47. Lachlan
CHAPTER 47
LACHLAN
W e head over to the practice rink first thing in the morning, and it’s like the showdown last Friday in the locker room never happened. That was all thanks to the meeting we had with Coach Haagen and Malcolm. We sat in Coach’s office for an hour, getting scolded. It helped that Malcolm took all the blame for the incident, as he should. We still don’t know what’s going on with him and his evil wife, but it can’t be good.
I will never be able to trust the guy again, regardless of what happens next. Going through another scandal was fucking hell. Knowing that strangers have access to a moment that was private and beautiful and turned into something vile makes me sick. The media has been unkind to all of us, not only June, although she’s had it worse.
Part of Doug’s official plan was for us to issue statements to the press apologizing for the incident. It kills me that we have to apologize for something that has been done to us. But accepting the blame might help get the media to back off from June. The statements will be released today. The unofficial plan was set in motion last Saturday when certain online publications received juicy gossip about Wendy. I didn’t care to know what those rumors were. My only concern was to protect June from unjust defamation of character.
I’m near the bench, splashing water on my face, when Banksy skates over. “How’s June?”
“She’s hanging in there. She’s a tough girl.”
“Are you really... you know, all dating her at the same time?”
“Yep. Do you have a problem with that?”
Banksy shakes his head. “No, no. Sorry... I’m just curious. I don’t think I could share Maya with another man.”
“We couldn’t share June with anyone else either. It works because it’s me and my best friends.”
“That makes sense. Listen... I’m not sure if you heard, but Maya said some not-so-great things to June at the Halloween party.”
I frown. “I heard.”
Guilt shines in his eyes. “She’s very sorry. I just wanted you to know.”
“If she’s sorry, then she should apologize to June.”
Banksy nods. “She will. She’s just waiting for the right time.”
“No time like the present.” I put my mask back on and skate to the crease.
I don’t want to take out my frustration on Banksy. He’s one of my favorite teammates. What Maya did was fucked up, but jealousy makes people do and say crazy shit. I can forgive her if she apologizes to June.
When practice starts, I force myself to concentrate on the drills. Hockey always helped me in my darkest moments, and I’m glad I can still count on it. When it’s over, I’m more optimistic about the future. I feel lighter, even though I’m still worried about my lass.
On my way to the locker room, an intern from marketing stops me. “Lachy, do you have a moment?”
Jake and Ryan have already gone down the tunnel, so whatever she needs to ask me might not be related to the scandal.
“Sure. What do you need?”
“Do you remember that interview you gave from your apartment a couple weeks ago?”
“Yes?”
“The reporter who interviewed you reached out to us. He’s received an email that he thought you should know about.”
My brows furrow. “Is that so?”
“A woman from Scotland reached out to him. She believes you are her grandson.”
I stare at the intern without moving a muscle for a moment as I process her words. “I’m sorry, what?”
“I know, it seems farfetched. Doug told me to dismiss it, but I watched your interview several times.”
Bloody hell. I hope this intern doesn’t have a crush on me. I can’t deal with more complications. “Uh...”
“Oh God!” She blushes. “I don’t have a thing for you. I watched your interview so many times because I could relate to your story. I also grew up in the foster care system.”
“Oh, okay. I’m sorry you had to go through that too.”
“Thanks. But anyway, I thought you should know about the email from this woman. What if she’s indeed your grandmother?”
Fuck. I thought I had put my past behind me for good. After years of longing for my family to find me and getting my hopes crushed, I shoved that yearning into a dark corner of my mind and tried to ignore it. Now, I don’t know if I want to open myself up to more pain.
“How could she know I’m her grandson?” I ask.
“It was the blankie. She recognized it. Apparently, she was the one who gave it to you.”
“How could she recognize that? It’s in tatters.”
“The stitching in the corner with your name inside a heart. The camera got a pretty good shot of that.”
Turning my attention to the ice, I rub my face. I have all these conflicting emotions swirling in my chest that I need to sort out.
“I’m sorry to dump this on you when you’re already going through so much. I know she might be a crazy lady. If you want, I can talk to her first and figure out if she’s full of shit or not.”
I look at the intern, but I’m too stunned to give her an answer.
“Lachy!” Ryan calls my name.
He looks as white as death.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s June,” he says, sounding choked. “She’s been shot.”
RYAN
After the last time I had to drive to the emergency room because I poisoned Lachy with quinoa, I wasn’t keen on repeating the experience. Jake takes the wheel and gets us to the hospital as fast as he can. We rush into the ER still wearing our hockey gear save for the skates, causing a ruckus.
