The Publicity Stunt

15. Chapter Fourteen

Sitting in the VIP section of the Bootleggers home game, Bri waits for Kace to notice her and her special guest. He has no idea she”s here tonight, and he has no idea who her special guest is with her.

”He”s going to be surprised,” Bri says and turns to Kace”s father, Victor.

”He”s going to be tickled pink. It”s not often I show up out here,” Victor says.

Victor Lyons is an older man with salt and pepper hair. As Bri expected, he and Kace stand about the same height, but she”s surprised at how much smaller Victor is. Much of Kace is muscle from training and lifting, but his father doesn”t have nearly the broad shoulders he does. When she met him outside her plane in Texas, he laughed at her shock. He joked how most people feel the same way and eased her embarrassment.

”That”s what he mentioned,” she says and smiles at him. ”I”m glad you could come out. I”m also glad we could pull this off. As long as Neo doesn”t spill the beans, we”re set to shock him when he finally lays eyes on us.”

She sits wearing the same jersey she”s worn to every game she”s attended with Kace”s number and name on the back, and tonight she has her hair pulled back from her face in a high ponytail and a few face framing tendrils hanging down. She pairs everything with gold hoop earrings and a simple gold necklace. Normally, she wears white gold or platinum, but it doesn”t look as good with the orange.

”He doesn”t know you”re here, either?”

Shaking her head, she giggles. ”I have a show tomorrow in Atlanta, and I just played in Seattle. I wasn”t planning on coming, but when he told me you aren”t able to make it out to many of these, I thought it might be a nice mid-season surprise.”

”You and my son are dating?”

Well, that answers her question on how much Kace has told his father. ”We haven”t really defined what we are or aren”t, but we are seeing each other. I really like Kace. He”s nothing like I expected when I first met him.”

Victor smirks. ”And what did you expect?”

”Please don”t take this the wrong way, but I honestly thought he”d be the ”Me Tarzan, you Jane” type of guy. He”s just so... gigantic. We have this running joke about him taking on a grizzly bear.”

The older man tips his head back and laughs. ”A grizzly bear. I think the only reason he might attempt at wrestling one of those things would be for you, sweetheart.”

”He told me how close you two are, especially after his mother passed. It hit me hard because I don”t have a relationship with my father. If you ever want to come out and see him play, well, anywhere, let me know. I”d be more than happy to do what we can to make arrangements.”

”You”re not close with your father? How about your mom?”

Bri shakes her head. ”I don”t have any contact with my family. Mom, Dad, or my brothers. Even my extended family shut that door when the financial relationship ended with them. The last time I”ve spoken to them was years ago. I think the last conversation was with our lawyers, actually.”

”Oh, sweetheart, I”m sorry.”

”It”s okay. I”m okay. It”s weird, you know? Growing up, we were a family of six. Now, they”re a family of five, and I”m just me. Kace and I talked one night, and it made me realize a few things. He has this uncanny way of making me comfortable enough to open up, kind of like you, actually. I”m always so careful what I say and to whom, but you”re both really easy to talk to.”

Victor reaches out and pats her shoulder. ”What did you realize, if you don”t me prying?”

”That I keep myself so busy recording and performing because once I stop, I don”t have anywhere to call home. He can go back to Brunsville when he”s done playing hockey, but I can”t go back to Enderlin.”

”Enderlin? Enderlin, Texas?”

She smiles. ”He hasn”t told you much about me. I”m not sure how to take that, but yes. I”m a Texas girl born and raised. Grandpa raised and sold cattle up until the day he died. Texas will always have a special place in my heart, but my hometown isn”t mine anymore. Not as long as my parents live there.”

”I almost want to look up your daddy and show him how real Texas men handle men like him. I bet his daddy wants to give him the wire brush treatment from the grave.”

