Taking Shots (Assassins) (59 page)

“
Um, for one, I’m not mad. Yeah, I’m gonna miss my family during the holidays, but I realize that my life is changing. I can’t worry about just me anymore, I have you now. Second, I do want to go home with you. I love your family and you know I do. Third, if you don’t lose your little attitude, I’m gonna kick your ass.” She smiled sweetly before pulling out her book and started reading. He couldn’t help the scoff that escaped his mouth, but he wished he had because Elli looked back over at him, madder than hell. “Are you laughing at me?”

He shook his head, “Never.”

“
That’s what I thought.”

Shea smiled and the side of her mouth lifted a little, but not much as he said, “I never thought I would be scared of something so small.”

“
I’m not small, you’re just huge.”

He laughed at that, causing her to smile, “God, I love you.”

He was rewarded with a dazzling smile before she took his hand in hers, kissing his cheek and laying her head on his shoulder, holding her book against his leg. He leaned his head against hers, loving the feel of her hair against his cheek. Just loving her, all of her.

Even her sassy little temper.

Elli stood in the freezing cold, outside of General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport while Shea yelled at the rental guy about the Prius he thought he was gonna give them to rent. Shea was livid, Elli wasn’t sure if it was cause he was in pain, or if he really did hate the car that much. Elli thought it was cute, plus it wasn’t like Shea was gonna be driving it.

“
It's a chick car!” Shea yelled. They both looked over at Elli, and she shook her head, cuddling into her jacket.

“
Sir, this is all we have in less you want a BMW which is almost $300 a day.” Shea looked at the dude like he was the biggest idiot on earth.

“
Give me the BMW, please,” Shea said through gritted teeth. The guy nodded and Shea walked towards Elli, beat red from either his angry or the cold.

“
It's just a car, Shea.”

“
I am not riding in that girlie ass car, and that dude is being an ass. He knows who I am, he just doesn’t want to act like it because I don’t play for Boston. Asshole.”

“
Why does it matter who you play for?”

“
You will learn quickly that in less you play for Boston, you aren’t shit around here.”

“
You’re the leading defensive man in the league; I think that means a lot more than playing for Boston.”

“
No, actually, it doesn’t,” Shea answered as the guy earlier drove a red BMW towards them, parking it in front of him. He got out and helped load their bags. Afterwards, he walked with Elli to the front of the car, opening the door for her.

“
Let me ask you a question,” Elli said with a grin, the man smiled, he was her age, cute even.

“
Sure.”

“
You know who he is?”

“
There is only one team worth anything in the NHL and that’s Boston, so I only acknowledge Boston players. And I definitely won’t acknowledge a guy that is from Boston not playing for Boston.”

Okay then.

After leaving the rental place, they headed towards Copley Place, which Shea said was a really great shopping mall. After going through
Louis Vuitton and blowing more money than needed, Shea went to Tiffany’s to get his mom and sister something. Since Tiffany’s made Elli blow money, she headed for Gucci.

She should have just gone to Tiffany’s.

After dropping her first-born’s college fund, she walked out, meeting Shea in the middle of the mall. He eyed her bags, and then smiled. “Got enough?”

“
Don’t ask.” Elli eyed his little blue bag, and nodded towards the bag, “Anything for me?”

“
Maybe,” he said with a grin, as he took as many as her bags that he could with his one arm.

“
Anyone ask what happen to your arm?”

“
No, they just stare, but one of the girls in there actually acknowledged who I was and said she hoped I recovered well.”

Elli raised an eyebrow, “I’m impressed. Everyone I meet keeps asking me where the hell I’m from, then they raise their noses at me when I say Nashville. They then ask if there is even a hockey/football/baseball team there. These people are crazy.”

Shea laughed, leaning into her since that was all he could really do since her hand was full before saying, “Let’s go, my mom is waiting.”

