He cocks his head to one side. “I’m sorry to hear about yourmarriage. I don’t know the circumstances surrounding your divorce, but it has got to suck.”
I puff out a breath.
If only he knew the truth.
“I think if my eldest daughter, Drew, found out that Mia and I were planning to split, she’d lock us in a room until we renewed our wedding vows,” he muses.
I just smile at him because, honestly, there isn’t anything else for me to say. I’m stoked that he’s happily married and has been for years.
Approaching Jessie from behind, Tommy reaches out and ruffles a hand through his hair. “Callaghan, my man.” Walking backward down the tunnel, he throws the Scorpions forward a wink. “Can we play you every week? Because that game was FUN.”
Not biting, Jessie shakes his head.
“He’ll never change.” I chuckle.
Shooting me a salute, Jessie spins around and walks away, leaving an unexpected warmth in his wake. It’s good to know that there are people—even the most unlikely ones—out there to check that you’re doing okay.
Ten minutesand a quick shower later, I’m sitting in front of an inquisitive coach as he finishes up typing something on his iPad.
From his demeanor and considering that we just rolled over one of the league’s best in the playoffs, you would have a hard time believing that this is the same guy who was coordinating porcelain swans and peacock feathers back in February.
“What did Callaghan have to say?” he questions, voice monotone, eyes still centered on his iPad.
I clear my throat, wondering where the hell this is going. The last thing I need is to be reamed out over a less than decent performancetonight. I know my head was all over the place, and that was plain to see when I found myself puck-watching deep in the third, handing the Scorpions a turnover.
I haven’t slept on the ice in years, but then I haven’t been head over heels in love with a girl like this in forever. Billie is all I can think about, and not seeing Blake’s smile—whether on video call or in person—is practically killing me.
“He was asking about the bruises on my face.” I decide to be candid with a guy who can smell lies from a mile away.
He glances up at me, confirming that’s the exact reason why I’m in here.
“I was going to let it slide since in all the seasons I’ve coached and played against you, I’ve never known you to fight outside of hockey.” He folds his arms across his chest, leaning back in his black leather chair so he can take me in better. “But the GM has been asking questions, and clearly, from your conversation with my former teammate, so is the opposition.”
I take in his office, which is more like a shrine to his family. Pictures of Jack and Kendra’s daughter, Esme, line one wall while Emily, Darcy and Archer’s daughter, fills the other.
“What do you want to know, Coach?”
Leaning forward, he locks the screen on his iPad and sets his focus straight on me. “Remember when I told you that you could always come to me if you needed anything?”
I nod once. “Yeah.”
Coach adjusts his Blades tie, loosening it around the collar. “Well, that time has come, Emmett. Tell me how you got those bruises and whether the PR team needs to be concerned over a personal issue bleeding into team matters.”
Scott might be fantasizing over burying me ten feet deep, but he’s not a vindictive character. Out in the open is where he does business, not by going to the press and dragging my reputation.
Maria, on the other hand, is different. But pulling my name through the dirt would mean risking a potential retaliation fromme, where I could out the multiple affairs she had during our marriage.
“It won’t,” I confidently confirm.
Something shifts in Coach then as he shows me the guy I saw back at Tommy and Jenna’s wedding. The next phase of this conversation is off the record, I can tell.
“Does it have to do with the divorce?” he asks, chewing on his bottom lip. “I’m being really careful here not to overstep, Emmett, but it was no secret that Maria didn’t always treat you …” He blows out a long breath, taking a second to find the right words. “She didn’t always treat you well. You never talked directly to me, but I know a couple of the guys were aware of the troubles you both faced.”
It’s hard for me to maintain eye contact as he continues ruminating.
“If those wounds and bruises are from a domestic altercation involving your ex-wife, then you should know that the Blades will be there if you decide to take this further and press charges. Domestic abuse of any kind is unacceptable, no matter who inflicts the?—”
“I don’t need to press charges,” I quietly interject, being careful to ensure that I’m not downplaying the seriousness in this moment or the subject Coach has brought up.
