45. Jake
CHAPTER 45
JAKE
L ast night, it took everything I had to hold my tongue and not tell June’s parents to go to hell. I knew that if we said anything, it would only make matters worse for her. But it gutted me to witness them crush their daughter like that.
I didn’t know what to do when June broke down as soon as they left. I never felt more useless. We let her cry, and then we all got drunk. Katrina eventually left in an Uber, and we came back to our apartment.
I didn’t sleep well. I kept thinking about that fucking video and how to minimize the damage. I’m not sure how I’ll be able to play with Malcolm after what his wife did to us. If I had any pull with the organization, I’d demand he be traded. But I have no bargaining chips left.
Blowing off Coach Haagen cost us. Because of our insubordination, he benched us, and thus, we aren’t playing in tonight’s game. I’m not sure if things would have worked out differently if we had met with him after the fight in the locker room. The scandal is too fresh, and it’s probably in the team’s best interest to have us not show up tonight.
Melissa gave proof of life and texted us last night. She’s suffering from a nasty cold and slept through most of yesterday. I wouldn’t have thought much about it if she hadn’t said Doug would handle the situation. She’s a workaholic, and I’ve never seen her delegate something major to a member of her team, no matter how talented they are.
We agreed to check on her later, but now we’re waiting for Doug to show up. He’s coming to our apartment to talk about damage control strategy.
Ryan cooked breakfast that no one has touched yet. I’m staring at my cup of coffee when June joins us in the dining room, sporting messy hair and wearing a Titans sweatshirt she borrowed from me. Ryan intercepts her before she can get to the table.
“Good morning, sunshine.” He wraps his arm around her waist and kisses her cheek.
“Morning.”
“How are you feeling today, lass?”
“Like I cried myself to sleep.” She rubs her eyes.
“June...” I start.
“No, we’re not going to dwell on what happened. Thinking about it will only keep my mood in the sewers.”
“How about some breakfast then? I made your favorites.” Ryan smiles.
“Pancakes and bacon?”
“You know it.” He taps her nose. “Sit down. I’ll make your plate.”
“Can I get some coffee first?” She pulls up the chair at the head of the table and sits down.
“Of course, Peaches. What do you want?”
“Cappuccino, please.”
Lachy and I study her. She seems in much better spirits, but I do wonder if she’s putting on a show for our benefit. I can’t believe she recovered that fast from the scandal and her parents’ surprise visit.
My phone pings with an incoming text, earning my attention.
“Is that Doug?” June asks. “Maybe I should change before he gets here.”
I clench my jaw while I read my father’s message.
ASSHOLESPERMDONOR: If you think that nasty video changes anything, you’re mistaken, son. You only made it much easier to get you.
“Jake?” She tilts her head.
“It’s not Doug. It’s my father.”
“Fuck a duck. I forgot about that asshole.” Ryan sets June’s cappuccino in front of her.
“Me too, which was a mistake,” I grit out.
“What does the message say?” Lachy asks.
I lift my face. “That it’s not over.”
My phone starts to vibrate. This time, it’s a call from my agent. “Shit, it’s Larry.”
I leave the table and walk into the living room. Everyone can still hear me, but they can’t see my reaction. I bet Larry doesn’t have good news. He wouldn’t be calling this early.
“It took you long enough,” I say.
“I swear to God, Jake. You want to kill me.”
“Sure. That’s my mission in life. What do you want?”
“What do I want ? How about you stop giving ammunition to your enemies for a change? I spoke to Peter Maguire. He still thinks you’re a tremendous asset to the team, but ownership wants you gone. His hands are tied.”
My stomach churns. I was afraid this would happen. “I still have three years left in my contract.”
“They want to buy you out.”
“Is that set in stone?” I grit out.
“No. I’m doing my best to convince him you’re worth fighting for. But you have to fucking help me here.”
I start pace, needing to move or I’ll break something. “What do you want me to do?”
“Anything that won’t make you look like a sex deviant would help.”
I run my fingers through my hair. “How about the truth?”
“It depends on the truth.”
I let out a heavy breath. Here goes nothing. “I’m dating June, but so are Lachy and Ryan. It wasn’t a wild night fueled by booze like that tabloids are saying.”
“Hell… are you serious?”
“Like a heart attack.”
“Shit. I don’t know if that’ll help, but it can’t fuck you over more. But Jake... I’m gonna need more than that. We need to convince the owner that you’re not blemishing the name of his team. We’re looking for a fucking miracle.”
