Chapter 30: Chapter 30

KATE

“You ready, sweetie?” I asked Tessa. Bill was going out that night, so I offered to take Tessa to the Blades game with me.

“Almost,” she called out from her bedroom. “I’m changing so we can match.”

I couldn’t help but grin. This little girl was so sweet. I loved her, and I’d always be grateful for the day I met her and Bill on the plane.

Tessa skipped out of her bedroom, wearing skinny jeans and a Blades t-shirt just as I was. She ran in and hugged me. “See? We match now.”

“Yes, we do,” I agreed. “And I wouldn’t want to match with anyone else.”

We rode the elevator down to the lobby. Kenton waited outside for us, holding the back door of the Suburban open for us to climb in.

“I like your shirt, Tessa,” Kenton told her.

Of course, she spoke about Tyler for a few minutes. She was sporting his jersey, while I was wearing one with Mathieu’s name and number.

“Do you like hockey, Kenton?” I asked.

“I love it, actually,” he said with a small laugh. “I’ve been a Blades fan since before your father purchased the team.”

“I didn’t know that. Why don’t you come in and watch the games with us?”

He glanced at me through the rearview mirror. “Honestly, I’ve never been asked to.”

Immediately, I felt horrible. I wondered how I or Uncle John had not asked him if he enjoyed hockey prior to that moment. It’s not like our suite was ever too full.

I was friendly with everyone who worked for me the same way my dad had been. I wanted to maintain those relationships and create new ones.

When I was young, my father always told me: “Treat the janitor with the same respect as you would a CEO.” I lived by those words, and I’d never stop living by them.

“Park in the player’s parking lot and come in with me. This is my open invitation for every home game. Seriously.”

“I don’t want to impose, but I do appreciate it.”

Tessa was giggling beside me when I rolled my eyes. “I won’t take no for an answer.”

“If you insist, Ms. Martin.”

“You know I prefer Kate.”

I smiled at him again, and a few minutes later, we arrived at the Garden. I practically dragged Kenton inside and walked him and Tessa to the suite.

Uncle John was already there, talking on his phone when we arrived. He jumped up upon seeing us. He gave Tessa a quick hug and kissed me on the cheek. He reached his hand out to Kenton.

“Glad you came in,” he exclaimed. “Come sit, have some food and beer.”

Kenton denied the beer, probably because he would be driving me home after. But he did go for some chicken wings.

John and Kenton spoke to each other with unmistakable familiarity. It was obvious he’d been his driver for many years.

Later, Nicolette walked in. She came straight to me and hugged me. “I didn’t know you were coming, Nic.”

My sister blushed, wringing her hands together. “Well, I kind of wanted to see Mathieu play,” she said, her voice trailing off to la-la land.

“I think he likes you too.” Her grin widened as she sat down beside Tessa. “Hey, can you watch her for a minute?” I asked, then switched my voice to a whisper. “I want to go find Tyler before the game.”

“Of course.”

Surprisingly, Nicolette leaned in and hugged Tessa, then complimented her Blades jersey. Once the two girls were giggling with each other, I snuck out of the room.

I shut the door gently behind me and took off down the empty hallway. Antsy to see Tyler, my hands shook slightly as I moved. I pulled out my phone, knowing a text would be the only way to snag him alone for a minute.

Kate

Where are you?

Tyler

In the locker room. Are you here?

Kate

Sneak out of there, turn left, and meet me around the corner.

Tyler

Be right there.

Sure enough, my stud of a boyfriend emerged, making me melt. His leg and hip pads were on along with his skates, making him look absurdly bulky.

He didn’t have a t-shirt on, and I was gifted with the view of his bare, muscular upper body. I licked my lips as he carefully moved closer to me in his skates.

“You are so fucking hot,” I blurted out.

He laughed at my abrupt compliment and replied, “You’re one to talk.”

He twisted my ponytail around his hand, drawing my head to his. I pulled his lip in between my teeth before his mouth devoured mine.

He had to bend down to reach me, even with my high-heeled boots on. His steadiness while standing on skates excited me more.

I trailed my hands over his stone-hard abs, tucking my fingers inside his hockey pants. I kept them around his waist, not wanting to push my luck, and he continued to kiss me greedily.

He groaned loudly when I raked my nails down his back with my free hand. “I can’t wait until we’re living together,” he mumbled.

He pushed into me more, backing me up against the wall. His hand, which was wrapped in my hair, now held the back of my neck. Tyler pulled away to look at me, smiled a wide smile, then placed his mouth back over mine.

There were moments when I felt I was drowning in him. No other thoughts entered my mind, only the image of him and me together.

