Chapter 27-Ezra
Time for a face off.
Chase still looks thunderstruck when I open the door. What was our father thinking handing over my key like that? He peers around me, searching. “Where’d she go? You didn’t toss her off the balcony, did you?”
“She’s in my bedroom. What do you want?”
“I hopped on a plane a few hours ago after finishing the program.”
“You finished? I thought you’d tell me your completion date once you knew it.” So, I could prepare, I silently add.
“Well, I forgot. Sorry for the inconvenience,” he huffs. “It’s been four months since we’ve been in the same state. I’ve done my soul-searching and found out some things about myself that need fixing. I’m sober.” His eyes are definitely clearer than they were last time I saw him. “I was eager to see you and hoped you’d be proud of me. But, clearly, I’m an unwanted interruption to your evening. Or maybe not since it didn’t stop you.”
Fuck, he’s wounded and I’m not as pleased with myself as I was a few minutes ago. Ah, guilt. How I haven’t missed you. Knowing I’m hiding things from him doesn’t help.
“I am glad if you’re doing better, Chase. Where are you staying?” Please, don’t ask to stay here.
“With Dad, I guess.”
“Good. He’s been worried about you as I have. We’ll get together, talk about things. Maybe Monday? I’ve got…” I trail off not wanting to say more but Callie and I are supposed to spend tomorrow together with Wyatt.
He laughs, flashing those boyish dimples that I never had. “Yeah, Monday. Sorry for the horrible timing on my part earlier.” He turns to go but stops in the doorway. “So, Callie Abara, Ezra?” He raises his eyebrows.
“It’s Ander… never mind.” Christ, this is awkward.
“Look, I’m in no position to tell you what to do, Ezra, but be careful. Callie nearly got me expelled with her lies, remember.”
“Were they lies, Chase? She was risking her scholarship by making those accusations.”
Chase shrugs. “They weren’t going to throw her out. She was just angry because she saw me kissing that other girl.”
Callie called kissing an interesting euphemism for a blowjob. It would be cheating either way and I’m tired of swallowing the half-truths Chase has apparently been feeding me. “You weren’t expelled. You left college behind very happily when you got your offer from the NHL.”
“Well, yeah, but it might’ve gone differently if that offer didn’t come along and she hadn’t left. Her running off made them doubt her story.”
“Is that why she ran off, Chase? Because the academic cheating accusation wasn’t true?” There’s so much I want to ask and say to him but I promised Callie I wouldn’t tell him about Wyatt.
“Actually… there was more to it than that, Ezra.”
Okay, maybe he’ll own up to it at least. “I’m listening.”
“I was scared they’d believe her. I gave her money to go back to California.”
“You gave her money?” This isn’t what I was told.
“Ten thousand dollars. From my signing bonus. She was my tutor. My grades wouldn’t have been nearly as good without her help. I was scared and I knew she was pissed.”
“You bribed Callie to leave Princeton to avoid further scandal and she took the money. Is that what you’re saying?”
“Yeah. Just be careful with that one, bro. You’ve got much more at stake than an academic record.”
I scowl at his warning. I don’t believe that of Callie. But, she said Chase convinced her that ending the pregnancy would be the solution to a situation they had not anticipated. Did she really tell him? How would Chase feel if he knew about Wyatt? I love that little boy like my own. Except his real father, my brother, is right here.
“We’ll talk later, Chase,” I say, feeling confused, guilty and depressed. I knew he’d finish rehab eventually and come here. I kept putting it off in my mind because I’ve enjoyed being with Callie and Wyatt so much. I’m scared of losing them, scared she might still prefer Chase over me or maybe simply not choose me with Chase around.
“Are you just hooking up?” he asks curiously.
“I haven’t just ‘hooked up’ in a very long time, Chase.”
“No, you don’t. Did you have feelings for her before?”
My pride doesn’t want to answer but my heart is stronger than that. “Yes. I never acted on it but… yes.”
He smirks. “I know you didn’t. She was a virgin before me.” My blood starts to boil at his cavalier manners. “Who’d have thought the day would come when you would want something of mine?”
“She’s not yours now, Chase.”
“Is she truly yours?”
I don’t answer because we haven’t had a serious conversation declaring that. Chase takes my lack of reply as its own answer.
“Fine. I suppose I had enough of your hand-me-downs growing up so it doesn’t hurt if you enjoy some of-”
My father and brother aren’t the only ones with the Sokolov temper. I’m just usually better at controlling it. The sheetrock behind Chase cracks when I slam him up against the wall. “You are my brother and I love you but, if you speak disrespectfully of her again, I will break your jaw. Got it?”