“We’re looking for June Summers. We were told she was brought here,” Jake tells the nurse behind the reception desk.
“Uh, please give me a moment.”
“We don’t have a moment! Where the hell is she?” I yell.
A man wearing scrubs and holding a tablet approaches us. “Sir, you need to calm down.”
“Don’t tell us to calm down.” Lachy takes a menacing step toward the man. “She was shot!”
He widens his eyes. “Oh shit. You’re Lachlan Stewart. I’m a huge fan.”
“Brilliant. Now tell me what where June Summers is.”
“Right.” He quickly starts to swipe the screen on his tablet. “She was brought in about an hour ago, and she’s in surgery now.”
I pull my hair back, yanking at the strands. We can’t lose her, we can’t lose her.
“How serious is her condition?” Jake asks.
The man blanches. “Uh... I-I can only give that information to a family member or a spouse.”
Lachy grabs the man by his shirt and pulls him closer. “We’re family. Now answer the question.”
“Ernest, should I call security?” the nurse asks.
“No-no, it’s fine. The wound wasn’t fatal, but only the surgeon can give you an update.”
Lachy steps back, releasing the guy. “Now, was that so hard?”
“There’s a waiting room upstairs.” He points at the hallway behind him. “If you follow the signs, you’ll find the elevators. I’ll tell the surgeon to come find you when he’s done.”
I take the lead, striding down the corridor with purpose. The people I pass turn their heads. I’m sure we wouldn’t be drawing so much attention if we were wearing regular clothes.
We find Katrina in the waiting room. She’s with her husband, Beau, and they both jump to their feet when they see us.
Katrina hugs me first, and I ask, “How did this happen?”
“I don’t know the details.” She steps back, then dabs her eyes with a tissue. “It all happened so fast. We were told there was an armed man in front of the school, and we were immediately put on lockdown. I didn’t know June had been shot until Principal Prescott told me.”
I cross my arms and look around, seeing nothing. I can’t believe this is happening. It’s like we’re stuck in a horrible nightmare we can’t escape. It’s been tragedy after tragedy, almost as if the gods are punishing us for something.
“Did anyone give you an update yet?” Jake asks her.
“No. We’re waiting. June’s parents are coming. I called them after I told you.”
“Good. Maybe they’ll get their heads out of their asses,” I chime in.
“Did you hear that?” Katrina asks. “I think someone’s phone is vibrating.”
“It’s mine.” Jake presses the phone to his ear. “Hey, Melissa. Yes, it’s true. We’re at the hospital waiting for news.”
I tune out the conversation and walk away from the group. My chest is squeezed so tight I can’t breathe. I’m beginning to fucking hate hospitals.
A hand on my shoulder makes me look. It’s Lachy. “She’ll be okay, Ryan.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do know. I can feel it. We’re not going to lose our lass today.”
From the corner of my eye, I see June’s parents head over to where the others are. “Let’s go back.”
“How is she?” June’s mother asks Katrina.
“We don’t know yet, Mrs. Summers. She’s in surgery now.”
June’s father pulls his wife to his side while the woman wails. “This would have never happened in Baron. It’s this damn city.”
“It’s not the city, it’s bad people,” Katrina retorts, “And they exist in small towns too.”
“She’ll be safe from violence and sin when she moves back with us. We’re taking her home whether she wants it or not.”
“Over our dead bodies,” I fire back.
The woman scowls. “You shouldn’t even be here. You’re the ones who corrupted my daughter and made her turn her back on her upbringing.”
“We love your daughter!” Lachy yells, making June’s parents wince. “She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to us.”
“You’re confusing lust with love,” June’s father replies.
“We aren’t, sir.” Jake crosses his arms, and I don’t think he’s creating a shield for himself. He’s trying to protect June’s dad from his short temper.
“And who is she going to marry? She can’t marry three men!” her mother blurts out. “And what about children? You can’t possibly bring an innocent child into a depraved, sinful household.”
“How about raising a child in a home filled with love and respect instead of hate and prejudice?” I ask.
Katrina gets between June’s parents and us. “Can we please not argue right now? We should focus on sending healing vibes to June.”
“Fine. As long as they don’t talk to us.” I turn around and sit as far away from them as I can.
Unfortunately, I can’t escape their words. I was the one who suggested we marry June, but we can’t all marry her. Is it fair to ask her to choose who she wants to be legally married to when that time comes?
We’ve been so focused on enjoying the present that we never stopped to think about the future. I’d like to believe love conquers everything, but is that really true?