Steele (Arizona Vengeance #9) - Sawyer Bennett Page 0,71

I’m facing.

Nice friends.

Ella’s hand shoots out to grab mine. With a hard yank, I’m coming off the stool, barely managing to nab my phone. At that moment, the waitress returns with our beers, and I give mine a last longing look because I’m thinking getting drunk might be preferable to following Ella out of here for a talk.

Ella leads the way, and I follow like a petulant child who just got busted for being somewhere he wasn’t supposed to be. I can feel the anger vibrating off her, and I start to rev myself up for another fight. She might think she’s in control, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to take something I don’t deserve.

Once outside the restaurant, I expect her to lead us to her car or mine. Instead, she moves around the side of the building—practically near the back—where it’s shadowed and free of any people.

Ella releases my hand and opens her mouth. I stiffen for the rant, but then she snaps it shut again. She seems unsure of herself now, eyes roaming around the parking lot, looking anywhere but at me.

“Ella,” I clip out to get her attention. “What are you doing here?”

She jolts, eyes slamming into mine. I watch as she inhales deeply through her nose and lets it out her mouth. “You see, there are times in our life where we sometimes fall prey to extreme emotion. It can cause past feelings to well up. Judgments can be clouded. That’s not to say those emotions aren’t legitimate, but—”

“Oh my God,” a female voice squeals, and I shift to see three women hurrying our way. “It’s Steele!”

Groaning, I peek at Ella to see frustration on her face that her rant has been interrupted, then turn to face the women. Clearly drunk fans. They’re all tottering my way.

“Can we get a picture, Steele?” one asks.

“And can you sign my boob?” another inquires.

Ella rolls her eyes and takes a few steps back to lean against the building, having that patient quiet about her whenever fans accost me. Over the years, she has accepted this was part of the job, although I know she’s adamantly opposed to me signing boobs, and I’ve never done that once in my career.

“Actually, ladies, I’m having a private talk with my wife, so—”

“It’s fine, Jim,” Ella says softly. “Let them take some pictures.”

With no enthusiasm whatsoever, I manage to get between them, bend to their level, and let one of the ladies snap some selfies.

I draw back, and the one who asked for her breast signed grins sheepishly at Ella. “Sorry about the boob thing.”

“No worries,” Ella replies easily, and I realize… it’s just one of a million reasons I love her. Because she doesn’t get bothered by those things as they don’t impact me, her, or our bond. “Hope you ladies aren’t driving.”

“We’re waiting on Lyft,” one says before they sway across the parking lot.

I watch them before turning back to my wife. “You were saying?”

“Right,” she says, pushing off the wall. “As I said, we can’t turn a deaf ear to the legitimacy of those negative emotions that rise, because to do so would invalidate—”

“For fucks’ sake, Ella,” I growl, completely frustrated by everything. “Will you just get to the point? I assume you want to talk because you’ve decided on what you want. So do you want me to quit hockey?”

She appears genuinely surprised by my question. “God, no! Never. It’s your passion and what makes you happy. I’d never take that away from you.”

My heart sinks a little because, in my mind, it would guarantee I’d get my wife and family back.

“Then you want to get divorced?” I ask in a low, rough voice, my gaze moving away from her but staring at nothing in particular.

“Most definitely not that,” she replies. That has my head turning back so fast that I about get whiplash.

“Then what do you want?” I ask hesitantly, a spark of hope taking root deep within me.

Ella takes a step forward, close enough for her to put a hand on my chest. Her head tips back, expression contrite, and she says, “I want to apologize to you. I was completely out of line with what I said today. I let a bunch of ugly feelings well up, and I took it out on you when I knew rationally that you canceling our date was beyond your control.”

It’s everything I wanted to hear, but I think there’s more. “Okay.”

She takes another deep breath. “The reason