Page 21

21

W eeks went by with relative peace. Kenzie spent most of her time at my place with Sunny and Boo, and I didn’t even freak out when she started keeping some of her stuff in my room. It was just easier.

I kept my head down, worked with Rafe, improved on my line, and generally ignored Kane’s increasingly angry rants. He was making mistakes in the rink and blaming his line, ordering rookies around in practice, and partying like I used to.

From the outside, I could see why everyone gave me a pass when I said I wanted to be captain. If I was acting anything like Kane, I’d have laughed in my face too. Of course, I didn’t blame other people for my mistakes, and I definitely didn’t pull rank with the younger guys. Everyone at TU had earned their spot. As much as it pained me to admit it, Kane too.

He’d played better at Easton though.

By mid-November, Coach still hadn’t picked a regular captain. He’d been choosing a new player for each game, and honestly, it was kind of brilliant. Not everyone wanted the leadership role, but they got experience talking to the refs and ended up showing more respect to the next captain.

I hadn’t been chosen for the roulette, but neither had Kane so I forced myself not to dwell on the frustration. Kenzie told me to feel the feelings then use them to make myself better. I used them to power extra drills and bonus practice time with Rafe and a few of the other guys. If she hadn’t been sleeping at my place most nights, I’d barely see her other than driving her to and from campus.

As a result, dinner with Gram snuck up on me… the same day Coach wanted to see me in his office.

I reminded Kenzie before she started book club in the living room, then headed to campus. This time Sellers wouldn’t be there for moral support, and I couldn’t decide if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

The arena was weirdly quiet on a Sunday morning, but I could tell Coach was in his office by the loud squeaking of his chair. I knocked on the doorframe, hit with déjà vu from the last time I’d asked to speak with him.

Coach glanced up at me, then gestured at his guest chairs. “Come in. Sit down. I’ll make this quick.”

Sweat dampened the back of my shirt as I sat.

He leaned back and crossed his hands over his stomach. “I’ve been watching, even before you came to me and said you wanted to be captain. I wasn’t convinced, but you’ve stepped up and become the leader this team needs. Especially with Rafe and Sellers. Congratulations, Reece. You’re the captain for the remainder of the season.”

“What about the team vote?” I stammered.

“Happened this morning. Nearly unanimous for you.”

I felt like I’d been hit with a truck. The captain role hadn’t even entered my mind. I was convinced he wanted to talk about Rafe, though I was secretly hoping he was giving notice he’d kicked Kane’s ass off the team. Not a thing he’d need to talk to me about alone.

Well, now it was, as captain.

Captain.

I couldn’t stop the grin. “I’m going to make that asshole Kane salute me before every practice.”

Coach sighed. “Don’t make me regret this.”

“Right. Sorry.” I cleared my throat as I stood up. “Thank you. Truly. For giving me the chance. I’m going to work my ass off to be the captain this team deserves.”

“That’s why I picked you. Now get out.”

I damn near bowed. Captain. I couldn’t wait to tell Kenzie—and maybe rub it in Cole’s face just a little bit.

The chair squealed, and Coach hissed out a breath. “One more thing.”

I stopped in the doorway and turned. “Yeah?”

“Do I need to be worried about Mase? He’s become even more anti-social than usual, to the point where he’s only communicating with the goalie coach in grunts.”

I held my breath for a second, thinking of the conversations I’d had with Cole in the last few months, and the one we’d had with Gavin over the summer. All of us were worried, but then there were days where he came out of the basement and acted like his normal, grumpy self.

If I said something to Coach, he’d be obligated to have Mase checked out by the team psych, and Mase would never forgive me. If there was really something wrong, I had a duty to protect my friend, even from himself.

I’d been distracted the last few months with my own shit, but I could pay more attention and sound the alarm with the others.

“Nah,” I told Coach, shrugging one shoulder. “He’s focused on the season. The guys and I will keep an eye on him.”

Coach gave me a pointed look. “As captain, I expect as much. As his friend, I expect you to tell me before things get serious.”

I nodded. “Definitely.”

He waved me off, and I may have danced the entire way back to my car. I drove home, and it occurred to me Coach never mentioned Kenzie or my social habits. Maybe he’d noticed, maybe he hadn’t, but with the position secured, I technically didn’t need the deal with Kenzie anymore.

The thought soured my mood. She’d know—of course, she’d know—but in the time it took me to drive from campus to our driveway, I realized I’d never needed her. I’d wanted her.

She’d made me feel like I could absolutely lead our team, even when my closest friends doubted me, and I didn’t want to let her go. I didn’t miss my old lifestyle—I missed Kenzie when she wasn’t around. The reckless partying and stupid decisions were behind me. I liked the person I was becoming, and when I thought of the future, Kenzie as always right there in the middle of it.

The realization should have terrified me, but my blood rushed with excitement. I could have what I wanted. Captain. Hockey. Kenzie. All I had to do was convince her we were good together.

Luckily, I had some time before her sister’s wedding to prove it.

