Chapter 19
Roxanne
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Trent greets when he sees me. “I never thought I’d see the day you’d attend one of these shindigs.”
“And you’d be right,” I retort with a smile of my own. “Usually, fancy balls are not my thing, but what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t attend Rex’s farewell party.”
“Whatever the reason, I, for one, am happy you’re here. You look absolutely stunning, Roxanne,” Piper praises, looking incredible in her own strapless dress. “Green is definitely your color.”
“Thank you,” I reply appreciatively. “I thought I’d wear the Guardians green in honor of Rex.”
“I’m sure he’ll appreciate more seeing a friendly face amongst all these vultures than the color of your dress. He hasn’t had a minute to himself since the party started. Everyone is making a final push to extract as much money as possible from him before he leaves for Texas. Parasites, the lot of them,” Trent grumbles in annoyance.
“Are you saying that no one has approached you yet?” I hike a curious brow.
“Why would anyone approach me?”
“Well, you are a co-owner of the Guardians, are you not? With Rex leaving, everyone will start knocking on your door with business proposals and other ventures.”
“I leave it to Lawrence to deal with that side of the business. I have more pressing concerns to worry about than dealing with leeches. Speaking of the devil,” Trent says as his gaze passes over my shoulder, looking at someone who just walked into the ball.
Curious about who Trent is referring to, I turn around and follow his line of sight, my heart fluttering when I see Caleb walking in.
Caleb has always looked handsome in anything he wears, but in a tux… he looks like a dream.
“How is the therapy going?” Trent asks, standing beside me now while my gaze remains glued to Caleb strutting through the large ballroom.
“What?”
“Therapy, Roxanne. How is Caleb’s therapy going,” Trent repeats, his dark brows furrowing.
“Good. It’s good. I’ve seen a lot of improvement,” I reply, displeased at my voice for coming out all wobbly and shaken.
“I’m going to talk to him,” Piper says with utter resolve.
“Piper,” Trent calls, gently holding onto her elbow before she takes a step. “Maybe tonight isn’t the best night to talk to Caleb,” he warns.
“Why not? You heard Roxanne. She says he’s improving. Maybe he’ll be open to talking to me. You don’t know.”
But before Trent is able to stop her, Piper heads right in towards Caleb without sparing her boyfriend a second look.
“God, the woman is stubborn when she wants to be. Which, in her case, is all the time.”
“I thought that was one of the reasons you fell in love with her,” I taunt, grabbing a champagne flute from a passing waiter.
“It is. I love her tenacious and stubborn spirit. I just don’t like it when she does things that can break her heart.”
“She’s his friend, Trent. Just because they had a falling out doesn’t mean they stopped caring for each other.” I explain, though I am a little nervous about how he’ll react to such a direct approach.
Caleb didn’t take it very well when Piper signed Bellamy Van Rhyne onto Elite Sports and helped him sign with the Boston Guardians. To Caleb, it all felt like a brutal betrayal, and I’m not sure if he’s past it.
But I have seen a yearning in him to mend his friendships lately, so hopefully, Piper falls in that category.
However, I do wonder why she would take such a risk of losing one client in favor of another.
Seeing as Trent is somewhat distracted, maybe now is the perfect time to get those answers.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Shoot.”
“Why did Bellamy really return to Boston? I thought he had made a home in New York.”
“Since when do you care about my hires?” Trent responds with a chuckle.
“Since I’m treating not one, but two of your players who have been affected by it.”
“Fair enough,” he says, eyes still laser-focused on his girlfriend. “But what I’m about to tell you dies here. Understand?” It’s only after I nod that he continues. “Bellamy’s daughter has recently been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. She’s currently hospitalized at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute since it has the best treatment program specialized in leukemia.”
“Oh, my god. I had no idea. How old is she?”
“Three.” Trent frowns. “He tried his best to be present by bouncing back and forth between Boston and New York for a while, but no one can do that balancing act for long. So Bellamy decided that family trumped his hockey career and was ready to break his contract with Mavericks just to come home to be with his wife and child. If it hadn’t been for Piper keeping her head to the ground, we would have missed the opportunity to help him. You have to respect a man who puts his family’s needs above his own. And as much as I knew it would hurt Caleb, I don’t regret the decision I made signing Bellamy to the team.”
“Why didn’t you tell Caleb?”
“Why would I need to?” Trent counters, disgruntled by my question. “I’m still the GM of the Guardians, and every decision I make is for the team’s benefit. Caleb should have just accepted his new teammate instead of throwing a fucking tantrum. And firing Piper as his sports agent… Well, that was the straw that broke the camel’s back for me. My patience and understanding can only go so far.”
I thin my lips because I don’t agree with his reasoning.
If Caleb had known the truth, he would have never reacted the way he did.
Sensing where my head is, Trent’s scrutinizing gaze falls away from his girlfriend, who is still trying to maneuver her way through the crowd towards Caleb.
