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Chapter 17

Nash

I know it’s not a good sign when I get back from my morning yoga class and Tenley is gone, but the ring is still on the coffee machine. It’s been touched, I can tell because the lid isn’t completely back on the box. I decide to leave it there. I head off to practice, have lunch with some of the guys, and do a quick grocery shop. When I get back to the loft, it’s deathly quiet.

I don’t expect her to be home, because she’s not quiet. There’s always some kind of noise when she’s here. I toe out of my shoes at the door and place them in the shoe cabinet next to the closet. Her purse and a sweater are in a heap at the entrance to the office. Now I’m confused. Is she here? I walk through the loft. The thing about concrete floors is they muffle the sound of bare feet easily so I know if she’s in the living room or kitchen I might scare the shit out of her so I’m about to call out, but then… what if she’s napping? I did keep her up past her bedtime last night. I was exhausted hauling my ass to yoga.

Exhausted but very fucking satisfied. Sleeping with Tenley was incredible. She was built for sex and damn if that woman didn’t cause the best orgasm of my life. I also think it helped that we have so much animosity between us. This was my first hate-fuck and honestly, if I knew it would be this good, I would have dared her to fuck me in Vegas. Then maybe we would have had multiple orgasms by now and not be fake married.

The living room and kitchen are both empty. I start to pull my phone from the back pocket of my jeans as I climb the stairs to my bedroom. I figure I’ll text her and… a sound stops me in my tracks. It’s like… a sniffle? No… a sob.

“How do I not cry? You can’t put me in this position!” It’s Tenley. Her voice is ragged and strained. My whole body goes cold. “Aunt Callie… it’s not right. I know you know it’s…”

She sobs again. I turn to head back downstairs. This is eavesdropping and it sounds very personal but… I don’t take more than a single step. I stay frozen in the middle of the staircase. It is personal, but I have this overwhelming urge to stay in case she needs me.

"No. I can't. You have to say something before. They can't be blindsided if it… if it… Aunt Callie, please. I don't give a flying fuck if it's the playoffs and neither will they!" Her voice breaks again as she tries to raise it. "If you don't tell them before the biopsy, I will drop that grenade on the group chat. You can hate me forever but they won't because they'll be happy they know."

It’s silent for a long second, then Tenley sniffles. “I love you so much and that’s why I’m not changing my mind.”

More silence and then I hear a soft creak of the wood on the bedroom floor and I start down the stairs two at a time. I hit the ground floor as she calls my name. I turn… and I know the minute I see her tear-streaked face that she knows I heard at least some of her conversation. "You were spying on me? What? The camera isn't enough, now you sneak around?"

“I wasn’t… not on purpose,” I reply and take in her face. She looks broken. It pinches my heart. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s a family matter.”

“I’m your husband.”

“On paper only.”

“Well, and in the biblical sense now,” I add lightly. She doesn’t smile. “Look, I’m also a very, very good secret-keeper.”

“So am I,” she replies and leans against the railing like she’s suddenly completely exhausted. “I lock shit away like it’s Fort Knox and I’m fairly certain it takes years off my life.”

“So unburden yourself,” I counter as I climb the stairs slowly. “You hate me so taking years off my life would be a bonus.”

That gets a small, fleeting twitch of a smile before her face goes back to despair. She sniffs and wipes at her eyes with her hand not clutching the phone. She takes a deep, shaky breath. “I have something I do need to discuss with you, and probably with Crew. And with your dad and a lawyer, I would guess.”

“Umm… what?”

“This is a long, horrible story so let me tell it to you on the way to Liv and Crew’s, okay?” she says and marches right past me and down the hall toward the front door.

“Is this about the phone call with your aunt?”

She spins so fast that her blonde hair flies out around her. "No. And do not even breathe a single word of that in front of Liv. Promise me. Promise me on your playoff run."

“I promise you on my playoff run.”

She stares at me long and hard but then she nods, accepting I’m being truthful. I might not be the president of the Tenley Garrison Fan Club but I’m also not a complete jackass and I would never fuck up her family dynamic—whatever the hell that is. Right now, I have no clue but I trust Tenley isn’t trying to screw over anyone in her family. She may have a lot of faults I will gladly list, but she is more loyal than a Golden Retriever.

“You should drive. I’m not in a good space.”

I nod and hold the front door open for her.

On the ride to Crew's house, Tenley explains the footage of Anne-Marie and what she said about Crew. It takes everything in me to stay calm and focused on the road. I want to scream obscenities and find Anne-Marie and drive my car right over her. When Tenley finishes explaining that the shithead director wants to actually use that footage, I feel her hand on top of one of mine on the steering wheel. It's gentle, like a warm blanket. "Your knuckles are white. Take a breath. We'll find a way to stop it."

