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  “I don’t live my life to please my dad.” She sounded more bitter than she’d intended, so she softened her tone. “Let’s not talk about him. All I want to think about tonight is you and me.”

  He gently tucked an unruly strand of hair behind her ear. “I like the sound of that.”

  The drive to Brody’s Hyde Park home was a short one. When they pulled up in front of his place, Hayden was pleasantly surprised to see a large Victorian with a wraparound porch and a second-floor balcony. Flowers were beginning to bloom in the beds flanking the front steps, giving the house a cheerful, inviting air.

  “Weren’t expecting this, were you?” he said as he shut off the engine.

  “Not really.” She smiled. “Don’t tell me you actually planted all those flowers yourself?”

  “Heck no. I didn’t choose the house, either. My mom flew out here when I was drafted by the Warriors, and she found the house. She did all the gardening, too, and she visits once a year to make sure I haven’t destroyed her handiwork.”

  They got out of the car and drifted up the cobbled path toward the front door. Inside, Hayden’s surprise only grew. Decorated in warm shades of red and brown, the interior boasted a roomy living room complete with a stone fireplace, a wide maple staircase leading upstairs and an enormous modern kitchen with two glass doors opening onto the backyard.

  “Want something to drink?” he offered, crossing the tiled floor toward the fridge. “I don’t have that herbal tea you like, but I can brew you a cup of Earl Grey.”

  “How about something stronger?”

  He gave a faint smile. “You really did have a bad day, didn’t you?”

  He moved to the wine rack on the counter and chose a bottle of red wine. Grabbing two glasses from the cupboard over the sink, he glanced over his shoulder. “Are you going to tell me about it or do I have to tickle it out of you?”

  “Hmm.” She chewed on her bottom lip. “I’m kind of leaning toward the tickle.” Her expression sobered when he shot her an evil look. “Fine, fine…I’ll tell you.”

  Brody poured the wine, handed her a glass and then led her to the patio doors. The backyard was spacious, adorned with more flowers that Brody’s mom must have planted. The fence surrounding the area was so high she couldn’t see the neighboring yards, not even from the raised deck on the patio. At the very far corner of the lawn stood an idyllic-looking gazebo surrounded by thick foliage.

  They stepped onto the deck, where a surprisingly warm breeze met them. It was a gorgeous night, the warmest she’d experienced since coming home, and she breathed in the fresh air and tilted her head to admire the cloudless sky before finally releasing a long breath.

  “I paid a visit to my stepmother today,” she said.

  She filled him in on the details, leaving her conversation with Doug for the end. Brody’s jaw tensed at the mention of Doug’s name, but as he’d promised her that night they’d skated at the arena, he didn’t freak out about it. When she’d finished, he set his wineglass on the wide rail ringing the deck and gently caressed her shoulders.

  “You didn’t have to tell him about us,” he said.

  The remark surprised her. “Of course I did. I told you about him. Doesn’t he deserve the same courtesy?” She lifted her glass to her lips.

  “You’re right.” He paused. “So it’s over between you and Doug?”

  “Yes,” she admitted. “He hung up on me, which is very uncharacteristic of him. I don’t think he’s happy with me at the moment.”

  When Brody didn’t answer, she put down her wine and reached up to cup his strong chin with her hands. “You’re not happy with me, either, are you?”

  He looked her in the eye and said, “I am happy, babe.”

  “You are?”

  “I love being with you, Hayden.” He blew out a ragged breath. “And I’m glad it’s over with Doug. It was frustrating sometimes, knowing there was another man in your life. And not just any man, but a man who works in your field, who shares your passion for art and is probably much better at those intellectual conversations you’re always trying to have with me. I feel like a dumb oaf in comparison.”

  A pained look flashed across his handsome face, and it took her a moment to realize it wasn’t really pain she saw in his eyes, but vulnerability. The idea that Brody Croft, the most masculine man she’d ever met, could be vulnerable stole the breath from her lungs. God, did he actually feel inadequate? Had she made him feel that way?

  Her heart squeezed at the thought and she found herself reaching for him. She twined her arms around his strong, corded neck and brushed her lips over his. “You’re not a dumb oaf,” she murmured, running her fingers over the damp hair curling at the nape of his neck.

  “Then you won’t mind if I make an intelligent, rational point about how difficult you’re being.”

  She raised her chin. “And what on earth am I being difficult about?”

  Brody let out a breath. “Come on, Hayden, you think I don’t see that look in your eyes whenever I have a plane to catch? Every time I left town this week you withdrew from me. I felt it.”

  Discomfort coiled inside her belly, causing her to drop her arms from his neck. Why was he bringing this up?

  “See, you’re doing it again,” he pointed out, smiling faintly.

  “I just…” She inhaled slowly. “I don’t see why it’s an issue.”

  “If it keeps you from entering into a relationship with me, then it is an issue.”

  A tiny spark of panic lit up inside her. “We agreed to keep things casual.”

  “You agreed to keep an open mind.”

  “Trust me, my mind is very open.”

  “Your heart isn’t.” His tone was so gentle she felt like crying.

  She drifted over to the railing, curling her fingers over the cool steel. Brody moved so they were standing side by side, but she couldn’t look at him. She knew exactly where this conversation was going, and she had no idea how to proceed.

  “I think we have something really good here,” he said quietly, resting his hand on hers and slowly stroking her knuckles. “You’ve got to admit we’re good together, Hayden. Sexually, sure, but in other areas, as well. We never run out of things to talk about, we enjoy each other’s company, we make each other laugh.”

  She finally turned her head and met his eyes. “I know we’re good together, okay?”

  It was incredibly hard admitting it, but it was the truth. Brody made her body sing, he made her heart soar, and she couldn’t imagine any other man doing that. But she also couldn’t imagine them ever having a stable life together.

  “But I want someone I can build a home with.” Tears pricked her eyelids. “I want to have kids, and a white picket fence, a dog. I did the whole hockey-lifestyle as a kid. I don’t want to be sitting on airplanes for half the year, and when I have children, I don’t want to be home alone with them while their father is gone.”

  He was silent for a moment. “I won’t play hockey forever,” he said finally.

  “Do you plan on retiring soon?”

  After a beat of hesitation, he said, “No.”

  Disappointment thundered inside her, but really, what was she expecting? That he’d throw his arms around her and say, Yes, Hayden, I’ll retire! Tomorrow! Now! Let’s build a life together!

  It wasn’t fair to ask him to give up a career he obviously loved, but she also wasn’t willing to give up her own goals and dreams. She knew what she wanted from a relationship, and no matter how much she loved being with Brody, he couldn’t give that to her.

  “I wish you’d reconsider,” he murmured. He shifted her around and moved closer so that his body was flush against hers. “Damn, we fit so well together.”

  She rubbed her pelvis against his. They did fit. Even though he was a head taller, their bodies seemed to mesh in the most basic way, and when he was inside her…God, when he was inside her she’d never felt more complete.

  A soft moan escaped her lips at the deli