Page 31

THIRTY-ONE

carter

“What happened to Jack?” Mom asks, scooping scrambled eggs out of the large frying pan.

“I saw him go out the front door a little while ago with his bag.”

“He left,” I say, grabbing a mug from the cabinet.

I fill it with steaming coffee and take a long sip.

The hot liquid scalds my tongue and the roof of my mouth.

Good. I deserve to feel pain after what I just did to Jack.

It only took half a second for me to realize that he didn’t really have to leave for a meeting.

He left because he heard what I said…

about him, about us.

I can’t even look at my father right now.

Why the fuck didn’t I close the door to my room?

No.

Why the fuck didn’t I shut Dad down and tell him the goddamn truth?

I take another sip and wince.

Why am I not doing it now?

“Why didn’t he say goodbye?” Ally says, piling a plate with toast.

“He was in a hurry. His publicist wanted him to get back to the city for a meeting and his Uber driver showed up earlier than expected,” I lie.

Why not keep piling on the lies?

It’s what I seem to be best at.

Telling them, living them.

“My handsome hockey player,” Grandma says with a deep sigh.

“I didn’t get to hug him one last time. Oohh, those muscles. I’ll miss them.”

“Mom,” Dad mutters with a shake of his head.

“He had a great time with you guys yesterday. Especially you, Gran,” I say, forcing a smile at her.

Her eyes light up in return.

“I was a very lucky girl to have him all to myself yesterday,” she says, a dreamy look on her face.

“At least I’ll have the memory.”

Mom chuckles and pours herself a cup of coffee.

I finally look up from my mug and my gaze tangles with Gigi’s.

She doesn’t say anything but her gaze speaks volumes.

She’s always been too perceptive for her own good.

And now is no exception.

I gulp down the rest of my coffee and silence a yelp when it scorches the sides of my throat and splashes around in my empty belly.

“Well, I hope everything goes well for him,” Mom says.

“He’s a very nice young man. It’s a shame what kind of damage social media can do to a person’s reputation.”

“Except those videos actually captured what happened,” Dad mutters, staring at his plate.

“You know what, Dad?” I turn toward him, ignoring his shocked expression.

“If that guy really is doing bad stuff to his kid, would Jack still be wrong?”

“He attacked him on a hunch. That’s not okay.”

“He attacked him to protect the kid because he was triggered by his own past. He only wants to help, to get the kid out of a bad situation. I agree that he should have handled it differently, but if the guy is really a scumbag abuser, then he deserves to have the crap kicked out of him. And…” I pause.

“And I stand behind what Jack did.”

“You’re asking for a lot of trouble if that’s the stance you’re going to take,” Dad says.

“Are you prepared for the backlash? Because Jack will be brought up on charges for that attack. Do you want to be associated with that kind of behavior? Do you think it’s setting a good example?”

“I think that ignoring the situation won’t make things any better for the kid.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

I let out a frustrated breath.

“I believe Jack. I believe this guy is hurting his son. And I’d go out on a limb to support him because I believe he’s right. He was just trying to protect the kid because nobody did that for him.”

The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them.

Shock seeps into Dad’s expression.

“Do you mean…?”

I shake my head.

“Look, I shouldn’t have said that. I just want you to understand that this wasn’t Jack just lashing out at the guy because he could. There’s a lot behind his actions, things he trusted me with. So,” I say, squaring my shoulders.

“I stand by him. I won’t turn my back on him again.”

Gigi raises an eyebrow, staring at me hard.

Expectantly.

Like I shouldn’t just be standing here right now, defending.

That I should be out there somewhere, doing.

I clutch the sides of the mug.

And she’d be right.

I put the mug down, my stomach knotted like a damn pretzel .

“I’ve gotta go, guys. I need to find Jack and make sure he’s okay.”

Dad raises his eyebrows and opens his mouth but says nothing.

“I told him I’d be there for him and I let him down before,” I say directly to him.

“That’s not what being a good friend is all about. And if my fans don’t like it,” I say with a shrug of my shoulders.

“Then screw them. I’m more than just a hockey player. I’m a human being and I don’t turn my back on people when they’re going through a rough time.”

Gigi’s lips turn upward in a knowing grin and she gives me a little nod.

Dad stands up from his chair.

“Carter, I’m telling you that it’s a terrible idea. You will destroy your career?—”

I hold up a hand.