“Of course we will. I’ll call my dad. He has a lawyer who will start action against her. She signed an NDA when she got her divorce settlement and this breaches the fuck out of it,” I reply.

Tenley moves her hand off mine. “Why does she keep saying this? She did it in my preliminary interviews too, which is why I tried to axe her from the whole thing. And why is there an NDA?”

I sigh. It’s not my place to tell Tenley about my twin’s sexuality but… I mean… fuck. “You don’t tell people’s secrets and neither do I, but I think Crew would be more than willing to explain things to you.”

“Okay…”

“I’ll hold off on calling Dad until we’re all together.”

She doesn’t respond as I weave my way through Laurel Canyon. We get to Crew’s and he opens the door, surprised to see us. “Hey! Liv said you were coming over. What’s up? Did you two accidentally add a baby to your accidental marriage.”

“Don’t even fucking kid,” I bark out. “Can we come in?”

He nods and opens the door wider. We step into his front hall with the Spanish tile and stucco walls and funky furniture. It's… well, my worst nightmare. So many colors and eclectic shapes. I am not into it at all. Just like with everything else, Crew and I are opposites in style too.

He leads us down the hall to the sunken living room with dark wood beams and a fanciful fireplace. Liv is on one of the curved couches. She smiles, but it fades quickly. “You two look serious.”

Crew sits down next to her and Tenley and I sit on the opposite couch facing them. I open my mouth but struggle to figure out where to begin. Tenley looks at me, waits a beat, but when I’m still not saying anything, she turns to Crew. “So… are you bisexual?”

Crew’s face drops. Liv sits straighter and she moves a hand to Crew’s leg. I glare at Tenley. I know she can feel the weight of my stare but she ignores it. “I don’t care and it’s none of my business, but your ex-from-hell is involved in my docu-series, against my will, and she keeps telling people you’re gay.”

Liv sucks in a breath. Crew is yet to move a muscle. I think he's even holding his breath. "I know you aren't gay. I think… I mean, I have a degree in figuring shit out. And I think this bitch is telling people you're gay because you're bi and she knows it. She knows if she says you're gay and that gets out there, some guys will be like 'Yeah I've been with him.' And then it will look like you're closeted and it will hurt you and your image, and your family and my cousin. And I just don't think she should get away with that so I'm here to tell you what she's trying to do."

“I’m not closeted,” Crew says quietly. His eyes move from Tenley to me. “I tell people who I am when I want to. And yeah, I am bisexual.”

“And before you ask yes I know,” Liv adds. “I didn’t tell you because it’s not my place.”

"No, it's not," Tenley agrees. "And that's why Nash didn't tell me either. And I'm sorry if I forced you to tell me now but we need to get ahead of this bitch because the idiot they made director wants to use her footage."

“I’ll call Dad?” I ask and Crew nods, so I stand up and walk over to the windows and start dialing.

“I don’t mind that you know,” Crew says. “I appreciate you trying to protect me.”

“Always. You’re basically family,” Tenley replies.

Liv gets up off the couch and hugs Tenley tightly. "Thank you for always being truthful and always having my back. You're the best friend and the best cousin in the world."

I note the look of anguish that briefly passes across Tenley’s pretty face as she hugs Liv back. My dad picks up on the third ring. “Dad, we have a problem. I’m here with Crew, Tenley, and Liv. Can I put you on speaker?”

Two hours later, I’m driving Tenley down Laurel Canyon, back to the loft. We’re both silent the whole ride and it’s a long drive back to Venice Beach. Finally, as we ride the elevator up, I say, without looking at her, “Thank you for being supportive of my brother.”

“You think I would be anything else?”

I consider that. “No. I think you’re pretty much the most kind, inclusive woman I’ve ever…” I pause.

“Married?” she finishes and we both smile.

“I’ve ever been involved with,” I say as the doors open and she steps out and I follow. She smiles. “Don’t let it go to your head.”

“Oh I won’t,” Tenley replies as I pass her in the hall so I can unlock the front door. “I’m sure that anyone you’ve been involved with before me was as interesting as your choice in home decor.”

“Hilarious,” I say and roll my eyes.

She steps into the front hall and slips out of her shoes, not bothering to put them in the shoe storage. I casually shove them in that general direction and she watches with amusement, tilting her head and smirking. “You know that we should always leave one pair of shoes out, in case of an earthquake.”

“Says who?”

“Every single survival guide,” she replies. “Glass breaks in earthquakes, Nash-Hole. You need your feet for your job.”

