A Spark Like This (Mature Jocks Series #3)

Chapter Eighteen ☽︎ A Family

K I M B E R L Y

"he wants us to be friends, I want that too but there's a lot of things he hasn't told me,"

"there's also something you haven't told him," she arcs a brow at me.

"so we're keeping huge secrets from eachother then," my sigh comes out more desperate than I intended. "can I talk about something else?" I ask in a rush and she nods. Therapists are great listeners, I mean she's paid to do it, but yeah, she's listened to me ramble and ramble about nothing, and Lee, lots of Lee talk.

"whatever you want to talk about, Kim, years ago when we first started these sessions, I told you this was a safe space and you are free to talk about anything here,"

"including my almost–inactive slash unenjoyable sex life since college?" I grin almost shamefully, "or my control freak of a mom?" Dr. Harley raises a brow, silently urging me to continue talking about whatever

"she froze two of my accounts, I was able to deal with the other three before she could get to them," I sigh. "And I was able to move out of my sister's home yesterday, even though she wanted me to stay, we had the best bonding time, especially with her baby, he's a beautiful boy," I smile whenever I think of him.

"so you were happy at Elizabeth's?"

"yeah, yeah, I was, despite the fact that I was literally chased to go there, I loved being about family, Aaron, Junior and their crazy hockey family, I just loved it, it felt really good to just be, you know, normal again,"

"of course it should, they're family, you said so yourself,"

"yeah, yeah," I sigh. "can I cut this session short? I've got a meeting with the director of my first romance movie and I've got a flight to Zurich tomorrow at the earliest,"

"you're literally paying me to sit and listen to you, you're too kind to even be asking me that, Kim, go on, do what you have to do,"

"can we have our sessions online? I literally don't know when I'll be back," I chuckle.

"whatever you need, Boss," Dr. Harley nods as I exit her office with a crazy bright smile on my face. It's the happiest I've ever been in a long while.

It's been two weeks since Mom chased Jason and I away from the place we called home; and it's been all over magazines and talkshows— literally almost everywhere. I'm trying my hardest not to read the tabloids but it's so crazy for me right now, I can't even walk a couple of blocks without being followed around by the paparazzi. My security has it worse, they've had to chase people away from me. What are they asking?

how do your feel about being chased away from home by your mother?

how is Liz feeling about it?

are you finally out of bondage as some people would call it?

And then here's the blockbuster question,

are you dating Hudson Ace?

Recently, the NHL cleared Lee to play two games. Lee called to tell me before Aaron came home to Liz, and he said he wanted me to be at his games. I came to both of them, where I watched him get two assists and a crazy goal, one where I screamed involuntarily and jumped as the spectators yelled "ACE!"

I realized then how much I missed hockey and the energy that came in the arena when a goal was scored, the shouts of triumph and the jumping and yelling. The crazy feeling and rush or adrenaline. Lee felt it too, I could tell by the way he smiled and laughed as his teammates surrounded him, a crazy goal indeed.

Right after the second game, I was being chased to my car by a swarm of reporters who claimed to notice the undying chemistry between Lee and I and how he often looked at the stands, particularly where I sat. I don't believe them, they're journalists, they'd say anything to make a story because that's how they earn a living.  So I got into my car and my driver drove away, before more evasive questions came in.