Chapter Twelve
Emma
I sat in the dimly lit room working away on organizing the upcoming interview with The Blue Line Bulletin and had also spent time working out the details for the in-home interview with Off-Ice Affairs, the newest and hottest magazine publication in the hockey world.
When I was finished sending off the final email asking for the interview date for the in-home interview, I filled my mug with the last of the tea I’d ordered and sat down on the edge of the bed.
I grabbed my phone, flipping through every article I could find about Colton Fox, because I couldn’t help but wonder why he’d kept telling me that people didn’t need to know about his personal struggles, but no matter how much I read, or how many years I went back, there was nothing more than the mention of the gambling, which in my eyes wasn’t really as bad as they’d made it out to be.
I’d seen many other sports stars in worse situations than that.
It was close to two by the time I decided to shut everything down and crawl into bed. I’d hoped that Colton would have been back before now so we could have had a conversation, but he wasn’t.
I got ready for bed, crawled in and had just drifted off when I heard Knox and Dylan giving Colton shit outside the door. I lay there staring up at the ceiling, listening to him swear and then laugh.
“Shhhhh…” he said, laughing as he pushed the door open.
“Get your ass to bed,” Dylan whispered, pulling the door closed.
“Yeah, go get her, big guy.” Knox chuckled.
“He isn’t going to get anything in the shape he’s in.” Dylan laughed.
I glanced over to see him walk into the room, then struggling to get his shoes off before he fell into the dresser. Both the guys laughed while Colton swore under his breath. The guys shut the door while Colton made his way into the bathroom, where he shut the door.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath and jumped when I heard something in the bathroom crash to the floor, followed by Colton muttering a string of curse words.
I had half a mind to get up out of bed and say something but decided against it.
We’d been through enough tonight, and it was probably better not to confront him in the state he was in.
Instead, I rolled over and faced the wall.
I must have fallen asleep before he came out of the bathroom because when I opened my eyes I was surprised to see it was a few minutes past six.
Kicking the covers off, I sat up and glanced over my shoulder, expecting to find Colton beside me, but the bed was empty.
I frowned, stood up, and made my way to have a shower when I saw him face down on the small sofa in the room.
His legs hung over the arm of the sofa and his head was contorted at an odd angle.
I could only imagine how uncomfortable he must have been.
“Rise and shine,” I said, standing beside him, my arms crossed in front of me.
I reached down and poked him hard in the chest.
“Huh, what?” he asked, opening his eyes but then shielding them with his hand as the light hit them. “What…what time is it?”
“It’s time to get up. We have a photoshoot and interview with a sports influencer from The Blue Line Bulletin in twenty minutes.
I wasn’t sure if I had allowed him to sleep so long because I felt like getting back at him for breaking my rules about drinking or if I was just completely pissed off at life right now.
I figured it was a bit of both, and I poked him in the chest again, this time noticing it was like poking a rock.
He covered his eyes with his arm and grumbled something under his breath.
I didn’t move; I stood over him, waiting for him to get up.
“I have practice,” he muttered. “No time for an interview.”
I huffed and shook my head. “Practice was four hours ago,” I sang.
Colton bolted into a sitting position, glancing around the room to find the clock. I tried not to laugh; I’d never seen the man move so fast.
“Are you serious? I missed practice?”
“Yep. Your phone has been going off since six - thirty.”
“You’ve been awake all this time?”
“Yep, I figured you needed your sleep. After all, you were out late last night partying it up.”
“Yeah, but if you knew I had practice, and you knew the team was trying to get hold of me, why didn’t you just give me a nudge?”
“Why on earth would I do that?” I questioned looking him directly in the eyes.
“Why would you do that?” he mimicked. “Why the fuck wouldn’t you?”
“Well, for starters, you are a grown adult who shouldn’t require a babysitter.
Yet here we are. I recall asking you not to be out drinking—it’s bad for your image—but you have clearly not taken that as a serious task, given the situation we are facing right now.