“Dad, did you raise me to be a heartless jerk? Someone who is self-centered and judgmental and narrow-minded?”

Mom’s eyes pop open wide as she stares from me to my dad.

“No,” he says gruffly.

“That’s right,” I say.

“You raised me better than that. I don’t think you’d want the shoe to be on the other foot, right? With me floundering and people I trusted abandoning me because it might not be the best look for their image?”

His face twists into a grimace.

“I think it’s a bad idea but…” Dad waves a hand toward the front door.

“I understand. And I respect your decision.”

I smile and give my mother a big hug.

“Thank you for understanding.”

“We love you, sweetie,” she says.

I bend down to kiss Grandma on the top of the head.

“And we support you no matter what,” Gigi pipes in, making a heart shape with her hands .

Fuck me, she knows.

But I’m not ready for that.

Not yet.

One step at a time.

They know he matters to me.

It’s a solid start.

I run back up to my room, pack my bag, and dart down the stairs.

“Love you guys!”

“We love you, too,” they all call back.

The front door slams behind me and I run to my truck, toss the bag into the backseat, and jump into the driver’s seat.

I throw the truck into drive and slam my foot on the gas, tires squealing against the pavement as I tear out of the driveway and down the tree-lined street.

I dial Jack’s number and it goes straight to voicemail.

“Dammit,” I yell.

I dial Masterson’s number.

“Hey, you hear anything from Jack?”

“You mean after those videos went viral? Nah, man, nobody has.”

“If you hear from him, call me, okay?”

“Sure.” Masterson pauses.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah, I just need to talk to him. Sam wanted me to pass something along to him if I spoke to him before he did.”

Jesus, the lies just roll off my tongue now.

I can’t get back to the city fast enough.

And I’ve gotten Jack’s voicemail no less than ten times by the time I pull into the parking garage under my building.

I have Rex’s business card on my desk.

Maybe I can track Jack down at Rex’s office.

If not there, then I’ll swing by Play It Forward and then the rink.

My heart hammers hard as I run toward the elevator.

I have to find him. I have to tell him?—

“Carter,” a female voice calls out.

I stop with my finger on the Up button.

Slowly, I turn around.

Livvie stands behind me with her arms folded over her chest, lasering me with a harsh glare.

She takes a few steps toward me.

“You know, when you got me that VIP pass to the arena, I bet you never guessed the kinds of things I’d get access to,” she says, a sneer on her face.

“What are you talking about? And what are you even doing here?”

“You lying sack of shit. Leading me on for so long and then humiliating me like this,” she screams, stomping her foot.

“What the fuck is this about, Livvie?”

She takes a few steps toward me and reaches into her back pocket to pull out her phone.

“Remember this?” she says, waving the phone in front of my face.

“You fucking piece of shit!”

My heart skids to a stop when I see me and Jack kissing in that dark, secluded corner.

You can’t see my face, but the name Van Kleef on the back of my jersey is a dead giveaway.

Jesus Christ.

“You led me on for so fucking long, you asshole. You played me, making me think we had a future together,” she seethes.

“I moved here for you! And the whole time you were pining for some other guy? Or a bunch of guys?”

“Jack was the only one,” I say, my throat tight.

“And that makes it okay? God, I am such an idiot for wasting my time on you, thinking it was going somewhere!”

Anger knots in my chest. “Screw you, Livvie. You talk about me humiliating you when you fucking took off with another guy right under my goddamn nose. Who the hell was leading who on?”

Dots of pink creep into her cheeks.

“That was different! Lane was on my list!”

“Those fucking lists aren’t real,” I yell.

“You made a play for another man right in front of me. And then you went home with him and did God only knows what. So cry me a fucking river, okay?” I turn my back on her.

“We’re fucking done here. Just leave me the hell alone.”

“Oh, we are so far from done,” she says.

“See, I’m going to publish this video. It’s going to ruin you. And I’m going to love watching you fucking unravel.”

My stomach drops into my sneakers.

“Livvie, don’t. Please don’t. You’re pissed at me and I get it, I should have been honest with you, but I’m begging you to delete that video.”

“As if I’d listen to you,” she taunts.

“And for the record, I didn’t come here to hear you beg me not to post it. I only came here because I wanted you to know it was me who leaked it, you bastard.”