Chapter 15
15
H awk walked through the gate at the airport in Los Angeles with his baseball cap low on his forehead, shades on and head down. He was the worst kind of punk. He’d walked away from the best thing that had ever happened to him—leaving her with nothing but a stupid note. He was a jerk and a coward and he had no idea what he was going to do to make this right. Giving up Culkin wasn’t an option, but he owed his fans, his friends, and his career some type of explanation. He hadn’t said those horrible words, but everyone thought he had and if he wasn’t going to tell the truth about what had happened, he still had to get in front of it. This wasn’t going away—he’d realized that when he got online and saw the media storm still raging—but he wasn’t giving up hockey without a fight .
He’d just gotten in his rental car when his phone rang. He looked down and froze, his chest constricting painfully as he read the name of the caller: Jamie Teller . He’d forgotten he had Jamie’s number in his contacts. It rang a few times and he started to wonder if Maddie was okay. Jamie had probably heard about what he’d allegedly said minutes after he said it; if he was mad about that, he would’ve called sooner .
Unable to help himself, he put it in the hands-free unit and took the call on speakerphone. “Is Maddie okay ?”
“No, she’s not okay,” Jamie yelled. “Do you know what’s happening over at the resort right now?” He didn’t wait for Hawk to respond. “The press somehow saw you two together and cornered her in the lobby! What the hell were you thinking, leaving her there alone? I’m not pissed about what you said about me or even that you broke her heart, but I’m seriously considering getting on a plane to wherever you are and knocking the shit out of you for what’s going on now !”
“I don’t… what?” Hawk’s brain finally kicked into gear as he realized what Jamie was saying. The press had seen them together and found her at the resort? And he was more than two thousand miles away. He couldn’t believe this was happening. Not to her. Not to his sweet, innocent Maddie, who hadn’t had anything to do with what he’d gotten himself into .
“You heard me,” Jamie growled. “How could you leave her like that? You couldn’t just put her on the plane on Saturday like you were supposed to ?”
“I had no idea they saw us. Dammit!” Hawk slammed his hand on the steering wheel. “Is she okay? Did security take care of it? Where is she ?”
“Physically she’s fine. Security got her out of there pretty quick and removed the reporters from the premises. I spoke to the head of security down there and he’s putting Maddie in one of their private suites or something, until she can get on a flight out. She should be okay until then, but now everyone knows who she is and where she lives. There’s a very real chance they’re scanning flights and will be waiting for her when she lands in Toronto .”
“I’m sorry,” Hawk sighed into the phone. “I never meant to involve her… I didn’t know who she was until we got to the resort and she told them her name. There weren’t any other rooms available and I couldn’t let her go back to that piss-ant motel, so I just kept her with me and then I fell—” He stopped abruptly. He was rambling, trying to explain how he’d screwed over the sister of the man he’d supposedly said horrible things about .
“And you fell?” Jamie prompted quietly .
“It doesn’t matter. I apologize for what’s happening to Maddie. I can call over there, make sure she’s okay …”
“Not necessary, I’ve taken care of it .”
Hawk hesitated. What was he supposed to do now ?
“That’s it? You’ve got nothing to say to me?” Jamie sounded pissed and Hawk couldn’t blame him .
“I have a lot I’d like to say to you, but it’s not going to change anything, so what’s the point ?”
“The point? The point is that you’ve been sleeping with my sister and you left her in the middle of a media circus that she’s spectacularly unprepared to handle. After my attack, the press hounded her daily to get information about me. She and my mom had to sneak in and out of the hospital to see me because the press was there day and night. Then this summer it started all over again during the trial of my attackers. She’s been having nightmares, she doesn’t go out much anymore, she’s lost weight—all because of me . And now, not only did you bring that whole nightmare back to light with your incredibly thoughtless comment on the ice, you dragged her right smack into the middle of it .”
“I didn’t know she was your sister,” Hawk growled on a ragged breath. “You and I are friends. I would never have done that to you or to her !”
“I thought we were friends,” Jamie corrected mildly. “But we obviously have different definitions of that word .”
“What did she say?” Hawk asked quietly, ignoring Jamie’s dig .
