Faceoff, page 23
“You can’t break up. We have a contract.”
“We did. He missed the partying, and I told him he was free to pursue whatever made him happy.” I shrugged, too weary to care about potential lawsuits and possible financial ruin. I dug in my pocket for a small jewelry box and handed it to Sondra. She grabbed it from me and inspected the monster ring inside as if I might attempt to pass off a phony.
“Al will have something to say about Gage’s behavior.”
“That’s between Gage and him. I don’t control Gage, nor do you.”
“His contract is terminated as of this moment and so is yours. We have enough footage. We’ll go with Monique for the last couple episodes. She’s very popular with viewers and more cooperative than either of you.”
Of course she was. Monique was the mean girl everyone loved to hate, the purveyor of drama, and creator of division. She’d be perfect. They’d bring on another “nice girl” like me to be her target.
“You do what you need to do.”
“I’m done, too,” Sutton stated from behind me. She lifted her head in defiance and glared at Sondra, who really didn’t give a shit.
“Good, saves me the problem of firing you.” Sondra turned her back on both of us.
I smiled sadly at Sutton. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. Not your fault. None of it. My brother is a douche.”
I opened my mouth to argue with her, even defend Gage, because the guy I knew wasn’t a douche. Perhaps confused and dealing with an identity crisis, but weren’t most of us in our twenties as we figured out what mark we wanted to make on the world?
I’d been all kinds of fool hoping he felt the same way about me. I’d sat by the phone the past few days praying for a phone call which never came. He’d gone back to his old life, and I’d continue my new one without him. This wasn’t the path I’d chosen, but my path nevertheless. Tonight I’d have a good cry, and tomorrow would be another day.
If only loving and losing were so easy.
“Hey.”
I whipped around at the sound of Gage’s voice, rough from little sleep. His eyes were bloodshot probably from a night of partying and who knew what else. My heart reached out to him, while my head slapped it back in place firmly behind the wall I’d erected to keep out those who’d cause me pain. Only, I’d already let Gage in and shutting him out wouldn’t be that easy.
“Hey,” I said simply and turned back to my desk. With shaking hands, I tossed my stuff into a box. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sondra motion for Jonas to move in with the camera. He winked at me, put down the camera, and walked to the door of the studio.
Gage motioned for him to stop. “Stay, please, I want this recorded. I want the entire world to hear what I have to say.”
Puzzled, Jonas looked to me for permission, and I shrugged, assuming Gage wanted to fulfill the contract by having our breakup officially recorded. I called forth that very stoicism which had gotten me through every bad event in my life, willing myself to take Gage’s news with grace and calm.
“It’s fine, Jonas. Let’s get this over with,” I said. With a lift of his chin in acknowledgment, Jonas picked up the camera. Sondra smirked, as if she’d planned this all along.
Sutton stood next to me, like a mama bear protecting her cub, which might’ve been funny under other circumstances.
I refocused my attention on Gage. “What are you doing here?” Damn it. So much for being stoic. I hated the shakiness in my voice betraying how much he still got to me.
“I did what you wanted.”
“I saw.” I cocked a brow at him.
“Yeah, I’m sure you did. What the images don’t show is I left the bar shortly after that.” My expression pushed him to add, “Alone.”
“I see.” I fucking didn’t see. Was Gage playing a mind game with me? He never had before. Why start now? He’d been pretty straightforward throughout our months together considering his rep as a charmer, rather than a straightshooter.
“I don’t think you do.” He beamed at me, as if enjoying himself. He wasn’t a mean person, and his attitude warred with his intentions. At least the intentions I believed he had.
“Let’s get this over with.” I backed up and sat on the edge of my desk, needing the support as my knees wobbled and I experienced a rare dizzy spell. I would not faint and embarrass myself. I’d listen, thank him for a great several months, and wait until I was in the privacy of my own home to cry my eyes out. After which, I’d put on my big-girl panties, find a permanent residence, and start my business, a scary proposition but one I was looking forward to and the thing that’d hold me together after Gage exited my life.
“Okay, then.” Gage’s odd smile continued. I didn’t get it. I caught a look between Sutton and him, and she giggled and held her hand over her mouth. What was going on with these two? Had they suddenly gotten the cruel bug?
Angry they were both being so callous, I glared at them, which didn’t faze them one bit. Everyone seemed to be in on the joke but me. I hated that.
“It’s okay, sweetheart.” Gage grabbed my hands and squeezed them. I looked into his blue-gray eyes and had to be mistaken at what I saw there. I had to be. Despite my misgivings, like a spring flower, hope pushed up through the soil, craning its neck to the sun as a bud formed.
Letting go of one hand, he dug in the pocket of his leather jacket and pulled out a tiny box. I gaped at it. A jewelry box? No, it couldn’t be. A bud of hope bloomed inside me as I held my breath to see what he’d do next. Sutton squealed. When her brother shot her the look, she put her fist in her mouth and danced from one foot to the other.
When Gage got down on one knee like he had in Vegas, I was glad I was sitting down.
“Darcy, I did what you suggested. I went back to my old ways for one night. That was all it took.” His eyes were bright with emotion, and our palms were sweaty. He was as nervous as I. “I thought I was missing out. But I wasn’t. The only thing I was missing out on was being with you.”
“Really?” I said stupidly, choking up a little. My eyes filled with tears, happy tears, and I blinked them back.
“Yeah, some guys are hardheaded and don’t know a good thing when they have it. Darcy, when I proposed to you in Vegas, my words sounded sincere not because I’d done the best acting performance of my life but because I meant them. I didn’t know it then, but I do now.”
“What…what do you know?” I had to hear the words. I had to know.
“That I’ve fallen hopelessly, head-over-heels, ass-over-teakettle, puck-past-the-goalie in love with you.”
“Wow, that’s a lot of adjectives.”
He grinned. “Only the best for you.”
“Darcy, I want to do this for real.”
“We have been for a while,” I said softly.
“I know. But I want the entire world to know that I’m crazy for you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I got you this. I know it’s not the big rock the show provided.”
I gasped as I gawked at the ring sparkling in the velvet-lined box.
“It’s way better because you picked it out.” I loved the simple diamond set in a simple band. He knew me well. It was perfect.
I leapt off the desk and launched myself into his arms and into our future. He hugged me tight, whispering dirty promises of a bright tomorrow in my ear. I whispered right back.
Finally, he let me go.
“You, uh, didn’t give, uh, me an answer.” He gulped and stammered, displaying a case of nerves I’d never seen from him.
I shot him a sly grin. “There’s one thing you must promise.”
“Anything.”
“Do you mind if I regift Alfred to someone else?”
He stared at me in confusion, threw back his head, and laughed. I laughed, too. “Yeah, we can do that.”
“Then the answer is yes, and I love you.”
“I love you, too, my puck baby.”
Puck baby? Okay, I’ll go with that.
He slipped the ring on my finger and made me his puck baby forever.
Chapter Thirty-Two
She Divorced Me
~~Darcy~~
The last game of the regular season ended in a hard-fought battle. Our guys hung in there, and we won in the last thirty on a shot passed from Gage to Easton that sailed over the goalie’s head and lit up the lamp.
Look at me. I sound like I know hockey.
I didn’t, but I was learning.
As an official member of the WAGs now, I was at every home game, and I was Gage’s biggest cheerleader. The WAGs welcomed me back into their fold as if I’d never left and never deceived them with our fake relationship. Of course, I apologized profusely and was forever grateful for such forgiving women. Maybe they didn’t feel lied to because they’d seen the signs all along that I hadn’t. After the first week or so, our relationship hadn’t been fake, even though Gage and I took longer to recognize the truth.
I finished my last show and walked away, glad to be done. Gage and I rented a small condo in the same building Mila lived for half the price of what the other condo cost. I leased office space on the first floor of this same building for my new business. Since the team owner also owned this building, he gave us a good deal.
