22. Pepper
Icheer thunderously with the girls as the Denver Kings win the game three nothing. I knew we had it when Chase dashed across the rink with that same determination. His skates slicing through the ice. His eyes laser-focused.
It’s not the glare of a captain about to let his team lose.
It was of one who knew exactly what he needed to do. And how he was going to do it.
Chase swooped in, taking control of the puck and tore toward the goal. And then with one powerful flick of the wrist, it went soaring into the net.
I throw my arms around “my man” when the other team steps off the ice. The other Queens surrounding the champions in their own way.
Chase lifts me up in a spin and kisses me—and I embrace it, wondering how much of this is fake anymore.
He sets me down and cups my cheeks. “That was for them.” His eyes dip to my lips. “This one’s for us.” Holding my face, he leans down and kisses me softly.
“To our Kings.” Coach Riley lifts his pint glass at the Players Pub, across the street from the arena. The team has the VIP room exclusively reserved nearly every game night. But it’s my first time here.
“And their Queens,” Lonnie adds. Her petite frame holding her own between the two coaches.
“And their Queens.” Coach nods in agreement, clinking his glass with hers and a few players.
“Admit it, you’d be nowhere without us,” M.J. shouts, holding up her shot glass.
The boys grumble somewhat of an agreement as the girls cheer.
Chase hooks my waist and pulls me against him, whispering in my ear, “You weren’t bad tonight, Woods.”
I stayed behind for the first intermission, joining Ruby and Jess with flyers and merch. But Tracy dragged me out for the second, and I couldn’t hesitate. I can’t let anyone know I’m…let’s call it…camera-shy.
We dodged a bullet from the other night with all the social media posts being far enough away from my face that no one looking for me would recognize it.
I melt into his touch. The one that’s felt right since my first night back. “Getting the hang of it. You know you weren’t so bad yourself.”
He wraps his other arm around me and glances around us. “How’d you sleep last night?”
I fell asleep in Chase’s arms last night after we drove in late from town.
“Any nightmares?”
I shake my head. “None. You?”
His face flattens and he steps back, breaking contact. Breaking the connection we’ve just started to form. “No.”
My hands itch to pull him back, but I don’t. I know better than to rush someone who’s not ready to talk about the dreams keeping them up at night. Still, I can’t help but feel the trust is entirely one sided.
I slide off my chair with a grin. “I’m going to go find the ladies’ room.”
He closes the distance again. “You okay?”
“Of course. Just…gotta go.”
“Right. I’ll walk you.”
“I can walk. I did cross the country all on my own too, by the way.”
He steps back and winks before I turn away. Wishing he’d let me comfort him the way he has me.
Tracy and Lena see me headed to the back and fall in line with me. “Hey, girl, you and Reeves want to join the party soon?” Tracy teases.
I laugh them off. “We’re at the party.”
“Hardly. You all are tucked in your own corner, whispering with your little secrets.”
“We don’t have secrets,” I retort.
She waves me off. “Well. I’ve got news. Are you ready? This is big. I am next month’s cover of Sport It Up and I’m allowed to pick a team member to be in the issue with me.” She takes my hands and starts to jump.
My head bobs along, but I don’t jump with her. “Wha—what is that?”
Lena rolls her eyes and explains, “It’s a magazine cover that will feature her and a friend to talk about their struggles in being an athlete, surviving in a male-dominated world, blah, blah—”
“You know this is why you weren’t selected,” Tracy snarls.
“I didn’t write an essay.”
“It wasn’t an essay…it was a long email.”
I cut in before the two go at it in the girls bathroom. “That’s exciting, Tray. Really, I’m happy for you. What will be your story?”
“Oh, I’ll come up with one.” She waves a hand. “But I want to hear about your story!”
“M-mine?”
“Well, obviously I’m picking you. You’ve got the most inspirational story. Getting back on the ice after an accident, reuniting with your high school sweetheart, moving back to your old town…You’ve got to be on this cover.”
“Of a magazine?”
“People all over the country will read about how you overcame an injury and found true love.”
“That sounds great. And I would love to do a photoshoot with you—all of you. But not for a magazine. I’m still new here and I don’t want to take a spot away from someone who really deserves it.”
Tracy pouts. “Are you sure? I thought this would be perfect for you.”
I shrug. “Not everyone wants to share their story,” I start and refrain from adding, not everyone needs to be on the cover of a magazine for people to hear their story.
Chase listening to me the other night and holding me, believing me, is all I needed.
Chase protecting me at all costs—at all times. Staying by my side like…I’m his.
I should feel indebted to him.
I should feel grateful.
But the tugging in my chest, the wild flurries in my stomach, the pulsing of my heart each time he closes the distance tells me something completely different.
I’m in love.
Chase runs a thumb over the back of my neck. “You getting tired?” he asks. We’ve been here celebrating for three hours post-game and people seem to be winding down.
“A little.”
Chase leans in. “Want to go home?”
My grin relaxes, and I look up at him. “Where’s that?”
He holds my gaze, hesitating, then seems to settle on a response. “Well, you’re my future wife. So I suppose…it’s wherever I am.”
I’m not sure what to make of that, but I have to put it on hold because we’re being watched.
I turn to face someone staring across the bar. It’s Assistant Coach Conner. He’s in his thirties, I presume, with dark hair. Looks like the type who’s bitter about something early in his life and takes it out on everyone around him.
I also heard that he’s hit on one too many Ice Queens with the word no not registering right away.
He gives me the creeps, but luckily, I haven’t had to deal with him.
