If You Love Me: Chapter 27

“Alex, it’s great to see you.”

“Thanks for agreeing to meet with me.” Alex Waters, hockey legend and huge inspiration, steps inside Hollis’s penthouse.

“It’s an honor.” Hollis shakes his hand.

“Hi. Hello. I’m Aurora, Roman’s daughter and Hollis’s girlfriend. We met last year at the gala.” Peggy is practically vibrating with excitement.

Alex’s smile widens. “I remember. That was a really fun event. My wife and daughter, Lavender, talked about it for weeks. We’re looking forward to attending again this year.”

“We’re so thrilled you’re coming back! Why don’t you all get comfortable, and I’ll bring out refreshments.” She flits off to the kitchen.

“She’s a big fan.” Hollis leads us through the penthouse into the living room.

Postie and Malone, his rescue tabbies, come out to greet us. Alex takes a seat in one of the chairs, and Postie immediately jumps onto the arm, looking for pets.

“This guy is a bit of a lover,” Hollis warns.

“I like cats.” He scratches Postie’s head.

“Just don’t let him straddle your arm. He’ll treat it like it’s his girlfriend.”

I cough to hide my laugh and take a seat in the other chair.

“Good to know.” Alex doesn’t seem fazed in the slightest. Although I’ve read some of the things his wife says in interviews, so I doubt much shocks him.

“I’ll just go help Aurora. She kind of went all out.” Hollis excuses himself.

“Were they together at the gala last year?” Alex asks.

“Not publicly yet.” I rap on the armrest. “How’s the family? How are your kids?”

“They’re great. Lavender loves New York, and my son Maverick has really stepped up and taken an active role in the Hockey Academy. My youngest boy is working on his PhD, and he’s getting married this spring. I’m just waiting for my oldest to get tired of the West Coast and move back this way with my granddaughter.”

“That can’t be easy.” I can’t imagine Peggy being on the other side of the country. It was hard enough when she was living with Zara and they moved around for those few years before she came to stay with me full time.

“We visit them often. But I can’t lie, I’d love to have everyone closer,” Alex replies.

Hollis and Peggy reappear with a charcuterie board and an array of drinks, including coffee, beer, sparkling water, and soda.

“You weren’t kidding about going all out,” Alex says. “This looks great.”

“It’s no problem!” Peggy sets the tray of drinks on the coffee table. “I’ll leave you guys to it.”

Hollis catches her hand. “You can stay, Princess.”

“Are you sure?”

“You’re more than welcome,” Alex agrees.

I give her an encouraging smile. She and Hollis take a seat on the couch.

“I’m excited about your plans for the Hockey Academy,” I say.

“We’ve been floating the idea of expansion for a few years.” Alex scratches Postie when he headbutts his hand. “I grew up not far from here.”

“In Guelph,” Peggy supplies.

“That’s right.” Alex turns his sportscaster smile on my daughter. “My parents still live there. They love visiting Pearl Lake, but they’re getting older, and I want to make it easier to spend time with them. Opening a satellite campus here is a great way to accomplish that and grow the program.”

“There’s definitely demand for it.” Hockey camps fill up quickly around here.

“There is. But to make it work, I need a staff with the same kind of passion as my team in Pearl Lake. I know you’re retiring this year, Roman, and Hollis, your contract is up, although I’m sure Toronto will want to extend. But if you decide you want to go in a different direction, we’d love to recruit you. No pressure. Just an option to consider.”

“What positions are you looking to fill?” I ask.

“Recruiting, management, coaching. We’ll need a full staff. Some are already in place, but we want to prepare for as much growth as possible,” Alex says.

“That sounds fantastic.” Peggy hugs Hollis’s arm.

This is exactly what I’ve been hoping for. “I’d love to prepare up-and-comers for the pros.” Lexi can stay with the Terror, and we can be together without bureaucratic red tape.

“This is absolutely something I would consider,” Hollis says. “You know what it’s like to have a serious injury. I won’t jeopardize my body more than I already have.”

“I get it.” Alex nods. “It’ll be big change for the team if you’re both done at the end of the season.”

“Ryker’s already in position to take over for me,” I say.

“And me leaving will give a rookie more ice time,” Hollis adds.

“Maybe Fielding and Vander Zee will be interested in picking up Quinn Romero,” Alex muses.

“That kid’s got skill. I’m surprised I haven’t seen him on a roster yet.” He’s the son of Lance Romero, another legend in hockey and one of Alex’s good friends.

“Fingers crossed. I’d take him on as part of my team at the Hockey Academy, but I’d hate to see that talent squandered.”

“Agreed.” My wheels are already turning. “How soon are you looking to onboard your coaching staff?”

“The sooner the better, but I’m aware you’re mid-season.”

“You’d want to start before the season ends?” I press. This could be the excuse I need.

“If you’re interested in coaching, we’ll wait for you. Having you as our lead goalie coach would be phenomenal for the program.” Alex continues to scratch Postie’s head. The alternative is being swatted.

“You have a high school and a university summer program slated?” I tap the armrest.

“That’s right. The university program begins in early May, and high school in early July,” Alex replies.

I glance at Hollis. “Ryker could handle the playoffs.”

Peggy’s eyes flare. “You can’t retire before the end of the season.”

