Chapter One

“Blake Maddison Bennett!” My mother’s voice was shrill on the other end of the phone. I literally cringed at hearing my full name. Sometimes I wonder what the hell was going through my parents’ minds when they decided to name me Blake. Did they want me to get hounded for the rest of my life about it? However, through that, a famous introduction was born. “What’s your name?” “Blake Maddison Bennett, but you can call me Maddison.”

“Yes Mother?” I answered. I could almost see her cringing on the other side of the phone. She absolutely hated when I called her mother. Almost as much as I hated Blake.

“What on God’s green earth do you mean you got fired?!”

“I mean that the boss said ‘buh-bye’ and told me to hit the road.”

“I don’t need your smart ass attitude, Blake.”

“It’s Maddison, mother. I haven’t been addressed as Blake since I was six.”

“Nevermind that. You know what this means don’t you?”

“Absolutely not.” I got up off the couch and danced over to the windows in my loft. Floor to ceiling, just like I’d always dreamed of, ever since I was little. The New York City street buzzed below and the line of yellow taxi cabs stretched for miles. I watched the sun hovering low in the sky, ready to set. It was gorgeous. After high school, I moved out of Pittsburgh as soon as possible. The city was where I belonged, I fit in perfectly here.

“You’re not going to be able to afford that little warehouse or factory or whatever it is you call a home.”

“Loft, mother. Loft.”

“Whatever, Blake. Anyway, you’re going to have to come home."

“Home…as in?”

“Pittsburgh! Damnit Blake! I really do not need this from you right now! The rent is too steep on that place and you won’t be able to afford it without a job. I begged you up and down to please go to college in Pittsburgh, that way you’d be near to home in case anything went wrong. But did you listen? No. You just had to go out and ‘experience the world’. And I hope you see where it’s gotten you. All of nowhere.”

“Mom, I don’t need to hear this right now. We have this conversation every other day. What’s done is done.” I sat down and pressed my back against the window. I would miss hearing the city sounds below me.

“Blake…Maddison. This conversation is over, honey. I’m sending your father in two weeks. Give them the notice and start packing. I love you.”

“Goodbye.” I snapped my phone shut and put my head in my hands. I couldn’t dream of leaving here. New York was my absolute favorite place in the world. Just up and leaving it was, to me, a fate worse than death. If only I hadn’t overslept one too many times, I still would be working. I was a counter girl at Sephora. Now, I know you’re thinking that that can’t possibly make me enough money to live here, but they actually pay really well. It also helped that my Dad was sending me a check every month without my mother knowing.

Sure enough, in two weeks, Daddy arrived with a moving truck ready to U-haul me all the way back to Pennsylvania. The seven hour drive seemed like the absolute longest of my life. It didn’t help matters that my dad wouldn’t shut up about how I shouldn’t have moved in the first place. I didn’t need a lecture on top of everything else. When we finally arrived, my mom started crying and scolding me at the same time. And much to my surprise, my brother Brett was there along with my sister Bridget. I hadn’t seen them all in quite a while. After moving to New York, the only connection I had with them was through telephone and internet. None of them ever just stopped by for a visit, except Brett. There was no doubt that we were definitely the closest out of the three of us. Brett was 24, Bridget was 23, and I was the baby at 21. When I looked at Brett, it was almost like looking in the mirror. We had the exact same sandy blonde hair, bright green eyes, and perpetually sun-kissed skin. We even had the same dusting of freckles across the bridge of our noses. Whenever we went anywhere together when we were younger, and sometimes even when we were older, people commented on how much we looked alike. Brett was always popular in high school, with a different girl every week. He wasn’t famous for his long term relationships. He was always in shape too from non-stop hockey practice. Much like myself. I went to the gym religiously, to the point where my mother took me to the doctor because she was “positive” that I had an eating disorder. Anyway, that’s Brett and myself. Fair hair, light eyes, taking directly after both of my parents. Bridget, on the other hand, was a whole different story completely. She had dark brown wavy hair and chocolate colored eyes. Her skin was a creamy white color, very different from my brother and I. We always used to joke about how she must have been adopted, but secretly, I was a little jealous of her. Her beauty was a different kind, a more mysterious one.

“Why is everybody here?” I asked suspiciously as my dad and brother began hauling my boxes upstairs to my old room.

“I thought it’d be nice if we all went out to dinner as sort of a welcome home thing,” my mom answered.

“Um okay?” I was still heavily suspicious of them. They were always pulling stunts like this and then whipping out surprises at the last minute. After the last of the boxes was unloaded, we all piled into the SUV and headed to the same restaurant we’d been going to since I was born. Upon being seated, I looked around at the table. “Why are there six seats here?”

“Maddison, we want to introduce you to someone. Your sister has been pretty serious with a guy for quite a while and we want you to meet him,” my father said. As if on cue, an extremely adorable guy walked over to our table and pecked Bridget on the cheek.

“Hello, you must be Blake,” he said extending his hand towards me.

“Actually, I go by Maddison.” I replied taking his hand.

“Oh sorry, well it’s nice to meet you Maddison.” He smiled pleasantly and I noticed that all eyes were on me. Brett jabbed me in the side with the end of his fork.

“Notice anything?” he asked.

“Um, that he’s clearly Russian?” I asked, breaking off a piece of my roll. My mom sputtered some of her water and looked at me horrified. “What? Isn’t he?”

“Jesus Maddison! Do you not turn on ESPN or Sportscenter…ever?!” my brother cried.

“Um, do you know me at all?” I asked.

“He’s freaking Evgeni Malkin!”

"Should that name mean something to me?” A disgusted look came over my brother’s face.

“I can’t even deal with you!” he dramatically threw down his fork.

“Maddison, he plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins,” my Dad said with a gleam in his eye.

“Oh that’s nice,” I replied. All at once I heard everyone throw down their forks, just as disgusted. Evgeni was laughing though.

“I like her. She’s not easily phased.” I smiled and continued eating the roll while the rest of my family continued to stare. They act as if they haven’t known me for twenty one years.

“So what position do you play?” Brett let out and exasperated sigh at my question. “What? I want to know.”

“Center!” everyone practically screamed at me. After that, every time I opened my mouth, even just to ask for the salt, Brett gave me the death glare. Therefore, I found it best just to shut up. When dinner was over, my parents got up to leave and I began to follow until Brett grabbed my arm, almost ripping it out of the socket.

“Have fun kids! Maddison, not too late,” my mom called as she exited the restaurant with my father in tow.

“Where are we going?” I asked as I followed Brett, Bridget, and Evgeni.

“Diesel!” They all said in unison as we began walking down the block.