Chapter 21 #2
“Miss,” I hear him speak through gritted teeth, and Wilson just looks at him like he’s an annoying gnat. “If you’re done talking to him, could I please have a minute alone with your…friend?”
With the sweetest smile I can muster, I nod at the two of them.
“Have a nice day, sir,” I say to the officer before flipping Wilson off as I turn and walk away, finally making my way to the bathroom.
Rushing into a stall, I take care of my business, my hands shaking as I struggle to button my jeans.
Hell, that man is obviously bad for my health, leaving my heart racing and hands clammy. Quickly washing my hands, I stand there for a second splashing water on my face before looking at myself in the mirror. As hard as that was, I’m proud. I stood up for myself, and months ago I wouldn’t have.
When I head back to my table, thankfully I don’t see him anywhere, just a concerned Quinn looking for me.
“Everything okay?” Quinn she asks as she looks me over, and hopefully the flush on my cheeks is finally gone after my little run in with Wilson.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I tell her, forcing a smile, let’s head out so we can say hi before game time. I’m supposed to meet everyone over there in twenty minutes anyways.”
I grab my stuff and put down money to pay for our things, doing my best to be on time today.
When I turn to look back at Quinn, she’s watching me cautiously, and I’m afraid she already knows what just happened. But if she finds out, she’d tell Levi. If she tells Levi, then it’ll become a problem, and the boys will quite literally make him pay. On and off the ice.
As nice as that seems, Wilson is not worth it.
“Miss Ally! You’re here!” Lucas cheers as I head into the row they’re all sitting in, fully decked out in Firebirds gear, all supporting Cooper, and it’s cute, especially Lucas with the foam finger.
“I am, bud!” I say as I give him a hug. Turning to his grandparents, I offer my hand, introducing myself with a smile to Cooper’s parents. “It’s so nice to finally meet you.”
“Likewise, Miss Ally. Lucas and Cooper told us nothing but incredible things. We are so happy to finally get to meet you,” his dad says while his mom looks at me with a twinkle in her eye.
I’m sure the excitement is because of being at her son’s game and spending time with Lucas.
It must have her in the best mood because she’s looking at me all giddy, like this is the best day of her life.
“Did you guys get all settled at the hotel?” I ask them, but Lucas jumps in.
“We did! And grandma said I could order as much room service as I want!” He cheers while we just laugh.
“Grandma! Miss Ally is not wearing anything for Daddy. Do you have the jersey I brought her?” he says as he tugs on her arm.
With a smile, she turns to her bag and starts riffling through it for something.
“Don’t you think she needs to wear it? Daddy let me borrow it and said she could wear it if she wanted to! ”
I look at them, then to the blue jersey I recognize well.
The name Johnson is boldly written across the back, and my cheeks heat.
They want me to wear this? I wouldn’t even wear Wilson’s jersey when I was dating him because it never went with the look he wanted, and he always gave me a hard time.
Most guys wanted their girls in their jerseys, but he just wanted arm candy.
But with Cooper?
This feels different.
“Sure, why not.” I shrug before pulling the jersey over my shirt, smiling back at Lucas who’s looking so pleased with himself.
“Now we’re ready to watch the game.”
The first period is pretty calm, not too much drama going on—although I’d be lying if I said I don’t hold my breath every time Wilson is on the ice. The fear of what he will do consumes me.
I know it’s just a game, but Cooper’s whole family is here.
I’m here. Wilson doesn’t understand that or care for that matter.
He doesn’t care about anything but himself, so I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried.
I should probably unpack that, figure out why things feel different with Cooper.
Thankfully for everyone involved though, we made it to the end of the second period, tied one to one with minimal fighting—and nothing involving Coop.
But the third period? It’s an entirely different game, the players on the ice no longer just going for the puck, but instead going for blood.
Literally.
Checking against the boards more times than I could count, sticks being used to trip each other, and gloves dropping on the ice two times already, earning both teams a penalty.
But none of that matters until I watch Wilson hop over the edge to get on the ice, and instead of skating towards the puck, he beelines it down towards Cooper, shouting at his teammates to pass him the puck.
