Power Play (D.C. Stars #2)

28. Liam

TWENTY-EIGHT

LIAM

Puck Kings

Hudson

Good morning, everyone! Bus for the airport leaves at noon!

Maverick

f32ytf8hdhjgfds

Hudson

What was that?

G-Money

h3 said hez deadd

Hudson

Still don’t understand.

Easy E

way 2 fuckng cheery. Tf is wrong wit u?

Hudson

You call it cheery, I call it sober and feeling great. Went on a run at sunrise and it sure was nice.

G-Money

ur sick in the head

I’m going to kill whoever left the curtains open in my hotel room.

I groan and try to sit up, but my head is throbbing like someone whacked it with a baseball bat.

Repeatedly.

My throat is dry as shit, and when I try to open my eyes and get my bearings, everything hurts too fucking much.

“Christ.” I press my fingers into my forehead to get rid of the pain in my skull. “This is a new level of hell.”

“I’m dying,” a voice next to me says around a whimper, and I shoot straight up.

I roll to the right and fall off the bed, landing face-first on the carpet that smells like utter shit. There’s another noise and I slowly look over the edge of the mattress to find Piper curled up on the bed.

Her hair is a mess. There’s glitter on her cheeks and arms and a little pink mark below her ear. One foot has a sock on it, the other doesn’t, and she’s clutching a pillow to her chest.

She looks how I feel: like I’ve been through the fucking ringer.

“You’re in my bed,” I say.

“No.” She rolls on her back and drapes an arm over her face. “You’re in my bed.”

I scan the room.

There’s a pink suitcase against the wall. A pair of heels under a chair. A bra slung over a lamp and four notebooks on the desk.

No gear. No skates. No sticks.

Definitely not my room.

“Why did I come back here last night?”

“Don’t know,” she groans. “I can’t remember anything after Maverick and Emmy’s wedding.”

That’s like a bucket of cold water on my head. “Maverick and Emmy got married ?”

Piper reaches for the bedside table and fumbles around. She grabs her phone and taps the screen before turning it my way.

There’s a photo of Maverick and Emmy kissing under an arch. Another of the team clapping and cheering. One of me, my arm around Piper and her head on my chest. A final picture of Emmy on Maverick’s back, a Just Married sign hanging from between his teeth.

“Holy shit.”

“How drunk were you?” she asks.

Pretty fucking drunk.

I remember bits and pieces.

Loud music and flashing lights.

Leather seats inside a limo.

There was laughing and dancing… I think?

After that, everything is blurry. Disjointed flashes of memories I can’t put together.

“Heavily inebriated, apparently.” I scratch my jaw and pause when something cool rubs against my cheek. I pull my palm away and stare at my left hand. There’s a silver band around my ring finger, and my blood turns to ice. “What the fuck is on my hand?”

“Your fingers, probably.”

“What’s on my fucking finger?”

“I don’t know. Skin? A nail? Do you really need an anatomy lesson when it feels like I’m dying?”

She sits up, and that’s when I see it.

A silver ring on her finger, and I almost stop breathing.

“Piper,” I say slowly. “You told me Maverick and Emmy got married.”

“We just went through the pictures, Liam. Grant sang an Adele song. Ethan bought us all hot dogs. It was beautiful, honestly. Well, as beautiful as a Vegas wedding can be.”

“Then why the hell do you have a ring on your finger? And why the hell do I have one on mine ?”

She lifts her hand and stares at the piece of jewelry with wrinkled eyebrows and a half-open mouth. Understanding dawns, and she gasps.

“Did we—there’s no way I—you don’t—” Piper shakes her head. “Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no . We didn’t—how did we—I can’t—what the fuck ? I’m not supposed to be married again. That means I’ll be divorced again, and… shit . I’m Ross fucking Geller.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose. I need water. Ten Aspirin and to sleep for days. There’s no way this is happening. “What’s the last thing you remember about last night?”

“The hot dogs Ethan handed out when we got out of the chapel with Maverick and Emmy. He mentioned something about a Dave? After that, I can’t tell you a thing. What the hell ? I can’t believe they let drunk people get married. It’s unethical. Illegal, probably, and I’m going to sue the shit out of them.”

“It’s their entire fucking business model. Who was the most sober last night? Definitely wasn’t me.”

“Um. I’m not sure. Lexi disappeared at some point. God, I hope she’s not murdered in a ditch somewhere.” Piper takes a second to think. “Okay. Wait. Wait . We all tried to do a human pyramid, but none of us could balance because we were too intoxicated.”

“How the hell does that help us figure out who was sober?”

“It tells you who wasn’t sober.”