His eyes are narrowed with rage and I don’t have to look to know his fists are clenched at his sides. But, he does not retaliate. “I’ve got it. Have a nice night, brother.”
Fucking guilt again. It’s been years since Chase and I have traded punches and we were little boys then. I was always punished for it because I was older. I was always told to look after Chase. I tried my best. If my brother is flawed, don’t I bear some of the weight for that?
After I find Callie in my bedroom looking pensive, I’m not surprised when she says she wants to go home. Callie had eyed the damage to my wall as we’d left but not said anything. We’re silent during the drive. I don’t ask about the money. I don’t want to. She deserved every penny to help with Wyatt and so much more. I don’t know why I’m bothered by her not mentioning it. Or maybe I do. Secrets. I’m coming to despise that word.
“About tomorrow…” she says uncomfortably when we reach her building.
“You need time,” I repeat, feeling a deep disappointment inside me and an impending sense of doom.
She slips into her building and I wait until I see the light come on in their apartment to pull away.
But, the fear of Callie pulling a vanishing act on me again makes it hard to breathe. I can’t lose her. I turn into a nearby parking lot, furious over the panic attack I can’t seem to control and helpless to stop it.
∞∞∞
Monday morning, my father asks to meet at the arena which seems like a fitting place. It was always hockey that helped hold us together after Mom left. I send Callie a text not to come over here to be safe. She doesn’t reply.
This is not the private family reunion I might’ve preferred and not just because I threw my brother into a wall Saturday night. “What are they doing here?” I growl when I see the swarm of reporters gathering outside the meeting room.
“You had promised a press conference this morning,” my father reminds me.
“Fucking hell.” I’d forgotten. Losing the first game of the season is hardly the end of the world. We’re a new team and losses happen. I can’t pretend I loved it though. “Didn’t they get their pound of flesh in the post-game interview last week?”
“I suppose not. You’re not just another owner, Ezra. You’re a star in the sport and you’ve accrued a lot of good will since moving here. Let them see my sons together and they won’t ask too many questions about the loss.”
My lips twitch. Levi doesn’t own a Fortune 500 company but I don’t give the old man enough credit sometimes. “You wanted this meeting to happen and you wanted Chase here for it. You know what they’ll assume.”
“Chase’s image needs improving and we will show them that we are a close-knit family who support each other,” my father says before leaning in close. “Whatever happened between you two the other night, let it drop, Ezra. He is your brother.”
So, he knows something happened but not what precisely. “Don’t pop up on my doorstep unannounced unless it’s an emergency, Dad.”
He shrugs. “I told him to call before coming over.”
And, he didn’t listen.
I glance at my brother who’s silently staring me down. Chase has never mastered hiding his moods in the presence of the media. This could be a disaster. I don’t want my team’s image overshadowed by family drama, dammit.
Civil. That’s what’s called for with the vultures so close. I should want to be civil with my brother anyway but that”s been very difficult for me lately in ways I can’t admit aloud. “I shouldn’t have gotten physical with you. Just don’t talk about her disrespectfully, alright?” It’s the best peace offering I’ll give him.
His visible anger falls away at once as he accepts it. “I shouldn’t have made that shitty comment. She was… I fucked up with her, Ezra. I regret it. Truce?”
Admitting he fucked up with Callie and regrets it is a start but I’m not the one he owes an apology. We can deal with that later. “Truce.”
I spy Amber among the members of the press and roll my eyes. “What’s she doing here?”
Chase follows my line of sight and chuckles quietly. “Aw, sweet Amber Ellis.”
“You know her?”
He nods. “Puck bunnies can have alter egos, right?”
“Puck bunny?”
“The sports page version of Lois Lane by day and…”
“Christ, don’t tell me. I don’t want to know. So, you’re truly sober?”
“Of course, I am.”
I nod. “No fights?”
“None I’ve started. I’m going to work on my image like Dad wants. I can be their poster boy and yours too if I have to be.”
“God, help us,” I mumble as the first intrepid reporter approaches.
“Mr. Sokolov, we’d heard your brother was in town.” And, where did you hear that? I think, casting a look toward Dad. “We see it’s true so, we have to ask, is he coming to play for the Fog?”
“My brother has come to visit his family,” I say, dodging the question with an enigmatic smile. He will always be my brother and I wish him well but I don’t want him on my team. I don’t want him in town. For my own selfish reasons.
