Chapter Twenty Carter
Chapter Twenty
Carter
The closest place to watch the press conference is in the player’s lounge. Half the team are here to show their support for Olivia.
Derek sits beside me, arms crossed. Tank’s pacing behind the couch. Marcus perches on the arm rest, eyes glued to the screen. Even some of the coaching staff filter in, standing along the back wall.
Everyone wants to see Olivia clear her name.
“She looks terrified,” Derek mutters.
“She’s not.” I lean forward, studying her face on the screen. “She’s focused.”
And she is. Standing beside Mark at that podium, spine straight, chin up, looking every inch the professional I know her to be.
The woman who walked into a police station at four in the morning to bail me out.
The woman who coached me through press conferences and charity events and every PR disaster the team threw at her.
The woman I love.
Mark finishes reading the statement, and the room erupts with questions. Olivia steps up to the microphone, and my heart hammers.
“I’ll take your questions now,” she says, and her voice doesn’t waver.
A reporter in the front row jumps in first. “Ms. Rivers, how do you respond to the accusations you manipulated Carter Storm?”
“I didn’t manipulate anyone.” Her voice is clear, steady.
“Carter and I developed feelings for each other over time while working together. It wasn’t planned, orchestrated, or calculated.
It just happened. And yes, we should have disclosed our relationship to the organization sooner.
But everything else in that article, the claims that I leaked information, that I used my position to pursue him, that I had ulterior motives, all of it was fabricated by someone who wanted to profit from lies. ”
Another reporter: “But you were assigned to shadow Mr. Storm. Doesn’t that create a conflict of interest?”
“It could have, if I’d let my personal feelings interfere with my professional judgment.
But I didn’t.” She pauses, gathering herself.
“Every decision I made regarding Carter’s public image was based on what was best for him and for the team.
Nothing more. And anyone who’s worked with me over the past two years knows I take my job seriously.
I don’t compromise my ethics for anyone. ”
“Damn right,” Marcus mutters beside me.
A female reporter stands. “Ms. Rivers, what do you say to people who claim you’re just a former model who slept her way into this position?”
The question hits below the belt, and I see Olivia’s jaw tighten. But she doesn’t flinch.
“I say they don’t know me. And they don’t know what it took for me to get here.
” Her voice gains strength. “Yes, I was a model. I spent years in an industry that valued my appearance over my intelligence. When that career ended, I could’ve walked away and lived off my savings.
But I didn’t. I went back to school, earned my degree in communications and worked my way up from intern to assistant to specialist. I’ve earned every single opportunity I’ve been given through hard work and dedication. ”
She pauses, scanning the room.
“So, to anyone who thinks I’m just a pretty face who got lucky, you’re wrong. I’m a professional who happens to have fallen in love with someone I work with. And while I regret the timing, I don’t regret him. I won’t apologize for that.”
The room erupts again, reporters shouting over each other.
“Hell yeah,” Derek says, grinning.
Tank stops pacing. “She’s killing it.”
Mark steps back to the podium, taking control. “That’s all the questions we’re taking today. We’ll be releasing the full documentation to the media within the hour. Thank you.”
The feed cuts, switching to news anchors discussing what just happened. I’m already on my feet, heading for the door.
“Storm, where are you going?” Derek calls.
“To find her.”
I take the stairs two at a time, heading toward the conference room. Staff members are already flooding the hallways, buzzing with excitement. I hear fragments of conversation as I push past.
“Did you see her face?”
“She didn’t back down once.”
“That’s our Olivia.”
I round the corner and nearly collide with Ralph.
“Storm.” He grabs my arm. “She’s in Mark’s office. Give them a few minutes.”
“Is she okay?”
“She’s better than okay.” Ralph’s expression is approving. “She was brilliant. Professional, composed, and she didn’t let them bait her into saying anything she’d regret. Mark’s probably offering her a raise right now.”
Relief floods through me. “Good. She deserves it.”
“She does.” Ralph releases my arm. “Give them ten minutes. Then you can go play hero.”
I pace the hallway, checking my phone every thirty seconds even though I know she probably hasn’t looked at hers yet. Other players filter past, offering congratulations, slapping my shoulder.
“Your girl’s got balls,” Tank says.
“Don’t I know it.”
Finally, after what feels like an eternity, Mark’s office door opens. Olivia steps out, and the smile on her face nearly brings me to my knees.
She sees me, and her smile widens. “Hi.”