When Elli turned onto Winthrop Shore Dr, she took in the sight of the water running up against the shore. The water was such a beautiful bluish green, it crashed up against some rocks that lined a lighthouse. The lighthouse stood tall, majestic, and beautiful. Elli had never realized how much she loved the ocean until that moment. It was like she was instantly calm as she looked out at the water that was glistening under the sun.

“
We used to live in this house in the heart of Boston, but when I made it into the NHL, I bought my parents this house since they love the ocean,” Shea said as Elli turned where the GPS said to turn.

She ended up in the driveway of the most beautiful
colonial home she had ever seen. The home stood tall, white siding with dark blue shutters around glamorous wide windows. The second floor was bigger than the first floor; it came out over the front door acting as a cover for the porch. The windows that lined the whole top floor were huge and poised. On the porch was a small lighthouse that must have been a replica of the one that Elli was admiring earlier, along with it was two wooden beach chairs and an end table that held a large bouquet of yellow sunflowers. The house was breathtaking.

“
It’s beautiful,” Elli gasped as she looked through the windshield up at the house.

“
Yeah, mom had to have it. They sold their last house and used that money to fix it up, they’ve done a lot,” Shea said with a grin as he open the door and got out. Elli followed behind him, popping the trunk as Jenna came out on the porch.

“
You guys are here!” Jenna gushed, clapping her hands together, “Mark, James, come help with their bags, Shea’s arm could fall off, you know.”

Shea rolled his eyes, and Elli just smiled, oh yeah, she was gonna have a hoot of a time.

After being greeted with hugs from Mark and Jenna, and kisses from Ryan, Elli sat on the bottom step with Ryan, admiring the beauty of the white hardwood floors, Elli had always loved the look of them, thought they looked classic. She made a mental note to make sure to see if houses in Nashville had them, and if not if she could get them. As she admired the rest of the house Shea argued with Grace. Ever since he got hurt, he’s had been extremely argumentative, and it was getting on Elli’s nerves, not that Elli could really say anything. She cussed him out for calling her “sunshine” for goodness sakes.

When Shea had asked which room was his and Elli’s, Elli knew things were about to blow by the worried look that crossed Jenna’s face. When she said that they would be sharing a room with Ryan and Amelia, Shea flipped. Elli didn’t care, it wasn’t like they would be having sex, since Elli was convinced he would break, but apparently he was irate about it.

“
Grace put the kids in your room, before they have to see Unky Shea’s magic stick!”

“
SHEA RYAN!” Jenna complained.

“
Oh, please!” Grace said with a roll of her eyes. “Like it’s magical!”

“
Oh, I can show you!” Shea said before sticking his tongue out at Grace like they were nine years old, while she made a crude hand motion with her hand. Elli guessed she was trying to say Shea’s stuff was limp.

Little does she know.

“
Unky Shea knows magic!?” Ryan exclaimed beside a beat red Elli.

“
No, honey, he doesn’t.” Elli basically groaned.

“
He said he has a magic stick, though!”

“
I know, ignore him,” Elli said, patting the young child’s hands.

“
Shea, you guys can’t even do it, so why do you need a room to yourself?!” Grace objected, but that seemed to make Shea madder.

“
Grace Caroline!” Jenna shrieked.

“
Now, Grace, come on!” Mark added, “Don’t rub that in your brother’s face.”

“
Yes, we can!” Shea countered. Ryan looked up at Elli.

“
Do what?” The whole family turned to look at Ryan, and then they looked at Elli, waiting to see what she would say. All it did was make her to want to climb into a hole.

“
Color honey, you know since Unky’s arm is hurt,” Ellis said as she turned even redder, could she be any more embarrassed?

“
Oh yeah, why does he think he can do it then?” Ryan asked.

Elli shrugged her shoulders, “He probably expects me to do everything.”

Ryan made an “o” face as everyone snickered, “You have to do all the coloring? That’s not fair!”

“
Who you telling?”

Ryan gave her a toothy grin, while everyone else tried not to laugh.

