Chapter 2
Mason
I’d just gotten home from my run with Thomas when my phone buzzed with a text.
Laura: Hey, Mason. Sorry to interrupt your time off, but I need to see you as soon as possible. When can you come in?
Frowning at the screen, the last thing I expected in the offseason was an urgent message from the Storm PR Director asking for a meeting.
Coach Henderson made a point that we were not to be disturbed during that time unless someone was getting married or having a baby.
And that was always an email. I wasn’t doing either of those.
I wasn’t a high-profile player like Lennox or Evan, and I wasn’t in the headlines like Carson and Colin.
I was the quiet one who kept my nose clean and my head down.
The closest thing I had to a girlfriend was Thomas, and unfortunately, that’s not what we were.
My professional life consisted of memorizing Lennox’s weird as heck cadences so I knew when to snap the ball, and making sure he got said ball into his waiting hands.
Why she wanted to see me was a mystery. No matter which way I played it in my head, it made no sense whatsoever.
Me: Can you tell me what this is about?
I bit my thumbnail as the dots bounced. They started and stopped several times, and when the message came through, apprehension filled the pit of my stomach.
Laura: I’d rather talk in person. Let me know when you’re available.
Crap. My mind went through every possible scenario, but the only thing that popped into my mind was Australia.
Yet I couldn’t come up with a single instance that would have caught the attention of the PR team.
The craziest thing we’d done was to climb to the top of the Sydney Bridge, and that was a paid excursion.
Was there a stipulation in our contracts that said climbing was dangerous? What if they fired me over it?
My first reaction was to call Thomas and see what he thought. But he was busy getting ready to leave for Ireland. I was starting to perspire as I replied to her.
Me: I can be there in an hour.
Biting my bottom lip, I had to know if I was being released, so I went back to messaging her. But her text populated at the same time I sent mine.
Me: Am I in trouble?
Laura: Good. We’ll be waiting.
We’ll be waiting. There was more than one of them waiting for me?
“Jeezus,” I muttered to myself, almost ready to panic.
If whatever she had to say was bad, my agent would be involved.
On the other hand, I’d never heard of anyone being fired by the PR lady.
Scrolling through my texts, there was nothing from my agent or attorney, so maybe it was going to be okay.
Checking my email, I scrolled through the inbox and the spam folder before hitting the promotions tab. Nothing there but the regular stuff offering me a deal on my cable bill and the latest sale on a bunch of stuff I didn’t need. There was only one thing this could mean. Lennox.
Flipping to my favorite contacts, I called up the man I was sworn to protect, unless he got me in trouble for something. Then he was on his own.
“Hello? Why the hell are you calling me this early?” Lennox grumbled.
“What have you done? What did you do to get me in trouble with Laura?”
He yawned in my ear before answering. “What the fuck are you talking about? I haven’t done anything.”
I huffed out a breath. “Then why does Laura want to see me in her office in an hour? It’s the offseason, Lennox. You know the rules. I’m not pregnant or getting married.”
He barked out a laugh as I paced my bedroom rug. “You kill me, dude. When you finally open that mouth, all kinds of crazy comes out. I love it.”
Grunting, I rubbed my hand down my face. “What could she want? I don’t get in trouble or cause media problems. That’s your department.”
“True dat,” Dane mumbled in the background. At least he knew I was right.
Lennox laughed and said something I was sure I didn’t want to hear before he turned his attention back to me.
“Mase, I’m sure it’s not a big deal. Just go in and talk to her.
” He paused as I bit my nail. Lowering his voice, I wasn’t expecting what he said next.
“Do you want me to go with you? I will. I’ll need to grab a shower because Dane… ”
The scuffling and grunting on the other end of the phone told me I didn’t want to know what was going on. And if I weren’t careful, Lennox would tell me. “No, I’m a big boy. I’ve got this. I don’t need a babysitter.”
He chuckled, then spoke again. “Not a babysitter, big guy. Just a friend. I’ve got your back. Always. Just relax. It’ll be okay. Maybe there’s a big PR deal she needs someone for.”