I curse under my breath and grab my phone, hoping something sparks my recollection of last night. I find my lock screen has been changed, the team photo from the start of the season replaced with a picture of Piper squatting in the middle of a sidewalk, her arms looped around my calves as she tries to lift me up.

My arms are out at my side. My hair is a mess. The top two buttons on my shirt are unfastened. My shoelaces are untied, and that’s when I see it: the grin on my face.

I almost don’t recognize myself.

Fuck .

I look like a happy idiot, and I don’t know the last time I smiled that big.

“Are you okay?” Piper asks, and I blink up at her.

“Huh?”

“You look like you saw a ghost.”

“I’m fine.” I run my hand through my hair and pull up the team group chat, reading through the messages from the last twelve hours. “Hudson is sober. Fucker went for a run this morning.”

“Oh yeah . He was giving everyone water! When I tried to dump it on his head, he tossed me over his shoulder and walked me to a very nice chair.”

I don’t like the thought of my teammate putting his hands on her. I know it’s because he was helping take care of her, but still.

It stirs up something inside me that I don’t like, and I grind my teeth together to get rid of the feeling.

“What room are we in?” I ask.

“Um.” Piper rolls over and looks at the hotel phone. “636.”

I find Hudson’s name in my cell and hit call, waiting for him to pick up.

“What’s up, man?” he answers after two rings.

“Room 636. Now,” I grit out before tossing the phone on the sheets. The reality of the situation starts to unfold in front of me, and I stand. “Fuck. Fuck .”

“What’s wrong?”

“What do you mean what’s wrong? I can’t be married . I don’t date. I don’t do relationships, and I sure as fuck don’t get married . Fuck . I must’ve been plastered out of my mind. And without a prenup in place? No PR statement planned? My agent is going to fucking kill me.” I pace to the window then back across the room. “God only knows how much of an idiot I looked like last night and what kind of videos are on social media. I don’t have time for immature shit like this. There are five months left before the playoffs and now I’ll have a marriage looming over my head? Unbelievable. Did you know what was going on before we allegedly exchanged vows?” I scrub my hand over my mouth, wincing at the reminder of metal on my skin. “Is this some sort of prank? All part of your plan and why you came to me to fuck you?”

“Are you saying I planned this?”

“I don’t know what I’m saying, Piper, only that I’m trying to figure out how we went from making out in a club to being husband and fucking wife. I didn’t have a say in it, so someone must’ve.”

Piper’s face falls. Her bottom lip trembles, and the second the words leave my mouth, I know I’ve said the wrong thing. I’ve been too mean, too aggressive, too much like her piece of shit ex, and I instantly want to take back the last two minutes.

I want to crawl into a hole and hang my head because she doesn’t deserve to be on the receiving end of my attitude, and she really doesn’t deserve to be blamed for something I know is a surprise to her too.

Fuck.

“If you think I came to you for sex lessons because my long term goal was to marry you, you’re the most conceited man in the world. I came to you because I trusted you. Because we’re friends, and now, I’m not so sure about that.”

“Piper.”

“I’m going to take a shower.” She throws off the sheets and swings her legs to the end of the bed. She stands and shuffles to the bathroom, turning her back to me, and that’s when I realize she’s wearing my jersey.

The extra one I pack in my carry-on in case my checked suitcase gets left on a tarmac somewhere.

I stare at the letters stitched across her back. My number below her shoulder blades. The way it hits her thighs and shows off the rest of her legs.

She looks perfect.

It’s dangerous for her to walk around in that.

It might make me think this whole marriage thing is a good fucking idea.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t?—”

“I was starting to think I might be ready to try dating again, but after hearing what you just said, I’d rather stay single. I know my self-worth, and it’s not being called manipulative.”

When she shuts the bathroom door with the softest click instead of slamming it in my face, I want to grab a pillow and scream. I want to get on my knees and apologize for what I said.

The only two things I’ve been sure about the last few years are hockey and her.

And now, since I’m a miserable asshole, I’ve fucked up one of them.

A knock throws me off-balance and I charge for the hotel room door, yanking it open.

“Coffee?” Hudson grins and holds out a tray of Styrofoam cups. “Thought you might need some caffeine to revive yourself.”

“Get in here.” I grab the drinks from him and storm to the seating area. “And sit.”

“I don’t know how Piper takes her coffee so I?—”

“She doesn’t drink coffee,” I grumble, glaring at him. “Triggers headaches.”

He lifts an eyebrow. “That’s an interesting thing to know about her.”

“Shut up. How do you know Piper is here?”

“I walked you two back.”

“You did?”

“Yeah.” Hudson picks a spot on the couch and unwraps a croissant. He takes a bite, groaning as he swallows. “God, that’s good.”

“Hayes,” I snap. “I need you to focus on me, not the goddamn pastry.”

