Scott pulls up around five feet from me, fists tightening, white knuckles forming as his dark eyes burn black. I’ve never seen him like this before, but he’s everything I expected when he ultimately found out about me and his daughter.
The details of who told him should be important to me in this moment. After all, whoever let their mouth run just dug my metaphorical grave. Instead, all I can think about is Billie and Blake and how quickly I can get to them.
“Shut it, Archer,” Scott grinds out, eyes fixed firmly on me. “I’m willing to bet that you knew all about this too. Hell, you were probably in on it.”
Making the correct choice, Archer takes a single step back, physically leaving the conversation.
“The fuck is going on?” Tommy announces with Jack hot on his heels until they pull up alongside Scott.
Hands sliding into my pockets, I force my shoulders to relax. I want my best friend to know that I have no intention of turning aggressive, even if the same can’t be said for him.
“Nothing that you need to be worried about,” I reply to my teammate.
While Tommy and Jack have both had suspicions about me seeing someone, neither of them knows about Billie. With Jack, I made the decision not to complicate my captain’s already-difficult job. Just because my relationship with Billie might not affect the team directly, that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t stress over the potential war that might ensue over a player’s personal life.
And Tommy, that guy has always kept to himself. Gossip has never been his thing, even if the well-being of his teammates absolutely is.
“Could’ve fooled me,” Tommy volleys back, positioning himself to intervene in a physical altercation.
I shake my head at Tommy, asking him to stand down.
“Have you been fucking my daughter?”
A shiver follows the question I’ve been dreading for weeks. Scott’s choice of words is an echo of the ones that would wake me in the dead of night, cold sweats coating my body.
There’s no way I’m going to lie to him. He deserved the truth from the outset, even if the time was never right to unearth it.
Attempting to keep my tone calm, I inch closer to the rabid bull standing in front of me. “Fucking Billie? No. Sleeping with my girlfriend? Yes.”
A brief puff of air leaves his nostrils before he casts his gaze to the open parking lot.
When he shows me his eyes again, I see the hurt in them. Hurt I knew would be there but was powerless to prevent because Billieand Blake were all I wanted in my life, and now that I have them, I won’t walk away.
Hurting my best friend is equivalent to taking a knife and stabbing me straight through the chest, especially after everything he’s helped me through with Maria. However, hurting his daughter and her baby girl? The Devil might as well rip every organ from my body and cast it into the flames of hell, destined to burn long after my heart has stopped beating.
And that’s precisely where Scott’s first punch lands. Most people might predict the face or jaw, but my best friend plans to inflict maximum pain.
I don’t move, hands still planted firmly in my pockets.
“Hey!” My captain steps in front of Scott, one hand raised in his face. “Whatever has gone down between you, punching my defenseman is not how we’re going to resolve it.”
“It’s okay, Jack,” I say, gaze still locked on Scott. “He needs this, and I deserve it.”
Jack spins on his heel, his eyes blown wide when he looks at me. “Have you lost your mind?”
With a slow headshake, I ask my teammate to step aside, and a punch lands on my lower jaw and then another to my right cheek.
I already knew that he’d split the skin before I notice the red staining Scott’s knuckles.
When he rears back again, Tommy catches Scott’s fist in his palm. “One more hit, and I’ll show you a side to me that I buried last season.”
“Leave it, Tommy.” Archer’s warning is deathly serious. “Let Scott and Emmett figure this out between them.”
“Not by having a fight in the players’ parking lot,” Jack adds. “And how did you get access?” He points his question at Scott, who doesn’t bother to respond. I’m not even sure he can hear anything above his murderous thoughts.
“I trusted you,” he grits out, pulling his fist from Tommy’s grasp. “God, Jesus.” He swipes a hand through hishair. “With baby scans, trips to the park …” Fearsome eyes narrow. “I took money from you to help feed and clothe my granddaughter.”
Archer’s gasp slices through the air. “Is that true, Emmett?”
