Page 8 of Westward

“Pay attention to me, young man.”

I swallowed hard even as Rune pressed his lips together so he wouldn’t laugh.

“I am. I promise. I’m okay. I don’t even need crutches or a cane. I’m just going to have a slight limp for a while, and my PT will be here for me. I can stay in town, stay home.” I emphasized the word home, hoping that it would calm her down. From the fire in her eyes, I didn’t think it worked.

“Why are you standing?” my dad asked, moving forward, his voice deep and raspy. It had always been that way growing up, and I wasn’t sure if it was from the countless fires he had run headlong into, protecting the town and neighboring ones in the mountains. Or maybe he had ended up with that deep smoker’s tone right out of puberty.

Jackson Carter had once been the fire captain of the entire department and neighboring towns. While some small towns had volunteer stations, Ashford Creek had put a majority of their funds into keeping the town safe. We lived in a desert climate in the mountains. People forgot about that when they looked at Colorado. They thought of the Rockies and didn’t think about the fact that east of Denver lay flat plains. We had drought conditions constantly within the forest itself, and our fires rivaled those of the Northwest and California.

My dad had not only dealt with countless structural fires but had also been on the front lines keeping the town safe from forest fires. Because once they broke the mountain line, there was no stopping them. Dad had retired a few years ago, and our family friend, Thatcher, had taken over. I liked Thatcher and missed seeing him. He was between my and Rune’s ages but was closer to Rune and Callum. I had just been the hanger-on when it came to friendships most of the time, though I hadn’t really thought about it growing up.

There had been the older brother crew and the younger brother crew. Callum, Thatcher, Kellan, and a few others made up the older friend group. While the younger crew consisted of Finnian, Promise, Gray, Bronwyn, and Sterling. Plus a few others that had moved out of the town limits of Ashford Creek.

As the perpetual middle child, I wreaked havoc. Bodhi had been the quieter one but had been along for my ridiculousness while Teagan and Elizabeth had run wild right alongside us. We weren’t the smallest town in the area by far, but we were close-knit, even though I had moved away. Hell, I had lived in Portland for most of my adult life as I’d been drafted to the Portland Gliders and never once traded. Not that unheard of in my career, but I was lucky.

I had a good team, fantastic owners, and management that understood me.

That was how we had kept the attack under wraps.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” I said after a moment, knowing that my thoughts were wandering and it had nothing to do with the slight concussion. The police had no idea what happened, as the guy wasn’t caught on camera somehow, and since I was found in the showers, it made it even harder.

“They really have no idea who hurt you? They hit you. You were unconscious, and they hurt your knee. The knee that had already been acting up.” Felicity, my baby sister, came to my side as she spoke and hugged me tightly. I kissed the top of her head and was grateful that she was here. I didn’t get to spend as much time with her as I’d wanted to because she had been in college. And then she decided to move back to town, only to fall in love with one of our best friends.

Callum was at the brewery he owned right now, so I couldn’t glare at him for daring to touch my baby sister. But maybe I would drive up to it later just to annoy him. After all, he had dared to fall in love and declare forever to my baby sister. I wasn’t about to let that stand for long.

Even if I loved the guy and knew he was perfect for her. I had a role in this family.

“They think it was a fan of the opposing team. They don’t have any answers, but I know they’re working hard. I was damn lucky I was able to keep it secret from the press. Hell, most of the team didn’t know until right before the announcement. And yes, I told you guys before the team and the media. I promise.”

“Did you think we couldn’t keep a secret?” Rune asked, raising his brow. He rubbed his septum piercing, and I knew underneath the gruff, annoyed tone, he was damn worried.

I couldn’t say I wasn’t worried. Somebody had hurt me and had most likely tried to kill me. And I had no idea who the fuck it was or if they were going to do it again. But I would be safe in Ashford Creek. Nobody came up here.

Then again, I couldn’t quite say that nothing happened. After all, our town had what other small towns around us didn’t.

We had murder, arson, kidnapping, and other things that happened when the shadows grew darker over time. But we had all persevered, and I would find peace here. I wouldn’t put my family’s lives in jeopardy if I thought otherwise.

“I didn’t want to worry you,” I said after a moment. I rubbed the back of my head, knowing it was a shit answer. “And I didn’t want to make a big deal about it. I promise I’ll be okay. I am okay. I just want to go to my house, rest my knee, and enjoy my time off.”

“You shouldn’t be standing,” my mom said as she moved forward and patted my cheek. “You’re hurting, baby.”

I shook my head, took her hand, and squeezed softly. “I’m really not. It’s my first concussion, which is a ridiculous thing considering pucks come at my face so many times a day.”

“You’re the one who decided to be an all-star hockey goalie,” Rune said with a roll of his eyes.

“You are just jealous because you always fall on your face when you get on the ice,” Felicity said, standing up for me.

“I knew I was your favorite brother,” I preened.

She raised a brow. “You’re still on my shit list for hiding your injuries, but I’m going to forgive you, only because you look so pathetic.”

I narrowed my gaze, hating the fact that she was probably right. The bruise on the side of my head was thankfully covered by my hair, but I hadn’t been sleeping well and had just wanted to come home.

It was odd that I kept thinking of Ashford Creek as home. It really wasn’t. I hadn’t lived here in years and owned property in Portland. I didn’t even come to town every off-season. I usually shipped my family to me. I loved taking my family around the world, even though it wasn’t always easy with Dad’s job. But they had put so much of their lives into making sure I was able to get a full-ride hockey scholarship, so I wanted to pay them back.

And it had nothing to do with the fact it would mean that I would have to face—but there was no use thinking about that.

“Speaking of going home, Atlas,” my dad began.