“I would appreciate it if you didn’t tell him either. Bellamy would like his private life to remain as such, and considering all he’s going through, he’s well within his right.”
“It just seems like a shame to me. Especially since both Caleb and Bellamy are going through similar circumstances. They are both just trying to keep it together as they watch helplessly their loved ones fight for their lives.”
“Are you trying to guilt-trip me right now? I would have thought such a manipulative maneuver was beneath you. Maybe Donovan is becoming a bad influence on you.”
“I’m just pointing out a fact,” I rebuke.
“Well, keep your facts to yourself and this whole conversation under lock and key. I don’t want you breaking my trust out of some need to help him see reason. That kid—”
“Man,” I interject, aggravated by him always referring to Caleb as if he were some unruly child.
“Fine. The man ,” he corrects with a roll of his eyes, “needs restraint and discipline if he wants to earn back the respect of his teammates. Then, and only then, will I even consider bringing him back into the fold.”
“I assume that the same goes for Piper as well. He’ll need to earn back her trust, too.”
“You assume correctly.” Trent throws me his signature shark-like grin.
“Happy to hear it because, by the looks of it, the two are patching things up as we speak.”
Trent swiftly pulls his sight off me in search of his girlfriend, and sure enough, when he spots her, he finds her laughing at something Caleb said, looking like dear old friends reunited.
“Hmm,” Trent hums under his breath. “Maybe he’s not as much of a lost cause as I thought.”
“You usually underestimate people. That’s your issue. Not Caleb’s.” I can’t help but smile.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” He waves me off. “Enough with the shrink talk. Best I get my woman away from Caleb’s sight before he thinks she’s up for grabs.”
“Please,” I laugh. “I doubt anyone at this party would think such a thing. The poor woman might as well have a gold choker on her neck with the inscription ‘return to owner if lost’.”
“A choker… I like the sound of that,” Trent smirks, strutting away through the crowd as they part to let him pass.
I continue to laugh as I watch from the sidelines. Trent places his hand on the small of Piper’s back, making sure to stake his claim.
The trio talk for a brief moment before Trent pulls Piper away for a dance, leaving Caleb all by himself. I try not to stare at how incredible he looks tonight, but I’m caught red-handed when his eyes meet mine from across the room. The devilish smile that lifts at the corner of his lips has my stupid heart doing cartwheels in my chest.
Before I can look away and make sense of this feeling, Caleb struts towards me, keeping his gaze always fixed on mine.
“Dr. Seymour, don’t you look lovely this evening,” he says, overly polite.
“As do you, Mr. Donovan. You sure cleaned up nicely.”
“I do, don’t I?” he taunts, his boyish charm coming out as he spins on his heel, giving a little twirl so I can fully appreciate him in his tux.
I laugh at his playful antics and reply, “Yes, you sure do.” I continue to laugh.
His light expression turns heady when he scans my body from head to toe, licking his lips in appreciation.
“I didn’t expect to see you here,” I say, hoping to sway him from looking at me like that.
“I can say the same for you. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you at one of these soirees.”
“How would you know? Maybe I come to them all the time, and you just never noticed.”
“Believe me, with a dress like this, I’d notice.”
I swallow dryly before taking a sip of my champagne.
“So, I see that you and Piper are on good terms,” I say, trying to push this conversation to safer territories.
“Hey, I’m trying. But my redemption tour is going to take a hot minute to complete.”
“No one is expecting things to change overnight. These things take time.”
“What if I don’t want things to go back to how they were before?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean… maybe the guy I was should stay gone. Maybe the version I’m becoming is better.”
My forehead creases at the sad statement.
I grab his arm and give it a light squeeze.
“Whether he does or doesn’t, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you always remain true to yourself and feel comfortable in your own skin. You don’t have to change for anyone. Just be who you are.”
His eyes linger on my hand, touching his arm, before they trail back to my face.
“You really do see the best in people, don’t you? You just can’t help it, huh?”
“No, not exactly. But I do believe that people are born good. Life is the factor that sometimes changes people to become the worst version of themselves,” I reply after removing my hand.
“And what version do you see when you look at me?”
“A young man who has gone through traumatic tribulations and is doing his best to find his way in this world.”
His green eyes shimmer with light as he stares at me.
“I like how you see me,” he whispers. “But I like how you look at me more.”
I swallow at his remark, my chest slowly heaving for breath.
He then shakes his head as if clearing all the salacious thoughts in his head, preferring to place a non-threatening, carefree smile on his lips instead.
I hate to admit it, but I’m grateful for the reprieve.
“Office hours are officially closed, Doc, so no more psychoanalyzing me. How about we have some fun instead?”
“And what do you propose?”
He extends his hand to me with innocent mirth in his eyes.
“Dance with me.”