When they do, he snatches it and skates full speed ahead, directly at Cooper in goal.
He doesn’t slow down, doesn’t try to follow the rules and avoid the goalie.
No, he slams into Cooper as fast as he can, flattening them both on the ice.
Wilson ends up on top, and that’s when everything goes to shit.
Wilson drops his gloves and starts swinging, Cooper’s gear getting in the way of him blocking the punches.
Wilson’s fist makes contact with Cooper’s helmet over and over.
I hate it.
My eyes well with tears as I watch the rest of the players jump in, each finding someone and dropping their gloves.
I sit there, watching Lucas witness my ex throwing punches at his father…because of me. I realize I can’t be there anymore. I can’t watch this happen to someone I care about.
Turning to Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, I interrupt, needing to get out of here before I somehow get roped into staying.
I’m hoping I can avoid seeing anyone from the team because they all know this is happening because of me.
Even when I’m not working for the Firebirds, I still find a way to screw things up.
“I’m really sorry to do this, but my head is pounding. Are you good if I head home for the evening? Lucas is staying with you guys tonight, right?”
“Miss Ally, are you okay?” Lucas says as he looks up at me. My eyes well with tears as I watch the fight on the ice getting worse and worse, Cooper still on the ground with Levi skating up, but I’ve seen enough as Wilson cocks his elbow back again for another blow to the face.
I can’t watch this.
Looking back at his parents, they must see the pain in my eyes—although they hopefully just assume it’s my “headache” and not the pain of watching the man I’m falling for being assaulted on the ice by someone I thought I cared about in the past. Either way, his mom reaches over and grabs my hand.
“We’ve got this sweetie; take care of yourself,” she says with a smile—one that has me questioning if she believes my story, but I’m too emotional to care.
I just want to get out of here, now. I thought I was making so much progress, but this just proves that I’m always going to be the problem.
This is all my fault. Everything that happened tonight is just another example of how I cause pain to the people I care about, even if I’m not the one actually throwing the punches.
I should come with a warning sign: hazard to health.
Grabbing my stuff, I turn and give Lucas a hug before saying goodbye to Cooper’s parents one more time, thanking them again, before I turn and I’m gone.
Racing up the steps, I find the nearest exit and run, doing everything I can to get out of the arena as fast as possible, while doing my best to avoid seeing what’s happening on the ice.
I can’t watch it.
All I have to do is get to his place and grab my purse.
The rest of it can stay; I just need my keys to get home That’s it.
I thought I was being practical earlier and left it behind, just bringing my wallet with Lucas’s stuff.
I knew I’d be with everyone all night anyway, and I could just run in later on when I went to pick up my car.
Now it feels like a stupid decision. I just need to get in and out before Cooper gets home.
It should be fine since it’s only the start of the third period—but knowing my luck?
He’ll walk through the door the second I step inside.
And I really, really don’t have the energy to deal with that right now.
Just today Quinn pointed out how much happier I’ve been lately, something we both realize is because of my time with Cooper and Lucas.
Who would have thought that I, a girl who let some stupid boy convince her she was bad with kids, have actually grown to love this sweet little four-year-old?
Cooper on the other hand…I’m pretty sure it’s the butterflies I get when he’s around that I can attribute to my happiness.
Well, that and the fact that he’s the only man in the entire world who was able to prove to me that my body wasn’t broken, and now before I’ve even had a chance to explore that more—if he even wanted to—Wilson has gone and ruined it.
I really did hope this time would be different. That maybe, just maybe, I’d found someone, and I wouldn’t screw it all up like I always do. But instead, I’m responsible for Cooper getting hurt. And if Wilson’s threat means anything, it won’t be the last time.
Which is exactly why I need to go back to keeping my distance. Maybe Cooper had the right idea these past few days—short texts and careful words. Maybe that’s how we protect each other. Maybe that’s for the best.
But if it’s for the best, then why are my eyes blurry, filled with tears as I climb in an Uber? Why are my cheeks soaked when I finally make it to Cooper’s house, wiping them dry as I walk through the front door?
Maybe because for the first time in my life, I’m running not just to protect myself, but to protect him and Lucas, too.