Chapter 51
Chapter Fifty-One
NATHAN
I give Chris a ride back to my place, gripping the steering wheel tightly as I drive, lost in thought.
The pain in my leg has been steadily increasing over the past forty-eight hours. It struck up last night while I walked up the stairs with Riley to her apartment and again when I caught Riley as she was slipping on that puddle in her garage.
Both times, I intentionally distracted myself and Riley by kissing her through the intense, sharp strikes of pain.
Believe it or not, Riley’s lips offer temporary relief.
But I won’t always have the opportunity to grab Riley for a kiss and the throbbing is now lingering long after the initial stab of white-hot pain. When leaving Riley, I had to grit my teeth to keep the discomfort from my face.
I don’t think she noticed.
I hope she didn’t.
If Riley finds out that something is wrong with my leg, she’ll want to force me to the hospital and who knows what those doctors will tell me? They were gung-ho about me never playing hockey again and insisting I shouldn’t bother trying to put my skates back on.
No way.
I won’t let them derail my plans.
After I take Chris to the airport this afternoon, I’ll drop by the pharmacy and get the strongest pain killers I can find.
Max will be announcing the Lucky Strikers picks any minute now. I’m so close to my dream. I can’t afford to let it slip away.
Chris breaks the silence. “You okay, Nat? You’re sweating, bro.”
“Am I?” I wind up the windows and crank on the air conditioner.
I had the windows down because Chris called my smell ‘offensive’. Since I’ve been dating Riley, I’ve fallen in love with the smell of auto repair. It’s calming to me, so I don’t get the fuss.
The rumble of the engine and the cadence of the tires rolling over the road lulls me into a worried daze.
Chris clears his throat, breaking the silence.
“Given the way you were all over my sister, I’m assuming you’re serious about her?” Chris’s usually jovial expression is replaced with stern scrutiny. “I’m assuming you’re not just looking for a good time?”
“Riley is the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with,” I say firmly. “I’m not confused about that.”
Chris’s shoulders relax. “So you’re doing it? You’re settling down… with Riley?” His voice has a tinge of disbelief.
“Yes, if she’ll have me.” I still remember Riley’s words about wanting to focus on her career for the time being. I’m willing to adjust to her timeline, as long as I get her in the end.
“So you respect her job? You don’t expect her to drop everything and follow you around when your career starts picking up?”
I shake my head. “I support her and I’ll protect her dreams, even if it costs me everything.”
“Including hockey?”
I swallow hard because, if my pain continues, that choice might be taken away from me. “Including hockey.”
Chris bobs his head and I can tell I’ve been approved. “I joke with Riley to keep things lighthearted, but she’s my sister. I don’t want to see her hurt and I won’t forgive anyone who hurts her.” His eyes drill into me. “Even you.”
I offer a tight-lipped smile as the pain strikes me again. “What about you?” I turn the spotlight on him. “You and Nicole getting serious?”
The diversion works and Chris dives into a speech about his girlfriend that lasts until we get to my place.
Renea is waiting for us in the living room.
I’m pretty confident I can hide my pain well enough from my agent since I did it so successfully with Riley and Chris.
“I heard the Lucky Strikers final roster conference is tomorrow,” Renea says, her eyes narrowing slightly.
“Huh. That was fast.” I reach into the fridge and grab a water bottle.
“They’re rushing to enter a tournament that’s next week. It’s last minute. It’s disorganized. That Max guy who owns the team, he’s got his foot on the gas. It’s making him reckless. I don’t think it’s a good fit.”
“Max held a training camp to find the best players for the league qualifiers. Now that he has an idea who his team will be, he’s aiming for the league.
I don’t see a problem with the timeline.
” I search my cabinet for the pain pills that I keep for headaches.
It will tide me over until I can get to the pharmacy.
Renea’s heels click on the tiles as she follows me around the counter. “You’re not in the same position that you were when you first came to Lucky Falls, Nat. You have options. A European team reached out—”
“I’m not going to Europe, Renea.” My voice whips through the quiet kitchen.
Renea’s lips get so thin that it looks like she erased them from her face.
I gentle my tone. “I appreciate the way you’re looking out for me. I owe you a lot and I’m willing to work with you as long as our interests align, but I won’t leave Lucky Falls and if Max calls my name tomorrow, I’m taking the spot. The Lucky Strikers is the team I want to play with.”
Renea inhales shakily. “Fine. If that’s what you want, then I won’t argue.”
“Thanks, Renea.”
“Don’t thank me. I think this is the wrong decision for your career but…” She stares at the ground. “I still remember how weak you were after the surgery, and how you came out fighting at PT. You fell hundreds of times trying to walk again. Your arms were filled with bruises from falling, Nat.”
Renea stops and takes in a shaky breath. “You fought your way back to your feet. You deserve to choose where you want to play. I won’t stand in the way of that.”
Seeing that she’s getting emotional, I give Renea a warm hug.
“I won’t let you down, Renea.” I promise her. “The Lucky Strikers and I are going all the way to the top. You’ll see.”
Renea nods and pulls away from me to dot at her runny makeup.
After that, Chris emerges with his suitcases.
“Are you going to the airport already?” I ask, stunned.
“Renea offered me a seat on a private jet.” Chris hoists his suitcases high. “And my answer was ‘yes please’.”
“A private jet?” I raise both eyebrows. “The agency has a jet?”
“It’s not mine. There’s been a… a certain gentleman who’s been trying to get my attention for years. I was busy with other things, but after seeing you and Riley…” Renea’s eyes dart to me and then away.
“I’m happy for you, Renea.” I grin excitedly. The pain pills are starting to kick in and it makes me want to run a lap for the joy of it.
“Well, we should get going,” Renea says. She gives me a wave and heads to the door.
Chris edges past me with his suitcase. “May you and Riley’s love continue to inspire more people like this.” He laughs. “I’ll text you from the jet.”
“Chris, before you go, I wanted to mention something.”
My best friend sets his suitcases on the ground.
I lower my voice. “Riley told me the reason she quit her job and moved to Lucky Falls. And before you ask, I can’t tell you what it is, but I will say that she intentionally kept things vague for a reason. She doesn’t want your family making a big deal out of it and digging up the past.”
I give him a look that says ‘do you catch my drift’?
“It might be too late for that. Uncle Will said he was already hearing weird rumors about Riley making a mistake. Apparently, the AMT world is a small community.”
“It’s very important that you talk him down from investigating deeper, Chris. Riley doesn’t want the matter tampered with.”
“Got it.” He salutes. “I’ll physically restrain him if I have to. Tell Riley not to give this a second thought.”
I believe he’ll try his best. Riley is as important to Chris as she is to me.
Actually, I might care about Riley a tad more than her brother does, but that’s the competitive spirit in me wanting to win.
Chris and I bump shoulders and tap each other on the back in our classic greeting and then he’s out the door.
Alone in the house, I pull my jeans up to reveal more of the scars covered by my Death Note tattoo. The leg isn’t visibly inflamed or anything, so I figure that I’m fine for now.
“Just get me through the month.” I talk to my leg as if it understands me. And who knows? They say talking to plants makes them grow, so why wouldn’t talking to my leg give it good vibes?
At this point, I’m desperate.
“The pick is tomorrow, and after that is league qualifiers. Just get me through the qualifiers and I’ll take you to the doctor and get you fixed up then.”
My leg doesn’t respond, obviously.
But if it did, it would probably call me a liar.
Because we both know that I’m not going back to the doctor. I narrowly escaped their harsh diagnosis once.
I won’t get so lucky again.