“Great. No pressure.”
“What does the lovely Melissa have to say about all that?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t spoken to her about it.”
“Why not? Isn’t she supposed to be the guru of PR?”
“She’s very sick".”
“I see… well. Is accepting a trade to the Bobcats still?—”
“Out of the question? Absofuckinglutely.”
Larry curses under his breath. “Okay. All right, all right. I’ll see what I can do.”
He ends the call, but I can’t move. I’m still reeling from it. Hell. I knew that sex tape would have more repercussions, but I was too worried about June to think about them.
“Jake. What’s wrong?” She touches my back.
I turn around and circle her waist. “It’s nothing, my love.”
She frowns. “Don’t lie to me. That was your agent, wasn’t it? Are they firing you?”
I look at Lachy and Ryan standing in the back, then at her. “They want to buy out my contract. So, yeah.”
“That fucking cunt,” Ryan blurts out. “She wanted you gone so Malcolm would take your place as captain.”
June’s face crumbles. “That’s just awful.”
“If they fire you, then they have to get rid of me too,” Lachy pipes up.
“Maybe we should all walk. A change of scene might be exactly what we need,” Ryan agrees.
“No one is walking. And if they do fire me, I won’t have you two idiots quitting. What are the chances we’ll end up on the same team again?”
“Oh, but it’s okay for you to leave?” Ryan fires back. “What about June?”
“Who says I have to leave? I can retire.”
“Do you want to retire?” June asks in a small voice.
I look into her bright eyes and allow myself to get lost in them for a moment. “I’ve had a great career. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if I had to stop playing in the NHL.”
She steps back, shaking her head. “No. You can’t retire. You love the game, and you have so many more years left in you. I won’t be the reason you end your dream prematurely.”
I stare at her, wondering how I could be so lucky to find a woman who knows me so well and still loves me so deeply.
The doorbell rings, breaking the tense moment. “That must be Doug.”
“I’ll get it,” Ryan says.
June widens her eyes. “Shit! I need to put pants on.”
She dashes back to my room, making me chuckle despite everything. We all spent the night there, piled up on top of each other on the mattress. There was no sex, we just wanted to be close to her. This situation has been awful. The level of violation affected everyone, not only June. I hate that the vultures took a moment that was supposed to be beautiful and turned it into something dirty.
“Good morning!” Doug says in an over-the-top cheery tone. “Oooh, is that a Jura Giga 10 Fully Automatic Espresso Machine?”
Ryan narrows his eyes. “Yes.”
Doug sets his laptop bag on the counter and moves to closer to Ryan’s beloved machine. “How do you like it? I’ve been dying to buy one.”
“I like it fine. Should we get it started?”
“Sure, sure. Let me make myself an espresso first.”
“Move away from the machine,” Ryan grits out.
Doug’s eyes turn as round as saucers as he steps back. “Oh, my bad. I get overexcited when I see a toy I like. Can I trouble you for an espresso then? Actually, make it double. I need all the caffeine I can get. I’ve been up all night, thinking of ideas to turn things around for you and your lady.”
He speaks so fast that I have trouble following him. He’s like an energizer bunny on speed.
“Are you sure you need more coffee?” Lachy asks.
“Oh, I’m fine. I only had like three double espresso lattes.” He grabs his laptop bag and gets comfortable at the dining table.
June returns to the living room, still wearing my sweatshirt, but she has leggings on underneath, and she put on makeup.
“Good morning, hon. How are you feeling?” Doug gets up again and pulls June into a hug. She looks at us with a question in her gaze. I shrug.
“I’m okay,” she replies.
“You know, there are worse things than having a sex tape leak to the media. I mean, nowadays, they’re a dime a dozen, am I right?”
“I don’t know. It was probably the worst thing that’s ever happened to me.” She sits down.
“Of course it was, darling. I’m not trying to diminish your experience.”
“Then what exactly are you trying to do?” Lachy glowers at him.
Doug, not missing Lachy’s aggressive stance, swallows hard, and it’s audible. “So, I think I have a plan to change the narrative being regurgitated by the media.”
I pull up a chair and join June at the table. “Go on.”
“We place the blame where it belongs.” He makes a point of looking each of us in the eye, not hiding the mischief shining in his. “We make that bitch Wendy Wagner pay.”