“I… I’m not sure that’s appropriate.”
“It’s a ball, Roxie. Everyone is dancing. No one will be looking at us.”
I look around the large, crowded venue and see everyone having a good time, too entertained to really pay us much mind. Aside from a few players and management personnel, I honestly doubt that anyone even knows who I am. The anonymity of it all is probably the reason why I place my hand in his and let him lead me onto the dancefloor.
We find a welcoming spot, and without uttering a word, Caleb gently picks up both of my hands and wraps them around his neck. He then places his on my hips, leaving very little breathing room between us.
“Much better.” He smirks.
I try not to fidget as he sways our bodies left to right to the sweet ballad currently playing. My senses are on overload with his decadent cologne, his touch burning through the fabric of my dress, and his emerald eyes staring down at me.
“You look like you’re not having fun.”
“I am.” I clear my throat.
“Really, then why do you look like you’re about to pass out?”
“It’s just hot in here, that’s all.”
“The only thing hot here is you, Roxie.”
“Caleb—”
“I’m serious,” he says in a more serious tone. “You’re… breathtaking.”
My insides turn to mush with the sincerity in his gaze.
But I can’t allow myself to get lost in it.
Not now… not ever.
“I was just talking to Trent about you,” I hear myself say, desperately trying to take my mind off how our bodies are particularly grinding.
“Oh?” he retorts, visibly disappointed that I moved our conversation to another topic.
“Hmm,” I nod, looking every which way but at his stellar eyes.
“And what did he say? Do I even want to know?”
“That he’s impressed with your progression.”
“Liar,” he jokes.
“Well, he was happy you made peace with Piper, at least.”
“No surprises there.” He grins mischievously.
“Making up with Piper was the right thing to do. But you also have to make an attempt to smooth things over with the rest of your teammates. Namely Bellamy.”
The name has barely left my lips, and I can already feel his whole body tense at the mere mention of it.
“Yeah, I know,” he grumbles. “That’s going to take me some time.”
Seeing the deep-rooted frown on his lips has me struggling to keep the knowledge I learned earlier tonight. Trent forbade me from sharing with Caleb what Bellamy is going through, and usually, I never break such confidence. However, considering that Trent is not my patient, nor is Bellamy—whereas Caleb is—I make a decision, knowing that the reasoning behind it is completely flawed.
“I know why Bellamy left the Mavericks. It had nothing to do with the Guardians purposely seeking him out to offer your brother’s place in the team. Bellamy would have returned to Boston, regardless.”
“What are you talking about?” Caleb retorts in confusion.
I hesitate for a second, but his gaze compels me to tell him the rest
“Bellamy has a daughter. A very sick little girl. A little girl who is currently hospitalized at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. That’s why he moved back home. For her.”
Caleb promptly stops dancing and just stares at me, his expression in complete shambles.
“Are you sure?”
I nod.
“Fuck,” he grunts, running his fingers through his hair. “If I’d known…”
I press my hands on his chest, and he instantly holds onto them for comfort.
“I know, Caleb. I know. You would have never reacted the way you did.”
He looks down at me, misery edged around the corner of his eyes, while another, more powerful, sentiment shines through.
“Roxie—”
“Well, look who we have here?!” Rex’s bigger-than-life voice rings out.
I take a step back and pull my hands away, hating the look of disappointment on Caleb’s face for being interrupted.
“Hi, Rex.” I force a smile before giving him a hug.
“Hi, yourself, sweetheart. I didn’t think you’d make it tonight.”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” I reply, praying that the sound of my rapid heartbeat can’t be heard over the music.
“Well, I’m sure glad you came. And I see you brought Caleb with you,” Rex says, his smile beaming just as bright as the chandeliers above us.
“Hello, sir,” Caleb greets, far too formal for my liking, as he extends his hand for Rex to shake.
“It’s good to see you again, son,” Rex replies in earnest, shaking his hand. “I must say that things don’t quite feel the same around here without you Donovans. How is your brother doing, Caleb?”
“As well as can be expected, sir. Actually, I won’t be staying long tonight since I’d like to pass by the hospital to visit him.”
“As you should.” Rex pats him on the shoulder, pleased with Caleb’s priorities. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’m just going to steal Roxanne from you for a little bit. I’d like to catch up with her since I’ve been too busy lately to do so.”
“That’s fine by me, sir. As long as you bring her back,” Caleb replies with a warning.
But instead of Rex being offended by Caleb’s tone, he busts out a loud chuckle instead.
“I knew I liked you. You know a true prize when you see it. Good on you, kid. I promise I’ll bring your woman right back.”
And before I’m able to set the story straight, Rex pulls me away from Caleb, already talking my ear off about something else.
To my bitter chagrin, I make the idiotic decision of looking over my shoulder in Caleb’s direction, finding an intensity in his eyes that shouldn’t excite me as much as it does.