36. Ryan
CHAPTER 36
RYAN
A fter we dropped off June at her school, we went straight to the training facility. Coach Haagen wanted to see us ASAP. I totally expected to have our asses chewed out by the boss, and he didn’t disappoint. Our next meeting will be tomorrow with Peter Maguire, our GM. I’m not concerned about my fate or Lachy’s. It’s Jake I’m worried about. Management has been keeping an eye on him for a while, and I won’t be surprised if they strip him of his captain title. That would suck balls. And with the Bobcat’s vultures circling, I bet Peter wouldn’t mind getting rid of Jake—a ticking time bomb, according to the tabloids.
Jake disappears into his room as soon as we get home, and Lachy claims the couch and the TV. My comfort is cooking, but I can’t be in the apartment, hence why I decided to make lamb lollipops for dinner when I don’t have any of the ingredients at home. The shopping trip is quick. I called ahead to make sure the butcher had my order ready to go.
I’m leaving the shop when I hear the crash. There’s a bus blocking my view, but like everyone around me, I’m curious and walk toward the commotion. My stomach plummets when I see a car that looks like June’s. I have a moment of doubt because it’s not on the route to our apartment.
Immediately, I call her. The phone rings and rings, and I’m sure it’ll go to voicemail.
“Hello?” she finally answers.
“Peaches, please tell me that’s not your car I see in the middle of a wreck.” I force the words out.
“What? Where are you?” She sounds panicked.
From my view across the road, I see a guy knock on the window of the car, then, in the background, I hear a male voice asking if June is okay.
The barbed wire squeezing my heart becomes tighter. “Hell, it is you! It’s okay, my love. I’m coming. I’m coming.”
I run toward her, and my pulse matches my speed. June sounded fine on the phone, so she must be okay. She has to be okay. When I finally reach her car, she’s already standing outside speaking to the man who checked on her. The first thing I notice is the big gash on her forehead, and all the blood dripping from it.
“Ryan,” she gasps.
The man steps out of my way, but I don’t dare touch June, afraid she might have injuries I can’t see. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I wasn’t wearing my seat belt, and this is the result.” She points at the gash on her forehead.
“Why weren’t you wearing your seat belt?” My voice rises, making her wince.
“I... I left in a hurry. Someone was following me. I think a paparazzo.”
“What?” I scan the area around us, but I don’t see anyone pointing a professional camera at us.
“Maybe I managed to lose in traffic.”
“Are you hurt anywhere else?” I scan her body and mercifully don’t see any other wounds.
“No,” she replies through a choke, her eyes brimming with unshed tears.
Before I can stop myself, I pull her into my arms and kiss the top of her head. “You’re okay, my love You’re okay.”
“I was so scared, Ryan,” she sobs.
“It’s just a dent,” the guy near us pipes up. “I didn’t hit your car that hard.”
Anger surges from the pit of my stomach, tingeing my vision red. “You’re the motherfucker who crashed into her car?”
The man takes a step back, eyes widening. “I... uh, I’m sorry, okay? She would have been fine if she’d been wearing a seat belt.”
“Don’t you dare blame her for this? She would have been fine if you hadn’t hit her car!” I yell.
June leans back and touches my face. “Ryan, I’m fine.”
My pulse is pounding in my ears, and my muscles are tense, ready to engage. If she wasn’t in my arms, I might have punched the asshole who crashed into her car.
June stopped crying, but her cheeks are still wet. I wipe her tears with my thumb. “That’s for a doctor to say. You could have a concussion.”
“Hey, aren’t you Ryan Bertrand?” someone in the crowd asks.
Fuck. It didn’t cross my mind that I could be recognized. This isn’t Canada, where hockey players are the biggest celebrities. I don’t know who asked, but I spot several phone cameras pointing at June and me now.
I toss an arm around her shoulder. “Come on. Let’s go.”
“I can’t leave. I’m still waiting for the cops.”
“You need medical attention. We aren’t waiting.”
“I don’t mind if you leave.” The guy who caused the accident shrugs.
“I’m sure you don’t,” I grit out.
“Wait.” June turns toward her car. “I need to get my purse.”
“Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ll get it.”
I find her purse on the floor of the passenger side. Most of the contents have spilled out of it. I shove everything I see inside as quickly as I can, but when I grab a tissue pack, I keep it in my hand.
June is talking to the asshole who crashed into her, and I have to fight the urge to shove him away from her. I focus on taking care of her instead. “Let me clean that for you.” She winces when I press the tissue against her skin. “I’m sorry. Does it hurt a lot?”
“It’s just a sting. Let me do it.” She takes the tissue from my hand and dabs at the cut. The tissue soaks up blood fast.
“My car is parked across the street,” I say, trying to mask how terrified I am.
She’s okay, Ryan. It’s just a superficial cut .
I keep repeating the chant in my head the whole way to the hospital, but it does little to massage away the worry in my chest.
JUNE
The doctor is working on my stitches when Jake and Lachy show up and crowd the room.
“June...” Jake starts.
“I’m okay. Tell them, Doctor,” I reply.
“She just needed a few stitches, and I’m almost done here,” Dr. Kumar says calmly. The man has the patience of a saint and doesn’t seem bothered at all by Ryan’s nonstop questions. He takes a step back and announces, “There. All done.”
“Is it going to leave a scar?” I ask.
He frowns. “Not at all.”
“I asked for the best doctor, Peaches,” Ryan pipes up.
“So, I can go home now?”
“Yes, as long as you have someone to keep an eye on you. We want to make sure you don’t have a concussion.”
“Don’t worry, doc. We’ll watch June like a hawk,” Lachy replies.
Dr. Kuman stares at Jake and Lachy for a beat before saying, “Hey, you’re also hockey players, right?”
“Yes, they’re Ryan’s teammates, and my neighbors,” I reply.
The doctor arches his brows and smirks. “You have very good neighbors, June.”
You have no idea.
“I know. They’re the best.” I smile, then I remember I left my car in the middle of the road—or what was left of it.
“Don’t worry about your car, sweetheart. I took care of everything,” Ryan pipes up, as if reading my mind.
“And by he took care of everything, he means he asked Lachy and me to handle it.” Jake smirks.
“I didn’t even look at the damage,” I mutter to myself, wondering how long it will take to fix it.
“That doesn’t matter right now, Junebug.” Jake kisses me on the cheek. “Let’s get you home.”
Dr. Kumar’s brows furrow, then he glances at Ryan. I can only imagine his confusion. Ryan acted like my boyfriend the entire time, and we didn’t correct the doctor when he assumed we were together. Now Jake is acting like he’s more than a neighbor.
This should worry me, but I can’t find an ounce of strength to be concerned about what the doctor thinks. Maybe subconsciously I want my secret to come out.