The offer flatters her. ”As much as I would love someone to put him in his place, it would only backfire. He and my mom make it a point to share terrible things about me, most of them made up, whenever someone offers them money. They”re also sue-happy. I”ll give them credit, though. They”ve learned how to get creative.”

The game starts, and Kace doesn”t notice them right away. He hops onto the ice, skates like a madman, moving the puck between him and the rookie, Brandon, and he scores within the first three minutes.

”Oh my God!” Bri shouts and jumps up and down in the box.

Victor stands next to her and shouts, ”That”s my boy!”

Kace happens to glance up to the box as he sits on the bench, and he stares at them slack jawed. Bri can”t help it. She beams. They surprised him. She pulled it off.

Kace plays his heart out the rest of the game, and for the first time this season, he scores a hat trick. The third goal comes at the end of the third period, and he has four assists. Bri hugs Victor as they cheer for the man they”re so immensely proud of.

”He”s been trying all season to get one after having multiple last year,” Victor says. ”I”ve never seen it in person, though.”

She smiles. ”You know, he did it because you were here to impress.”

”He did it because we”re both here.”

”You have a very special son, Mr. Lyons. I hope you know I genuinely care about him.”

His smile warms her heart. ”I know you do, sweetheart. And based on his performance out there tonight, he cares about you, too. He”s never put so much effort in, especially for a girl.”

”I hope so,” she says. ”The way I feel about him scares me a little, but it”s impossible to keep him out. Something about being around him feels so safe. It”s been such a long time since anyone outside of my security team made me feel that way.”

She flushes, realizing just how much she”s admitted to the father of the man she spent three days completely naked with.

”Do you know about his ex-girlfriend?”

”Sasha?”

He nods and scrunches his face. ”Yes, her.”

”I know about her. I met her once. It was weird. And that says something, considering the caliber of people I encounter on a regular basis.”

Laughing, he pats her shoulder. ”She would have never thought to do something this generous for Kace. In fact, the most she”s ever said to me was ”nice to meet you.” There would have been no conversation in this box because her nose was always pointed down at her phone.”

”You”re kidding.”

”Nope. I”ve met her exactly three times, and I never liked her. Never thought she was good for Kace. But I think he found someone who suits him much better.”

She smiles. ”Don”t tell him what I told you, okay? I didn”t mean to blurt it all out. You Lyons men will be the death of me. Probably the first in the world to have embarrassment listed as her cause of death.”

”There”s nothing to be embarrassed about, sweetheart. I”m happy you two are happy.”

”I think they”ll be coming out of the locker room soon. Should we head down?”

”Lead the way.”

They make their way down the hallway outside the locker room, and Bri leans against the wall. A slew of reporters waits on the other side of the doors to interview the players after their ridiculous seven to one win against the DC Eagles.

”Dad?” Kace”s voice calls from down the hallway.

Victor steps away from the wall and smiles as Kace barrels towards him and envelops him into a huge hug. ”Hi, son. Great game. And a hat trick?”

”What are you doing here? And why didn”t you tell me? I would”ve made arrangements at the airport.”

He points over his shoulder to Bri. ”She was my accommodations. Do you know she has her own damn plane?”

Kace”s eyes widen as he looks at her, and she hopes he hasn”t been able to get her and their weekend together off his mind like she hasn”t been able to. There”s something to be said for spending so much time naked with another individual to really bond them together and burn memories into their minds. ”You flew him out here?”

”I had some time before my next show, and I wanted to surprise you. I got your dad”s information from Neo. Well, Nia, who got it from Neo, and we arranged the surprise.”

”I tried to reimburse her for some of the expense,” Victor says.

”But she said no,” Kace says, his eyes still on her as he nods knowingly.

Her hands lift in surrender. ”That”s a lot of math I just don”t want to do.”

”Liar,” he says and finally moves to take her into his arms. He lifts her from the ground and kisses her with enough passion to ignite the smoldering coals she hasn”t been able to put out. ”Thank you.”

”You”re welcome. Did I pull off the surprise?”

