Hands Off The Ice King novel Chapter 127

Chapter 127

Chapter 127

Levi’s POV

“Hope has been carrying a lot ever since we were young.”

59

55 voucher

I stayed silent because I wanted to hear more about Hope. Hope was never the type to talk about herself, and she always sold herself short, even when she was the most amazing woman I had ever met.

She had a habit of brushing aside her own struggles as though they were nothing, smiling through everything until no one thought to ask if she was hurting. Hearing stories from her brother would let me know the parts of her she kept hidden from everyone else, even from me.

“My dad was a former hockey player,” he muttered.

That was the moment I looked at him.

The guy looked really young, and from what I could tell from his interactions with Hope, he acted immature around her, always teasing and complaining like the younger brother he was. But right now, he was exuding some kind of maturity that didn’t match the carefree image he usually carried.

“Since you’ve seen his condition, you could guess that it did not work out well for him. He suffered a massive stroke when Hope was really young, and I was too young to comprehend what was even happening.”

“My mom worked two jobs to keep us fed. Fortunately, his former team helped us with the hospital bills, but with Dad being our main source of income before everything happened, it was difficult for our family.”

He paused for a second before continuing.

“When Hope was in high school, she started doing a lot of part-time jobs and kept doing them through college. She never got to hang out with her friends, and she was made fun of for it, too, but she never lost her spark or her smile. She always came home exhausted, but she still made time for us.”

His lips curled into a bittersweet smile.

“Come college, she still supported us. When she met that bastard, Connor, I was happy for her because it felt like she was finally doing something for herself and not just for our family.”

His expression darkened.

“But I was wrong.”

His jaw tightened.

“That guy cheated on my sister when she was the one supporting him! She worked herself to the bone while he enjoyed the life she built for him.”

“It was only recently that I felt Hope was really happy, especially after getting into a team that she really admires and finally getting to do what she wanted. She wanted to become a Physical Therapist because of our dad.”

His voice softened again.

“And I’m happy to see her finally achieve her dreams.”

He looked down at his hands.

“Even now, she gives me money without fail.”

1/4

20

O

G

5

O

16:00 Mon, Jul 20

Chapter 127

A quiet laugh escaped him, though it carried more gratitude than amusement.

“She still worries about everyone else before herself.”

“She’s the greatest sister I could ever ask for.”

There wasn’t a trace of exaggeration in his voice.

He finally met my eyes, seriousness settling over his features.

“I’ve admired you for a long time as a player, but I’m not oblivious to the rumors circulating about you.”

He held my gaze without wavering.

“Now… I think some of them might actually be true.”

55 voucher

He fiddled with his fingers, and at that moment, he looked younger than me again. Just a younger brother trying to protect the person who had protected him his entire life.

“Like I said a while back, if you’re anything remotely like Connor, don’t even bother with Hope.”

“She’s going to recover here.”

He gestured around the house before looking back at me.

“And along with that, if you can’t protect her from everything that comes with being Levi Reeve’s girlfriend… don’t bother again.”

“I’ll stay single my whole life if it means I get to take care of her.”

His eyes glistened despite the determination in them.

“She doesn’t need anyone to hurt her anymore.”

I looked at the young man with admiration.

I could tell he had been raised with love by the way he spoke about Hope. Every word he said wasn’t fueled by obligation, but by gratitude. Somehow, I could see Hope in him, too.

Although he was acting tough, I noticed the shine gathering in his eyes. Just like Hope’s and the shallow tears she always tried so hard to blink away before anyone noticed.

I had no doubt.

We were going to get along well.

“I’m not the perfect man.”

He raised a brow.

“Fine,” I corrected with a faint chuckle. “I’m an asshole at times.”

That earned the slightest twitch at the corner of his mouth.

“Some of the articles are true. Most are just press stunts. I was worse then than I am now.”

I let out a slow breath.

“I don’t have anyone else to blame but myself for my past behavior, so honestly… all that criticism is fair.”

20

G

5

|||

<

16:00 Mon, Jul 20).

Chapter 127

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair.

“And I know this isn’t something to be said lightly-but just like your sister is the light of your home…”

I thought of her smile.

“She has become the light of my life, too.”

The confession felt really natural.

69

55 voucher

“Hearing those stories about her only made me admire her even more, if that’s even possible with all the admiration I already have for her.”

I smiled to myself.

“More than that, I want to protect her, too. I want to show her a life where she doesn’t always have to be strong.”

“I know what it means to be with me and how hard it could get.”

I looked him straight in the eyes.

“However, I’d gladly take the worst of those hardships if it meant making Hope happy.”

“I think we’d make a great team making your sister the happiest woman in the world.”

He stayed silent for a moment. His expression was so unreadable that I wondered if I had said something wrong.

Then, little by little, a shy, boyish smile spread across his face.

The tension in my chest eased.

“Honestly,” he admitted, scratching the back of his neck, “I did feel that some of the articles were false.”

He looked away for a second.

“You have a good relationship with your teammates. You wouldn’t be able to play that well together if you weren’t a decent person.”

Then, he looked back at me and held out his hand.

“I knew my first impression never fails.”

He grinned.

“When I first saw Connor, I already knew something was off with that guy. But I kept silent because Hope loved him.”

A second passed.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify