Chapter 21
“Cash. Do you have a minute?” Coach Barney asks as I skate off the ice.
“Sure.” I grab my water bottle and take a healthy swig. With the All-Star Game coming up, the coaches are pushing us harder in practice.
Like they think we’ll forget how to play hockey over a well-deserved break.
“I’ve got some good news for you.”
“Yeah?”
A rare smile stretches out across his face. “Looks like you’re coming with me to Nashville.”
His words settle over me as I understand their meaning. For once, guys want to go play in Music City.
“I made the All-Star team?”
Coach Barney claps me on the shoulder. “You, Troy, and Duncan.”
“Duncan?”
I can’t imagine the Douche making the All-Star team, but as much as I hate to admit it, he’s a good player. Selfish, but good.
Coach ignores my question. “I’m proud of you, Cash. You’ve come a long way this season.”
“I have?”
He nods. “You’ve always been a great player, one of the best I’ve coached. But something has changed in you this season. You’re lighter. Happier. I don’t want to see that go away.”
“Thanks, Coach. I appreciate that.”
“Now get outta here. The team will make all the arrangements for travel.”
“You got it.”
The rest of the guys are already off the ice, and I take a minute. Breathing all of it in. I do a lap around the rink before the Zamboni comes out to clean the ice. My skates grind into the roughed-up surface. It’s familiar. A comforting sound.
Even in my best season before this one, I didn’t make the All-Star team. I used it as an excuse to lie on a beach somewhere warm for the week.
It felt like a big middle finger to my dad that I didn’t make it. That I was playing in the league but didn’t make the elite—something he always wanted. No matter how high I reached, it was never high enough for him.
Now? Now I feel like I owe it all to Piper. The one person I can’t wait to share my news with.
Skating off the ice, I go to find Piper.
“Hey.”
I’m shocked to find her walking down the tunnel to me.
“Hi. What are you doing here?”
“Troy said you had some good news to tell me so I came to find you.”
I sweep Piper up into my arms, wrapping her legs around my waist. “I got into the All-Star Game!”
“What!” Piper screeches. “Cash! That’s amazing!”
Her hands come down on my cheeks as she lays one on me. I can feel her happiness flowing between the two of us.
This. This is why I wanted to tell her.
Fuck the deadline that Cassie gave the two of us. I know everything I’ve told Piper is that I’d rather be alone. But when the two of us get back to Denver, I want to make this thing permanent.
I don’t know how I could ever let the woman in my arms go.
“Do you have to get back to practice?” she mutters against my lips.
“No.”
“Good. You obviously know everything about being a hockey player since you made the All-Star team.”
“Nothing left to learn.”
“So you can stay here and kiss me.”
We go back to kissing. I don’t care that we’re in the middle of the hallway. This is a moment I don’t ever think I’ll forget.
“I should go clean up,” I whisper to her, holding her against the wall now.
“Ugh. Fine.” She throws her arms around my neck, pouting. “Ignore your girlfriend wanting to celebrate your amazing news with you.”
I nip at her lips. “The way I want to celebrate would not be appropriate here.”
“Would you two get a room?”
I groan at hearing his voice. I guess it means we’re really selling this if Duncan is complaining about us. Not that I care what he thinks. He’s a dick, but I don’t want him to see Piper like this.
Only me. Only I get to see her blissed out just from kissing.
“Grow up, Duncan,” Piper tells him, sliding out of my arms.
“What, jealous you can’t get a girl?” I put Piper behind me.
How much longer are we going to have to deal with this douche in our lives?
“Fuck that. I can get someone a lot better than Piper.”
“Why did I ever find you attractive?” Piper groans behind me, resting her head against my back.
“Grow a fucking pair, Duncan. Maybe if you treated women better, you could get a woman like Piper. Thank God she realized she was better than you.” I sneer at him.
I want to lay him out for how he treated—still treats—Piper. She doesn’t deserve it. But after hearing Coach’s earlier words to me, I don’t want to do anything to disappoint him.
“It’s okay, Cash.” Piper squeezes my bicep. “Duncan’s opinion doesn’t matter.”
“Whatever you need to tell yourself to feel better.”
“C’mon, Piper.” I grab her hand and start to walk down the tunnel. “We don’t need to stay here a minute longer.”
“Piper.” Duncan grabs her by the arm as we walk by.
“Get your fucking hands off her.”
Even Duncan touching Piper has me seeing red and ready to lose my mind.
“Cash. Don’t.”
“You should listen to her.”
Duncan is staring me straight in the eye. His green eyes look like burned moss. Probably because the man is void of any emotion.
“Duncan—” I’m seething. If I could punch him and get away with it right now, I would.
“He’s not going to treat you right.” He ignores me, addressing Piper.
“What, and you did?” she fires back.
That’s my spitfire of a Princess. She doesn’t need a Prince Charming to rescue her. She can fight her own battles.
Not that I’ll ever let her do battle on her own. Not against Duncan. She doesn’t have to.
“Better than he ever will.”
“Duncan, you don’t get a say in this.”
“You realize why he’ll never settle down, right?”
“Oh yeah? Why’s that?” Piper crosses her arms, leveling him with a stare that has him taking a step back.
“Willy has never settled down because he doesn’t care about people. I know how many puck bunnies he has in every city we play in.”
“He’s not the one that cheated on me!” Piper snaps.
Green eyes stare down at her. Piper backs up a step into me. A silent plea for strength.
“Grow up, Piper. He’s a hockey player. We’re all the same.” Duncan wears a smarmy grin on his face.
I wonder if I could pay someone on our next rival team to punch his perfect teeth out.
“No, Duncan, you’re not all the same. You use your status to sleep with anyone on two legs. Cash is a good man.”
Duncan shoves off the wall, getting ready to leave.
“You’re kidding yourself, Piper. Cash is just like every other hockey player. You’re delusional if you think you can change him. Whatever you think you have, it’s not real. I hope you’re prepared to get your heart broken.”
With a wink at Piper, he’s gone.
“Duncan!” I shout after him as he heads back down the hallway with a whistle.
“Deep breaths, Cash.”
Piper’s hands hold me back.
“You can’t let him talk to you like that,” I grit out.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It doesn’t?” I turn to face her. “Why not?”
Piper clasps my cheeks between her hands and pulls my focus to her. Her blue eyes are fierce.
Deep breaths, Cash. Deep breaths.
“Because I know the truth.”
“And what’s the truth?” Another deep breath.
“Duncan is a dick.”
“I know.” I smirk.
“The truth is,” Piper starts, thumbs brushing against my jaw, “I know what kind of man you really are. And it’s not going to be undone by some lies that Duncan carelessly throws around.”
“No?”
She shakes her head. “You are a good man, Cash Williams. You don’t have countless women spread across the country. You’d rather go home to your dog every night.”
“Well, and you.”
Piper smiles, settling the rage that is stewing inside of me. “And me. Ignore him. You’re better than that.”
The faith Piper has in me is unwavering. Something I’ve never had before in my life. Everything was always conditional growing up.
Win a game. You didn’t do enough.
Lose a game. It was your fault for getting into a fight.
Get into a fight. You let them beat you.
With Piper, I don’t have to do anything but be myself.
Without thinking, I sweep her back into my arms and give her a kiss, one that tries to convey everything I’m feeling.
I’ve never been good at that. But based on her whimpers, I think she can feel it.
We’ll be back from the All-Star break in a few weeks. And when we’re back in Denver, I’m going to find a way to tell her. My focus needs to be on hockey until then.
After?
I’ll tell her I’m falling for her.
No, fallen for her.
I want Piper Fields, and if I have anything to say about it, she’ll be mine.