But she knew he was pissed about the whole situation. When she didn't say anything else, he continued, "And you got scared when we saw him together in Vancouver. Has he threatened you?"
"Tonight was the closest to a real threat." Petey went silent, which meant he was trying to control himself. She couldn't blame him. "He said your money couldn't protect me and I was just your charity case."
"Mads. I want to call our lawyer now. That's a threat. Add in the fact that he was breaking into your place, and you really shouldn't be alone. Let me help you. Please."
She wanted to fight against his urge to throw money and prestige at the problem. That was what actually made her feel like a charity case, and she didn't want that. Hearing his voice and even his reason was making her feel stronger. "You are helping. I need to hear your voice and maybe even be close to you. But no to the lawyer. I have it under control. I was pretty sure it was Jared who tried to break in before."
"Why didn’t you tell me, Maddy?"
"'Cause I wasn't sure. You got me the cameras. That was enough, and now we know it's him. I've already taken steps by making sure I'm not coming and going to school alone. "
"Are you sure that's enough and you don't want to use our lawyer?"
"Yeah. But thanks. Can we just talk about hockey and forget about that asshole for a bit?"
"Sure."
They talked about his last couple of games. By the time there was a knock on the door with his room service order, she already felt so much better. She missed Petey, but she was glad she could always turn to him.
14
Maddy
She’d been looking forward to the trip to Cleveland for a couple of weeks now. She didn't care if this trip was only to make a show of dating Petey. Quite frankly, she needed the time off and away from the law books.
Coming through the airport, she almost immediately spotted Petey. He was a little short for some hockey players, even though he was 5'11. What he lacked in height, he made up for in being solidly built. He was wearing a hoodie and jeans. She wished he was wearing a t-shirt so she could see his muscles.
His lips turned upwards and his eyes sparkled when he caught her eye. It was surprising that he seemed so happy she’d arrived. He didn't always seem to be a romantic.
She casually walked up to him. He surrounded her in a bear grip. That hug was everything she needed. Her back got so stiff in the airplane seats. His hugs would crack her back. "I'm so glad to see you."
"Me too." He placed a hand on the small of her back. "Do you need to pick up a bag?"
She shook her head from side to side. "Nope. I'm all set."
Petey took her over to his car. It was a nice BMW. As the car door shut, he said, "Still want to go to Cedar Point today?"
Going to the land of rollercoaster parks seemed like it would be a lot of fun. She was glad he had the day off so they could go on all the rides. "Yup. Are you sure it's not a problem?"
"Absolutely. Plus, by going today, we won't have to take Klaus."
Then she felt guilty. Every kid should go to an amusement park. "Are you sure that's okay? He’ll be missing out."
"Yup. Klaus is with his mom today. Besides, with the little guy, we would be doing only the kiddie rides. He's not quite big enough for the coasters."
She felt reassured, and it was nice to know they could do the rides they wanted. There were some of the fastest and tallest rollercoasters in the world there. "Okay."
One of the best things about going to the amusement park was it gave Petey and her a chance to relax. There was rap music playing in the background and every so often, he would start singing along to the music. As he was halfway through 'We Ready,' she busted out laughing. She couldn't hold it back anymore.
He looked her way and went, "What?"
"It's just funny to see you let go like this. It's like summer."
Anytime she’d seen him play in Vancouver, he'd been a giant stress ball. He put on a great show on the ice and played his heart out. It wasn’t surprising that he was one of the best defenders in the