“I love you, Mr. Carlson,” I breathed.

“I love you, Ms. Martin.”

I tried pulling him closer. I wasn’t sure we could get any closer, but I knew I wanted to try. My body was weakening under his touch. I wanted him to play the game and then hurry up and come home with me.

I hated waiting, and he had me all worked up. We practically clawed at each other, wanting more but unable able to get any further.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” a sharp voice said, a voice that sure as hell wasn’t Tyler’s.

We jumped apart from each other faster than two kids caught smoking behind their school. Being in my position, a twenty-seven-year-old CEO, there weren’t many things people could chastise me about.

Being in a relationship with one of my players, however, would raise some concerns.

Tyler had already made eye contact with whoever had intruded on us. All that was left to do was turn around and see for myself who had caught us. I took my time, dreading it.

“No,” another voice said. “You can’t do this, Kate. What the fuck are you thinking?” I turned to see the very angry face of Uncle Fred. “You’re smarter than this and ~far~ better than this.”

“My fault,” Tyler interrupted. “I made a move.”

I grabbed his forearm, ready to tell him to shut up and not take the blame for we were both adults. But he pulled his arm away, stepping back a few feet. He had just pulled my heart out of my chest, and I don’t think he even knew it.

I averted my attention from him, looking into the faces of Hans, Julian, and Uncle Fred. Hans stared daggers at Tyler, blaming him apparently. Uncle Fred glared at me like I was an idiotic child.

“Follow me,” Uncle Fred said, waving his hand behind him for us to follow.

Suddenly, the walls felt like they were closing in. The lighting in the hallway appeared to darken, and my heartbeat picked up its pace.

I searched for a sign from Tyler that things would be okay, but he avoided meeting my eyes at all costs.

In fact, he chose to stare at a blank white wall, which caused him to crane his neck to the left, rather than look straight ahead and risk seeing me.

Entering the locker room, Julian asked the rest of the players to go skate. Even though they weren’t completely ready, he rushed them out of there.

I inched closer to Tyler only for him to inch further away. We both knew being together was dangerous, but we’d both decided the other was worth it.

Something, however, had changed in him once we were finally caught. He wanted nothing to do with me, and all I wanted was to cry.

“How long has this been going on?” Uncle Fred asked, angry eyes glued to my teary ones.

I opened my mouth to answer but Tyler beat me to it.

“Just tonight, sir. I kissed her out of stupidity. I apologize.”

~Stupidity?~ My stomach sank again. Tyler still wouldn’t look at me. I almost wanted to slap him across the face. I was worth it to him only until he got caught.

I never wanted to be put above his career. In fact, I would have been disappointed if that was the case. I just hadn’t realized it would hurt so much to see him unfazed by losing me when it came down to it.

Tyler was calm, his breathing steady and hands unclenched and relaxed at his sides. He picked up a white t-shirt, threw it over his head, then looked at Coach Julian who had pity written all over his face.

“Can I go skate with the team now?” He turned to Uncle Fred. “It truly won’t happen again.”

“You understand how careless this is, right?” Uncle Fred asked Tyler while I stood idly, watching my life fall apart in front of me. “Kate would be crucified if this got out.

“When rumors started that you two were an item—”

“It was nothing,” Tyler interrupted. “I can assure you; I won’t touch her again.” My stomach sank ~again~.

Tyler was dismissed, and I watched his figure retreat. He still hadn’t bothered to grace me with a glance, not even a stolen one. I’d had him and lost him in a matter of minutes.

I hunched over, sitting on the bench right in front of the cubby wall with Carlson written above it. His jersey hung behind me; I could smell his laundry soap and the unforgettable scent of his deodorant.

My legs rested against his gym bag. Upon noticing that, I jumped up to stand before my uncle and my godfather.

“I’m sorry to you both,” I said. “Momentary lapse of judgment.” I smiled a fake smile, knowing I needed to get the fuck out of there. “Tessa’s waiting for me upstairs, so I’m going to head up there.”

Uncle Fred nodded, seemingly uninterested. The look of pity was still present on Julian’s face. I pulled my phone out of my pocket as I walked back upstairs.

Kate

After the game, I need you. Emergency.

Piper

Are you okay?

Kate

Not in the slightest.

Tessa and Nicolette greeted me happily upon my return. I kept up a fake delighted facade for them. They didn’t need to worry about me, especially Tessa.

As for my sister, she saw me as this strong, invincible woman. I didn’t want her to see how weak and pathetic I felt.

Uncle Fred was acting like nothing had happened when he took up a seat next to his brother and Kenton.

