32. Chase
Chase
“I’m pregnant.”
Gem’s words from yesterday run on a loop in my head. And I’d be lying if I said the smile on my face is for all the people lining the streets of Baton Rouge. Or the Cup sitting in the first car of this motorcade.
Nope. The grin stretching my mouth so wide my cheeks hurt is because I’m having a baby with the woman I love.
My smile slips.
I told her I want the baby.
I told her I love her.
And she never said it back.
“Well, fudge sticks.”
Gannon laughs next to me. “No kids to worry about here.”
“If I don’t do it all the time, including in my head, I slip. And the last thing I need is for Candace’s first word to be fuck.” I grimace. “Fudge! Fudge! Fudge! Fudge!”
Gannon’s laughter rings out drawing the attention of Coach Alcott and Russell Young, who are in the back of this truck with us. There are four of us in each truck bed. We’re on the final stretch of road leading to the Arena where the Rogues’ org has put together the party of all parties.
It’s like the fan barbecue from earlier in the season except the parking lot is filled with carnival rides. Temporary fencing has been erected and there’s security at every entry point because the org isn’t taking any chance something might go wrong or get out of hand.
The ring of a phone has all of us reaching for our pockets. It’s Gannon who comes up with the call.
Frowning, he looks up and says, “It’s a New York number.”
“Shelby?” Coach Alcott moves over to our side of the truck.
“No. Her number is programed in.”
“Answer it,” I say.
“Nah.” He shoves the phone back in his pocket. “If it’s important, they’ll call back.”
The truck pulls to a stop outside the entrance players will use to enter the arena and we all jump out as Gannon’s phone goes off again.
Glancing over I say, “Looks like it is important.”
“Yeah. Okay.” Bringing the phone to his ear, he says, “Hello,” as we make our way between the two security guards at the open door to the Rogue Arena. “Yeah, this is Gannon Byrd.”
I can’t hear the other side of the conversation but when Gannon stops and says in a shaky voice, “Say that again,” I stop and wait.
His gaze is on mine, the look in his eyes one I recognize. Whatever is being said in his ear is not good. The worst kind of not good.
“Where?” he chokes out. “I can be there in a few hours but if you need anything before that, permission, whatever, call me. I’ll have my phone on.”
I glance at Coach who is studying Gannon intently.
When he hangs up, I take a step toward. “What’s going?—”
“My wife.” He swallows. “My wife. She’s in the hospital. She’s been assaulted.”
“Wife! What fucking wife?” Coach grabs the front of Gannon’s shirt and lifts him onto his toes. “Since when do you have a wife?”
I don’t understand the anger Coach is directing at Gannon but I’m not about to let them come to blows in the hallway. Not when Gannon has just received the worst news.
We’re surrounded by more players now, the trucks behind us arriving at the arena. I grab Coach, and Russell steps between him and Gannon.
“When the fuck did you get married, asshole?!”
“I...” Gannon shakes his head. “I have to go. I need to get to her.”
“The fuck you do. What about Shelby? Huh? What about my sister, you two-timing prick? Does she know you got married?”
I glance over at Gannon, and I know before he says anything the next words out of his mouth are not going to be what Coach expects to hear.
“She does. She was there. We got married the day I signed the paperwork for the trade.”
Coach goes still. Not a twitch. Then he bursts to life and spins out of my hold, his fist flying and connecting with the wall beside us. “Fuck!”
“Walker!” Oakley is pushing her way through the crowd, Gem right behind her.
I block Gem’s path. “You need to get them to New York.”
“What?”
“Gannon got a call. His wife, who I think is Coach’s sister, is in the hospital, she’s been assaulted.”
Gem’s eyes shift to Oakley who’s already on the phone. “Okay. Let’s get everyone else moving into the party.”
“I’ll do that.” Russell steps forward.
“Trevor is at the family room, go get him, tell him Gannon, Oakley, and Walker need to go to New York. Family emergency. Tell him I’ll be there as soon as we get their travel sorted.”
“Okay.” Russell turns to the rest of the players. “Come on. Let’s go make sure the fans aren’t disappointed.”
It takes a few minutes for the hallway to clear and when it does, I do the only thing I can. I offer to help.
“What can I do? What should I do?”
“Can you call Blake and Cami?”
“I messaged Blake. She’s on her way. Said she’d get Cami,” Bran says behind me.
“Okay, Pa has the jet ready to go. We just need to get to the airport.”
Gem frowns. “There’s no way that will happen quickly. Even if I ask the brPD to give you a lights and sirens escort.”
“I can get a chopper on the roof.”
Everyone turns to look at Ray Denim, the Rogues head of security. I haven’t had much to do with the man, but I know from Bex he’s a retired SEAL who has connections all over the country.
“To fly them to New York?” Gem asks.
“No. It’ll get them to the airport.”
“Right. Okay, do that.”
“Already on its way.”
“Huh.” Gem eyes him with a small smile on her face. “Ready for anything.”
“Always.”
“Can we go? However we’re doing it, I need to go.” Gannon’s voice is strained. Tight with the emotions I can see flashing in his eyes.
“Oakley, you and Walker go with Gannon. Don’t worry about anything except getting on the helicopter then the jet. I’ll organize bags or whatever for the three of you and send them on to New York later. Gannon. Call that number back, give them mine. I’ll be a secondary point of contact until you get to Shelby.”
I can tell he doesn’t want to do it, but Coach puts a hand on his shoulder, squeezes in support.
“It’s a good plan. We might not have connection on the plane, and you don’t want to miss anything.”
I can’t decide if Coach is happy deferring to his best friend or not. I know they haven’t reconnected the way Coach expected. And maybe a secret marriage to the man’s sister is the reason for Gannon holding back since he arrived in Baton Rouge.
“Chase. Go find the girls, see if Micky is with them.” Gem turns to Oakley and Coach. “We’ll take care of Micky for you until we know what’s happening. It’ll be easier to keep your absence from upsetting him if he’s busy.”
“Pa’s on the phone with someone from the hospital.” Blake rushes down the corridor toward us. “But I got hold of my brothers, they’re still in New York, and are heading over to where Shelby is now.”
“How the hell does anyone know where she is?” Gannon yells.
“Because as of ten minutes ago the breaking news across every media outlet in the country is the senseless bashing of Cup winning hockey player Gannon Byrd’s wife, Shelby.”
Cami’s words have stunned silence cloaking the hallway.
It’s Gem who cuts through it. “Get them out of here! Ray, take a couple of your men and go with them. Cami, get me your father. Blake, where’s Mason and your dad? I need them to help me stop this event turning into a media circus.”
I stand back and watch as my wife, the mother of my unborn child, does her thing and has people disappearing to do her bidding. She’s one of the smartest women I’ve ever met and if she never says the words ‘I love you’ I won’t care. I don’t need her words to know how she feels.
Because words are only air. It’s the things she does, the way she takes care of the people she loves, that is the real proof.