Chapter 22
TWENTY-TWO
HENRY
IS CAT DADDY GOING TO SPANK US?
December passed in the blink of an eye, which was surprising, because I thought being on the bench would have made time move ridiculously slow.
But I kept training—hard. It helped me stay out of my head, for the most part.
I was also busy every second of every day, and I had Kennedy to thank.
Every moment I spent in Chicago, I was either teaching the kids how to skate or doing volunteer work.
The press died down significantly, but there were still random articles here and there about our relationship.
It’d been almost two weeks since Kennedy and I had our…
moment. And I couldn’t lie, I wanted a repeat.
I was dying to get an actual taste of her.
To run my hands all over her body and get my fill.
I was hungry—and desperate—to make her mine.
But between her work schedule and my away games, making time for ourselves was almost impossible.
“Val,” Kennedy called out, exasperated. “Wasn’t one of the concession managers supposed to bring the popcorn machine and hot chocolate materials? Didn’t you schedule that with her?”
Family skate was starting in about an hour, and Kennedy had been running around, stressed out of her mind.
Hayes and I tried to help, but one thing you should do when Kennedy was pissed off?
Avoid her at all costs. Not that I’d applied the rule to myself.
I was like a lost puppy, following her around in case she needed anything.
Val frowned. “I did.” She brought her phone out of her white puffer jacket. “Let me text her.”
“I’m going to have some very pissed-off kids if those snacks don’t magically appear,” she murmured, rubbing her temples. Her eyes found mine, and she gave me a confused frown. “What are you still doing here? Aren’t the guys playing? Go with them.”
“Hell, no. I’m not trying to smell like death before Family Skate starts.”
“You play every year,” she deadpanned.
I smirked and took a risk by closing the distance between us and wrapping my arms around her waist. I couldn’t help it. Touching her had become a necessity. “I know, but I have a hot date this year. I don’t want her to think I’m disgusting.”
She laughed, her eyes meeting mine with mirth. “Sorry to break it to you, pretty boy, but every time you come home from a game with that bag perched on your shoulders, I think you’re disgusting.” She scrunched her nose. “You need a new one.”
My heart all but leaped out of my chest when she said home. It made me happy to know she believed that place was hers as much as it was mine.
I huffed a laugh. “I can’t help it.”
“Because of your athlete’s foot and all?” she asked with a tilt of her head, her tone filled with amusement.
I gasped. “I can’t believe you’re throwing that at my face!”
“Oh, come on! The joke was right there.” She laughed. “I had to take the opportunity.”
“You do love to humble me.”
She casually shrugged one shoulder, giving me one of those smiles I was obsessed with. The one where the corners of her eyes crinkled.
Val approached us. “Uhm, I have bad news.”
Kennedy tensed beneath my touch and turned around. “What happened?”
“Matt told her the event got rescheduled, so…” Val cringed.
“No popcorn or hot chocolate for the kids.” She tilted her head back with a groan. “Great.”
“Why did Matt do that?” Fucking asshole. I knew I hated that guy for a reason. This was one of Kennedy’s favorite events, she always went all out to make it special for everybody.
“Because he has a petty vendetta against—”
“That’s enough out of you, Val,” Kennedy said sternly.
Val clamped her mouth shut and gave me an exasperated look.
I didn’t know what the hell was happening, or why Matt decided to do what he did. But what I knew for certain was I’d do anything for Kennedy.
I turned her around and gripped her chin, forcing her to look at me. “Hey, it’ll be okay. I will go with the guys to the grocery store and buy bags of popcorn, candy, and everything we can think of. You guys have a microwave in the employees’ breakroom, right?”
“Right!” Kennedy exclaimed, her eyes sparkling.
Hell. I’d always liked her brown eyes, but the happiness radiating from them made them even better.
I gave her a soft smile and leaned forward, taking yet another risk by dropping a quick kiss on her plush, soft lips. They tasted like strawberries, and I had to hold myself back and not kiss the fuck out of her in front of her best friend.
What could I say? I liked staking my claim on my fake girlfriend.
“Perfect. Have the equipment manager bring all the tables out and everything. I’ll go right now and hopefully, we can have everything ready in time.”
Before I could turn around, Kennedy’s hand wrapped around my bicep to stop me. Her touch sent a spark through me, igniting every nerve.
My eyes found hers, and she smiled at me so brightly, it made my chest ache like cupid himself had shot me with a fucking arrow right smack in the center of my heart. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“Anything for you, Kenny baby.”
Twenty minutes later, we were six hockey players scattered all over the grocery store on an early Sunday afternoon. We divided ourselves into pairs and came up with a strategy.
My goal? To make a certain five-foot-eleven, beautiful, curly-chestnut-haired woman happy.
“How’s it going with you and Kennedy?” Donovan asked as he grabbed a few marshmallow bags and dropped them in the cart.