Kenzie reacted the way I hoped and immediately seduced me. Cole, on the other hand, surprised me by dancing around the living room, much like I had in the parking lot. I decided not to bring up his previous doubts when we were all celebrating. Mase offered me the rare compliment of a pat on the back before he went back to his lair.

As a matter of fact, Kenzie and I celebrated long enough we were almost late to dinner with Gram. I was fully willing to skip it in favor of staying in bed, but Kenzie insisted I follow through. She made the point we all had to do hard things sometimes, and I, of course, told her I had a hard thing she could do.

In retribution, she spent the entire drive to Dallas giving me a play by play of the book they’d had to read for smutty book club, but skipping over all the sexy parts.

When we were almost to the restaurant, her nerves got the best of her and she started chewing on her pinky nail.

I grabbed her hand to save her manicure and tried for a reassuring smile. “It’s only one night.”

She offered me a pity smile for my bad joke. “On a scale of zero to when Boo got into my mac and cheese, how bad is this going to be?”

“I thought we agreed we’d never mention Boo’s digestive pyrotechnics again.”

Kenzie raised a brow. “You agreed. I can’t wipe the smell from my memory, no matter how many candles I burn.”

I pulled into the valet line and kissed her hand. “Not nearly as bad as Boo, but I’d go with mildly horrible.”

“Awesome. Any last words of advice?”

“Be yourself. If they don’t like it, fuck ‘em. We can leave whenever you want.”

She blew out a breath. “Easy for you to say. Your Gram isn’t looking for a reason to have you removed.”

I winced, wishing I hadn’t told her that part in a weak moment. “No, but she was willing to pimp me out for a business deal. She might still be planning on it.”

“Rude,” Kenzie muttered as we pulled up to the stand.

The valet took off with the car, and I pulled her into a quick hug before we went through the doors. “The food here is fantastic, and I wouldn’t want to be fending off sexual advances with anyone else.”

She smiled up at me. “See, you should have led with that. I’m ordering an appetizer and dessert.”

“That’s my girl,” I whispered into her hair as I escorted her inside.

The tuxedoed waitstaff brought us right to Gram’s table, and it appeared we were the last to arrive. Gram sat in all her regal glory with her hands in her lap. Perfect hair, flawless subtle makeup, and a skilled surgeon made her look almost the same age as the man sitting next to her.

He stood as we approached, and had deep lines around his eyes, a receding hairline, and a very expensive suit. To his right, his blonde daughter in a white sheath dress didn’t look up from her phone.

I crouched to kiss Gran’s cheek first, as she expected. “We can’t stay late because we both have early classes in the morning.” It wasn’t entirely a lie. Ten a.m. was early to some people.

Gram graced me with her best fake smile. “Of course. I daresay we’d all like to be home at a reasonable hour.”

The business contact held out his arm. “Matt Ingleman.”

I shook his hand. “Reece Tanner.”

He chuckled, dropping his arm without introducing himself to Kenzie. “Oh, I know who you are. I follow college hockey. Excited to see a Texas school making a name for itself. TU has a real shot to make it back to the Frozen Four. Think you guys will pull it out?”

“We’re taking it one game at a time. This is my girlfriend, Kenzie Booth.”

Kenzie nodded instead of trying for a handshake. “Nice to meet you.”

His gaze dropped to her chest despite her wearing a high-necked halter dress. “A pleasure.” He moved to pull out the chair next to him, ostensibly for Kenzie, but I beat him to it and sat her between me and the daughter.

Her eyes flicked up for a second, then she was back to scrolling. This girl I’d expect to see at a frat party. Kenzie sent me a quick glance of gratitude, and I had to downgrade the evening a couple more ranks.

I sat and Gram signaled the server, who filled our wineglasses without any input from the rest of us. Under the table, I rested my palm on Kenzie’s thigh. She linked her fingers with mine and smiled at Gram.

“I’m so glad to finally meet you in person. Reece has told me so much about you.”

She raised an imperial brow at me, guessing correctly the information wasn’t all good. “Yes, I’m happy you could make it tonight since I’m not in town often.”

Kenzie didn’t blink an eye at the blatant lie. “It’s too bad you couldn’t make it to Reece’s games this weekend. We should really be celebrating. He was just chosen as captain for the team.”

I never would have brought up the news—Gram had made it clear over the years that she saw hockey as nothing but a fleeting hobby—but Matt’s eyes widened.

“Congratulations, that’s a big deal. Let’s get a bottle of champagne.”

Kenzie squeezed my fingers, and I noticed a hint of smugness in her expression. My little thief had a petty side to her. Gram graciously played along by offering a toast, and as soon as she could, she switched the subject to business.

“Matt, I want you to know your company will be in good hands at Tanner Pharma when my grandson takes over for me.”

My jaw clenched, but I didn’t bother correcting her. I’d learned to pick my battles where she was concerned, and her misrepresenting the future of the company to this guy wasn’t even worthy of the list.

“I appreciate that, Loretta, but I thought Reece here was planning to play for the Rebels.” He turned his expectant expression on me, and I silently cursed agreeing to the dinner.

