Breakaway: An Accidental Marriage Hockey Romance (Sinners on the Ice)

“Are you sure that’s everything?” I ask, putting two boxes on the floor beside the bed. Straightening my back, I meet Nevaeh’s gaze as she pulls jean shorts from her suitcase on the floor.

“You saw my car,” she replies with a shrug. “That’s all I have.”

My gaze travels around the room, counting six boxes and her suitcase full of clothes. Rubbing the back of my neck, I feel weird. This reminds me of a fucking circus. Except the circus left town, and now only one clown remains…me. What’s happening right now still doesn’t make any sense. Chert⁠1.

“Do you need my help with anything?”

“No, I’m good.” Removing more clothes from her suitcase, she presses the pile to her chest and stares at me with an arched eyebrow.

Right. “I’ll be in my room then. Find me when you’re ready for dinner.” I take a step back, stopping in the doorway of my guest room. “But if you don’t want to eat with me, that’s fine.”

A small grin lifts her lips as she walks to the walk-in closet. “I don’t mind your company. Plus, we need to get used to each other. We’re going to be stuck together for a while.”

“Cool.” Cool? How old am I?

Huffing, I turn around and head to my bedroom. I better use this time to unpack and take a shower. My body is too tense and rigid. I don’t think I’ve been able to relax for even a second since Nevaeh and I came to an agreement about our situation. And considering that, on top of it, the resurfacing memories about my brother and my horrible sleep schedule are the definition of a shit show, I feel doomed.

I have no idea what I’m doing.

My phone buzzes, and I take it out of my pocket as I step into my bedroom. Smirking, I answer. “I’m alive, don’t worry.”

“You think that’s the only reason I’m calling you?” Colton laughs.

“Of course not.” I sit on the edge of my bed, tracing the pattern on my blanket with my fingers. “How are you, Colt?”

“Good. We’ll be home on Wednesday. Ava is planning a second birthday party on Saturday, and we want you to come. Do you have plans?”

“No plans. I’ll be there. Just tell me when, where, and what to get your wife.”

“Books,” he replies casually. “I’ll send you the link to her wish list, and you can choose which one to get her.”

“Got it,” I say. My fingers freeze on the blanket. The thought crosses my mind, and before I think it through, I blurt, “Any chance I can bring someone with me?”

There’s a pause on Colton’s end, and I clearly hear his footsteps and then the sound of a door closing. “You got yourself a girl?”

More like a wife. “Yeah, but it’s complicated.”

“Doesn’t sound complicated if you want her to meet your friends,” Colton points out. “But absolutely, bring her with you. I can’t wait to meet her.”

You’ve already met her. The words threaten to spill out, but I force myself not to say anything. A phone call is not how I want to tell my friends about what happened in Vegas.

“How was your trip? Did you have fun?”

Plopping onto my back, I stare at the ceiling and start telling Colton about Vegas—without mentioning Nevaeh, of course. That’s a secret I’m going to keep…for now.

I push the door open and slowly walk out of the bathroom. A towel is wrapped tightly around my hips, and water drips from my hair down my face and my chest. I spent more time in the shower than I’d initially planned, but the feeling was just too good. The tension in my muscles disappeared, replaced by a warmth that spread over my skin and loosened up the knots in my chest. Hopefully, that feeling will help me sleep through the night.

“Oh my God, I’m so happy for you!” Nevaeh’s voice halts me in my tracks. Shouldn’t she be in her room? “This is the best news ever, Angie. I’m not only going to be an auntie, but also a maid of⁠—”

The second her gaze meets mine, she stops talking. Open-mouthed, Nevaeh gapes at me from the couch in the living room. I run my fingers through my hair, shuffling uncomfortably. With a dip of my head, I give her a crooked smile and proceed to my room. Before I close the door, the sound of Nevaeh clearing her throat reaches my ears.

“Sorry, Angie. I just saw something, and…um…it’s nothing. What matters is your news. Tell me everything.”

Shaking my head at my stupidity, I go to the walk-in closet. Prosto ofigenno⁠2. I made a total fool out of myself in front of Nevaeh. Just because she was busy in her room when I got into the shower doesn’t mean she would stay there the whole time. I don’t live alone anymore, and I need to remember that.

Thank God I still have three weeks before preseason starts. I can use it to get to know Nevaeh, and we can make some rules so this will be comfortable for both of us. Walking out in nothing but a towel is definitely not on the list.

I should know better.

“Here.” I set a plate of mashed potatoes and fried chicken wings in front of Nevaeh. “Hope you like it.”

Sitting in the chair across from her, I pull the bowl of salad toward me and put some on my plate. It’s nothing fancy, just tomatoes with cucumber and lettuce seasoned with olive oil and a little bit of salt. I would’ve added green onions like my mom always does, but the look on Nevaeh’s face when she saw me taking them out of the fridge made me reconsider it. Maybe next time.

As I start eating, I can’t help but sneak glances at my new roommate. My curiosity sizzles inside me, the desire to know what she thinks about my cooking growing with each passing second. What if she doesn’t like it?

“Where did you learn to cook like this?” Nevaeh asks, adding some salad to her plate. “It’s delicious.”

I shrug, trying to act indifferent—and failing, because a smile blooms on my lips. “My mom worked a lot, and she didn’t always have time to cook. So she taught me.”

She grins at me, taking a glass of apple juice from the table. “I’ve said this before, but your mom really raised a good man. A guy who knows how to cook? A ten out of ten, immediately.”

