My head spins as I make my way quietly back down the hall. As much as I’m thrilled that Carson is happy with the job I’m doing, my heart aches from my dad’s betrayal. Thankfully, Kelly isn’t at their desk, so I don’t have to come up with an excuse for sneaking out, and I slip into the stairwell instead of waiting for the elevator.
What the actual fuck was that all about? Clearly, there’s something going on between my family and Ben’s that I don’t know about, and it’s time everyone stops keeping it from me.
Chapter 21
BEN
TheconfrontationwithKentWarren shocked the shit out of me, but maybe it was inevitable. After finishing my call with Dennis, I’d gone up to meet with Carson about the job offer in Boston. I’d tried desperately to contact Aleks to talk to him first, but he was swamped with the other equipment techs, and there was no time. Dennis had already contacted the university board, letting them know I was going to come to Boston to meet with them in a few days, so I needed to speak to Carson right away in case, somehow, word got out. Even though that was unlikely, I didn’t want to take the chance that he heard about it from anyone but me. I wouldn’t want him to hear it from anyone but me. When I reached his office, Kent Warren was in there, and they were already deep into a discussion about why Kent thinks the helmet safety project is a bad idea. I don’t know who the fuck he thinks he is. He’s not affiliated with the Sasquatch in any official way, and I don’t even know what his job is with the league, other than he’s some kind of special advisor to the league governors. Whatever his job is, I don’t think it gives him any right to blow into the Sasquatch’s office and talk down to their GM and disparage my work and that of my research team. On top of that, he talked a lot of shit about his own son, making Aleks sound like some kind of childish fool, and I nearly saw red he made me so angry.
I couldn’t help the sense of smug satisfaction when Kent reacted with shock to finding out I’m related to Bob. But that feeling was short-lived. It was replaced very quickly with a feeling of deep sadness because the more Kent dug in his heels, the less likely it became that there could ever be a chance for Aleks and me.
The thought of letting him go curdles my stomach. I’m pretty sure I’ve already started falling in love with Aleks Warren, but I just can’t see how it could work. The bitterness and bad blood between our families would mean we would be starting off in a bad place. Add to that the fact that we would be trying to navigate a long-distance relationship, and I just think we’re doomed. Better for both of us to cut things off now rather than drag it out for months, hurting us both even more in the process.
When I get to his place after work, it’s obvious he’s got something on his mind, but he doesn’t bring it up until after we’ve eaten and are sitting on his couch, each with a beer. There’s an uneasy feeling hanging between us, thick as a heavy curtain.
“We need to talk,” we both say at the same time, and our eyes meet in surprise before we both laugh, helping to diffuse some of the tension in the room.
“I overheard a conversation today in Carson’s office,” Aleks begins, and my eyebrows shoot up.Oh my god, did he hear me talking to Carson about the Boston job?After Kent left, I stayed to discuss my job situation and told him I was moving to Boston.
“I know I shouldn’t have listened, but I was going in to thank him for everything with Josie, and I heard you all talking,” Aleks says. “I apologize for eavesdropping on you.” He clears his throat, looking down to where he’s peeling the label off his beer bottle. “But I want to thank you for standing up for me to my father. He can be… difficult. I appreciate what you said about me, so thank you.” He finally shifts his gaze so his eyes meet mine, and they’re filled with uncertainty.
“You’re welcome,” I say, reaching for his hand. Maybe he didn’t hear the conversation that happened after Kent left. “I meant what I said. You’re an amazing person, and you deserve respect. Your dad seems to have trouble with that.” I clear my own throat. “Um, but I… I need to talk to you about—”
He bites his lip, looking back down at where our hands are clasped. “Hold on, okay? Can you let me finish first?” He looks at me, and there’s something in his green eyes I can’t decipher. I’m not sure if it’s curiosity or something else.
“Of course. I’m sorry, go ahead,” I say, and he continues.
“So, I’m sorry for my father’s meddling. I don’t know why he’s so hell-bent on trying to stop this project. And I’m going to talk to him about it. But first, I… ahem, I really need to know what you were talking about when you said there was a connection between my dad and yours? Something obviously happened between them.”
Sucking in a deep breath, I close my eyes for a moment, trying to gather my strength. This is going to be so hard.I want Aleks, I don’t want to hurt my family, and I want my dream job. How is this going to work?
I let go of his hands and stand, needing physical space so I can explain everything without getting distracted. I pace back and forth in front of his coffee table, rubbing the back of my neck with one hand, no longer able to meet his eyes.
“So, Jesus, Aleks, there’s a lot of stuff I need to unpack here.” I let out a heavy sigh. “So, I’ll start at the beginning. I… I haven’t been totally transparent with you, and I’m sorry about that.”
“Um… What? What’s that supposed to mean?” he asks.
“That first night we were together a few weeks ago… The reason I ran off on you that night was because I saw one of your family photos, and I figured out Kent Warren is your father.”
He cocks his head. “Okay. Does this have something to do with this mysterious connection between my dad and your stepdad?”
“Yeah. It does.” I rub the back of my neck again. I feel strange telling Aleks this story when it’s something he should probably hear from his own father, but regardless, I owe him an explanation because it’s affected my own behavior. “So, our dads played together back in the day. They were teammates at one point, but for most of their careers, they weren’t on the same team, and Bob was an enforcer, same as your dad. So, they fought. A lot.”
He looks at me with confusion. “Okay. And?”
“It was part of the game then, obviously, but what you don’t know is that the main reason my stepdad has dementia, the reason he’s in that care facility and he’s barely even sixty years old, is, at least partially, because of the final hit he took. He was knocked out cold on the ice, and he had to be in the hospital for several days after a really intense hit. Your dad was the one who hit him. It ended Bob’s hockey career. He never played again after that.”
Aleks’s expression morphs into genuine sorrow and then into understanding. “Oh. Oh… I didn’t know that. Fuck. That’s awful. I’m so sorry.” He chews on the inside of his cheek. “That’s why my dad was so surprised when you told him you’re Bob’s stepson today? Because there’s this thing that happened between them a long time ago?”
“Well, I…” I sigh. “Obviously, I don’t know what was going on in your dad’s head, but he didn’t know that I’m Bob’s son, so he probably assumed I wasn’t aware of the story and what went down between them.”
He furrows his brows. “Um. Okay? I’m still kinda confused though. It was something that happened in a game, right?”
“Oh yeah, it all happened during the game. But the hit was controversial. It was ruled legal during the game, but the league reviewed it carefully afterward, and back then, they didn’t really do that. It’s not like today where they have a whole disciplinary committee and stuff. So, for them to look at this hit after the game was over, this was a pretty big deal at the time. Anyway, a lot of people believe it was way, way over the line. For a time, there were rumors that the police were going to charge your dad with assault, but that never went anywhere. And my dad still has some hard feelings about it.”
Aleks’ eyes widen in surprise. “Oh. Oh. I see… So, it was pretty violent, I guess?” Aleks chews on his lip.
“Yeah. I don’t want to overplay it or anything, but it’s still the most vicious hit I’ve ever seen in a hockey game,” I say quietly.
