Chapter 56
CHAPTER
FIFTY-SIX
CHANCE
May and Rebel show up at the same time to visit Mr. Brooks. I’m forced to let April go so she can escort her best friend and sister into the nursing home.
The moment the door shuts behind April and I’m left alone, my arms ache with longing.
I’m down bad for this woman.
There’s no other explanation for the way everything in my life feels okay as long as April’s beside me.
Since I came back to town without much of a plan, I decide to get dinner for everyone before checking into a hotel.
Phil’s Burgers is my first stop.
The bell jangles cheerfully behind me when I step in. I nod to all the patrons who stop and smile at me.
“ Chance! Heard you’re back.”
“Welcome home, son!”
“We missed you.”
I wave and return all the greetings with a warm grin.
The teenager behind the counter beams when I walk up. “Hey, Chance.”
“Stella.” I nod.
Stella wipes her hands down the apron with my signature on the front. “Are you really back with the Lucky Strikers?” she asks, punching in my order.
“Yeah, I am.”
She glances up with a barely suppressed smile. “Because of April?”
“Among other things.”
She takes my card.
Mr. Mathews, the town plumber and a fan who’s never missed a Lucky Strikers game, immediately pops up and offers his card instead. “It’s on me.”
“There’s no need, Mr. Mathews.”
“Consider it a welcome home meal,” he says.
“Thank you.”
“Go Strikers!” He pumps two fists and jogs out with his order.
Stella taps away. “So you’re really, really back?”
“I am.”
“To stay? In this small town where nothing ever happens?”
“That’s right.”
Stella rolls her eyes, though she doesn’t stop smiling. “I guess Lucky Falls is more special than I thought.”
I silently agree as I take a seat around a table to wait.
The air feels different tonight and I can’t help comparing it to the day I first rolled into Phil’s Burgers. This time, there are no cameras flashing behind my back. No excited whispers. No subtle pointing in my direction.
A few of the townsfolk wander by and ask me how I’ve been, but that’s the extent of it.
Back then, when someone called my name, it was because they wanted pictures and autographs. Now, every time my name is called, it’s someone who genuinely wants to know me.
It’s startlingly refreshing.
My next stop after Phil’s is The Tipsy Tuna for April’s favorite drink. I’m half-hoping I’ll see my teammates there and, when I recognize Gunner’s truck in the parking lot, I take the stairs two at a time.
“There he is!” Theilan explodes from his seat.
“The prodigal son returns!” Watson is right behind him.
Another teammate bellows, “Chance, is it true! You’re coming back?”
I grin at all the familiar faces. Renthrow isn’t there, though he rarely goes out with the team and spends most of his free time with his daughter, so I’m not surprised by that.
For the next few seconds, I’m trapped in a maze of back-slaps, high-fives and one-armed hugs. When I step back, I realize Gunner isn’t around the table. He’s at the bar instead, accepting a bag of food from Mauve.
The moment the older woman catches my eye, she leaks a big grin.
“Welcome back, Chance,” Mauve says.
Gunner walks toward me, somber as always. His eyes drill into mine. “Couldn’t hack it in the big leagues?”
I laugh. When we first met, that statement would have started a brawl. Now, I slap him on the back.
“I couldn’t let you take back the captain spot.”
Gunner finally smiles a bit.
“Hey, Chance. Get over here and tell us what the heck happened! There are a thousand conspiracy theories online,” Theilan invites, scooting down to make room.
“I can’t stay long. I’ve got plans with April.”
Groans and boos break out from my teammates and I snort at their reaction.
Gunner shakes his head. “Some things never change.”
“Some things never will,” I add confidently.
He takes a step back. “I’ll catch you on the ice, McLanely. We’ll have another discussion about that captain position.”
“I’m always ready for you, Kinsey.” I laugh.
After Gunner leaves, I hang out with my teammates. The guys welcome me back with open arms, and it feels like I never left.
Later, I tear myself away from the guys and drop off the food and drinks at April’s.
“It’s like you read my mind, Chance. Thanks so much,” she says earnestly, wrapping her arms around my neck and giving me a hug.
I reluctantly let her go. “Don’t stay up too late after you eat. Get some sleep. It’s been a long day.”
“Tell me about it.” She tilts her face up with a mischievous smile. “You can still change your mind. I’ll give you a thirty-day money back guarantee.”
Laughing, I tap her nose twice. “What time are you heading to the garage tomorrow?”
“Why? You want to bring me breakfast too?”
“That and I want to drop you off. I need to catch up on all the mornings I missed with you.”
She tilts her head, her hair falling over one shoulder. “You don’t have practice?”
“Max is giving me time to sign a lease tomorrow.”
“A lease, huh? You’re not staying in a hotel this time?”
I loop my arms around her waist. “Don’t get excited, Tink. I’m just renting a place while our house is being built.”
“ Our house?”
“You’re the one who said we weren’t going to find exactly what we wanted unless we built it. So I bought a few acres.”