Chase follows my gaze. “What’s the matter, Coach, you look bored.” I gathered over the past two weeks that Chase doesn’t like to call him by his title.
“Heard you turned down the Sport It Up spotlight.” He grins slyly.
Chase frowns in my direction since I hadn’t had a chance to tell him about it yet.
“I just don’t think it’s fair to accept when there are others who probably deserve the spot more.”
Conner cocks his head. “I don’t know about that. Yours is…pretty compelling.” He rises and circles the bar to us.
Chase and I exchange glances and he squeezes my hand.
“What’s so compelling about it?” Chase asks, his expression hard, somewhat resembling what he looks like before he gets on the ice.
Ready for battle.
Conner licks his bottom lip, surveying me. It makes my skin crawl.
“It’s…practically a once in a lifetime chance. A chance to share your story with tens of thousands of women in your shoes who look for an escape—I mean—a new…opportunity.”
My jaw clenches and I tense for the first time today.
Chase steps in front of me, but I push him aside, staying put in my chair. “This isn’t exactly new. I’ve been an Ice Girl for several years. And Chase and I aren’t new either.”
Conner’s jaw flexes as he stares, choosing his words carefully.
“What about being engaged?” he finally asks. “Is that not exactly new to you either?”
“If there’s something you want to say, Conner, just fucking say it and go away.”
“Is there a problem?” Coach Riley comes behind Conner, towering over him.
Conner barely blinks. “Oh, we were just talking about politics.”
“We were?” Chase raises a brow.
“Yeah. Hey speaking of politics. Did you hear about the President’s son’s runaway bride?”
Chase chuckles. “I don’t follow fake news.”
“Oh, I don’t either. But I’m not so sure this one’s fake. I mean don’t get me wrong. There’s a lot of fakeness going on around here. But doubtful it’s from Virginia’s future mayor.”
“I didn’t hear anything about a runaway bride, nor would I vote for anyone related to Mayfield.” Coach grumbles.
Conner grins. “Should see this babe, Riley.” He whips out his phone.
Panicked, I look at Chase, whose poker face is a hell of a lot better than mine. He looks bored as ever. But I don’t miss the tension in his jaw. The blazing in his ocean blue eyes. And the subtle hint he flashes in my direction to let me know he’s got this.
He shows Coach the image, and I don’t need to lean in to see that’s me on the screen. My old blonde hair. The first-lady style outfits I used to wear when we were out—at least since he announced his campaign.
Coach Riley focuses on the image, his eyes flinching when he registers the face. Then…a lingering glance in my direction before he looks back at Conner’s device. “Is that a…reward above her photo?”
Conner pulls his phone back. “Reward? Oh hey, look at that. You’re right. Looks like they’re offering a million bucks to whoever finds this…Penelope Walker. There’s an incentive if I ever saw one.”
My throat is dry. I turn, taking a sip of my water.
“Didn’t realize you were struggling for cash, Conner,” Chase says, his tone even.
“I get paid well enough. But a million is hard to resist.”
Coach Riley clears his throat and takes a sip of his amber drink. “You act like you have a choice. Even if this story is real, what makes you think you’ll find her?” He avoids looking in my direction again.
And it’s almost deliberate.
Conner smirks, setting his phone back in his pocket. “I was always good at playing hide and seek. He roams his eyes over me again, avoiding a growing death glare from Chase. “Excuse me.”
Coach Riley’s jaw works and he steps up to us.
“Coach,” Chase starts, and there’s no telling what he’s about to say, but he doesn’t get the chance to.
Riley lifts his palm. “Does Lonnie know?”
Chase hesitates, but I trust this man. Maybe more than I should, but I do. “Yeah, Coach. She knows.”
He nods at me once. “We’ll talk later. I’ll take care of Conner.”
“Chase,” I exhale the moment we’re alone.
He shields me, extending his arms so I’m locked between them, with the bar behind me. “Shh. Keep your voice down,” he mutters in that low voice that soothes me. He hovers his lips over mine. “You’re okay. This is why we have this story. So if Troy walks through that door right now and calls you out—I tell him that you’re mine.”
I swallow, my eyes closing with tears on the brim.
“And that we’ve been in love for over a decade. That you went off to college and thought you could forget me but on the day of your wedding, realized you made a big mistake. Because deep in your heart you knew…you always belonged in Hideaway Springs.” He lifts my chin. “And with me.”
I sniffle.
Chase pulls his phone from his pocket and opens a random social media platform. Through blurry eyes, I see him enter a hashtag into the search, then flips the screen to me. Several images of him in uniform and a petite redhead in his arms pull up.
“It’s us.”
He raises a brow. “If he finds you, and plans to hold you to your contract, he might want to rethink it when he sees these headlines.”
I scroll upward through his phone.
Love on Ice.
Denver King Finds His Queen.
A Game Changer for Chase “the King” Reeves.
“There’s apparently an auction going for the puck I tossed you last week. One that supposedly says ‘Will you marry me?’”
I laugh. “No way. Where is that anyway?”
“Who knows? My guess is someone grabbed it before the period started and is auctioning it off.”
I shake my head, handing him back his phone. My heart tugging with hope. My fears still lingering. “I guess this is…”
“Everything we planned.”
I release a breath. “Thank you.”
He wraps his arms around my waist. “I’m not letting anyone take you from us, Pepper.”
“Chase.”
He swallows hard, his jaw working as he holds up his hand. “I’m not letting anyone take you from me.” He strokes my cheek. “I promise.”