I hadn’t exactly been updating any of the guys on what was happening.
Not even Hayes. Selfishly, I wanted to keep those moments for myself.
More than anything, I knew how risky it would be to divulge information.
It wasn’t that I didn’t trust the guys. I knew they would take the secret to their graves, but there was too much riding on this. The less they knew, the better.
“It’s going good. How’s Aurora? Is she coming today?” I asked, trying to deflect.
“She said she wasn’t feeling well. I tried bringing Isaac with me, but you know how teenagers are. They’d rather hang out with their friends than their old man.”
“Dude, you’re only thirty-five. Shut up.”
Donovan laughed, but we had been teammates for long enough for me to notice it was forced. “Having a kid at a young age doesn’t exempt you from being called old when they’re in their teens.”
“You all right?” I didn’t press the Aurora situation any further, nor did I mention the fact we were two and a half months into the season, and we had yet to see her at a home game. She used to go to all of them religiously.
He cleared his throat. “Yeah. I’m just under a lot of stress with the season and all.”
A pang of guilt hit me out of nowhere, and I dropped my head with a nod. “That makes sense. I’m sorry.”
He gripped my shoulder. “Hey, look at me.” When I did, he shook his head. “We’re not going to do this. What do I always say?”
“We win as a team, and lose as a team,” I mumbled.
He nodded like a proud dad. “Exactly. So get your head out of your ass and keep working on your reputation.”
“Kennedy is doing all the heavy work, I’m just showing up where she wants me.” I laughed.
“She’s damn good at her job.”
“That she is,” I beamed.
“You like her a lot.” He pointed it out like a statement, not a question.
I gripped the back of my neck with a sheepish shrug. “She’s cool, I guess.”
“You want me to drop the topic, don’t you?” He grinned.
“Yes, please.”
“Just…be careful, okay?” He pursed his lips in doubt. “I know a lot of people have this perception of Kennedy that she’s mean or whatever, but she’s a nice girl.”
“I know,” I whispered.
She was too good for me, but I was too selfish to let her go.
“Can you guys stop fucking around?” I shouted at Hayes and Parker. They had been getting on my last nerve since we got back from the store.
“Ohh, is Cat Daddy getting angry?” Hayes asked, faking a shiver.
“Is Cat Daddy going to spank us?” Parker threw an exaggerated wink my way.
“Here I thought you were a sensible man,” I mumbled to Parker as I placed the red cups upside down on the table.
“Sensible men can also have fun,” Hayes chimed in.
“What the hell do you know about being sensible?” Owens asked dryly.
“I’ll have you know, I’m a kind, sensible, and generous man. Tell him why, Anderson.”
I scoffed. “Debatable.”
He crossed his arms, visibly offended. “Oh, so I guess having your sister as my roommate isn’t a generous thing to do at all?”
Morgan was in the middle of pouring the hot chocolate into all the thermoses we bought, but his eyes flicked to mine in shock. “Olivia is moving here?”
I nodded. “Whatever happened with Holt was bad enough that she wants a fresh start. She’ll be here probably by next season. If not before.”
“Why isn’t she moving in with you?” Owens asked.
“I offered to turn Sush’s room into another guest room, but you know my sister.
” I rolled my eyes at the reminder of the lengthy discussion we had about it.
“I managed to convince her to live with Hayes for a few months until she gets back on her feet. That way I can keep an eye on her without invading her space, you know?”
Morgan whistled. “Bold move, Anderson.”
“Terrible,” Owens added.
“Hey!” Hayes frowned. “I’ve known Olivia since we were like fourteen. We were neighbors when they moved to Oklahoma.”
Morgan nodded thoughtfully. “So she can see past your bullshit, got it. That makes more sense.”
“Have you forgotten how she and Hayes get whenever they are in a room together?” Parker added. “There’s no way Hayes would try anything with her.”
Parker wasn’t wrong. Being around my best friend and my sister was exhausting. They bickered every second they were around each other. It was always best to walk away.
“Plus, Hayes knows better than to get with my sister.”
Parker perked up. “So if Hayes isn’t—”
I shot him a withering glare. “I dare you to finish that sentence, Levi James Parker.”
“Middle name and everything?” Hayes whistled. “Count your days, dude.”
Parker had the decency to look embarrassed as he mumbled, “Sorry.”
“That goes for all of you.” I looked around the room. “My sister is off fucking limits.”
Hayes threw a piece of popcorn in the air and caught it with his mouth. “I don’t think you have to worry about that. Olivia would make half of these grown men cry.”
I smirked at his comment.
He wasn’t wrong. Which was why I was still confused as to why she was leaving New York. Olivia had never been the type to run from her problems. I also knew how much she adored working as an athletic trainer with the Jaguars. But I couldn’t lie. I was excited to have her close. I missed her.
I clasped my hands. “Enough about my sister, let’s finish this before everyone gets here.”