She pushes me away. “Chance McLanely, you better head home. You’ve made enough important life decisions for one day.”
“It technically wasn’t made in one day. I bought the property before I left for the league?—”
“Good night,” April says, pushing me down the stairs.
I whistle as I open my car. April’s waiting on the stairs when I look over my shoulder. She gives me a wave.
I wave back.
Man, my heart is full.
As if by magic, mom calls as I’m leaving April’s. It’s funny how my mother always seems to know when I’m on an April-high.
“Chance, I saw all the speculations online and made a few calls. Is it true? Are you stepping away from hockey and finally joining the business?”
She sounds so excited that I almost hate to burst her bubble.
“No, mom,” I say gently but firmly, “I’m still playing hockey. I’m moving to Lucky Falls permanently and sticking with the Lucky Strikers.”
“What?” Mom explodes. “That backwater town? You can’t be serious!”
“Lucky Falls is where April is, mom.”
My mother says nothing for a few seconds.
“Are you sure about this, Chance? You’ve never, not once in your life, loved anything more than hockey.”
She’s not wrong. Hockey was my queen, my focus, my everything until I met April. Now, the number one slot in my life belongs to her.
“Final decision?” Mom asks one more time.
“It’s April or nothing, mom.”
She sighs heavily. “Then I suppose… I’ll have to accept your choice. If you’re determined to marry the girl, do it soon and give me grandbabies. Perhaps one of them will be business-minded and we can leave the estates in their name.”
Rather than correcting mom for calling April ‘the girl’, I accept the heart behind her statement. “Thanks, mom. I love you. I’ll call you later.”
She hangs up and will, I’m sure, proceed to call her lawyers and immediately set up trust funds for my unborn children.
As I drive, I think of everyone’s frantic responses compared to my own internal calm.
I hadn’t felt nervous about firing Derek or officially withdrawing from my team. I hadn’t cared about what people would say online or all the spectators who’ll think I’m ‘scared’ to return to the league. I wasn’t terrified of what mom would think of me leaving everything for April, and it didn’t bother me even when April questioned my certainty.
Totally at ease, I crawl into bed that night and fall into a deep, peaceful sleep.
When I wake up the next day, there are hundreds of messages waiting to be read—mostly from journalists, a few agents who are itching to be Derek’s replacement, and broken-hearted fans.
I ignore it all and get ready for the day.
April is waiting for me on her porch when I drive up. She skips down the stairs and automatically reaches for the door.
“Tink,” I say in a warning voice.
She huffs out a breath, rolls her eyes, but waits for me to open her door. I do and watch as she scrambles inside.
“How’d you sleep?” I ask.
“Like a baby,” she answers. “And you?”
I lean toward her. “I slept well, but I got up before dawn. I was too excited.”
“About what? Finding an apartment?”
“About seeing you.”
She rolls her eyes again but a pleased smile flirts with her lips.
I smirk and drive her to the garage, listening to her chat about her plans for the day and her intention to hire May as a marketing director when she graduates in a few weeks.
As I slow down in front of the garage, my eyes stray to the vehicle parked on the curb. Someone steps out of the car and stares us down behind a pair of dark sunshades.
April stops talking.
I go stiff.
“Let me handle this,” I growl, reaching for the door.
“Handle what?” April says, her firm tone making me turn to look at her.
She arches a brow.
I swallow hard. “April, there’s something I haven’t told you.” Inhaling deeply, I admit, “I hired a lawyer before I left for the league. I want to sue Stewart Kinsey.”
A frown stretches across her face. “It took you long enough to tell me.”
“Wait, you knew?”
“It’s a small town, Chance. Did you think you could send a bunch of suits sniffing around Lucky Falls and word wouldn’t spread?”
I lean back in shock. “I… yeah, you’re right. I should have thought of that.”
“How could you sue someone on my behalf without even talking to me?” April folds her arms over her chest.
“I couldn’t sleep knowing Stewart was living his life without consequences after hurting you.”
“Yeah, but that’s not your decision to make. It’s mine.”
“I just?—”
“That was way out of line, Chance. And to make it worse, you kept it a secret from me. I thought you were going to put my name on a formal lawsuit and not actually inform me.”
She’s got me there. “You’re right. That was a bad call. In my defense, I didn’t want you to relive the trauma.”
Her stare remains dark and unwavering.
I hang my head. “But I still should have told you.”
Stewart sees us and takes a step toward our car.
My muscles tense and I reach for the door handle.
April stops me and points at the scowling man outside. “I got it.”
I stare into her determined green eyes and though everything in me wants to protect her, I’m aware that she’s right. She’s got it.
“I’ve got you ,” I tell her. “And I’ll be close by if you need back up. I’m not afraid to punch someone in the face, even if it means getting on the bad side of the Kinseys.”
“Trust me. I know. I appreciate your intentions, Chance, but fist fights and secret lawsuits aren’t going to fix this.”
She undoes her seatbelt, reaches over the console to kiss my cheek and then steps out to meet with Stewart Kinsey.