“Hi.” I close the distance between us. “You were incredible.”
“I was terrified.”
“Didn’t show.” I cup her face, searching her eyes. “How do you feel?”
“Like I can breathe again.” She laughs. “Mark took me off administrative leave. Said I can come back to work tomorrow if I want. And he apologized. Actually apologized for not trusting me.”
“Good. He should have.”
“Carter—” She stops as staff members approach, offering congratulations and support. She accepts graciously, thanking everyone, but I can see the exhaustion starting to creep in.
I take her hand. “Let’s get you out of here.”
“I should probably—”
“No. You should probably come with me.” I guide her toward the exit. “You’ve done enough for today.”
We make it to the parking garage before the press can intercept us. Once we’re in my truck, Olivia sags against the seat, all the adrenaline seeming to drain out at once.
“I can’t believe that’s over,” she whispers.
“It’s not quite over. There’s still going to be follow-up. More press. Questions about us.” I start the engine. “But the hard part? The part where people thought you were some manipulative monster? That’s done. You ended it.”
“We ended it. Carol ended it.”
“You ended it,” I repeat firmly. “By standing up there and refusing to let them make you small. By defending yourself and us without apologizing for who you are.” I reach over, lacing my fingers through hers. “I’ve never been more proud of anyone in my life.”
Tears well in her eyes. “Don’t make me cry. I’m wearing mascara.”
“Waterproof?”
“Not that waterproof.”
I bring her hand to my lips, kissing her knuckles. “Where do you want to go? Your place? Mine?”
“Yours. I don’t want to be alone right now.”
“You won’t be. I’m not letting you out of my sight for at least the next twenty-four hours.”
She laughs, wiping her eyes. “Only twenty-four?”
“Let’s start there and see how it goes.
The drive to my house is quiet. Olivia stares out the window, processing everything that happened. I let her have the silence, just keeping my hand on her thigh, a constant reminder I’m here.
When we pull through my gates, she finally speaks. “What happens now?”
“Now?” I park and turn to face her. “Now we figure out what we want. Together.”
“What do you want?”
“You. In every way I can have you.” I unbuckle my seatbelt, shifting to face her fully. “I want to wake up next to you. Fall asleep with you. Fight with you and make up with you. I want to be there for your bad days and your good days and every boring day in between.”
Her breath catches. “Carter—”
“I want you to move in with me.” The words tumble out before I can second-guess them. “I know it’s fast. I know we’ve only been together for a few weeks. But I don’t care. I want you here. In this house. Making it feel like an actual home instead of just a place I sleep.”
“You want me to move in?”
“Yes. Tomorrow, if you’ll do it.” I take her hand.
“Look, I know my career is winding down. I know there’s uncertainty about what comes next.
But the one thing I’m absolutely certain about is you.
Us. I don’t want to waste time being careful or taking things slow.
I want to live with you. Build a life with you. Figure out the future together.”
She’s quiet for so long that panic starts to creep in. Maybe I pushed too hard. Maybe it’s too soon. Maybe—
“Okay.”
I blink. “Okay?”
“Okay, I’ll move in with you.” A smile spreads across her face. “You’re right. Life’s too short to be careful. And I don’t want to spend another night without you.”
Relief crashes over me, so intense it’s almost painful. I pull her across the console, kissing her hard. She kisses me back just as fiercely, her hands in my hair, both of us grinning against each other’s mouths.
“You’re sure?” I ask when we finally break apart.
“I’m sure. But Carter? We need to tell Mark. Officially. No more hiding, no more secrets.”
“Agreed. We’ll tell him tomorrow.” I kiss her again, softer this time. “But tonight? Tonight is just for us.”
We climb out of the truck and head inside. The house feels different already, it feels warmer and brighter just knowing she’s going to be living here.
Olivia kicks off her heels in the foyer, the professional mask finally slipping away. “I need to get out of this suit.”
“I can help with that.”
She laughs. “I bet you can. But first, I need food. I haven’t eaten since those pastries this morning.”
“On it.” I head for the kitchen. “What do you want?”
“Surprise me.”
I pull out ingredients for pasta, something simple but filling. While the water boils, I watch Olivia wander through the living room, already making mental notes about what she wants to change. She pauses at the bookshelf, studying the photos there.
“Is this your family?” she calls.
“Yeah. Parents, sister, couple of nephews.”
“They’re going to want to meet me, aren’t they?”