34. Xander
Iwatch as security drags Ethan’s sorry ass out the entrance of the hotel.
He stands on the sidewalk and glares at the security guys. His face is red as he curses them out, then walks off. I watch him walk across the street, right in front of a car because he didn’t bother to look before he crossed. The car screeches to a halt and honks at him. He flips off the driver before walking off and disappearing out of view.
My heart is hammering in my chest as I watch that piece of shit. Adrenaline is still blasting through me like rocket fuel. My entire body is vibrating with rage and I’m balling my hands into fists just to give myself something to do to. Because what I really want to do is chase down that motherfucker and kick the shit out of him.
My mind flashes back to minutes ago when I saw him grab Sophie. My blood turns to lava.
I remember how she winced in pain as he tightened his grip on her arm.
He hurt Sophie. My Sophie.
My pulse spikes. I force myself to take a deep breath.
She’s okay now.
She’s sitting with Dakota and Maya and Ingrid at one of the tables in the ballroom drinking water and resting.
She’s safe.
I swallow and take another deep breath. That’s all that matters. She is all that matters. Screw everything else.
“Hey.” I turn and see Theo walking up to me. “You okay?”
I nod. “Thanks again for your help earlier.”
“Yeah, of course.” Theo shakes his head and looks off to the side. “What a piece of shit that guy is.” He turns to me again and he frowns like he’s examining me. “You sure you’re alright?”
I start to say that I’m fine, but I stop myself. Theo’s my teammate and my friend. I shouldn’t lie to him.
“I just…seeing that fucker put his hands on Sophie like that…” I shake my head. “I lost it, Theo. I wanted to fucking kill him.”
As a hockey player, I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been in a fight. I’ve gotten pissed off, I’ve been so angry that I couldn’t think straight…
But I’ve never felt like this.
Like every cell in my body was raging. Like I wanted to destroy that guy. Like I wanted to rip him from limb to limb after seeing him hurt Sophie.
Theo doesn’t even blink. He just nods, like he understands completely.
“I get it, man. It’s natural. She’s your girlfriend and you want to protect her.”
My heart thuds in my chest. “Yeah. I do.”
He pats my shoulder. “Sophie needed to go to the bathroom, so Dakota and Maya went with her. Just in case you go back in the ballroom and don’t see her there.”
“Thanks, man.”
Theo walks off. I take a few seconds to breathe through the adrenaline before I go back and check on Sophie. I don’t want her to see me worked up like this.
I start to head back to the ballroom but then I hear someone call my name.
“Hey, Williams.”
I turn around and freeze when I see Coach Porter.
He walks up to me, that familiar lethal frown on his face. When he gets closer, I see the pained look in his eyes.
“I heard about what happened to Sophie,” he says to me.
My stomach drops. He must be going crazy with worry and rage. And he must be pissed at me for not doing a better job of protecting her.
“I-I’m sorry, I?—”
“Stop.” He rests a hand on my shoulder. “Thank you.” He huffs out a breath. “Thank you for protecting my daughter.”
For a few seconds all I can do is stammer, I’m so shocked. I for sure thought he’d be pissed. But he’s thanking me?
“I should have made it to her sooner,” I finally say.
“Don’t do that.” He shakes his head. “You saw her in danger, and you protected her. That’s all the matters.”
He drops his arm and rests it on his hip. His gaze falls to the ground as he lets out a shaky breath.
He looks back at me, his eyes shiny. “Sophie is my whole world.”
“I know.”
“It’s hard not worry about her all the time.” He sighs and blinks quickly. “But knowing she’s with someone like you, who would protect her no matter what, puts me at ease.”
Emotion surges in my chest. “I’ll always protect her. I love her.”
It’s not until a few seconds later that I realize what I’ve said.
I love her.
It just felt so natural to say it—so right.
Other than my family, I’ve never said I loved anyone before.
But I said I love Sophie because it’s true. I feel it in my bones, in my heart, in every breath I take.
I love everything about her. Her smile, her laugh, the freckles on her peaches-and-cream skin. I love the fact that she’s always the smartest person in any room. I love how kind and sweet she is. I love how excited she gets when she’s about to eat a croissant.
I love how she doesn’t give a shit that I’m a hockey star. I love how she cares more that I’m a good person. I love how she makes me feel like I’m enough. I love how she helped me realize that I’m a good son after years of doubting myself.
I love her. So much.
Coach Porter looks at me, his gaze watchful. “You love her?”
I nod. “Yes. I do.”
For a second, he just looks at me, the expression on his face unreadable. And then the corners of his mouth turn up, almost like he’s smiling. Holy shit. I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen him smile.
He claps a hand on my shoulder. “Good.”
And then he walks off.
I stand there, my heart racing for a different reason this time.
Because I’m buzzing, aching to tell Sophie that I love her.