Chapter 25
“Why aren’t you at the game, sweetheart?” Mom asks, handing me a glass of water from over the couch.
“I didn’t feel like going tonight.”
I’m curled up into a tiny ball, a soft gray blanket pulled over me. It’s the first home game after the break, and I couldn’t muster the energy to go to the game.
I wouldn’t be in the WAGs suite, so why bother?
Dad went to the game with all his friends since Nashville is in town. Graham is Knox’s son, so they all have a vested interest in the game. Leaving Mom and me together at home.
“What’s the real reason you aren’t there?” Mom drops down onto the couch next to me.
My eyes track Cash as he skates down the ice. There’s a violence to his game tonight. Like he’s out for blood.
Colorado and Nashville have no love lost between the two of them. As evidenced by the hit Noah lays on Graham.
“I’m fine.” I sip on my drink, not daring to look at my mom.
“I didn’t ask if you were fine, Piper.”
The ice cube clinks in my drink as I swirl the water around, hoping it will swallow me down.
“I broke up with Cash.”
The gasp from her is audible, causing me to turn and look at her. “What happened?”
My lip quivers, tears gathering in my eyes.
If I never cried again, it would be too soon. Every day after work, I go home and slip into bed with nothing but tears to keep me company.
I spend all my energy keeping it together during the day, so I have nothing left for the rest of the night.
“It wasn’t real.”
Mom sets her wine glass down, pausing the game in front of us with the camera zoomed in on Cash. He looks so angry, he could spit fire.
“Piper. What are you talking about, it wasn’t real?”
“It was all a PR stunt to fix his reputation.”
I gulp down the rest of my drink and head back to the kitchen. If I’m going to have this conversation right now, I need liquid courage.
Mom stalks after me, not letting me pour the bourbon into my empty glass.
“I saw the two of you together,” she tells me. “How could what the two of you had notbe real?”
“Because it wasn’t!” I snap.
I bury my fists into my eyes. Every single thought has been consumed by Cash Williams. His scent that still lingers in my apartment. The Post-It note he wrote me that is still stuck to my fridge. Hell, I can’t even get away from him while watching my team play.
“Piper, look at me.”
“No.” Because if I do, I’ll burst into tears. Not that I’m doing that good of a job of keeping it together.
“Honey.” Mom pulls my hands down and forces me to look at her. I am her mirror image. From the blonde hair and the blue eyes right down to the smile and dimple on the left cheek. “Tell me what happened. Because if you broke up with him for the reason you said you did, you wouldn’t be this upset.”
The tenderness in her words has the dam breaking. “I…I…”
“Oh, sweetheart.”
She pulls me in for a hug and holds me as I cry. Buckets of tears fall as I try to suck in deep breaths to no avail. Mom strokes my hair, holding me close.
The only thing that calms me down is the faint scent of strawberries from the lotion that Mom always uses.
“Deep breaths. Deep breaths,” she whispers into my ear.
I nod, sucking them in the best I can. Mom guides me back to the couch and pulls me down into her arms.
“Can you tell me what happened?”
And I do. I spill everything to her.
“In the span of a few months, I went from having a boyfriend, to him cheating on me with my roommate and dumping me, to actually finding a boyfriend that I love when it wasn’t supposed to be real and then being threatened by the ex’s current girlfriend that she’ll ruin everything if I don’t break up with Cash so Duncan doesn’t want me anymore.”
It comes out in a rush, but it’s the only way I can get it out.
“That’s a lot to unpack there.”
“How do I keep getting myself into these situations?” I mutter into my mom’s arms.
“I have a question,” Mom tells me.
“Only one?” I laugh, wiping away the tears. My eyes burn from all the crying.
She smirks at me, tucking a stray piece of hair behind my ear. “Fine. The first question. How do you really feel about Cash?”
My eyes flit to the TV where it’s still paused on his face. He’s like the sun, pulling me in. Not letting me go. “I love him.”
It’s the easiest words I’ve ever said.
“Then why didn’t you talk to him to try and figure this out?”
“I had to make it believable.” With Ava flitting about the arena, she would’ve caught on if we were pretending. And that would’ve screwed everything else up.
“Oh, sweetheart. Maybe try talking to Cassie. See if there’s anything she can do?”
Her tone is hopeful, but I don’t know what she would be able to do.
“Maybe.”
“So you’re just going to be brokenhearted for the rest of your life? If I did that, I wouldn’t have you.”
“Ugh, Mom. I don’t want to hear about your and Dad’s love life.”
Mom couldn’t stop her smile if she tried. “All I’m saying is if I didn’t forgive your father all those years ago, we wouldn’t be here.”
“Can we talk about something else?”
The thought of love right now makes me sick.
“Fine.” Mom flips the game off and turns on an old rerun of Friends.
“You don’t want to watch the game?”
“There’s no sense in making you more miserable tonight by watching the game.”
“You know you’re the best mom, right?”
I don’t know the last time she’s missed one of Noah’s games. When we were growing up, she was always there. Even now, she’s at almost every home game they have. She’s a hockey mom through and through, rarely missing a game.
She drops a kiss on my head and pulls me into her arms again. A place I will gladly stay to feel safe for the night. Comforted. Like my whole world isn’t crashing down on me.
“And don’t you ever forget it.”