Page 36 of Second Chance with the Enemy CEO (Second Chance Hockey Players #1)
Chapter twenty-eight
Hazel
I t has been a month since Liam asked me if we could start over, and honestly, I am still wrapping my head around how much has changed in such a short time.
Baby steps, but all the while quite lovely.
What I did not expect was how natural it would feel - like slipping into my favorite pair of shoes after thinking I had lost them forever. Comfortable. Familiar. Right.
It is an understatement to say people were shocked when they found out we were back together.
When I told Grace, Luke, and Maya during our weekly hangout at Luke’s house the day after Liam asked me, the reactions were priceless.
Grace practically screamed. Maya yelled so loudly that Luke’s dog barked for five straight minutes, and Luke just smirked like he saw it coming.
Nonetheless, they were happy for me. That night, Luke and I talked, and he confessed to having a big crush on me back when we were younger.
He said he is okay with how things are right now and is happy I have found my love again, and that he’ll always carry a torch for me in his heart, even if it’s going to go very dim now.
After talking for an hour, we hugged it out.
Grace, Maya, and Luke's excitement was nothing compared to Lydia, Brooke, and Landon's excitement. The moment I mentioned it, they bombarded me with questions, their jaws practically hitting the floor. Lydia kept asking, “Wait, how did this happen? When did this happen?”
We practically spent the entire day - and well into the night - in Brooke’s apartment because they would not let me leave until I “started from the top and didn’t skip a single detail.
” My shocker was Landon…, he was the ringleader of wanting the truth.
The dude practically ordered takeouts and pizza.
Who knew Landon could thrive on drama like this?
No wonder he and Maya clicked so quickly.
Oh yeah, they have a “thing” now. Or at least, that is what they call it.
Personally, I would call it dating, but they’re apparently very committed to this whole undefined thing.
Either way, they are basically involved romantically with each other and watching them try to keep it casual is equal parts hilarious and adorable.
Everyone was happy for us, well, not everyone – one of whom is Sharon.
A day after getting back together with Liam, she sent me a long message about how I turned her family, her son, against her and that I am not good for Liam.
She has also reached out to me twice in the past month, once even stopping me in the middle of the street to accuse me of “bewitching” her son. Bewitching.
Anyway, none of that matters.
With the campaign nearing completion, everything feels like it is finally coming together. Today was a whirlwind of activity - we took pictures of the team, captured extra footage of the training center, and even conducted interviews for the project recap.
By mid-afternoon, the adrenaline is finally starting to wear off as Landon, Lydia, Brooke, and I pack up the equipment.
Lydia slings her bag over her shoulder and turns to me, grinning. “Hey, we are going to this new bar outside of town tonight. You in?”
“A bar? Sounds interesting. What time are you guys going?” I ask, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
“Six-ish,” Brooke chimes in, tying her hair into a ponytail, “we could all use a break, and this place has great reviews.”
“That does sound nice…” I start, imagining how good it would feel to unwind. “Sure!”
“Sure, that’s a great idea but sorry, but she has plans,” a voice interrupts from behind me.
I spin around to see Liam standing there, hands in his pockets, looking entirely too pleased with himself.
I narrow my eyes. “Excuse you, what do you have, big ears? And as far as I know, I don’t have plans.”
“Yes, you do,” he says, stepping closer.
“No, I don’t,” I turn back to the others, “so, yeah, I’m coming…”
“No, you’re not,” Liam interrupts, wrapping his arms around me from behind, “as I said, we’ve got plans.”
“Oh, do we now?” I say, craning my neck to look up at him. “Since when do you get to decide my schedule?”
“Since you became my girlfriend again,” he teases, his lips brushing my temple.
Landon, who has been watching this with barely concealed amusement, raises a hand. “Well, on that note, we will leave you lovebirds to it. Have fun - whatever this is.”
As they head out, I turn to Liam, crossing my arms. “So? What are these mysterious plans you have suddenly conjured up?”
“It’s a surprise.”
A short while later, we are in his car, heading to his office.
“You dragged me away from a night out to visit your company?” I say as we pull up.
“Relax, it is just a quick stop. I need to sign off on some documents.”
While he handles business upstairs, I wait in the lobby, scrolling through my phone to pass the time.
“Hazel?”
The familiar voice makes my head snap up. Standing a few feet away is Decker Calloway. For a moment, I am caught off guard. Would it be wrong to say I had practically forgotten about him?
“Oh,” I say, standing, “Mr. Calloway. Hi.”
“Please, call me Decker.”
“Decker,” I say, forcing a polite smile. “How are you?”
“Better now that I have seen you. Looking as stunning as always,” he says, his eyes scan me in a way that makes me want to poke them out.
“Um, thanks?”
“I would have called, but my conference extended for far longer than expected.”
“It’s all good,” I say, keeping my tone light.
“I must admit,” he continues, his smile fading slightly, “I was rather pained and shocked when I got back, excited for our long-planned date, only to find out you’re with Callahan now.”
I blink. “I,…”
“But, of course, he swoops in, doesn’t he?
” Decker’s tone sharpens, a thinly veiled bitterness coating his words.
“You know, I do not understand why women always settle for the shiny distraction when they could have the real thing. It is always the big-shot CEOs who think they can have whatever they want.”
Before I can respond, Liam’s voice cuts through the air behind me. “And we use that to our advantage. Is everything all right here?”
I jump slightly, turning to find him standing a few feet away, his expression calm but his eyes sharp.
“Everything’s fine,” Decker says, straightening up.
Liam walks over, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me close. He kisses the top of my head and says, “I believe you’ve met Miss McKee, right, Decker?”
“Yes, I have,” Decker replies, his tone slower and more cautious now.
“Well, let me reintroduce her,” Liam says with a smirk, “she is Hazel McKee. My forever.”
My cheeks burn, and I glare up at him. Did he just call me his forever in front of Decker? Really?
Decker mutters something and excuses himself, leaving Liam and me alone. As soon as he is gone, I shove Liam lightly in the chest. “That was so cringe. ‘My forever?’ Really?”
He grins down at me. “Are you not ‘my forever’?”
I roll my eyes. “We are still a long way from achieving that, buddy. Now, where to next? I am starving.”
“Well, you’re in luck,” he says as we step into the car. “I know the perfect place to feed you.”
Twenty minutes later, we parked outside his house. I frown, looking at him. “This is your house. Why are we outside your house?”
“You’ll see,” he says, ushering me inside.
The moment we are through the door, he gently pulls me into his arms and kisses me. It is soft and sweet, leaving me slightly dazed when we pull apart.
“What was that for?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Do I need a reason to kiss you?” He counters, his voice low and warm.
I narrow my eyes on him. “You say that, but you totally have a reason.”
He smirks. “Fine. I kissed you because I have been thinking about it all day.”
Before I can respond, my stomach lets out an embarrassingly loud grumble.
We both burst into laughter.
“Let’s feed the monsters in there,” he says, pressing a kiss to my forehead before heading to the kitchen.
That evening, after a hearty dinner courtesy of Chef Liam, we spent the rest of the night curled up on the couch together, talking and watching Game of Thrones.
This is perfect.