Second…oh gosh, what was the second? Oh, yes…
that is right, I am only doing what you asked of me. ”
Colton looked at me, his face screwed up in confusion. “Well?” he barked.
“Give me a minute. I am just trying to remember how you explained to me.”
I brought my finger to my lips and looked up to the ceiling, pretending to think. “Oh yes, stay out of your way and keep my mouth closed,” I replied, turning and sitting down behind my computer, checking the direction to our interview.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Colton barked under his breath, getting up off the couch and grabbing his jeans and shirt off the floor.
“Oh no, I’m not kidding because, unlike you, I do as I’m asked.”
“Do you? Does that mean you messaged him like I told you to?” he asked, getting up off the couch.
“Is my phone still going off?” I questioned.
When he looked at me, I swore I could see an apology in his eyes, but I didn’t wait for it. I turned around and started gathering up some papers, shoving them into my bag.
“You should go get yourself ready. Like I said, we have to leave in ten minutes.”
“Colton, it’s great to have you here to talk hockey with us. However, your fans already know your talent.
“That they do.”
“The other night, at this season’s opening dinner, you got up and made a very public apology to not only the team but to your fans, and you introduced us to Emma.”
“That is correct.”
Colton hadn’t seemed to relax since we’d gotten to the interview, and he looked even more stressed now, so I reached over and interlaced my hand with his.
“Then came the night of the benefit, and there have been some reports of one of the donors who you’ve had some issues with in the past actually questioned your relationship with Emma.”
“That’s correct,” Colton said, clearing his throat.
“Can you explain to us what happened?”
I felt Colton shift in his chair, taking my hand and holding it with his opposite hand and placing his arm around me where I could feel him rub my back. This was his chance to clear the situation, and he was looking directly at me instead of answering.
“Well, I think we will let Emma take this one,” he replied.
This interview had been going on for the better part of half an hour.
When I’d set it up, I was told it wouldn’t last longer than ten or twenty minutes.
I glanced at Colton, hoping he’d get the hint and answer instead, but all he did was wink at me.
He had answered every question up to this point.
Granted, I’d given him the answers since my friend who’d arranged the interview had given me the question list prior.
It had made it easy, but this question—this one hadn’t been on the list.
I shifted, then smiled.
“Of course, darling, I’d be happy to,” I said.
“I can’t speak on behalf of the donor. All I can say was that perhaps he’d have been better off being seated at another player’s table.
It’s not unknown that he has never been a fan of Colton’s, and he’d been rather difficult from the start of the night.
Colton dealt professionally with the entire situation.
I could tell he wasn’t thrilled when he left, and he did so without donating, but you can’t win them all. ”
“That is so true, Emma.”
“Now, the fans are dying to know, as are we. How are things between the two of you now.”
Again, Colton shifted in his seat and looked at me, giving me a gentle nod.
I smiled. “Things honestly couldn’t be better. This man right here…is the only one for me. It was torture being apart from him, and I’m just glad that we could work through the tough spots and come back to one another,” I finished, meeting his eyes.
Colton met my eyes and looked into them. As I looked back, I noticed he was staring so intently at me it made me feel uncomfortable. We were both so focused on the other that neither of us heard the next question.
“Sorry to interrupt, got to love watching two people in love.” The interviewer chuckled. “Colton, does that mean the hockey world may see a proposal coming soon?”
Once again, Colton shifted in his seat, as did I this time.
While my friend wasn’t the one doing the interview, she’d assured me they would stick to the questions she’d given me.
However, these questions weren’t ones that were on the list. Since I’d arranged this without Pamela, there wasn’t anything we could do aside from answer.
“You don’t need to give us the date or anything, or how you’d propose.
We just want an answer to a question the fans have been dying to know.
You’ve been so private with not only your personal life but also about your relationship, they just want a hint of things to come, as does the Puck-Lit-Love world.
Would you be able to give us a brief insight? ”
I looked over at Colton, prepared to answer, and that was when he looked at me. Instead of answering the question, the moment his eyes connected with mine, I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his.