Chapter 17
seventeen
ASHER
Instead of sitting at one of the tables in the hospital cafeteria with my coffee and waiting for Cade’s text, I couldn’t help but wander in the general direction of the ER.
Each sip of the slightly burnt-tasting liquid brought some life back into my sluggish brain cells.
It wasn’t that Cade needed me to be there, but it just felt wrong not to be nearby just in case. If he wanted my help for any reason, I didn’t want a massive building between us.
Rationally, I knew I had no place in Cade’s private family matters, but it didn’t stop me from wanting to be by his side in case everything became too much to cope with.
He’s not your boyfriend. Stop trying to act like he is.
Shit. I was a goner. There was no denying it now. Those stolen glances on the drive up here had pushed me over the edge from crush to full-blown hope in becoming more important to Cade.
I knew my footsteps had taken me too close to the ER when I heard someone call out to Cade.
“Caden! What the hell are you doing here?” The gritty voice sounded angry, which didn’t make any sense.
Why wouldn’t Cade be there?
“Hi, Dad.” Weariness infused Cade’s reply. “I’m here to see Mom.”
“She’s going to be fine. The doctors will fix her right up. Your ass should be in Belleville at practice this morning. How the fuck did you get up here, anyway? I know that bitch of yours has your piece of shit car because she’s always coming by my goddamn house when I’m not there.”
The man’s sneering condescension was a kick in the gut to me. Was this stress, or was this what Cade always dealt with from his father?
I couldn’t fathom either of my parents speaking to me or my brother that way, no matter how much they disagreed with us. Hell, as a kindergarten teacher, my mom’s first response to anything was to offer comfort, even in conflict.
I’d always known how lucky I was to have parents who loved their kids as much as mine did. But something about what Cade was going through right now made me hyperaware of just how shitty things could be for someone, and you would have no goddamn clue what they were going through.
A brief pause preceded Cade’s answer. I wished I could see the expression on his face to know how he was reacting, as his tone was completely neutral, void of any emotion.
“Uh, yeah, Kait does still have my car,” Cade began, making no mention of his father’s insulting words.
“I managed to get a ride up with someone coming this way. Mom had a fall bad enough to need emergency hip surgery. I wanted to get up here as fast as I could to make sure that I saw her before they took her in.”
“All those stuck-up assholes you had for teachers must have been lying to your mom about you being smart, otherwise you’d already know that life isn’t fucking fair.
You know you got a spot with the Hammerheads by the skin of your teeth.
We were lucky enough that you managed to fool them into thinking you were worth a goddamn thing.
You finally have a chance at the kind of money to pay me back for all the work I put into you to get you where you are.
And what do you do? Go AWOL from the team and fuck everything up, you little piece of shit. ”
The rage that sparked inside me grew into an inferno. How fucking dare a father talk to his son that way?
It was like my brain disassociated from reality for a few seconds, my thoughts obliterated by a kind of aggression that I’d never felt anything close to.
I edged toward the end of the wall where the two hallways would combine. I just needed to see Cade’s face.
It was a complete invasion of privacy. He hadn’t given me permission to eavesdrop on a very serious family moment.
I wanted to go around the corner and throat punch Mr. Kelly as hard as possible so he couldn’t say another word.
I’d never been a hothead on the ice, avoiding getting into any scuffles and concentrating on performing for my team, but the ways I normally thought and acted were quickly turning toward much darker urges.
“Dad, but I’m here now. I’ll just go in and see her real quick. I haven’t caused any problems for the team,” Cade’s voice wavered slightly.
It wasn’t a lie per se. Neither of us knew the fallout from our rash joint decision to take off in the middle of the night, even if it had been the right thing to do.
“Fuck that. Let’s get this straight, there’s no way in hell you’re going into that room and waking your mom up just because you’re not man enough to do what needs to be done and you want to run to your mommy instead of doing your fucking job.”
“But. . .” Cade tried again.
“Don’t. You’re going to turn your ass around and figure out how to catch the bus back to Belleville this goddamn minute and fix this clusterfuck you’ve caused.
Do you think I need this shit from you when I’m dealing with all of these fucking doctors and nurses telling me what my own goddamn wife is going to need?
As if I don’t know what’s good for her!”
I risked exposing half my face around the corner to catch a glimpse of the sorry excuse for a man that Cade called his father.
I couldn’t see Cade’s face with his back toward me, but Mr. Kelly’s face was a livid shade of reddish-purple. His disgusted anger was evident in his expression as he looked at Cade, despite keeping his volume down.
But what lit the fuse inside me was the—no doubt painful—grip he was inflicting on Cade’s shoulders. Mr. Kelly’s fingers and knuckles were white from how hard he was squeezing Cade. That kind of grip left bruises.
I couldn’t just stand there and let this go on. There was no way I could ignore the fact that Cade was being hurt emotionally and physically right in front of me. I had to do something without making it worse.
How could I interrupt and make it sound legit? Cade’s dad seemed like one of those assholes who only had time for their own opinions and thought he knew better than everyone else.
