He slapped a piece of paper down onto my laptop, making the screen go crazy. Lifting the paper with a shaking hand, I turned it over.
I…I couldn’t breathe.
I. Couldn’t. Breathe.
Distantly, I was aware of a loud, urgent voice, and then I was suddenly surrounded by warmth.
“Hey. Hey. I’ve got you. Match your breaths to mine. In and out. That’s it. Can you do another for me?”
The fog began to clear as my panic receded, following the instructions of the calm, patient voice. But when I was able to breathe properly, I suddenly remembered.
A choked gasp tore from my throat, but the person holding me spoke low in my ear. “Hey. It’s okay. I’ve got you. It’s gonna be okay.”
How could it? I shook my head, biting down on my trembling lip.
A hand stroked through my hair. “Sorry about the sweat. And the padding.”
“Huh?” I blinked, taking in my surroundings for the first time. I was straddling the bench, with Grayson behind me, his chest against my back, and his arms wrapped around me securely. One hand rested on my sternum as he continued speaking in my ear in a low voice, reminding me to breathe. Now he’d mentioned it, I was conscious of the fact that he was still in his full hockey gear after an hour’s intensive practice, but I didn’t care about any of that. All I could concentrate on was the fact that he was warm, and solid, andhere.
My unwilling gaze was dragged to the right, to a pair of legs covered in black pants, and up to my dad’s disapproving face.
Disapprovingwas a huge understatement.
“Explain,” he clipped out, stabbing at the piece of paper.
I swallowed hard. Before I could say anything, Grayson’s hand found mine, his thumb rubbing over my skin. “Coach Pierce.”
My dad’s gaze snapped to him. I couldn’t see Grayson’s expression since he was behind me, but I could hear the steel in his tone.
“Coach Pierce,” he began again. “Micah is very important to me.”
“More important than hockey?” My dad stared him down, and it chilled me to the bone because that was the same look he gaveme. Not his star hockey player, the golden boy who could do no wrong.
Gray inhaled sharply, and then I felt him nod. “Yes, Coach,” he said. “Hockey is very important to me, and I never give anything less than one hundred percent. You know that. I put everything I have into it. But Micah… Yes. He’s more important to me.”
Fucking hell.
My dad was just as taken aback as I was, his eyes widening and his mouth falling open. He recovered quickly, though,returning to glaring at Grayson. “Perhaps some time off will help you to reevaluate your priorities. You’re out of the next game.”
I felt Grayson’s body jerk, his breath stuttering, but he recovered quickly. “No. You need me.Especiallyin the next game. We need those points. We have to win it, and we both know I’m the strongest player.”
“No one is indispensable.” A calculating gleam came into my dad’s eyes. “In fact, if hockey is that unimportant to you, maybe we should reconsider your position as team captain. Smith is more than capable of stepping up.”
I saw red. Tearing myself away from Grayson, I launched myself to my feet. “That’s so unfair! Hockey means everything to Gray! He’s agreatcaptain. You’re punishing yourself.”
“Howdareyou? This is all your doing,” my dad snarled at me.
An arm slid around my waist as Grayson rose from the bench to stand next to me. “Please don’t speak to your son that way,” he said quietly. “It’s disrespectful. You wouldn’t allow your players to speak like that to anyone. Practice what you preach.”
I swallowed around the sudden lump in my throat. “Maybe it was my doing. I don’t know. But Grayson is important to me, too.” My voice shook, and my whole body was trembling as I dared to talk back to my dad this way, but for the first time, I felt like I wasn’t alone. Gray was a warm, solid presence by my side, and we were in this together. He had my back, and I had his. “I care about him.”
“So, what does that mean? You’retogetheror something?” His lip curled, and he spat the word “together” at me. “What about Ava Hayes? Cross, I thought you two?—”
“Ava is a very close friend.” Grayson squeezed my side, and I got his message. If my dad was reacting so badly just from a photo of Grayson and me leaving the hockey house, hand inhand, he would have a complete breakdown if he knew that Ava was our girlfriend, too.
“Ava is a much more suitable partner thanhim. Hell, anyone would be more suitable than him.”
Grayson took a deep breath before he spoke, his body a tense line against mine. “Him? Your only son? The incredible, talented man standing next to me? Unsuitable? How did you come to that conclusion?” While my dad stared at us, his face turning redder and redder, Gray continued. “I have a question of my own. Where did you get this photo? Have you been spying on us? Because that’s illegal.”
