, she efficiently takes me back to a curtained room where I can hear Ruby crying. For the first time in my life, my heart is broken. Absolutely shredded, and I think it might be beyond repair.

The nurse pulls back the curtain and I blink my eyes hard not to cry when I see my daughter. A nurse is leaning over her bed, trying to comfort her, and a doctor is starting to unravel the splint the school nurse or EMT must have put on her arm.

I walk up to the bed and the doctor gives me a cursory glance. His eyes flare as he recognizes me but he then turns his attention back to Ruby's arm. The nurse moves out of my way and when Ruby sees me, she starts crying harder.

Leaning over, I put my hand on her forehead and kiss her cheek. "Oh, baby," I coo at her, and she sobs hysterically.

Fucking hardest, worst, most miserable thing I've ever had happen to me. It's hurting me so bad right now I have a brief moment of clarity where I think to myself that I will try to dissuade every one of my friends from ever having children, knowing that this type of heartbreak can exist.

But Ruby is reacting to my distress, so I have to slap myself mentally.

Get a fucking grip, Brick. Your child needs you to man up.

"Hey, hey, hey," I talk softly as the doctor removes more bandaging. Ruby's eyes hold mine and she gives a hiccup. "What do we do when we get hurt?"

She hesitates a moment and then says, "Rub some dirt in it."

I smile encouragingly at her and nod. "That's right. I know it hurts now, baby, but this doctor will make it all better."

I kiss Ruby on the forehead, and just as my lips are leaving her warm, sweaty skin, the doctor pulls the splint apart and I almost pass out over the sight that greets me.

Ruby's forearm is broken so badly it's almost bent in half, with the top of her hand lying near her elbow.

Nausea hits me so hard I almost lose my postworkout protein shake, but my hand immediately comes up to the side of Ruby's face to shield the view from her. I don't need her seeing that again.

Over the next thirty minutes, it's a circus of activity around my daughter. An IV is started and she's given pain medication that almost knocks her all the way out, which I'm grateful for. There's no rubbing dirt in an injury like that. X-rays are done, but they only confirm what the doctor tells me...that it's a break that's going to require surgery.

He puts a request into the pediatric orthopedic surgeon on call and estimates that they could book an OR for late afternoon, but that the ortho would make those arrangements. Before he leaves the curtained room, he shakes my hand and says, "You won't be making the game tonight."

The game?

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Fuck, I'd completely forgotten about it, and as I glance at my watch, I see that I'm supposed to be at the arena in a little less than an hour.

A quick glance over at Ruby, and I see she's sleeping. I step out of the curtained room, take a deep breath, and make a phone call to Coach Pretore. He doesn't answer, so I leave him a quick message. I continue through my list of people who need to know what's going on. I can't reach our assistant coach or even Alex, although I do reach Sutton. Not much she can do, but she assured me she'd keep trying to reach Alex and would let Kate know so she could handle Violet.

Finally, I call the one person I really don't want to talk to.

Our assistant GM, Frank Lessier. I'd much prefer to call Gray, because not only is she just nicer to deal with, for some reason I know the sound of her voice would comfort me. But she's at the MIT conference and can't be bothered.

I grimace when Frank answers on the second ring. "Lessier."