Dirty Score, A Rough Riders Hockey Novel(48)

Rafe should want the same thing, but his heart believed she belonged here. “She’s certainly special. If they can’t see that in LA, then they’re blind.”

“I’m really proud of you, Rafe.”

He turned his gaze back to Joe. “For what?”

“Patching things up with Mia. I know you two were on the outs for a while.” He lifted a shoulder. “I think that happens in any family, especially when things change. Tate’s not dealing with Mia’s move well, and it’s causing a lot of friction between them. But they’ll get past it, the same way you and Mia got past your rough spot.”

“I’m sure they will,” Rafe said, but knew his own rough spots with Mia weren’t over. In fact, they just seemed to get rougher and rougher.

“It’s so reassuring to me, as a father, to know you’ll always take care of her. Do what’s best for her. Sometimes kids need guidance from friends their own age to head the right direction. She listens to me, but…” He shrugged and slapped Rafe’s arm again. “I’m just…so proud of how you’ve turned out, Rafe. I couldn’t love you more if you were my own flesh and blood. You know that, right?”

Rafe’s heart knotted in his throat. He took a second to swallow past it and returned a rough “Of course. I feel the same about you, Joe.”

Joe smiled and nodded. “Well, I’m going to head back to the hotel.” He reached out to hug Rafe, then pulled back and gently tapped his face. “Be good, son. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay.” He watched Joe’s path toward the door, much the same path Mia had just taken, with his heart aching just as much. He loved that man. Rafe wasn’t ashamed about loving Joe even more than Rafe loved his own father. Because Joe had been a hundred times the father to him than his own had been.

“I know you’ll always take care of her. Do what’s best for her.”

Guilt seeped in. He hadn’t always done what was right for Mia. Breaking off communication with her last year had been right for Rafe, but it had hurt Mia. It could have been a very big part of Mia taking a job across the country.

If he was going to do what was best for Mia now, it would be supporting Mia in her move to California. Helping her find her own success. Without him hovering in the background, holding her back.





11





Mia paced the lobby of the Rough Riders’ practice rink with her phone at her ear, pulled away from the family skate for a conference call with her design team.

She watched the Riders members and their families out on the ice, laughing and chatting. The women all looked adorable in the jerseys Mia had made for them. The fact that every single woman and female child was wearing them warmed her heart, and she was annoyed about missing this short time on the ice.

But this call was her new reality. This call was her future. Missing out on the skate was just another one of the many things she loved that she’d be letting go to claim that future.

The call connected her to a conference room in Los Angeles where the team of designers for Wicked Dawn, including the Emmy award–winning costume designer, Marla Cisneros. The fact that Mia would be working beside the woman and these other experienced, talented designers every day still seemed surreal.

Ty Hendrix slid past the window, making a ridiculous face at Mia through the glass. Laughter bubbled up in Mia’s chest, but she shooed him away, and Hendrix lowered his head, rounded his shoulders, and glided away like an unwanted puppy.

She grinned, rolled her eyes to the ceiling, and sighed as the lead team designer continued discussing changes for an upcoming season Mia knew nothing about. By the way her boss was warning everyone to clear their calendars, Mia’s hopes of coming back to DC soon to visit dwindled. But, judging by how much sleep she’d lost the night before over Rafe and this stupid makeshift familial situation, maybe that was a good thing. But it sure as shit didn’t feel good.

Mia had no problem sitting Joe and Tate down and telling them she wanted to pursue a relationship with Rafe. Or that if they truly loved her, they’d support her and be happy for her whether or not things between her and Rafe worked out. Or that if they were going to give her shit about it, despite how much she loved them, she would distance herself. But Rafe had given her every indication he would never do the same, so she doubted she’d have to have the difficult discussion with the other men in her life.

Movement on the rink drew her gaze, and Hendrix drifted by the glass again, the opposite way this time, joined by Tierney, now both of them distorting their handsome faces like idiots. This time, Mia couldn’t hold the laughter back. She pulled the phone from her ear and held it against her shoulder while she covered her laugh with the other hand. Inside the rink, the guys high-fived each other.