Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 121764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
“Look, I’m not your father. Do whatever the fuck you want to do. But, if you’re going to be with one of our teammate’s sisters, then you damn sure better be the one to tell him. If he finds out another way, we’re all fucked — not just you.”
I frowned. “Grace and I aren’t…”
My words faded, because I didn’t know what the fuck to say. Or maybe I just couldn’t find it in me to lie to Will Perry. We’d been teammates for years.
“Vince is tied up in Maven right now,” Will continued. “They just moved into a new house. It’s off-season. They have a wedding to plan. So, yeah, he’s preoccupied. And you’re fucking lucky he is, because otherwise, he would have seen the video of you on social media that I saw — one where you were carrying his drunk little sister into an elevator at a hotel.”
My stomach dropped.
“Yeah,” he clipped at my expression. “Don’t worry — I had PR handle it. They gave the guy some cash to take it down, and it hadn’t gained much traction. Besides, after Vince was the center of the media circus all season, he hasn’t been online at all this summer. But,” he added, pointing a finger to my chest. “That doesn’t change the fact that you were being a fucking dumbass.”
I winced, pinching the bridge of my nose. “You’re right.”
“I know I am. I don’t care if you just want to get your dick wet and leave it at that, or if you end up marrying the girl. All I care about is that you don’t fuck up our season by being stupid.” He waited until I looked at him again. “Vince will not be okay with this. You already know that. And I swear to God, if you fuck with our season when we finally have a chance at the Cup, he won’t be the only one beating your ass.”
Ouch.
Will leveled his gaze with mine. “Figure it out, Brittzy.”
I nodded, cursing under my breath when he stormed past me and toward where our teammates stood.
Fuck.
I hadn’t even thought about that possibility, that someone from that night at the bar in Atlanta would post a video of her. I knew they’d taken pictures with me — that had been the whole point of the quarters game. But I’d been so focused on getting her upstairs and to her room that I hadn’t noticed any phones out when I was taking her to the elevator.
It was careless. It was dangerous — not just for me, but for Grace, too. I didn’t want her name dragged through the mud, and it would be if something like that got out. I could see the headlines now.
Tampa Winger’s Sister Seen Leaving Hotel with Teammate.
Does Vince Tanev Know Where His Teammate Was Last Night?
Tampa Ospreys Having a Family Affair.
I groaned, because something else I hadn’t thought of until Will pointed it out was that this wasn’t just about me and Grace.
If Vince found out, if he blew a gasket… that would impact the team’s chemistry.
It could crash our season before it even started.
My head spun as I made my way over to the guys, and I numbly played through the last two holes in a daze.
We took second place.
But when the guys went over to the sidelines where family and friends waited to celebrate with us, I stood frozen in place.
I realized in that moment that while everyone else had someone to celebrate with, I had no one. And the one person who I did want to run to was out of bounds.
I watched as Grace hugged her brother, and then when her parents jumped in, her gaze slid to me.
She smiled, warm and unknowing, her eyes dancing with anticipation. I’d felt that same impatience less than a half hour ago.
Now, another less pleasant sensation was sinking into my bones.
She frowned a bit when I didn’t come join them, and thankfully, my phone rang, giving me an excuse to tear my gaze from hers. When I saw my father’s name on the screen, my heart lurched, but I turned my back on the crowd and started walking toward a pond, answering the call even when I knew what waited for me on the other end of it.
I barely said hello before Dad was drilling me, telling me where I went wrong at every hole, berating me with questions about the mistakes I made that he felt lost us the tournament. It didn’t take long for him to transition from the tournament to how this related to my hockey game, too. He’d been sitting on this, I knew. He couldn’t wait to tell me all his thoughts now that he had my attention.
And for the first time, I was thankful for his call.
Taking a lashing from my father was better than facing the sickening truth Will had just made so clear.