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Chapter Twenty-Three

Chicago Rebels defenseman Lars Nyquist has been assessed a three-game suspension following reports of a physical altercation with teammate Rowan MacFarlane at Viper, a nightclub in downtown Chicago.

Inside sources tell us that MacFarlane was on a date with Adeline Kershaw, daughter of Rebels captain Theo Kershaw and nanny to Nyquist’s baby daughter, when Nyquist arrived to take her home.

Witnesses say Nyquist had his daughter with him at the time, which has prompted observers to wonder if Child Protective Services should be involved. (And where is the child’s mother?)

- Hot Goss

Lars

A couple of hours later, I walked into a scene straight out of a Western. In the Rebels saloon—sorry, gym—O’Malley and Hatch were restraining Theo, who was all up in MacFarlane’s face. I immediately placed myself between them.

“Gentlemen, control yourselves.”

“Like you did last night, Narc- quist ?” MacFarlane poked a finger in my chest. The darkening bruise on his jaw gave me a shit-ton of satisfaction. “Heard from the league about your suspension yet?”

“Pretty sad about the lengths you’ll go to get more ice time. Draw my fire so you can get me out of the way?” I tutted. “Like making enemies on your own team, do ya?”

“You might want to ask that of yourself.” MacFarlane had that sly, know-it-all look I hated. “You’re out at all hours rescuing the nanny. Do these guys here know you’ve got the hots for Adeline?”

This fucker. “I showed you my fist last night because you disrespected someone I care about. Talking smack about me isn’t going to improve your shot at the D-line.”

I turned my back on him and placed a hand on Theo’s chest. Fury rolled off him, and it was kind of scary. The guy was so good-natured, rarely giving in to dark thoughts, not even on the ice.

This was my fault. I fucked around and now I was finding out.

Worse, this was going to be bad for the team. With my suspension, Theo would be forced to pair up with a guy he didn’t like. MacFarlane was a good player, but that kind of dynamic never boded well.

“Let’s cool off a bit. How about a smoothie, cap?”

Hatch squeezed his dad’s shoulder. “Yeah, go to the lounge and take a breath.”

Theo inhaled, and with one last glare at MacFarlane, exited and headed to the lounge. I followed.

He pulled at the fridge door and started laying out ingredients. “What did Ryder say?”

“That I’m an idiot for letting MacFarlane get to me.”

“You were defending Adeline. I appreciate that, really, I do.”

Shame washed over me. I’d broken his trust. He hadn’t even warned me off her because it would never have occurred to him to do so. It never would have occurred to him to need to do so.

“She said it’s happened before.”

“What? MacFarlane?”

“Guys like MacFarlane. Guys who take an interest because of her family connections, or how they can turn it to their advantage.”

Theo looked confused. “But … she’s beautiful. And the sweetest person in the world. I don’t get how—shit, it sounds like she needs to date outside of hockey! Find some guy who doesn’t even know the name Kershaw, except for Nik Kershaw, amazing eighties sensation.”

I leaned on the counter. “She’s feeling a bit fragile right now. And the last thing she needs is for you or me or Hatch getting into it with MacFarlane. She’ll blame herself if what happened affects the team.”

That I was a Grade-A hypocrite crossed my mind before I buried it deep.

“I could never blame her! Though why the hell she would want to date MacFarlane is a fucking mystery. Just the idea that anyone would take advantage of my girl, would do anything to hurt her, pisses me off big time.”

“I get it.” Hell’s fire licked at my heels.

“Thanks again for picking her up last night and for dealing with him. Just doesn’t seem fair you get to play white knight while I’m supposed to set a good example. No one deserves a punch more than that guy.”

I could think of someone much more deserving.

“I’ll be your enforcer on and off the ice, Kershaw.”

Theo shoved a few leaves of kale into the blender, added Greek yogurt, pineapple, ginger, and some protein mix.

“So I should just imagine feeding him to this blender instead?” He hit the button and we both watched as it created a pulpy mess. Once done, he added, “Not very satisfying.”

I blew out a breath. “You have to work with him. The team needs stability and having the captain in a feud with one of his players is not the way to win games.”

He nodded. “Right, but as soon as your suspension is done, I’ll take care of Rowan MacFarlane.”

With any luck, the storm would have blown over by then. However, I suspected that storm clouds of a different variety would be gathering force.

Adeline

I wiggled my toes though the toe-separator restricted my movement. The frosted blue sparkled, making me smile.

“Crazy Tart Red for me.”

Choice made, Aurora nodded at the nail salon technician and picked up her martini glass, one of her “travel pair.” The salon didn’t have a liquor license, but they were fairly lenient in letting my great-grandmother drink from her hip flask.

I stuck to Snapple in a martini glass since I was driving.

We clinked and giggled.