Mila had taken a job with a local production company. So far she was loving it.
Today, I stood in the midst of the large empty space soon to be my design studio and smiled to myself. The old building’s charming brick wall was the perfect backdrop to showcase my strengths. While other designers concentrated on the uber stark and modern look dominating the design world, I’d focus on my forte, a Pacific-Northwest style both comfortable and cozy with a touch of rustic. It wouldn’t appeal to everyone, but I hoped to develop a niche in this area.
I glanced up as the door burst open. Sutton and Danielle hustled inside, each carrying boxes from Danielle’s now defunct store.
“Oh my God, I love it,” Sutton exclaimed in her typical dramatic fashion. She placed the box on the floor and spun around the room as if she were starring in a Broadway musical. I waited for her to break out in song any minute.
Danielle sat her box on the floor and rolled her eyes while smiling fondly at her younger sister. “This place is perfect.”
“I know, isn’t it?”
I’d recently taken on three new clients, all WAGs, and hired Danielle part time. Once the business took off those hours would increase. For now, she’d work for me and continue bartending across the street. Sutton would do some odd jobs for me when necessary while finishing high school. She planned to enroll in community college in the fall.
“Hey, where do you guys want this shit?” Gage asked as he entered the building carrying multiple boxes precariously stacked on top of each other. Behind him, Cave, Easton, Axel, Steele, and Kaden had their own stacks of boxes. They weren’t messing around. These guys were serious about moving.
“Just stack it over there.” My lips kicked up in a smile, which happened every time Gage entered the room. I feasted my eyes on my gorgeous man and once again pinched myself so I’d know I wasn’t dreaming. I would never tire of looking at his fine body, handsome face, and hockey ass. He was mine, all mine, and I was devoted to him.
He stacked the boxes and made a beeline for me, picked me up, spun me around once, and laid a big kiss on my lips. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back.
“Oh, fuck, save that for later. We have work to do.” Cave complained from the doorway.
Gage put me back on my feet and gave me another kiss, just because he could and probably to annoy his buddy.
“He’s just jealous.” Easton punched Cave in the arm and ducked behind Kaden before Cave reciprocated.
Cave frowned, as if confused then he nodded, oddly serious. “Yeah, I am.”
Every one of us did a doubletake. Cave was as big of a playboy as anyone on the team. Did his comment imply he was ready to settle down?
Steele rubbed his chin in thought, squinting at his teammate, as if seeing him differently. “We could set you up with a nice girl, perhaps.”
“I highly recommend finding the right girl.” Gage slung his arm over my shoulder and gazed down at me, his eyes shiny with emotion. I leaned into his side and sighed contentedly. Life didn’t get better than this.
Cave shook his head, his shaggy hair falling into his eyes. “Thanks, but I had the perfect woman, and she divorced me.”
After dropping that bombshell, he walked out of the building, leaving everyone in the room staring after him.
Epilogue
~~Gage~~
A few days later, the guys helped me move my mother into a nice little house on one secluded acre and no homeowners association. Of course, they bitched incessantly about having to lug boxes twice in the past few days, but they did it anyway. I told them to consider it as good as weight-lifting.
“That’s the last of the boxes.” Easton stacked the large box he’d been carrying on top of another and surveyed the packed living room of the small house. We’d already stuffed the garage to the ceiling.
“I don’t know where your mom is going to put all her stuff,” Axel groaned.
“When you said she was a pack rat, you weren’t kidding.” Kaden swiped his sweaty brow, cleared off a space on a chair, and sat down with a heavy sigh.
I glanced over at Steele and back to the puck brothers. “Thank you, guys, for the brilliant idea. I’d have never thought of it, and it saves me a lot of grief,” I grinned at my teammates. “But it’s pretty evil.”
“Payback’s a bitch,” Kaden snorted. “I’d have preferred something more public but this works. It goes against every tight-ass, neat-freak inclination our buddy Steele has.”
“He’ll be paying his penance and then some,” I agreed.
