“You are a low life, nothing but a piece of crap! You would never deserve my daughter, and the fact that y’all aren’t together is not my baby’s fault, it’s your own! You’re a playboy, the man that sleeps with anything that has legs.”

“Olivia, stop!” Michael said, trying to pull Olivia back, but she kept screaming.

“You are nothing. Even if Eleanor was here, what did you expect? For her to take you back? My daughter has more class than that, you thug! Get out of here and never come back.”

“Jesus, woman, shut the hell up. Mike, please get this woman!” Bryan said, standing in front of her, and looking up at Shea.

“Son, please just go.”

Shea nodded, sending one more enraged look at Victoria before leaving.

Well, that sure did blow Shea’s confidence all to hell.

Olivia Fisher’s words played over and over again as Shea made his way down to the locker room. Why did she think he was a thug? Or a piece of shit? He was a good guy. He always treated Elli with all the respect in the world, and he loved her.

It was like he was a zombie, going through the motions of putting on his skates. How was he supposed to play game seven of the semifinals when he had just been told he was a low life, no good, piece of shit thug? Oh, and that he would never get Elli back?

“Shea, I know that look. Get it together, man.”

“I got it, Jakob,” he said, looking up at the ceiling before taking a deep breath.

Shea followed his teammates down the hall to the entrance to the ice, still in a daze as his confidence continued to break with every word Olivia Fisher said. This was not going to be his best game and he knew it, which was extremely bad since this was the damn finals! What he needed was to see Grace. She would know what to say, what to do. Or better yet, he needed Elli. Elli would make this all better.

When he stepped on the ice, his eyes went straight to Elli’s seats.

There were people sitting there, so he looked away, but then jerked his head back, because it was Elli.

With some guy.

The rage from earlier filled Shea from the inside out. He knew that if his gloves weren’t on, his nails would be biting into his palm, he was clenching his fist so hard. With every glance at her, his body became more tensed. When she would lean into the dude, he felt his nostrils flare as his temper rose with every lap he did around the ice. His face was hot, his heartbeat hammering against his chest. He wanted to beat the living f**k out of the guy, tear him limb from limb, and smash his face into the ice.

Oh, Shea wanted to kill him.

Elli was his damn girl…will be his damn girl. Damn it!

Shea moved the puck back and forth with his stick, watching as Elli laughed, acting as if he wasn’t ten f**king feet from her! He wasn’t thinking straight, he didn’t even feel himself set up, he just pulled back, and the only thing he heard was the crack of his stick.

And then the shattering of the glass.

When Elli stood with glass falling from her lap, she glared at him as if she was about to come on the ice and kick his ass.

But all he could do was think, ‘Hey, at least I got her attention.’

Chapter 34

“Are you freaking crazy!? You could have killed me!” Elli screamed, shaking off the glass. She was wearing those naughty wool shorts that drove Shea crazy. Not only were they unpractical in a hockey rink, they were too hot. Elli was so pretty. Skinny, but pretty. God, he had missed her.

“Do you really think I would do something that could hurt someone I love?!” Shea yelled back. The guy that sat beside Elli stood up, also shaking off some glass.

That guy he would kill, but not Elli.

“What’s up with this guy!?”

“Why does it matter to you, you crazy ass!”

“Damn right I’m a crazy ass, you’re trying to make me jealous!”

“Oh, please! Like I care if I make you jealous!”

“You know you do!”

Elli gave him a “whatever” kind of look before saying, “You’re acting like an idiot!”

“Damn right, love does this to a person!”

She shook her head, throwing her arms up in the air.

“I’m not going around breaking glass!”

“No, but you aren’t eating. Why the hell are you so skinny!”

Elli’s eyebrows drew together before she yelled, “Why the hell you drinking so much!?”

Touché.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. Don’t give unless you can take, Shea Adler,” she said as she put her hands on her skinny little hips, defiantly, “Now, what in God’s name made you break that glass? I know you did it on purpose!”

“You are right, I did! I wanted to get your attention!”

“Well you freaking got it! What do you want!?”

Shea paused.

When he had planned to do this, it was supposed to be in front of Elli and Bryan, not the whole damn arena. People stood all around Elli with wide eyes. Shea swore that he could hear a pin drop if he were to drop one. Everyone was zoned in on him and Elli. And for the first time while wearing his hockey jersey, he felt self conscious.

“Um, well, you see-”

“For the love of God! The next time you wanna go breaking some glass, at least be ready to say what you were gonna say!”

“Will you shut up for a minute, damn!” Shea yelled back at her. Damn, she was a feisty little thing. Elli shook her head and pushed the guy who stood beside her down into his seat as she went to go by him.