She’s probably right but I won’t admit it until I’ve done my own research and probably not even then. “I always have some slides near my bed.”

“And if you aren’t in bed.”

“Everyone knows Mother Nature is a drama queen and the big ones hit in the middle of the night,” I joke and head into the kitchen. “Northridge was four in the morning.”

As soon as I flip on the light in the kitchen I see the ring box on the coffee machine. Right. There is still that elephant in the room. Tenley sits on a stool at the island, staring at her phone. “I’m glad your dad is going to have the lawyer file a cease and desist to the network about Anne-Marie’s footage. And one for her.”

“He’s not kidding when he says it will be her only warning either,” I reply and grab two of my pre-cooked meals out of the fridge. “Salmon Orzo pasta or garlic-herb chicken on crispy kale?”

She wrinkles her nose. “I’ll order Chipotle.”

“Your loss,” I mutter and pop the chicken in the microwave for the allotted time. The crispy kale part comes with a spicy avocado dressing I swear I could drink, which would be okay according to my dietitian because it’s low fat.

I look over and assume she’s ordering her million calorie burrito I refuse to let myself be jealous of, but then I catch a tear swimming in the corner of her eye. I flashback to what feels like a lifetime ago, Tenley with a tear streaked faced. “Now should we talk about whatever tore your heart out earlier today?”

“No.”

“It has to do with your aunt Callie,” I prompt and her eyes lift from her phone to glare at me. “I didn’t eavesdrop on purpose. I came home and thought you weren’t here and when I heard you talking I…”

“Eavesdropped because you’re nosy?”

“Froze because you sounded so upset.”

She inhales slowly and then exhales fast. “I can’t talk about it but I found out something that is the worst news ever… or might be and I just… I can’t talk about it.”

Tears start to fall freely, streaming down her cheeks like a pipe burst behind her eyes, and I full-on panic. I rush toward her and swing her bar stool to the side so she’s facing me. I wrap my arms around her back and she kind of collapses on my chest, pressing her cheek to me. A tiny but violent sob shakes her body and I pull her in tighter and smooth her hair with my palm. “Tenley, whatever this is, you need to talk about it.”

“My aunt… Callie…” Tenley swallows. “People joke that I’m her kid and not my mom’s… because…”

“Callie is annoying?” She smacks my back. “Sorry. Not the time to make jokes.”

“Callie is like… who I always aspired to be.” She sniffles. I can feel my shirt getting damp from her tears but I don’t care. “She is just so… sure of who she is and gives zero fucks if you don’t like it.”

“Wifey-poo, if that’s your goal, you nailed it,” I say before resting my chin on the top of her head.

“No. I still… I’m not as brave as her. I don’t fight for myself the way she did… does for herself.” She pulls back a bit and tips her head up to look at me. “But she’s doing something that isn’t fair. To the family. To Liv and Conner and Mayhem. And my mom and aunt Rose.”

“What?”

“She has…” Her eyes flood with tears again and she blinks wildly and they tumble down her cheeks. I pull her close again. “Callie has a… solid mass…”

She doesn’t need to finish the sentence. Anything that starts with solid mass never ends well.

“Where?”

“Ovary.” She takes a gulp of air and spits out the next horrible bit of information. “My grandma… their mom… died of ovarian cancer when they were little.”

“Oh. Fuck.”

“Don’t say that!” she demands, furious. “If you say that, then it makes it more serious than I already know it is!”

She shoves me away and gets off the stool. She points at me. “And you can’t tell a soul about this. Not a fucking word to anyone because Callie hasn’t told a soul in my family. She wants to wait until the biopsy results are back.”

“Well, that’s not fair,” I say without thinking.

“I know!”

“How do you know? About any of this? Why did she tell you?”

The microwave beeps. My food is ready but I ignore I because I’m suddenly not hungry. In fact I’m queasy. I don’t know Callie Garrison all that well. I’ve met her in hockey settings and she seems fun and nice, but I know how close the Garrison family is and how this is… well, it’s huge.

“I was watching footage for the doc of her and Uncle Devin and Conner,” Tenley explains. “And I saw the word Oncologist on the calendar in the background.

“So Conner knows?” I ask.

She shakes her head. “No, she says he didn’t notice it. She didn’t even realize it was on there, but she was impressed I noticed,” Tenley explains.

“You’re like Veronica Mars or something,” I quip. “Whoever marries you will never ever have a hope in hell of cheating.”

She stares. “Why would they want to cheat?”

“No… I don’t mean they would. I…” God I’m an idiot. I shake my head. “Never mind. So what I heard on the phone was you trying to convince her to tell the rest of the family? I mean as soon as that footage comes out everyone will know. Fans dissect shit. Someone will notice the word on the calendar.”

