The Penalty Box (Vancouver Wolves Hockey #3) - Odette Stone Page 0,58
me. I worked to stop it. “That’s okay.”
“I’m going to my room now. You should go calm him down.”
There was no calming Mica down. I stood on the deck and watched as he systematically dismantled the scarecrow, tearing it from limb to limb before kicking apart the wooden frame with his foot.
He jumped on the deck with ease and stared at me as he came towards me. He was like a black sun, throwing off emotions like it was his full-time job. I stepped back and watched as he walked through the living room. He picked up his wallet and keys, and with one dark look back at me, he disappeared out the front door.
Mica didn’t come back for dinner, and even Yelena seemed to sense that she had taken it a step too far. I didn’t understand why both of them had gotten so upset, but she wasn’t talking about it. Instead, she picked up Sasha, cradled him to her chest like a baby and watched me cook dinner.
“You love my son.”
It wasn’t a question, so I didn’t know how to respond. “Mica is Mica.”
She nodded in approval, as if that was an answer to her non-question. “Even as a boy, he knew who he was. Headstrong, feisty, and so emotional. He was like a little tornado that whirled from place to place, destroying things like only a little boy can destroy.”
I tried to imagine my huge husband as a boy and failed. “He doesn’t talk about his childhood.”
“When he does finally talk, you’ll understand why.”
I didn’t answer, because I felt like I was treading on quicksand.
She didn’t seem to mind when I didn’t speak. She kept talking, filling in my gaps. “It takes a strong woman to be married to my son.”
“I don’t know how strong I am.”
She narrowed her eyes. “My son needs someone that doesn’t break. That you are here and married to him tells me you have strength.”
I stirred the sauce. “He’s the strong one.”
“Tell me about your parents.”
“My mom has passed away. She raised me as a single mom.” I glanced at her defiantly. “We didn’t have a lot of money growing up, but we had lots of love.”
She lifted Sasha into the air above her head. “Mica was the opposite. More money than we knew what to do with, but we were short on love.”
I paused and looked at her. “That’s sad.”
She held my gaze. “I know.”
Chapter 16
MICA
I sat in front of the dark house. I should have never left Charlie like that with my mom. That was unforgivable. How bad had the rest of her day been, after I tore out of there like demons were on my heels? I had to leave. My mom had pushed all my buttons, opening something inside of me I couldn’t close, and I had been afraid of what I would say or do if I stayed home. It was more for my mom’s protection that I removed myself before I caused irreversible damage to our relationship. I still felt raw and on edge.
Does nothing ever change?
One conversation with her and I was back to being a kid, feeling all those things I no longer wanted to feel. It had been years since I had lived in Russia, but the moment I got into the same room as my mom, all the same issues cropped up.
Poor Charlie. I had forced her to deal with one issue after another since she had married me. How much did she hate me for leaving her alone with my mom? Would she still talk to me? Or had she lost her patience and spilled the truth of this marriage? Whatever happened, I couldn’t blame her.
I came into the house and Sniper greeted me at the door. I kicked off my shoes and walked to the bedroom, tapping lightly on the door.
“Come in.”
I opened the door. Charlie was lying on her side with her back to me. She looked over her shoulder. “You don’t have to knock. This is your bedroom.”
I came in and shut the door behind me. Moonlight pooled in the room, giving me enough light to gauge exactly how pissed she was. She rolled over on her back and studied me back.
“Are you okay?” she asked, her voice full of concern with not one trace of anger in her tone.
I moved to the edge of the bed and sat down. “I’m sorry.”
“Are you okay?”
I meant to say that I was fine. Everything was under control. I would take