Chase plays along admirably, talking about his excitement for my new venture and how he simply wishes to support it. When asked about his future plans, he flashes those dimples again, giving them his best ‘aww, shucks’ grin. When he’s sober and mastering his temper, he’s good at this.
After the cameras are gone, I feel myself deflating from the act I’ve been forced to put on. “Breakfast?” my father suggests. I can hardly be churlish and say no. He puts his arms around our shoulders as we head off. “We should have dinner tomorrow night, the three of us.”
“I have a business dinner planned tomorrow but the next night would work,” I quickly reply. I have plans to watch Wyatt’s next hockey game with Callie.
“We could catch the Fog’s next game together if there’s room in the owner’s box for me,” Chase says.
“Yeah, there’s room.” How can I say no to him? They’re my family, all the family I have who openly acknowledges me as such.
“See, Chase? I told you that, if you work hard enough, you can do anything.”
“Yes, Dad.”
“You work on your image, stop the drinking and chasing women and I know your brother will never turn his back on you.”
“I know, Dad,” Chase says, shooting me a hopeful smile.
Shit.
∞∞∞
The following evening, I leave the office to head over to the ice rink where Wyatt plays. We agreed to meet here and I’ll drive them to dinner and home after the game. Callie’s been quiet since Saturday and so have I, just a few text exchanges. She had asked for time to process things and I gave it to her but we need to talk about Chase being in town some more. I know it’s worrying her. I want to assure her she has nothing to worry about. With people around us in the stands and then Wyatt later, it might be tricky to have the conversation.
I get out of my SUV and flinch when a flashy red sports car races up beside me. “Chase, what are you doing here?”
“Hey, I tried to catch you at your office.”
“I didn’t realize you were in hot pursuit. What’s with the car?”
“Eh, the Lambo’s a rental. For fun, you know? And I didn’t chase you. I was told I might find you here.”
“How the hell did you know I’d be here?” I ask, not disguising my aggravation or concern as well as I should.
“Your assistant mentioned it.” Great. I’m going to have to have a little chat with Celeste though I don’t recall mentioning where I was going. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell Dad your business dinner involves hockey and he wasn’t invited.”
Will you tell him it involves the grandson he doesn’t know about?The goddamn lies are stacking up on me. “Okay. Did you need something urgently?”
“Thought we’d hang out without Dad and his expectations for a bit.”
“I’m just watching a youth team play. You probably wouldn’t be interested in-”
“That’s fine. Dad said to work on my image. Figure these little rugrats might be excited to see another pro at their game, right?”
Rugrats?
Chase goes to grab something out of his car and I figure that’s my chance to warn Callie before she sees him. How can I convince her this was not planned on my end after the interruption on Saturday?
“Ezra! Ezra!” a young voice calls.
Looking up, I see Wyatt racing toward me. My heart lifts with joy.
Then, it nearly jumps out of my chest. He’s so excited to see me he’s not paying attention to the fact this is a parking lot. I hear Callie scream his name just as he darts behind a SUV that’s backing up.
“STOP!”I shout, slamming my hand down on the hood.
The woman with a car full of kids slams on the brakes and turns pale when she spots Wyatt in her rear camera. I’d bet money I’m paler as I reach Wyatt and scoop him up in my arms, carrying him to the entrance and Callie.
“Don’t ever do that again, Wyatt!” I say, sternly. “We don’t run through parking lots. You hold a hand around cars, you got it?”
His bottom lip trembles because of the fright or maybe because I’ve never spoken to him like this. “You mad, Ezra?” he whimpers.
My fucking heart. “Scared, Bump,” I say, more softly, setting him back on his feet. “You scared me because I never want to see you hurt but you’re okay and that’s what matters. No running in front of or behind cars, okay? Ever. You go back to your Mama and I’ll be inside soon.”
He gives me a shaky nod and Callie is there looking equally shaken. “We were waiting for you and he spotted you and… thank you, Ezra. Thank you for…” Her gratitude dries up a second later when she spies Chase. “What is he doing here?” she hisses.
“I didn’t know he’d follow me, Callie.”
But, I can tell she doesn’t believe me and I don’t blame her. I can hardly believe it myself.
“Go.”
“Callie, please…”
“Anywhere else, Ezra,” she says angrily, spinning around to leave. She tugs Wyatt along behind her and those green eyes like my own stare back at me, confused and upset by whatever the adults are upset about.
Chase strides up. Did he see Wyatt? Did he see Callie? “Cute kid,” he murmurs, thoughtfully. “I didn’t realize we were watching peewee league.”
I feel sick.