Chapter 22: Cassidy

##Chapter 22: Cassidy

Book One: Stay

I inhale a deep breath and squeeze my eyes shut again. I'm irritated at myself for allowing all this garbage back inside my head. Maybe I disappointed my family, but they let me down me too. When I needed them to stand by me, they'd taken the easy way out and shipped me off, leaving me to deal with the fallout by myself.

My eyelids fly open when Cole wraps his arms around my shoulders and pulls me against his hard body. He doesn't ask any questions. He simply holds me until I'm strong enough to move forward again. I don't understand what it is about Cole that makes me feel so safe.

"If they kept my gear, it would be here."

As we step into the back room, Cole looks around the shelving units my father built to house all of our old equipment. It's crammed full of clear bins that contain skates, socks, gloves, pants, shoulder pads, and jerseys. Fiberglass sticks take up a whole shelf as do the oversized bags.

"Holy crap, it's like a hockey store in her