He cheerfully spoke to me and the girls. Either he was a fantastic actor, or he believed that Tyler and I kissing was just a random one-time accident. It was so much more to me though.

“What the heck is going on with Tyler tonight?” Tessa complained as the referee sent Tyler to the penalty box ~again~.

He was hitting left and right, not even clean hits, playing dirty like an asshole. Obviously, I was unimpressed, but I knew I wouldn’t have acted any different if I had a game to play right then.

All I had to do was sit in a suite, drink alcohol, and watch a hockey game. And I was definitely having my fair share of alcohol.

The Blades lost with a score of ~4-1~. I wanted to feel the disappointment I always felt after a loss, but my body was void of all emotion.

I listened to Tessa complain about the loss on our way back home after we’d said goodbye to Nicolette outside the Garden. She was meeting up with Mathieu after the players were done in the weight room.

My thoughts wouldn’t leave Tyler. I didn’t even want to stop thinking about him, but I had to, at least for that moment.

Bill was waiting by the door for Tessa when I knocked. “How was the game?” he greeted us.

“Crappy,” Tessa said, pushing past him.

“That bad?”

“Yes,” I answered. “I’m not feeling well, or else I’d stay and tell you about it. I’ll see you Monday morning though.”

Bill reached out and hugged me, his hair tickling my face. “Is everything okay?”

“I’m fine, I promise. Just exhausted.”

“Okay,” he said, dropping the obvious fact that something was wrong with me.

I stopped a few doors down, rapping my knuckles against Piper’s. She opened the door. I didn’t even try to stop the tears from flowing.

She ushered me into her home and sat me down on the couch, handing me a bottle of red wine. Not a glass but a whole bottle. I told her everything that had happened, focusing on Tyler’s behavior.

“That doesn’t seem right. Maybe it was just an act in front of them,” she offered. I shrugged, chugging some more from the bottle.

“Why don’t you call him? He should be done in the weight room by now.”

A bitter laugh escaped my throat. “I’m drunk and emotional now. I’ll text him instead.”

Reluctantly, I typed out a message to him. I stared at the screen for minutes before Piper urged me to send it along.

Kate

Are you okay? You wouldn’t even look at me.

Minutes passed without a peep from him. Those minutes turned to hours. Eventually, I stopped checking my phone obsessively. I did keep the ringer on loud though, just in case.

“I’m sorry, babe.” I watched the glow on my best friend’s face, indicating that she had some juicy news to tell me.

“Ready to tell me who’s making you so happy lately?”

Piper blushed. I had never once seen Piper blush. I chugged some more wine and passed her the bottle. I laid my head down on her lap as she stroked my hair, getting ready to tell me about her new romance.

“You can’t get mad.”

I tilted my head back to look into her eyes. “Why would I get mad?” I asked.

“Just promise.”

“Fine.”

Piper lifted the bottle to her lips again and played with my hair some more before answering. “It’s Bill,” she whispered.

“Bill who? The only Bill I know is Tessa’s dad, Bill.” I continued drinking, drowning my misery in alcohol. I was drunk, but not too drunk to notice she hadn’t said anything else.

“Unless you’re referring to Tessa’s dad, Bill?” I questioned slowly.

I giggled when she blushed again. “We’ve been seeing each other for a while now.”

“Pipe, he’s twenty years older than you.”

“Yep, and he’s got a big dick too.”

We laughed for what felt like forever, the alcohol staking its claim over our brains.

She told me more about their relationship and how they hadn’t told Tessa yet. They wanted to make sure they had something serious before bringing her into the picture.

The thought was odd. I was having a hard time believing that both of my assistants had fallen in love. Her love story was still far better than my shitty one. My phone beeped, indicating a text message.

“Want me to read it first?” Piper asked.

I nodded, not sure I’d be able to handle myself if it was Tyler. She clicked a button on my phone, eyes scanning the screen. She set it back down on the coffee table without a word.

“How about I throw some nachos into the oven or something?” she asked. “We both could use some food.”

I moaned at the thought of nachos. “Yeah, I could go for nachos as long as you have copious amounts of sour cream.”

“Of course, I do.”

As soon as Piper left the room, I grabbed my phone. I wanted her to read it first, but I was hoping she’d tell me it was good news.

The fact that she had placed my phone down without saying anything told me that it wasn’t good news at all. But I had to know what he had said. It would drive me insane all night if I didn’t check.

Tyler

You were right all along. What we did was stupid. I’m sorry I let it get that far, Kate.

I set my phone down carefully before sobbing into my hands.

The morning before my team had flown down to Florida for a Sunday night game. We had lost that game in overtime, so at least it was a close game. I told everyone that I was too sick to travel. I wasn’t. I just couldn’t face Tyler.