“I’m starved, when’s lunch ready?” Cave always thought with his stomach, and he’d worked up an appetite. “I hope there’s plenty of burgers.”
“Outside,” I gestured to the narrow path between boxes leading to the outside patio. The guys followed me out the sliding glass door. My mom sat in a chaise lounge drinking a Margarita, as did the several of the WAGs. A small bar was setup in one corner of the lawn, and Steele stood behind the bar.
“Oh, Cabana Boy, I need another drink,” my mom called to him. Steele scowled and his displeasure goaded us into being total shits.
“I’ve never seen a cabana boy dressed like that.” Cave gave me the side eye and grinned.
“I couldn’t find an appropriate Cabana Boy outfit, and this one fit the bill.” Kaden’s smile was absolutely gleeful with zero remorse.
I shook my head. I was present when these guys made the puck brother pact, but I hadn’t been a rookie like they had, therefore I wasn’t subject to paying a penance. At least, I hoped that was the case. For now, I’d attempt to fly under their radar because these guys were ruthless bastards.
“Hey, Cabbie, bring us a couple brewskies, would ya?” Kaden shouted as he leaned back in a lounge chair. Steele flipped him off but complied.
“Put a little hip action into it,” Kaden smirked and the rest of the crew barked with laughter. A few held up their phones to snap some shots.
Steele’s glare was beyond murderous as he balanced a tray of drinks in one hand and walked toward us with an exaggerated sway to his hips accentuated by the French maid outfit and heels he currently wore taped to the top of his feet since they didn’t fit his large feet.
I shook my head and sat down next to Darcy.
“You guys are mean,” she said with laughter in her voice.
“Hey, don’t look at me. I had nothing to do with this.”
“Right. She’s your mother. And after we leave, he’s helping her unpack? That’s worse than bartending in a French maid outfit.”
“You won’t get any argument from me. I have no clue where’s she’s putting all this shit.”
“Is there a time limit? If he has to help her put everything away, he’ll miss the playoffs.”
“Yeah, midnight tonight. We leave tomorrow late morning for our first playoff game in Boston.”
Darcy leaned closer and lowered her voice. “Has Cave said anything more about his divorce?”
“Nope, and he won’t.”
“I’m dying of curiosity.”
“You might try asking him yourself but good luck.”
“Maybe later. What’s going on over there?” Darcy jerked her chin toward Wilcox. I did a double take and widened my eyes, certain I wasn’t seeing things correctly.
“What the fuck?” I started to get up from my seat next to Darcy, but she grabbed my arm.
“Leave them alone. Your sister’s old enough to make her own decisions.”
I narrowed my gaze, hoping Willcox would feel the daggers I figuratively shot into his back as he flirted with Danielle. “I’m going to kill him.”
“They’re not your concern. She can take care of herself.” Darcy leaned into me and distracted me with a long sloppy kiss which drew teasing remarks from my teammates. I didn’t care.
“You’re going to pay for this,” Steele threatened through gritted teeth as he plopped Kaden’s drink in front of him.”
“I already did. Surely, you recall the karaoke bar.”
Steele’s lips kicked up as he remembered New Year’s Eve. “Yeah, I’ll never forget.”
“The way I see it, you’re getting off easy,” Kaden said.
“Hey, have you met my mom? He’s not getting off easy,” I countered, because the poor sucker wasn’t. They had no clue.
As if on cue, my mom raised her empty glass and called for Steele. “Cabbie, I’m dry. Get me another. And I need my face fanned.”
With one last deadly glance in our direction, Steele stalked off.
“He’s not taking this well,” Kaden said.
“Not at all.” Axel raised his glass, and we clinked glasses, enjoying ourselves.
“Hey, Geneva, how’s Jock doing?” Rush asked. Geneva was Jacques’ sister. The team called him Jock. He’d been our backup goalie until he retired at the end of last season. We turned expectantly toward her. His ex-wife had done some bad shit to him, and he’d moved to Canada with his five children after she’d been thrown in prison for kidnapping.