“So what’s all this with MacFarlane and Lars?” Aurora took a sip of her French martini—with extra pineapple juice—and set the glass down. “Your father can’t be too pleased about that.”

He wasn’t, but he seemed to be exercising superior levels of restraint. More concerning was Lars’s suspension, which put pressure on the team to fill the gap he left.

“I probably should have thought it through a bit better.”

“Dating one of your dad’s teammates? The heart wants what the heart wants.”

I scoffed. “Nothing even remotely close to my heart was engaged with Rowan MacFarlane.”

Aurora eyed me beneath her silver bangs. “I wouldn’t have thought so, either. So why did you go out with him?”

Reeling from rejection, I wanted to show Lars I was desirable . And it worked!

“He asked, and I thought it might be nice to do something outside my comfort zone for once.”

Aurora nodded. “Instead you create an international incident! Lars rocking up to the club with baby Mabel and squirting MacFarlane in the face with formula! I would’ve loved to have seen that.”

I’d read several versions of the story, which was only a story because (a) Lars brought a baby to a club and (b) he hit a fellow teammate. “People keep twisting the facts.”

“Which are?” Shrewd eyes studied me over the rim of her glass.

“I needed a ride.”

“She needed a ride!” Aurora cackled and almost spilled her drink. “Okay, honey. Whatever you say.”

I rolled my eyes, determined to move on. “So how’s the knee?”

“Fine! My tennis-playing days are over, but I can still move from the fridge to the wet bar. How’s the Big Ponder going?”

“I’ve barely had time to think about it. Babies take up a lot of headspace.” Hot hockey hunks, too.

“Well, I think you’re a great person for doing it. Just don’t get complacent. Not that being a nanny isn’t a good job, I just don’t think it’s for you. You should be a photographer! Or a film director. Or a cam girl.”

“A cam girl?” She couldn’t possibly know what that was.

“Yes, one of those girls who strips on camera. For money!”

I stood corrected. “I admire your sex-positive attitude and confidence in my ability to make money like that, but it’s not for me.”

“Or a musician? You have such a sweet voice and Tilly loves your songs. Or how about a travel blogger? I loved watching your videos when you were away. I felt so close to you. But then you stopped a couple of months ago.” She shifted her feet from the sudsy water to the towel-covered footrest. “Did you get bored with it?”

“Just so busy. Those videos take work.”

Aurora assessed me, those all-seeing eyes piercing into my soul. “It was around the time you went incommunicado.”

While my lip and cheek healed after the mugging. I could have covered the bruises with makeup, but no amount of Maybelline could have disguised my mood.

“I texted every day. I just didn’t video call for one week, and that’s all you remember.”

“And no more fun videos of you and Rosie eating spicy soups and washing elephants!”

“We were in Europe by then. Elephants were thin on the ground.” I sounded so defensive.

She nodded, her stare unflinching. “Your dad was worried about you, out in the world. I told him you’ve always been stronger than you seem.”

“I’m not his little girl anymore.”

“But he’ll always see you that way. And how you respond might look like you’re rebelling against his worldview.” While I searched for a response, she added, “Like dating one of his teammates.”

I chuckled nervously. “You think I went out with MacFarlane to show Dad I’m all grown up?”

“To show somebody.”

Eighty-plus sure came with a lot of insight.

“I don’t date people to stick it to Dad, Aurora. That would be childish.”

She grinned. “But fun! My father once tried to lock me in my room to stop me from going out with the Masterson twins. Oh, they were trouble. But I climbed down the ivy trellis and met them in a little red Corvette at the top of the road.”

“Twins?”

“One of them was a real charmer while the other one had muscles to die for. You really needed the combo to get the best experience.” Her phone buzzed and she checked it. A shriek pierced the salon air. “Look at what your brother just sent me!”

Someone had created a video of Lars in his Rebels uniform with a baby strapped to his back like Yoda when Luke was in Jedi training. Lars was surrounded by nightclub strobe lights before he inevitably punched Rowan under a disco ball. AI finally being used for good.

“Conor says it has two hundred thousand views!” Another cackle. “Wish I had a young man fighting for my honor. Or an old one.”

“He didn’t do it for me. They have their own beef.”

“Sure they do. But still, we need to be careful this doesn’t send him off the deep end.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “He didn’t do so well when his dad died. Full bottle of tequila, I heard. Couldn’t play.”

Of course his father’s death would have affected him, especially given their estrangement. For all his bluster, that connection would be impossible to ignore. “He’s talked about his dad a little, mostly about how he wants to raise Mabel differently.”

“That Sven was a piece of work, by all accounts. And Lars is family, so you’ll keep an eye on him, right? Our girl in Havana!”

“I’ll do my best.”

Aurora finished her martini and tapped into the photos on her phone. “Have you seen my costume for Halloween? Tell me if I’m showing too much leg!”