It was Monday morning, and I was drinking my third cup of coffee while waiting on my ten o’clock meeting. I saw him through the glass. He was dressed in a beautiful gray suit.

I stood and opened my door to greet him. “Kate,” he said, leaning in to kiss my cheek. “Good morning.”

“Good morning, Jaromir,” I replied. “How are you?” I motioned him toward my couch. He took a seat, looking quite relaxed.

“Wonderful, actually. Mr. Robinson called me early this morning with good news.

“Basically, Annabelle isn’t getting a dime of my money. And we now have fifty-fifty custody of Chloe, so she can’t hold her against me anymore.”

I jumped out of my seat and ran over to hug him. “I am so glad,” I exclaimed. “Mr. Robinson is the best. I was really hoping he’d be able to help you.”

“Actually he’s one of the reasons I wanted to have this meeting with you,” he said in an accusatory voice.

I knew what he was about to say, but I feigned innocence. “Yes?”

“He informed me that I didn’t owe him a dime. All 72,000 dollars were taken care of. Even Annabelle’s portion of the legal bills was paid for. Her own lawyer didn’t know where it came from.”

I nodded. “Hm. That is weird, but I’m not sure I can help you figure out who paid it.”

“Kate,” he grunted, annoyed. “I know it was you.”

My practiced poker face was on. “You don’t know it was me. You ~think~ it was me. There’s a difference.”

“Why’d you do that? You’ve done enough for me and everyone else for that matter.”

Luckily, Bill knocked on my door, pushing it slightly open. “Coach is on three; shall I have him ring you back later?” he asked, and I nodded. I wasn’t sure why Coach Julian was calling my office, but it’d have to wait.

Jaromir’s dark curls were pulled back into a slick ponytail, accentuating his sparkling brown eyes. “Can I ask you something personal?” he asked

“Of course,” I answered, happy to be derailed from the conversation about his legal fees.

“You broke Carl’s heart, didn’t you?” he asked with a gentle shake of his head. “It was obvious he was into you, but you’re untouchable, Kate.

“He’s been fucked-up for the past few days. Only a woman like you could do that to a guy like him.”

So many could glean Tyler’s feelings for me, but he was the one who had broken ~my~ heart. Weird how that worked…

“What do you mean he’s been fucked-up?” I grew worried, even though I couldn’t do a damn thing to help him. He had made his decision.

“He’s not the same. He’s been the life of the team since he came aboard. But something happened Saturday before the game. He was fine one minute, then all of a sudden he was a zombie.”

~Don’t cry, Kate. Don’t cry. He hurt you. This was his decision.~ Unfortunately, I acted lame and ended up crying anyway.

“You did break his heart, didn’t you?” Jaromir spoke quietly, with sadness in his voice.

I left my chair to sit beside him on the couch. “I’ve known you for a long time.

“I don’t really want to say anything about this situation in general; but for as long as you’ve known me, have you ever seen me hurt someone?”

“Never,” he answered, thinking over my words. “Something happened though.”

I pondered over what to say to him. “Sometimes, it can hurt someone to break someone else’s heart. The victim isn’t always who the victim appears to be.”

Jaromir, the man I’d known for many years, leaned right over and squeezed me. He understood what I was telling him. He hugged me for a long time, without saying any words.

In fact, that’s what I seemingly needed. When he finally pulled away, I actually smiled.

“He’s an idiot,” he whispered before leaving my office.

“Be nice to him. It was all too complicated, honestly.”

Jaromir left. I prepared myself for another conversation that I assumed would be about Tyler when I called Julian back. He said nothing of the sort, just went over some information about the trades for the upcoming season.

After work, I went out with Piper instead of acting like a lovesick loser at the penthouse. We sat in a crowded bar, ordering drink after drink.

I ignored a few calls from my sister, refusing to let her see how pathetic I was feeling. I tried reminding myself that the situation with Tyler was the exact reason I didn’t have time for a relationship.

I was too busy to deal with a stupid heartbreak, way too busy. Luckily, I had thrown myself into work the two whole days without a word from Tyler.

It wasn’t that long, but it felt like forever. Mainly because I wondered if we’d ever speak again.

We’d see each other; that was inevitable. But I wondered if we would say anything to each other apart from boring, awkward, hellos.

“Are you sure you want to be out, Kate?” Piper yelled over the bar noise.

“No, not at all.”

She laughed at me, ordering two more drinks. “Then why are we here?”

“I don’t want to think about him, Pipe.”

She didn’t say anything else, only clinked her glass with mine. The night went away from me, until I woke the next morning to an alarm I didn’t even remember setting.