“Sorry. You know food is my kryptonite. Okay. Yeah. You couldn’t find the elevator, so I led the way.”

“Did you drink at all?”

“One beer.”

“I need you to tell me exactly what happened last night,” I say, even though I don’t want to hear it.

“You want the whole story?”

“Every fucking detail.”

“We were at the first club until about one. After, we left to go to the wedding chapel where Maverick and Emmy got married. Really nice ceremony.” He rips off another chunk of his pastry and waves it around. “Then… let’s see. We hung around for a while before going to another club. At that point, it was almost three. We stayed there until about five, then we came back to the hotel.”

“I said every detail. Where in there is me getting married?” I hold up my hand, and Hudson doesn’t act surprised by the ring on my finger. “Because I sure as shit don’t recall this happening.”

He frowns. “You don’t remember?”

“If I remembered, I wouldn’t be eight seconds away from a panic attack, would I?”

“You brought that on yourself, man.”

“Excuse me?”

“After Maverick and Emmy got hitched, you and Piper agreed to a drinking game. I don’t remember the rules, but whoever won got to pick the other’s punishment. Well, you won, and when she said ‘Just pick something stupid,’ you responded with ‘Let’s get married too. Look at all the love around us.’ I was very confused because you were very excited. You kept going up to couples heading into the wedding chapel and telling them congratulations. Giving them hugs and talking about how love is the best. You might be a little bit of a dick when you’re sober, but turns out you’re a friendly drunk, Sully. Who would’ve thought?”

I cradle my head in my hands.

I’m not impulsive.

I’m not spontaneous.

I like knowing the plan well ahead of time and sticking to it.

This is so not like me, and I make a silent vow in my aching head to never, ever fucking drink again.

Especially because I blamed Piper for something that’s entirely my goddamn fault.

“Is there a chance it’s not real?” I ask. “Did we actually go through with a ceremony? Or was I all talk?”

“I mean, I was a witness. There was an officiant. Papers were signed. It seemed pretty real to me.”

“Why would you let us go through with something so stupid? You know I don’t date. You know I’m not interested in having a relationship, especially during the season. And, Jesus Christ . You know Piper went through hell and back with her dickbag of an ex-husband.”

“You’re an adult. You can make your own choices. I asked you multiple times if this is what you wanted to do and you said yes. Repeatedly. When I changed the wording of the question so you couldn’t just bob your drunk head to show signs of agreement, you still answered yes. This is not my fault.”

“You could’ve stepped in and done something,” I challenge. “Taken me back here. Walked us away from the wedding chapel. Anything .”

“It’s not my responsibility to keep you in line, Liam.”

“Okay.” I blow out a breath and press the heels of my palms in my eyes. “How many people know about this?”

“From the team? Only me. Everyone else was plastered. There’s no way they remember.”

“Okay, okay. How do I fix it?”

“That’s a loaded question.” I lift my chin and find Hudson eyeing me hesitantly. “You sure you want the answer?”

“Obviously.”

“You either stay married, or you get a lawyer and start the process for an annulment.”

That makes me burst out laughing. “Why the fuck would I stay married?”

“I don’t know. Maybe deep down you wanted to get married? What’s the saying? Drunk actions are sober thoughts?”

I lift my chin and glare at him. “I’m playing the best season of my career. I don’t have time to play house with someone.”

“Piper,” he says. “Not someone.”

“Hi, Hudson,” she says softly, right on cue.

I tell myself not to look at her, but I have to see her. I have to know she doesn’t hate me for what I said, because I really fucking hate myself.

I glance over my shoulder and she’s standing there with wet hair. Wearing jeans and a Stars T-shirt that doesn’t look nearly as good on her as my jersey did.

She offers Hudson a small smile and ignores me completely.

That hurts more than the hangover.

“Hey, Little P.” He stands and hugs her, and it pisses me off when she wraps her arms around him. When she takes a deep breath and rests her cheek on his chest. “How ya feeling?”

“Like I got hit by a truck. My head is pounding, and I don’t know if it’s a migraine or the alcohol.”

“Both, probably.” He laughs and squeezes her, releasing her after a beat. “I didn’t know you don’t drink coffee. I could’ve brought you something else.”

“How do you know I don’t drink coffee?”

“Liam just told me.”

“Oh. He’s right. No coffee for me.” She takes a seat on the couch. “Last night was a shitshow, wasn’t it?”

“Shitshow is putting it mildly. Corralling hockey players around Vegas without anyone getting lost, robbed or in a fight is a blast.” He sits next to her and grins. “Speaking of last night, I was talking to Liam about your situation.”

