Meet Me in the Penalty Box: A Small Town Hockey Romance (Orchid City Book 1)

As I drove home, I couldn’t help but play over how it went meeting Giana for the first time. It felt like it had gone well and she was very likable. I didn’t know why I was so nervous about meeting her. She was probably one of the nicest people I had ever met. Although, I wouldn’t want to be the one to cross her. I couldn’t imagine how she would be if she felt her brother had been done wrong.

The closeness between them brought a smile to my lips. Coming from a family where I was an only child, siblings were always something I had been jealous of. I never had someone in my corner like that and there was a part of me that always felt like I was missing out on something. It was just me growing up and I had spent a lot of time alone unless I was with friends.

Seeing that Nico and Giana had each other, especially after losing his mother, made me feel a sense of peace for them both. He hadn’t really told me much about his father, so it sounded like they only had each other left. My heart ached for the two of them but at least they had one another.

Nico insisted that the three of us were going to go to dinner tonight, but I needed to come home to get changed and everything first. We had both been going back and forth between each other’s places and it was getting a little annoying. It seemed like I never had the things I needed when I needed them.

My phone vibrated in my hand as I let myself into my apartment. A smile touched my lips when I saw his name and opened his message.

NICO

I made reservations for tonight and we’ll be by to pick you up around six.

Let me know that you get home safely, love.

He was something I wasn’t used to. I wasn’t used to having someone checking up on me to make sure I was okay. I wasn’t necessarily estranged from my family, but we weren’t close. Nico was always checking to make sure I got home safely and I couldn’t help but really feel the sincerity behind his actions.

They spoke so much more than words, yet they were just a different way of him telling me he really did love me.

HARPER

I just got inside my apartment.

There was no hesitation before he texted me back immediately.

NICO

Good. I miss you.

I tried to stifle the laughter that bubbled in my throat. I shook my head while I collected some clothing and headed into the bathroom to get into the shower.

HARPER

You just saw me and you’ll see me again in a few hours.

NICO

That only makes me miss you more. Can I just come over now?

His words did something to my heart and I wasn’t sure it was a feeling I should trust. He had proved himself to be trustworthy. He was nothing like my ex and I knew that now. I just was afraid of the way he made me feel. Things like that were always too good to be true.

Maybe that wasn’t true. Maybe I just needed to let go of my fear since I had already decided to take the risk with him.

HARPER

What about your sister?

I set my phone down as I turned on the shower and undressed before his next message came through.

NICO

She knows how to get an Uber. She can meet us at the restaurant.

I half smiled, half frowned as I shook my head at my phone.

HARPER

Be a good brother and hang out with your sister. You’ll see me soon enough.

NICO

Fine. But I’m dropping her off at my place after dinner and I want you to myself tonight.

I smiled.

HARPER

Sounds like the perfect plan.

Setting my phone back down on the counter, I stepped into the steam and felt the hot water hitting my back as I turned around underneath it. Closing my eyes, I moved my head back and let it run down my long locks.

My thoughts drifted to him as I washed my body and my hair. He had become my addiction. I was either with him or if I wasn’t with him, he was what I was thinking about. He occupied every inch and every corner of my mind. Nico was here to stay.

Nico was the most unexpected thing I’d ever had happen to me and I wouldn’t have traded any of it for anything else. Even if things weren’t going to turn out as I had hoped they would…

As I sat in the front seat of Nico’s car, he slid his hand into mine and I looked over at him as he pulled out of the parking lot. It was just the two of us and I was surprised when I got into the car and didn’t see his sister. He claimed that she said she didn’t want to go out tonight, but a part of me was questioning whether or not she really meant that.

“You didn’t talk Giana out of coming to dinner with us, did you?”

Nico chuckled softly as we sped down the street. “I promise you I didn’t. The thought definitely crossed my mind but she was the one who beat me to it.”

“She really just didn’t feel like going out, or what was her actual reason?” I quizzed him.

He shrugged. “She said she was tired and didn’t feel like going out tonight. I honestly think she just wanted to give the two of us some time alone, but I wasn’t going to argue with her on it. G is a big girl and can make her own decisions. If she didn’t feel like coming along, that’s on her.”

I studied the side of his face. “The two of you don’t really see each other that much, though, right?”

He shook his head as he glanced over at me. “Maybe every month or so. It just depends on what we both have going on in our schedules.” He paused for a moment. “Did you not want to get dinner with me tonight?”

“Nope. Why would I want to get dinner with you?” I rolled my eyes at him as I laughed quietly and shook my head. “Of course I want to. I just didn’t want your sister to feel like she was left out or not welcome or anything.”

“I think she would have felt more left out if she came with us,” he said with a wink as he turned his attention back to the road. “I’m sure she didn’t want to feel like a third wheel or anything like that.”

I contemplated his words. “I don’t want her to feel like that. We’re not that bad, are we?”

“It’s not like we’re ever around anyone else, so I can’t really say.”

