Hands Off The Ice King novel Chapter 116

Chapter 116

Chapter 116

Hope’s POV

“Dad, are you not going to ask me about what happened?” I muttered as I massaged his back.

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I had already settled into tny old room, and my mom and Harley had gone to the market to buy some things Harley wanted to play hockey with some of his friends who still lived here, but of course, against Mom’s insistence, he wasn’t formidable at all.

It was just me and my dad now, and he was one of the reasons why I wanted to become a physical therapist in the first place.

He had also been a hockey player in college, and he was drafted by a professional team. They had me young, so I was there to watch most of his games. My mom was already pregnant with Harley when my dad suddenly collapsed during his firs game as a professional player because he hadn’t been taken care of properly and had pushed himself far beyond his limits.

He hit his head, and he ended up suffering a life-changing stroke.

Having witnessed that with my own eyes, I wanted to spend my life caring for people like him.

It made me tear up just thinking about it, even after all these years.

“You don’t have to…

“…if you don’t want to.”

He still had some trouble speaking even now, and although it broke my heart every single time, I knew that pitying him would only make him feel worse, so I kept quiet.

I suddenly felt his warm hand settle over mine, making me stop kneading his shoulders.

With a great deal of effort, he slowly turned around to smile at me.

“It was hard, wasn’t it, daughter?”

I pursed my lips and nodded.

“It was,” I admitted quietly.

“You’ve always been kind, Hope,” he continued with a small, gentle smile. “So, whatever your choice was, I believe it was the right one.”

“You have a lot of love in your heart, and you never fail to share it with others.”

My dad breathed deeply after that. I knew speaking that much took a lot out of him, so hearing every word made me even more emotional.

They were words he had spent precious energy saying just for me.

“Thanks, Dad,” I muttered.

Just then, the door opened, and my mom and Harley came in carrying a bunch of groceries.

I was about to head over to help them, but my mom quickly spoke.

“Put away the groceries, Harley.”

Harley frowned and looked at me before turning back to our mom.

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Chapter 116

“But Hope was clearly going to help!”

My mom clicked her tongue.

“Your sister’s still tired from the trip.”

“Mom, we took the same trip.”

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“But you’re a student,” she said with a smile. “And your sister pays for your school expenses, so this is how you’ll repay her.”

Harley opened his mouth to argue before closing it again with a defeated sigh.

I stuck my tongue out at him, and he only glared back.

“Do you mind if I take a walk around the neighborhood?” I asked. “It’s been a while, and the weather’s really nice.”

“Go ahead, sweetie,” my mom chimed from the kitchen. “Come back in an hour for lunch, okay?”

“Yes, Mom,” I called from the front door, slipping on my shoes before heading outside.

The neighborhood hadn’t changed much.

It almost felt like time had stopped here while everything else in my life had kept moving.

Honestly, after everything my dad had said, my mind wandered back to Levi again.

How was he doing now? Was he eating his meals? Was he sleeping properly? Was he remembering to take care of himself?

Gosh.

I sounded like a lovestruck fool.

Oh, who am I kidding?

I was lovestruck at this point.

The realization made me laugh softly to myself.

I started jogging around the neighborhood, letting the cool breeze brush against my face.

I kept running, barely realizing how many laps I had already finished when a familiar voice suddenly called my name.

“Hope?”

I stopped in my tracks and turned toward the source of the voice.

A tall man, almost as tall as Levi, with short, cropped brown hair, stood in front of a house while holding a garden hose. He was staring at me with wide, surprised eyes.

When I noticed the mailbox with their last name on it, I finally realized who it was.

“Jerome?” I muttered.

A smile lit up his face.

“You still remember me.”

I swallowed before nodding and facing him properly.

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Chapter 116

“Of course. We were classmates since freshman year.”

Although, we didn’t really know each other that well.

Jerome had been part of the popular clique.

He had even been on the hockey team back then.

What was it with me and hockey players?

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Meanwhile, I had spent those same years juggling part-time jobs after school, serving food and cleaning tables while his friends laughed loudly in the corner because my dad could no longer work.

He wasn’t the worst guy. Actually, he was pretty decent.

His friends, though…

They could be real assholes.

Still, that was all in the past now. I’d already made peace with those memories.

“How are you doing now?” he asked, clearing his throat. “Are you back for good? It’s been a while since I’ve seen you.”

“You… you look good.”

I wasn’t sure what to make of that.

“Thanks,” I muttered. “You still look great, Jerome.”

A small smile appeared on his lips.

“1…”

I thought about it for a moment.

Was I settling here for good?

I honestly didn’t know.

“I’m just here for a while,” I answered vaguely.

“That’s good,” he muttered before quickly correcting himself. “I mean… it’s good seeing you again.”

He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

“I heard you took up Physical Therapy in Manhattan. We took the same program.”

“Oh,” I muttered. “How’d you know?”

He looked away, suddenly appearing embarrassed.

“I asked Harley about it.”

There was a brief silence before he cleared his throat again.

“Anyway, are you working right now?”

I shook my head.

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