I’d have to play to his overinflated ego.
With a deep breath, I put some momentum behind my steps so that it would appear that I’d come upon them by accident, not that I’d been deliberately listening to every word.
“Hey, Caden!” I infused my tone with false surprise, using his full name to add a sense of formality between us.
“Looks like I can’t say much for my sense of direction, ending up on the opposite side of the hospital from where I was headed.
My brother always said I couldn’t find my way out of a paper bag if I tried. ”
Just a small lie to justify my interruption. I had a feeling I’d be telling several more before my role here was done. Cade jolted at the sound of my voice, attempting to turn around, but was held fast by his father.
“Oh, hello, sir! You must be Caden’s father.” I made eye contact with Mr. Kelly, who was forced to let his bruising grip on Cade go in anticipation of our introduction.
I walked toward them, my hand outstretched for the last few feet, as if I was keen to meet the man who had lost any respect I might have paid him by being an asshole to Cade.
“Jesus Murphy! Call me Frank. Well, Ace Landry! I’ve followed your career since the beginning. I’d heard you were working with the Hammerheads this year. Coach Wilder lucked out bringing you on board.” His tone transformed from angry to enthusiastic in a flash.
He shook my hand with a firm grip, the gaudy ring he wore scraping my skin as he let go.
Cade took the opportunity to slip out of his father’s range, standing a step behind him and out of the line of fire.
My man was smart.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well.”
I didn’t tell him to call me Asher, content to keep this interaction as impersonal as possible.
I couldn’t give a fuck if he wanted to call me Ace.
The moniker had been given to me by the media, and I’d just rolled with it.
It was helpful in moments like these when I met some douchebag who thought too highly of himself.
People like Cade’s dad only focused on me as a hockey player who made lots of money, not me as Ash the person.
“I couldn’t help but notice,” I continued, nodding at the ring that had chafed my skin. “You’ve got some real nice hardware there.”
“She’s a beauty, isn’t she?” He held his hand in front of his chest as if to provide me with a better view.
“My high school’s football team was the district champion.
Woulda been headed for the CFL if I hadn’t got injured on a job the following summer.
Coach had scouts out to see a couple of us and everything.
He even got some bigwig or another at one of the mining companies to foot the bill for the rings.
The lot of us got a good kick out of it, finally getting something valuable outta the mines for once, rather than the corporations gobbling it all up.
” Frank chuckled as if he were the one who pulled off the donation himself.
“Well, I can see that talent runs in the family.” I winked.
Complimenting this guy made me want to vomit, but I had to stay committed, otherwise Cade wouldn’t be able to sneak in to see his mom.
“Wait, Caden. This is who you caught a ride with to come up here?” Frank’s eyes widened slightly with his realization, sparing a quick turn of his head toward Cade before meeting my gaze again.
“Shit, Ace. Let me apologize for my son, who seems to have lost his senses. There’s no way in hell he should have been putting you out like that.
I taught him better.” His tone was laced with disgust.
“Ah, listen, Frank. It was no problem at all. I’d gotten a call from a couple of fundraising committees in Ontario, this hospital included, and they asked me to come up for a quick intro.
Coach Wilder prides himself on watching out for his players, you know?
So, he asked me if Caden could hitch a ride up here. ”
I was a lying liar who lied. And I didn’t have an ounce of guilt feeding Frank this line of bullshit.
“I guess I can see that. He runs his team how he sees fit and all. But don’t you think allowing this one”—he jerked his thumb in Cade’s direction—“to beg off from the team is a little soft?”
“Well.” I forced out a chuckle. “I’m just along for the ride, eh? If I know Zane, he’s got some method to his madness and all that. I’m sure it’ll all work out.”
Frank’s eyes conveyed his skepticism, but I didn’t want to humor any of his doubts.
“Caden, why don’t you grab something to eat and text me when you’re done, and we’ll head out.
” I made sure to use his full name to avoid any sense of familiarity in front of his dad.
For the first time during the conversation, I met Cade’s gaze.
His facial features remained nearly expressionless, only his eyes widening slightly in a “what the heck is going on” kind of way.
I raised my eyebrows meaningfully, indicating for him to get going by tipping my chin at the hallway behind him, hoping he would take this chance to see his mom.
“Frank, if you don’t mind, want to keep me company while I find my way around this place? I told them I’d take a look. Maybe buy you a coffee, and you can tell me more about that championship. My dad’s always got some football game or another on the TV at home.”
I gave him my media-trained smile, praying that he’d realize he shouldn’t insult one of the coaches of his son’s team, however temporary, by turning me down.
“Uh, yeah, sure. Caden, we’ll talk more later,” Frank tossed the words over his shoulder. He matched my steps as I headed back in the direction I came. “Only if you spring for a donut to go with the coffee, too.”
“Since you can afford it.” I heard the unspoken message in his tone.
“Sounds good. See you, Caden.” I kept my tone light.
I’d buy Frank Kelly a million donuts if it kept him away from Cade.