“
I’m not sleeping in a room with my niece, nephew, and girlfriend, no way. I didn’t make those kids, you did.”

“
You weren’t supposed to be here,” Grace countered back.

“
Well I am here now. Put the kids in the living room, or with mom and dad.”

“
Hey now, some of us can still color!” Mark said. Jenna smacked him on his chest while Grace and Shea both yelled, “Ew.”

“
Really, Mark?” Jenna asked, he answered her by wiggling his eye brows, causing Grace and Shea to again, yell “Ew!”

James and Elli, the normal ones she thought, both laughed.

“
Grace, the kids can sleep in the loft upstairs. Doesn’t the couch still turn into a bed, Jenna?” James asked Jenna.

“
Yes, thank God you’re in this family, James, you’re the only man with some sense.”

“
Hey!” Shea and Mark complained, as Jenna waved them off, gathering Ryan up in her arms.

“
Want to go make some cookies with Grandma?”

“
Sure do! Wanna help, Ms. Elli?” Ryan asked as Elli stood up.

“
I gotta unpack. Plus, I think I still have some presents to wrap for a special little boy,” Elli said before squeezing his nose. She was rewarded with a giggle and a smiled from Jenna before they headed to the kitchen.

“
Come on, Elli, I’ll bring these bags up for you.” James said.

“
Thanks,” Elli said before following behind him, carrying some of the suitcases while Shea followed up behind them. After getting everything settled in the spacious white room, Elli looked out the windows, looking out at the endlessness of the blue ocean. It was so beautiful.

“
I never want to leave,” Elli gasped as a sailboat came into view. It was damn near 30 degrees outside, what were them maniacs doing out there!

“
It really is a pretty view from here. I love this room,” Shea said before lying carefully down on the bed, Elli smiled down at him before crawling beside him, cuddling up to his side. She was used to his other side, but the other one would have to do.

“
Do you feel better?”

“
No, Grace pisses me off.”

“
Crabby butt,” Elli teased as she intertwined their fingers, “First you blow up on me, then the car guy, and now your sister. Who’s next?”

“
Probably my mom, she’ll start smothering me.”

“
Temper, temper.”

Shea gave her a cheeky grin, kissing her nose, “That’s why I play hockey, to let my frustration out.”

“
It’s been three days, Shea,”
she emphasized.

“
Hey, I was supposed to play tonight.”

“
Ah, true.”

Elli decided to let it go, she didn’t want to argue with him, she wanted to cuddle. He ran his hand up her back, than back down, into the inside of her jeans. He looked down at her with half lidded eyes as he
splayed his fingers along her ass. Her eyes met his, before shaking her head.

“
Shea Adler, remove your hand from my ass.”

He looked stricken as he took his hand out her pants, “I never thought I would hear you say that.”

Elli smiled as she rolled out the bed, “Believe me, I never thought I’d say it”

Elli threw herself onto the floor, pulling out the stuff she bought from Gucci to hang up. She didn’t know how long she was gonna last not having sex with her man. It was gonna be a long six weeks, that’s for sure.

Elli was in the middle of hanging all her new clothes when Mark came into the room. Shea was sleeping since he had just taken his afternoon dose of pain meds. Elli prayed that when he woke up he would be in a better mood.

“
Hey Elli,” Mark said as he leaned into the door, “Get dressed in something warm, I’m taking you and James out on the boat.”

“
The boat?” Elli asked, “It’s freezing out.”

“
No big deal, come all, let’s go fishing.”

“
People do that in the winter?”

“
Sure, come on lets go before Shea wakes up.”

Mark turned and Elli couldn’t help but grin. Mark just assumed she was going, which she was, but still. Damn Adler men, so damned head strong. Elli got up, looking for some warm clothes. After putting on a pair of jeans, with a grey sweater, and her black cowboy boots, she threw her hair up in the fuzzy grey hat she bought at Gucci. Before leaving, Elli went over to the bed, placing a light kiss on Shea’s head. Elli shut the door quietly, and headed downstairs.