“What?”
“I’m sure you told her what I did—I need to know what she said. How angry she was. I need to hear it .”
Jamie huffed out something that sounded like a cross between a laugh and a grunt. “She said she didn’t believe it .”
“What?” Hawk’s stomach clenched so painfully he nearly gasped .
“I said, she didn’t believe it. I think her exact words were something like, ‘I can’t imagine those words coming out of his mouth.’ So my sister, whom you threw to the wolves, is still holding out hope that you’re not the homophobic prick the whole world says you are .”
Hawk couldn’t answer because he was too choked up to breathe, much less talk. “I’m sorry,” he rasped. “Tell her I’m sorry—tell her… I’m still hers .” He disconnected and pulled off the road, onto the shoulder. He put the rented SUV in park and rested his forehead on the steering wheel. She didn’t believe it. His beautiful, sweet sea nymph knew him better than he even knew himself; she’d seen and heard all the evidence and still didn’t believe it. God, he loved her. Three freakin’ days together and he was head over heels gone for a woman who was probably very hurt and confused right now. She didn’t hate him, though. That was the first ray of hope he’d had since the incident and he clung to it. He didn’t have a plan, but he was going to make one .
T he nightmare woke Maddie out of a restless sleep and she sat straight up in bed, her heart hammering in her chest, breaking out in a cold sweat. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to drown out the images of her brother’s broken, bloody body, but they were so vivid, the sound of him calling to her for help so real, she knew she’d never go back to sleep .
She slid out of bed and padded over to the window. It was early but the sun would be coming up soon. She made a cup of coffee and took it back to the window, sinking into the chair beneath it. The small, private suite the resort had moved her to was actually another guest house. It was cozy, pleasant and quiet, close to the security offices, and not available to regular guests. She’d been promised no one would bother her, and they hadn’t. She’d spent the rest of yesterday sitting in front of the TV, mindlessly watching shows she’d already seen and didn’t care about. Someone had been thoughtful enough to bring her dinner, but she hadn’t been able to eat, merely picking at a roll until her stomach churned .
She was hungry now, though, and despite everything happening, she’d come too far to spiral again. She had to eat, had to take care of herself, had to keep moving forward. She’d be okay once she got home, but right now she felt like a prisoner. She couldn’t fathom the idea of going back to work in three days, but what choice did she have? She had bills to pay and a life to continue. It wasn’t the most exciting life, but it was hers and it could be a lot worse. She’d only miss Garrett for a little while; she’d be okay without him. After all, it had only been three days. Three wonderful, romantic, passionate days where she’d gotten more from him emotionally than she’d gotten from every other guy she’d ever dated put together .
She walked out the front door, coffee in hand, and stared out at the narrow, private street. One of the guys was just getting to work at the security office a few doors down and he waved. Maddie waved back, melancholy washing over her like a wet blanket. She didn’t have it in her to run today, but one of the security guys had offered to go with her if she wanted to swim one last time. She was grateful for Jim; he’d done so much to help her get through yesterday. He’d thoughtfully refrained from mentioning Garrett and had kept her surrounded by resort employees who seemed to go out of their way to make her feel better. The people here were nice. If she ever had the money, she would definitely come back to Oahu and this wonderful resort .
Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she pulled it out warily. A text from Jamie :
I’m awake if you want to talk. I’ll be going out in about an hour. Xoxo
She smiled and texted back :
I’m okay, thanks. I’ll call you from the airport tomorrow. Xoxo
Walking back inside, she rinsed her cup in the sink and pulled a carton of yogurt out of the refrigerator. This place was much smaller than the guest house Garrett had rented, but equally well-appointed. They’d moved everything for her, including the yogurt and fruit in the refrigerator, but she had almost no appetite. She was holding it together for now, but she was definitely going to break down soon .
When her phone started to ring, she let out a sigh of annoyance. She glanced down expecting to see Jamie’s name but it was an unknown number. She frowned, worried it was the press, but also thinking it might be the local number to the airlines or the travel agent Jamie had used to get her on a different flight. If it turned out to be the press, she could hang up. She reluctantly hit the button to answer it .