“She didn’t want me to starve to death, that’s all,” I joke, ignoring the warmth that spreads across my skin, and the unfamiliar feeling that forms in the pit of my stomach. “Ordering in is easier some days, especially when I’m traveling for away games. But if I have time, I’ll always choose homemade food.”

“So this won’t be the last time you cook for us?”

“If you want me to, of course,” I say, finishing my dinner.

Nevaeh points her fork at me, a big smile playing on her lips. “I’m definitely going to take you up on that, Roman. I know how to cook, but it’s not my favorite.”

“Then I’ll do the cooking.”

“What if I do the cleaning?” she asks, and I cock an eyebrow at her, expecting an explanation. “I thought we could discuss what each of us are going to do since we will be living together.”

“Cleaning is all yours.” I nod, taking my mug from the table. “Just a little reminder of what I said in Vegas: you don’t need to pay for rent or utilities.”

She gives me an eye roll. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m your guest. I remember.” Looking around the room, she slowly moves her finger over the rim of her glass. “I actually forgot…Angie asked me to come over for a sleepover tomorrow night. I’m planning to go there right after work and be back Wednesday evening. Is that okay with you?”

“Of course it’s okay. You don’t need to ask permission to go somewhere. Just give me a heads-up so I know you’re not going to be home,” I say. “And while we’re on the subject of plans…do you have any for Saturday? My friend Colton invited me to his wife’s birthday party, and I kinda asked if I could bring you with me. Only if you’re comfortable.”

“Did you tell him it would be me?” Her eyes round as she gawks at me with parted lips.

“No. I just asked if I could bring someone; I didn’t say who.”

“God, you scared me.” Nevaeh shakes her head. “I’m going to talk to Angie tomorrow. Just the thought of her finding out about my breakup with Travis—not to mention what happened in Vegas—from someone else makes me want to faint.”

I watch her silently as she finishes her food. The meaning of her words registers in my brain, and I curse inwardly. If Angie knows, then Drake will know too. I better be ready to have a talk with him; he’s going to have a lot of questions.

These thoughts go into a loop, and the phone call I overheard echoes in my mind. If I’m right, then that means…“Is she pregnant?” I ask.

Nevaeh hiccups and starts coughing, covering her mouth with her palm. When she finally calms down, she downs her juice, glaring at me from under her eyelashes.

“It’s not nice to eavesdrop on people.”

“You were in the living room. That’s the only reason I overheard.”

“Yeah, I was in the living room, and that’s definitely the only reason I saw you half naked, gallivanting around your place.”

“Gallivanting? I was on my way from the bathroom to the bedroom,” I deadpan, noticing her pouting. “I’m sorry for bringing it up, and I’m sorry for the towel thing. I promise to never do that again.”

“Okay,” she replies with a lift of her shoulder.

Standing up, Nevaeh goes to the sink and takes care of our dishes, motioning for me to stay put. I hold my mug between my palms, my eyes following her every move. When she stands on her tiptoes to put a glass away, her crop top rides up, and the bottom of her lacy black bra peeks out from under it. Diverting my attention, I focus on the calendar pinned to my fridge…quickly realizing that was the worst idea ever.

My gaze zeroes in on Friday, the date of my brother’s death, and suddenly, that’s all I’m thinking about.

It’s hard to breathe. My lungs hurt so much, I can’t even think straight. I’m suffocating—an invisible leash closes harder and harder around my neck. The tightness in my chest mixes with my heart, which is going absolutely insane. It feels like it’s missing its beats.

My eyes are wide open, and darkness envelops me. For a second, I really think I’m losing my vision. And yet, after a moment of sheer panic, my gaze adjusts to the dimness of the room, and I finally recognize where I am.

It’s my bedroom.

It was just a dream.

Hiding my face in my trembling hands, I lie still, wanting nothing more than for this fatigue to go away. I’m sweating, and my face is wet from all the tears I cried during my nightmare. I hope I didn’t scream…

When my heartbeat finally calms down, the dizziness also goes away. Slowly, I sit up in bed, push the covers aside, and stand up, checking the time on the clock on my nightstand. Three a.m. A humorless laugh springs from my mouth as I creep to the kitchen. It’s ridiculous to think that lately, the only time I slept through the night was when Nevaeh was next to me.

It’s not like I can ask her to come sleep in my room…Polnyi bred⁠3.

Pouring myself a glass of cold water, I head to the living room and plop down on the couch. Without giving it much thought, I turn on the TV, check the volume so it’s quiet, find Peaky Blinders, and start the third episode of the first season. I hope it helps like⁠—

“You and your love for this show.” A quiet voice behind my back sends shivers down my spine. I glance over my shoulder and see a very sleepy Nevaeh in a loose black T-shirt and tiny shorts. She rubs her eyes, yawning. “Why don’t you ever watch it at a reasonable hour?”

“Did I wake you?” I ask as she rounds the couch and sits beside me.

She shrugs. “It doesn’t matter. I woke up, and I’m here.”

“Nevaeh—”

“Shut up, Roman, and let me watch.”

Instead of moving away from her like I usually would, I sling my arm around her shoulder and pull her to my side. She lets me, cuddling close and hiding her legs under her butt. She smells like something really sweet, reminding me of the vanilla marshmallows I used to love so much when I was a kid. Her loose hair flows over her shoulders, tickling my skin whenever she fidgets in her seat. I shouldn’t be so comfortable, but I am.

Only because she’s here.

1 Чёрт. — Shit.

2 Просто офигенно. — Just awesome.

3 Полный бред. — Complete nonsense.