A knock at the door saves me from answering.

“I’ll get that.” Peggy crosses the room, eyeing me as she goes.

I give her a reassuring smile, though that’s exactly what I’m considering.

“Some program graduates wanted to say hello,” Hollis explains.

Alex grins. “I was hoping to see some of the boys while I’m in town.”

Tristan, Flip, and Dallas file into the penthouse, Rix trailing behind them with Peggy.

Rix stops short when she sees Alex and grabs Peggy’s arm. “Oh! Oh my God.”

Tristan frowns and looks over his shoulder. “You all right, Bea?”

“I’ll be right back! I have to grab my Alex Waters milk ad!” She spins around and heads for the door.

“What is she talking about?” Tristan’s brow is extra furrowed.

“Didn’t you do an ad for milk back when you were playing for Chicago?” Flip asks.

“Yeah. But that was like…a really long time ago,” Alex says.

“She has that magazine,” Peggy replies helpfully.

“Since when?” Tristan asks.

Peggy shrugs. “Dunno. But she put it in a plastic sleeve to preserve it.”

“Huh.” Tristan scrubs his chin.

We spend the afternoon chatting with Alex. The guys reminisce about the Hockey Academy, and Alex talks about the plan to open a second campus here. Eventually he excuses himself, citing a late lunch with Connor. We invited him over, but while he and Flip are currently managing, he didn’t want to dredge up the past.

“Wills will be so disappointed she missed this.” Dallas pops the cap on a beer. “What a cool opportunity.”

“Callie could spend a summer there when she’s old enough!” Peggy grabs my arm. “She would love to have you as a coach.”

“I’d love to coach her.” To have a hand in helping her develop her skill set would be so rewarding.

“Isn’t her birthday coming up?” Tristan asks.

“I’m pretty sure you’re right.” I’m actually positive. It’s marked on Lexi’s calendar, which I saw when I was over there last week.

“We should plan something big for her,” Tristan declares. “It’s her second birthday with no parents. It needs to be something to remember.”

“Let’s make a list.” Rix pulls out her phone.

“I’ll grab my laptop, and we can start a spreadsheet.” Peggy rushes down the hall and returns a moment later, laptop already open.

We spend the next half hour lobbing ideas back and forth, making lists, assigning tasks, and getting things organized. Tristan is determined to go all out, as is his way when it comes to birthday celebrations. I let him take the lead, mostly so I don’t draw attention to how much I know about the things Callie loves.

When all the tasks have been allocated, we disband, and I message Lexi. She’s at hockey practice with Callie, so I hop in my SUV.

With Lexi’s permission, I stopped by the arena the day after Callie jumped on that kid and had a conversation with the coaching staff. Then I helped her mediate a discussion between Callie, the coaches, and the kid in question. The kid’s eyes seemed like they were on the verge of falling out of his head the entire time. I’m not above using my hockey fame to make an impression.

I also sat with Lexi while she called Fee’s vice principal. They had a frank discussion about the school’s responsibility to check in with a new student who’s lost both of her parents and support her during the transition. Fee finished the rest of her suspension in school.

I run into Donnie on my way into the arena. He’s toting two hockey bags and a pair of four-year-old boys.

“Coaching tonight?” I ask.

“Yeah, gotta get the experience somewhere, right?” He glances behind me. “What are you doing here?”

“Here to watch a game.”

He nods, maybe waiting for me to elaborate. His son tugs on his sleeve. “Dad, we’re hungry, can we go now?”

“I should get in there. See you tomorrow, Donnie.”

“Yeah, see you later.”

I head inside and find Callie’s rink, scanning until I locate Lexi. I slide into one of the slightly too-small seats beside her.

“Hey.” I skim the back of her hand, just for the contact.

She flips it palm up. “Hey yourself.”

I lace our fingers briefly and squeeze before I reluctantly release her hand and clasp mine together. I glance at the scoreboard. “Looks like the game is going well.” Callie’s team is up by two goals.

“It is. How was your meeting with Waters?”

“He wants Hollis and me to join their coaching staff at the satellite campus in Toronto.”

“Oh wow, that’s—wow. What did you say?”

“That I’m definitely interested.” I rub my bottom lip.

She tracks the movement. “What are your concerns?”

“About the job? None. The Hockey Academy has a great mission, they’re one of the most renowned hockey programs out there, and they’ve produced some of the best players in the league. It’ll be a pay cut, but I’ve had twenty years in the pros, so I’m not concerned about that.”

“You’re concerned about something, though?” she asks.

Might as well feel her out, see what she thinks. “If I want to coach the university program, it starts in May.”

Her eyes flare. “We’ll be in the middle of playoffs.”

“Ryker could handle the playoffs.”

“There has to be another option.”

“The summer high school program starts in July.”

“You’d be able to finish out the season, then.”

“Early retirement would mean we could be together sooner. We could stop fighting the draw.” I wouldn’t have to keep lying to the people I love.

Her conflict is written all over her face. “It’s only a couple more months, Roman. The team needs you.”

I want to tell her I need her. But I don’t want to put that kind of pressure on her, or us. So I let it go. For now. “Okay. We’ll get through the season.”

But I keep that card in my back pocket. Because the longer we do this, the harder it becomes to deny the truth.

I’m in love with Alexandria Forrester.