Sophie swipes under her eyes, catching most of the inky black smear. “And here I thought we’d be solving world hunger tonight.”
This garners additional giggles from the rest of us, but the thought of telling Wade still feels like a boulder sitting on my chest.
“I have to tell him.” I exhale with a loud sigh.
Sophie nods. “I agree. What if you tell Rebecca and Zach, too?”
“No, I can’t do that.” My words sound panicked, even to me.
Donning her school teacher’s voice, Mia turns to face me on the couch. “Let’s think this through for a moment. What’s the worst thing that could happen if you told them about Chase and what he really is?”
“They fire me.” I hiccup, then push my wine glass away—no more wine for me.
“Not likely,” Harper chimes in. “I thought for sure after she fired my father, I’d be next. But Rebecca told me my actions spoke for me, not my father’s.”
Sophie taps my hand. “Rebecca knows better than anyone what it’s like to be mistreated by misogynistic men in this industry. She and Zach could be your greatest allies.”
I take a deep breath. They’re right, but that means I’d have to show them that awful picture. But what other choice do I have?
Mia squeezes my hand. “If we could do it for you, we would.“
“I know.” I give her a watery smile. “I’ll let them know I need to talk to them about an issue with the event and that it’s urgent.”
Sophie sits forward. “Here’s a thought. What if you asked Wade to come with you to the meeting? That way you don’t have to do this twice.”
“Wouldn’t that be weird to include him?” I try to picture myself telling them all the sordid details and imagine their reactions.
Lily shakes her head. “Considering the history between Wade and Chase, not at all. Makes perfect sense, actually. They’ll probably help temper Wade’s reaction, too.”
“Okay, I’ll put on my big-girl pants and handle it.” I blow my nose with a noisy snort.
But I’m dreading it already. Wade didn’t react well at all when he first found out my ex was Chase Langston. I still can’t completely shake his expression when he confronted me about it—like I’d disappointed him somehow.
I know that’s not me in that picture, but that doesn’t really make it less embarrassing. Telling Rebecca and Zach won’t be easy, but I’m more concerned about Wade’s reaction.
Lily’s probably right about Rebecca and Zach’s presence helping Wade not go completely off the rails. But my biggest fearlies in what’s to come, when the article comes out. What will people think of me?
More importantly, what will Wade think?
Chapter Thirty-One
WADE
I shouldn’t have walked out on Bree like that last night. My plan had been to take her dinner and ask if she was getting back together with Chase. If that’s what she wanted, I’d find a way to be okay with it, even though the thought of him touching her drives me out of my mind. Like full-on anger that makes me want to tie the dude to the pipes and shoot pucks at him until he begs for mercy. Better yet, begs Bree to forgive him for treating her so poorly.
But when she asked if I was willing to give up hockey to keep the ranch, I couldn’t give her an answer, which pissed me off.
Do I want to keep playing? Hell, yeah. Being a goaltender was always my dream. But I also don’t want to give up our family home, the place I’d imagined landing after hockey.
Bree thinks I’m not interested in taking over the ranch, but the truth is, I am. I just never shared that with her because I always pictured us both there one day, running it together as business partners…and more, if I had my way. Like I’ve said before, a guy can dream, and I’ve had lots of time over the years to indulge my fantasies.
I know I can’t be in two places at once, but I also know I can’t ask Nana to give up on her chance to live the life she’s always wanted. I just thought I’d have more time. More time to play hockey, more time to make plans, and more time to show Bree how I truly feel about her. Now it feels like there’s a ticking time bomb on all of it.
Elias and Ethan’s voices precede them before they walk into the locker room.
“No way, man. You’re on your own.” Ethan tosses over his shoulder as he walks in.
“But you said you’d be my wingman.” Elias tails him like a dog hungry for his attention.
