Neutral Zone Trap - Bianca Sommerland Page 0,49

want. But I was wrong. And one man showed me that, in little ways at first. Ways I didn’t see coming until it was too late to put my guard up. And by the time I realized it’d happened? I didn’t want to. I wanted him. And this relationship deserves better than to do anything halfway. He deserves better from me.”

“All right, despite my reservations, I really love hearing that. I never said anything about you being alone, because you seemed to prefer it that way, but you’re a good man, Ryan.” Laura exhauled on a laugh. “Mom and Dad are going to be excited to meet him. I hope you’ll let me be there when you share the good news. And I’ll let Sloan know you’re on your way.”

“Thank you.” Ryan zipped up his suitcase. “I love you, sis. Wish me luck on getting a damn flight out to New York tonight because I won’t be able to sit still until I know he’s okay.”

There was the sound of a soft breeze over the line, as though Laura had stepped outside. “I love you too. And I’d tell you again that he’ll be fine, but I get it. It’s not the same hearing it as seeing it for yourself.”

After exchanging goodbye’s and promises to call with updates, Ryan hung up, then began his search for the next flight out. One connection in Montreal, then straight to LaGuardia. Leaving in less than two hours.

Cursing under his breath, Ryan secured the ticket, then hurried out to his car. A cab would be a better idea, and cheaper in the long run, but he needed this bit of control over when he left and how fast he got to the airport. Such a small thing to keep himself from obsessing over what might go wrong.

Braxton was young. Healthy. An athlete in the best condition he’d ever be in.

And yet, something felt...off.

There was no way Braxton would’ve pretended to be fine just to play, was there? Yes, probably, that seemed to be a common thing with hockey players. Which didn’t make it right. Ryan might not have any say about Braxton’s career, but they would discuss the risks Braxton would take for it, if he had ignored his own health just to get in some extra playing time.

The thing was, the more Ryan thought about it, the more he doubted that had been the case. Knowing Braxton, this had to be something different. Something unexpected.

Whatever it was—God, don’t let it be anything serious—Ryan would be there with him as he faced it. And for every step going forward.

Laura was right about one thing. He’d never done impulsive. Never dived into a situation where he couldn’t be sure of all possible outcomes. Never let his heart lead the way. This had never been the type of man Ryan was.

But it was the type of man he wanted to be.

For the man he loved.

Chapter 17

If this had been the flu, Braxton would’ve never complained about having to get vaccines again. Hell, he probably wouldn’t anyway. He was rarely sick. He’d rather keep it that way.

Unfortunately, going from being real healthy all the time to this?

He’d never seen a doctor for more than a checkup. Never had to be admitted to the hospital for anything. With good insurance to cover him while he traveled and a team behind him, he was luckier than most, but…

Right now, he didn’t feel that way at all.

He was alone.

And terrified.

The doctor had asked him a bunch of questions when he’d gotten here, but everything was confusing and Braxton wasn’t sure any of his answers made sense. His head hurt worse than the last time he’d gotten a concussion and his stomach felt like it’d been turned inside-out from how sick he’d been—he hadn’t drank any alcohol in weeks, so it definitely wasn’t a hangover.

His neck being stiff seemed to shift things into high gear. Before they’d even started the test, he was put on an IV. The doctor explained what he was doing, but Braxton couldn’t follow.

Then there were needles. One in his spine which was pure fucking torture.

Everyone was wearing masks.

Hours later, he was dozing in a private room when the door opened. Eyes burning, he tried to sit up, vision blurry, shaking his head as a nurse spoke softly to him. At first he couldn’t make out a thing she said.

But he heard a name.

A sob broke from his throat. “Ryan? You have to call him. Tell him