“She’s not worried about that,” Tenley informs me as she gets back on the stool. “She said by the time it airs, everyone will know because it was something or she’ll be fine and it won’t matter.”

I desperately want to google the life expectancy of ovarian cancer but… judging by the outcome with her grandmother, I don’t think it will be good. I sigh. “I’m glad you told me. You shouldn’t carry that around. It’s too much for one person. And don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone.”

“Eat your dinner,” she whispers.

I walk over to the microwave and pull out my dish. I dress the crispy kale with the killer dressing and then slide the warmed chicken on top. I walk back over to the island and stand across from her, next to the sink, pulling a fork and knife from the drawer. I carefully slice my chicken and pop the first bite into my mouth.

“I need to talk about something else. I can’t process this anymore. My heart and my head need a break.” She sniffs. “That smells freaking incredible.”

I slice off a piece of chicken, add some kale to the fork, and hold it out to her. She shakes her head but it’s hesitant. “Come on. I dare you to try it.”

She smirks but then parts her perfect lips. I hold the fork out and she takes what's on it. She chews thoughtfully and then closes her eyes and groans. "Shit, that's amazing."

I nod. “The dressing makes it.”

“It really does.” She swallows and her dainty little hand darts out and grabs a piece of the dressing soaked kale and pops it into her mouth before I can object.

“I don’t share food, Garrison.”

“You started it,” she argues, and as I lift another piece of chicken to my mouth she reaches in, as quick as lightning, and snags a tiny piece of chicken.

“I will stab you with this fork.”

She laughs. I growl in the back of my throat. She jumps off the stool, walks to the fridge, grabs two glasses from the cupboard beside it, pours us two filtered waters, and walks back over, plopping a glass down in front of me. "You should give me another bite. I'm your wife. We're supposed to share everything."

“Take my last name and I’ll give you a bite.”

“What? Fuck no.”

“Then we don’t share everything, do we?”

“We’re not even really married,” she argues.

“Exactly.”

“Jerk.”

"Okay, how about you put on your wedding ring and I'll give you half my meal," I say as I cut another piece of chicken.

I’m looking down at my food but the room grows so deadly silent that I have to look up. All the snarky attitude that quirked her kissable mouth and danced in those pretty eyes is gone. “I figured we would agree to pretend that never happened.”

“You were wrong,” I reply.

“I don’t need a ring.”

“You do, for the camera. Someone will notice that just like you noticed the note on your aunt’s calendar,” I explain. “I should have done it sooner but we can say it was getting sized or something if someone notices you aren’t wearing it in prior footage.”

“It’s too nice.”

I chuckle. “It’s half the size of most of the rocks the other wives have. I’m already preparing to take heat for that on the league fan boards. And The Warren.”

Her eyes double in size. "You know about The Warren?"

I smirk. “Every pro hockey player knows about the puck bunny Reddit thread. FYI, half the chicks on there are lying about their conquests.”

“Only half?”

I nod and swallow some kale. "Oh yeah, some of that shit is totally accurate. But not all. I did not fuck a cocktail waitress last year when we played Vegas."

“Okay.”

“The was Crew. And it was two years ago, before Liv.”

She laughs, but her hand is inching closer to my plate so I wield my fork like a weapon and raise it above her hand. She snaps back and gives me the cutest pouty face. “Ring for food.”

She sighs. “I’ll order Chipotle.”

I’m way more disappointed by that than I should be. So I give up and pluck a second fork from the drawer. She grabs it from me, victorious, and even leans over to kiss my cheek, which I like way more than I should. We finish the meal together and then begin to clean up. “Thank you. I feel better.”

“Good. And remember, Callie isn’t diagnosed with anything.”

“Yet.”

“She isn’t diagnosed with anything yet and may never be,” I rephrase and she gives me the sweetest, gentlest smile that somehow wakes up my dick. I turn to the dishes to distract myself, running the plate under the water before opening the dishwasher.

She leans over and takes the packaging the meal was in and walks towards my garbage but she lifts the small container that had the dressing in it to her lips and, in awe and horror, I watch her lick every last drop of the dressing from the container. “Tenley, Jesus.”

“You’re just jealous you didn’t think of it.”

She drops the now clean container and other garbage into the trash can. “I have thought about it, but I would never.”

She smiles. “And that’s your problem, Nash-Hole. You would never do anything that’s actually fun. Not on purpose.”

I close the dishwasher. She walks to the fridge and pulls open the double doors, peering inside. “I don’t suppose you’ve got dessert in here somewhere?”

I smile. “I know what I want for dessert.”