Kenzie spoke up before I could respond though. “Of course, Mrs. Tanner isn’t planning to retire any time soon. Plenty of time for Reece to excel in the hockey world.”

Gram’s eyes narrowed slightly, but she didn’t intervene when Matt grinned.

“That’s what I like to hear. It’s good to see a young lady involved in sports rather than focusing on the latest trends.” His shifted to smile at his daughter, who pointedly ignored him.

Luckily, the waitstaff arrived to take our orders, pulling us out of the awkward moment.

Matt’s daughter, whose name was Vanessa as we found out later, eventually put her phone away when the food arrived. We ate dinner talking about bland, safe topics, and I couldn’t have chosen a better date than Kenzie. She was charming and funny, even when I could feel her tense up under Gram’s hard stare.

Kenzie, as promised, wanted dessert and managed to coax Vanessa into a conversation about the best cake shops in Dallas. She was a miracle worker, truly. For my part, I indulged Matt’s hockey questions while making sure I blocked his view of Kenzie.

The two of them bowed out before the dessert menu arrived, and Gram watched them go with a pensive expression. She’d wanted us to play big, happy family, so we did, and I felt like Matt, at least, left the restaurant with a more positive attitude toward the company. Vanessa couldn’t give less of a shit. Mission accomplished.

While she waited for her crème br?lée, Kenzie excused herself to the bathroom, and as soon as she was out of earshot, Gram leaned forward to scold me in a quiet voice.

“Vanessa seemed perfectly lovely. You could have engaged her more.”

“I engaged Matt instead. Isn’t he the one you want to buy? Besides, Vanessa wasn’t the least bit interested in any of us, let alone me.”

“Maybe if you’d tried harder she’d still be here.”

“What were you hoping would happen, Gram? I’d take her out after? Maybe bring her home and fuck her for the good of the company?”

She leaned back and threw a hand in the air. “Well, why not? That’s seems to be all you’re working on in college. One disposable girlfriend doesn’t revert years of offering yourself to every available female who throws herself at you. I’d hoped you’d learn from that girl in high school, or at least grow out of the need to find a new bed partner every other night.”

As much as her dismissal of me hurt, it was her insult of Kenzie that had me standing and tossing my napkin onto the table.

“I’ve been with Kenzie for months, and I haven’t so much as looked at another woman. She’s not disposable—she’s everything. She’s smart and warm and kind, and I’d choose her over you any day.”

Gram’s eyes darted around the restaurant. “Sit down. You’re making a spectacle of yourself.”

“Maybe, but it’s time we had this conversation. I don’t want to work for the company, I don’t want you parading me around like a prized pet, and I don’t want to see or hear from you until your attitude changes.”

She scoffed and took a sip of her wine. “You’ll come crawling back begging for a job once you get bored with hockey and Kenzie, just like your father.”

The insult stung because in the last few months I’d seen how close I’d come to becoming him. I didn’t want to float through life with a series of increasingly younger lady friends and no real responsibility.

“Or I’ll leave and never look back, like my mom. Either way, I won’t be running the company for you. Good luck with your takeover.”

I turned, intending to march into the women’s bathroom and retrieve my girlfriend, but she was standing right there with her fingers tangled together in front of her. Kenzie caught her bottom lip with her teeth, then she gave me a big smile and offered her hand.

My heart flipped, settling into a nervous rhythm, but I wanted to get her out of the restaurant before she crushed me by dropping out of our deal. The night had ended up quantifiably worse than Boo’s toxic ass.

I tucked her against my side, leaning down to whisper in her ear as we passed tables of people trying not to stare. “How much of that did you hear?”

“All of it, I think.”

Fuck. This was the moment I was trying to avoid. I needed time. Kenzie wasn’t ready to be in a serious relationship after Kane, and as much as I wanted to hold her to the deal, I couldn’t make her a target again.

If she decided she didn’t want the drama with my family, I’d give her the out, but I wouldn’t give up. I’d finally figured out how to fight for what I wanted, and I wanted her.

“I’ll understand if you’re done with me after this. Gram is stubborn and only listens to herself, so she’ll probably hound me for a while. If you’re around, she’ll drag you into it.”

She scoffed. “Please. I know a thing or two about negative familial attitudes. A cranky old woman’s opinion doesn’t matter to me. I know you, and you can do anything you put your mind to, including resisting the hordes of women apparently throwing themselves at you. Let’s go home.”

I chuckled and tried not to let the relief show, “You didn’t get your dessert.”

She tilted her head at me, full of mischief. “Guess you’ll have to take care of me then.”

This girl. If I wasn’t already gone, this would be the moment. Unconditional support and faith when she knew it might be hard. I couldn’t get over it—I never wanted to—and I’d spend eternity taking care of her if she’d let me.

“I can definitely do that.”

I had a pang of regret for the way I’d left things with Gram—and the knowledge she’d bring the harassment to Mom too—but I’d do everything I could to block her from Kenzie.