”Did you? I about had to pick my jaw up from off the damn ice when I saw Dad standing next to you in the box. How did you pull this off? He”s the most stubborn man on the planet.”

Kace doesn”t set her down, and Bri kind of likes feeling like a rag doll. ”I”m a very persuasive person, Kace. You should know this by now.”

His lips find hers again, and she holds him close as he takes one step forward to press her back against the wall. The way he kisses her reminds her of how he made love to her the last time they saw each other, and she itches to get him out of his clothes again. But her favorite part was waking up after sleeping next to him. The fact he was naked with her in his arms didn”t hurt at all, either.

He took such care of her the first time they were together, and it was like nothing she ever thought she”d experience. With Easton, it was all about him. Within minutes, it was done, and after the one and only time he went down on her, she never quite understood what all the fuss was about. With Kace, she understood what it felt like to truly crave someone.

”The reporters are getting quite a show of us like this,” he says, his forehead resting against hers.

”Who cares?” she whispers, her heart pounding.

Rudy walks around the corner, and Bri watches him stop as he sees the threesome. ”Mr. Lyons?”

”Hello, Rudy,” he says, his tone cool and completely opposite of the warm man she”s spent hours with today.

”I guess Kace told you.”

”You guessed correctly. The only thing I can say is thank you.”

Bri and Kace glance at each other before turning back to Victor. Rudy looks just as confused and asks, ”What?”

”If you wouldn”t have been the snake in the grass that you are, Kace wouldn”t have ended up with Bri Waters. And that girl, let me tell you, blows Sasha out of the water. You did the family a favor, actually.”

Kace chuckles and sets her back down on her feet and walks over to his father. ”Is that right, Dad?”

”I never liked Sasha. She”s very shallow and flaky. The type of girl who”ll leave when the money stops coming in. Better enjoy her while you can, Rudy. You only have so many years left in your career. My two pieces of advice would be to not knock her up and keep her away from anyone you consider a friend. You never know who”s really your friend these days, huh?”

Bri”s mouth drops in shock, and she hides behind Kace. She loves Victor. Officially loves him.

”Have a good night,” Rudy says and walks away quickly.

”Dad,” Kace says with a laugh. ”Wow. You really hated Sasha that much?”

”He really did,” Bri says. ”I heard about it, too. You should really listen to your dad, Kace.”

Victor smirks and pulls Bri into a side hug. ”Yes, you really should. And I like this one. We should keep her.”

Kace laughs with Bri and winks at her. ”On that note, why don”t we go and get something to eat?”

”Poutine. I only ever eat it here because everywhere else in the States that has it is shit,” Victor says.

”Bri?”

She waves her hands in the air. As much as she”d love to go, she knows Kace should have time with his father. ”You two go. Spend some time together. Your father”s staying in the same hotel as I am because it wasn”t really possible to plan for him to stay with you and not ruin the surprise.”

”Come with us,” Victor begs. ”Please?”

”I have to get up early tomorrow. I have an interview right before we take off, and then I have to head to Atlanta for the soundcheck right after we drop you off in Texas. But I”ll see you tomorrow morning on the plane.”

Kace pulls her away from his father and cups her face. ”Are you sure?”

”I”m sure. Go spend time with your dad. He”s a really great man.”

Kissing her again, he pulls back and sighs. ”You have a ride lined up?”

”I do,” she says. ”You know Bobby won”t let me out of his sight for long.”

”Oh, that Bobby,” he says with a smirk. ”Text me when you get back to your room, okay?”

Bri nods and watches the father-son duo leave. In that moment, she realizes it”s official. She”s fallen in love with Kace Lyons. Between their infrequent in-person interactions and their constant text and call communications, she let her guard down enough to let him into her heart. The sex may have also sealed the deal like he promised. As much as she likes it, anxiety fills her. She just prays he doesn”t do something to break her heart because she may not make it through this one.