Her spine stiffens and she rests her hands on her thighs. “I know Liam is eager to get out of this predicament, and so am I. I’m going to call my lawyer when we land in DC and get the ball rolling on paperwork. Instead of being thirty-two and divorced, I’ll be thirty-two and divorced twice. That’ll be fun to put on the Christmas cards this year.”

Piper is trying to act like she’s tough and brave with her sarcasm, but there’s sadness in her eyes. Defeat in her self- deprecating smile. That fear she told me about—of being alone—radiates off of her, and now another person is trying to leave her.

“Hayes suggested an alternative,” I blurt out, and her eyes finally snap over to me. “He said we could stay married.”

I’ve never been a fixer, but this situation is making me want to be the ultimate problem solver. She shouldn’t look so upset. She shouldn’t look so mad at the world. She’s sunshine and happiness and everything good in the world.

Not… not whatever the fuck this is.

“Stay. Married.” Piper says each word slowly and frowns. “Why would we stay married when you just yelled at me because?—”

“You yelled at her?” Hudson asks. He rises to his feet and towers over me. “I know you’re pissed about this but that doesn’t give you the fucking right to?—”

“I didn’t yell ,” I grind out, standing and matching his stance. “I’d never yell at her. I was frustrated and raised my voice. I didn’t fucking yell . I would never do anything that made her?—”

“Both of you are yelling right now and you need to stop. Sit down ,” Piper snaps, and we drop to our seats. “Liam, there’s no logical reason for us to stay married. I know we’re pretending to date for Alana’s wedding, but that doesn’t mean we have to?—”

“Hang on,” Hudson interrupts. “You two are going to pretend to date for a wedding? What the hell is that about?”

Piper finally looks at me. She subtly shakes her head, and I understand what she’s saying.

“It’s a long story,” I grumble. “And you’re never going to hear it.”

“You’re allowed to have your secrets. I won’t pry. As for this whole wedding debacle, there are two options here. You call your lawyers and they’ll get the annulment going. It’s very clear neither one of you was of sound mind, so it shouldn’t be hard to justify the dissolution of the marriage. The other option, like I said, is staying married.”

“And what would be the benefit of that?” Piper asks.

“My health insurance,” I blurt, and for the first time since I woke up, I finally feel like I can think straight. “Our insurance is lightyears better than yours.”

She blinks. “Why would I want to be on your insurance? That’s not logical enough of a reason to stay married.”

“Migraine medication. Access to doctors who can help you diagnose and treat. Chiropractors. Acupuncturists. Massages. It’s all covered under our plan. And if it’s not, I can pay out of pocket for it.”

“Absolutely not. I’m not going to be indebted to someone because they want to pay for some of my medical work.”

“Helping someone because you’re able to doesn’t mean they’ll be indebted to you. It’s the right fucking thing to do,” I say, furious she’s lived a life where she’s had to repay someone because they were nice. “And think about it, Piper. We’re already keeping up this charade for my family. It’s not like it’s going to be a major inconvenience.”

“So, what, I’ll live with you? Introduce you as my husband?” She bursts out laughing and touches the ring on her finger, sobering just as quick. “I don’t want my next marriage to be a sham, Liam. I want it to be because I love the person. Because they love me. Because we want to spend the rest of our lives together, not because we were intoxicated. That’s not us. You’ve said yourself you don’t want a relationship. Why burden yourself with something so unnecessary?”

“I’m going to side with Liam on this,” Hudson says gently. “You’ve been through a tough legal battle, Piper, but this seems like something you could benefit from. You set an end date—the end of this season, the end of next season, whatever you decide. After you get what you can out of it, you go your own way.”

“I need to think about it.” Piper gnaws on her bottom lip. She wrings her hands together and stares at the floor. “This is a lot to digest when I feel like crap.”

The look Hudson shoots me from across the living room says to keep my mouth shut and not protest.

So I don’t.

“Thinking it over is a good idea,” he agrees, looking between us one more time. “If you two are good, I need to make sure the rest of the team is alive.”

“Yeah, go.” Piper tucks her chin. “Thank you for coming by and explaining everything to us. I think it goes without saying we’re going to keep this between the three of us for the time being, right?”

“My lips are sealed,” Hudson promises.

“I’m, uh, going to go too. I’ll give you some space,” I say. I don’t want to leave like this, but I know it’s for the best. “I’m really sorry for what I said, Piper.”

“Thank you,” she mumbles.

Hudson waits for me to grab my stuff. When we’re out in the hall, I groan.

“This is the worst day of my life.”

“You’ll figure out a solution.”

“Happy fucking New Year, right?”

“I don’t know.” He smiles and clasps my shoulder. “I think there’s a chance this might be the best year yet.”

“You’re way too optimistic,” I grumble.

“Nah. I just see things you don’t.”