“You have a valid point,” I agreed with a smile. We settled into a comfortable silence as we continued to the restaurant that Nico still hadn’t told me about yet. When we pulled into the quaint town that was about half an hour outside of the city, it gave me a weird sense of nostalgia.

Nico parked his car along the street and came over to my side to help me out. My hand was back in his and we were walking down the sidewalk as the brisk air made my cheeks tingle.

“This reminds me of the town my grandmother lived in,” I told him with a smile as I turned to look up at him. “It was a small town like this, where everything was within walking distance. Super safe, super quaint. Almost like out of a storybook. Everyone knew each other and it just felt like home.”

His eyes were on mine as he looked at me while we continued to walk. “I thought you said you lived in Denver?”

“I did,” I told him as he came to a stop outside of one of the smaller buildings. “My grandmother lived in a small town outside of the city. I used to spend a lot of time visiting with her and it was honestly my favorite. It didn’t feel nearly as congested and it was almost as if time didn’t exist.”

“What happened that you don’t go there anymore?”

I shrugged as sadness settled into my bones. “After she had passed away, my father ended up selling her house. My parents didn’t see a purpose in keeping it. I haven’t been able to bring myself to go back and visit there since.”

Nico was silent for a moment. “Would you ever consider going back or is that somewhere you’d never like to visit again?”

That was a thought that had lingered in my mind since she passed away five years ago. It was a thought I had kept to myself and never once muttered a single word to anyone about. It was more like a dream—and probably an unattainable one at this point.

“I always told myself that one day I would buy her old house and move there.”

He tilted his head to the side. “Yet, you moved here instead?”

My chest rose as I sucked in a deep breath. “The property wasn’t for sale and I didn’t have the money to buy a house right out of college.” I exhaled and cast my eyes to the ground, suddenly feeling embarrassed. “It was more of a dream, not something I really believed would ever happen.”

Nico’s hand slid under my chin and he lifted my chin to look up at him. “Don’t ever doubt yourself, love. You can make anything happen. Your dreams can come true.” He pressed his soft lips to mine in a quick kiss. “Come on, let’s get inside before they end up canceling our reservation because we didn’t show up.”

He pulled me along with him and I followed him inside. The lights were dim and light classical music played in the background. The aroma of garlic drifted through the air and I closed my eyes as I inhaled deeply.

“Italian?” I asked him as we walked up to the host who was waiting for us.

Nico nodded. “They have the best food here.”

He gave his name and we were led over to a table for two. We were seated along an ivy-covered wall with a small candle burning between the two of us. It was incomparable to the actual fire that was burning between us. Nico folded his hands on the table and his left dimple was showing as he smiled at me.

“Both of my parents are Italian, so we grew up eating the authentic shit.” He drifted for a moment, like he was caught in a memory. “My mother actually came here from Italy as a kid. She used to make her own pasta and I haven’t tasted anything quite as good since. But this place—they have the closest to hers that I could find.”

I watched him carefully for a moment as his gaze drifted and grew distant before he returned to me. “Do you talk to your father much? You don’t say much about him.”

His face fell but he quickly recovered as he attempted to keep his face neutral. What he couldn’t shield was the pain that washed through his blue irises. “We talk occasionally,” he said with a simplicity that didn’t match his eyes.

Silence settled between us and my heart pounded in my chest. I didn’t want to push the topic if he didn’t want to talk about it. Our server appeared and took our order for drinks and appetizers before disappearing from the table.

“He loved her more than anyone in the world, including G and I.” Nico’s voice was hoarse and he caught me off guard. “When she died, we lost him too. He was still here and present, but he really wasn’t. He was vacant and distant. The day my mother passed away, we lost both of our parents.”

My heart broke for him as I watched the moisture grow in his eyes. There was such a sadness to him, such a vulnerability as he spoke of his father. It was evident he probably hadn’t expressed this to anyone else and it was taking such a toll on him to even entertain the thoughts.

“He follows my hockey career, but he’s never been to any of my games,” he said quietly with his voice thick with emotion. “I don’t think he ever will be without her. Giana and I kind of just knew we had to accept the fact that he was living with a broken soul that would never be repaired. I think the only reason he’s still here is because of us, even though he would much rather be with her wherever that is.”

I reached across the table and took his hands in my own. “I’m so sorry, Nico. For everything that you’ve gone through.”

“It’s okay,” he said as he pushed a sad smile onto his face. “It’s something I’ve accepted and I’m beginning to understand why he would feel the way he does.” He stared at me, his eyes piercing my soul. “I know the love he had for her because I can feel it too. For you, Harper. All for fucking you.”

His words ran through my veins and tangled themselves around my heart. The pads of his thumbs were soft as they stroked the backs of my hands and his eyes were trained on mine.

“Don’t ever leave me, Harper,” he said, his voice barely audible. “I don’t know that I would survive your destruction.”

I stared back at him as I was lost in his stormy eyes. He had already pulled me in deep and there was no way I was ever swimming to the surface again. He thought he wouldn’t survive my destruction, but he had no idea what losing him would do to me.

“Never,” I promised him.

And that scared me more than anything.