Breathing in a deep, calming breath, I pushed down my panic. “Yeah. I know. Thanks, man. Sorry to bother you.”
“Hang on,” he said. “Give me a sec.”
I wanted to say he didn’t need to talk me off a ledge, but for some reason, I needed him to since Thomas wasn’t here. “Okay.”
I made one pass across my bedroom by the time he came back on the line. “Listen, I haven’t heard any rumors about anything, so try not to worry. I know that’s easy for me to say, but just know if we need to fuck some shit up, we will. Hudson will defend us. He’s a lawyer.”
I smiled at his tough guy routine. My friends were as easy-going as they came. “Don’t think that will be necessary, QB.”
He chuckled softly. “Well, at least you know we would if we needed to. You’re the best center in the league, Mason, and I’ll fight for you every day if I have to.”
Neither of us responded, letting the weight of our friendship settle my nerves. “Thanks, Lennox. I’m going to go shower and head over there.”
“Good. Call me when you’re done. Or swing by if you want. You’re always welcome here with us.” Lennox might be a character, but when he was serious, you could hear it in his voice. He was protective of his friends, and I needed that today. “If I do, I’ll call before I head over.”
“We’ll be here,” he said quietly. “Don’t worry.”
Ending the call, I took one last look at my contacts list and stalked off to my bathroom.
Even though Lennox had eased my nerves, Thomas was the one who put it all into perspective.
Anxiety was terrible, and as much as I thought I had it under control, it still reared its ugly head every time I thought I’d disappointed someone.
It was even worse when I was clueless about what I’d done.
Less than an hour later, I knocked on Laura’s door. She was seated at her desk, working on her computer as she held a conversation on the phone. When she looked up and saw me, she smiled and waved me in.
“Hey, Dad, I’ve got to go. Tell Brent I said hello.” She smiled at whatever he said, but motioned for me to sit. “Okay, love you too. Talk soon.” As she ended the call, the smile remained on her face. I took that as a good sign.
“Thanks for coming in, Mason. I’m sorry to interrupt your offseason. Let me tell Craig you’re here.”
“Okay,” I said, clasping my hands. My knee bounced as I sat waiting for whatever was to come, and she must have noticed. She made the call as the lump in my throat threatened to choke me at the mention of our head coach, Craig Henderson. The only thing worse would be for Mr. Carlisle to walk in.
Laura smiled empathetically, then reassured me with a soothing tone. “Everything is fine with the team, Mason. Don’t worry. But there’s something we thought you needed to know.”
My brow pinched together as I tried to figure out what she was referring to with someone as ordinary as me. At least my job was not on the line. “That’s good, but I have no idea what you’re referring to.”
Coach walked into her office, followed by Mr. Carlisle. If she hadn’t told me it had nothing to do with the team, I just might have panicked. Standing, I shook hands with both of them. “Coach. Mr. Carlisle. It’s nice to see you. I think.”
They chuckled. “Relax, Mason,” Coach Henderson said. “Everything’s okay.”
My face crumpled into a frown as Laura got up and moved to the conference table on the other side of the room. She logged into a laptop and turned on the giant monitor hanging on the wall. “Gentlemen,” she said, motioning for us to take a seat.
I sat down as my heart attempted to beat out of my chest. Thankfully, she didn’t prolong the agony. Everyone knew I had issues with anxiety.
“The reason I asked for this meeting is that my Google Alerts have been going off like crazy, even more so than usual. You and the Storm PR account have been tagged in an enormous number of posts on multiple platforms on social media with a European hockey player.”
I was confused. “What? Why? I don’t know anyone from the UK.
” I looked from Coach to Mr. Carlisle. “We behaved ourselves in Australia—even Lennox. The worst thing that happened was that he didn’t want to climb to the top of the Bridge, and we kinda coerced him into going.
Not me. I just offered to go in front of him, like on the field, thinking he’d feel more secure. ”
She smiled at me sympathetically. “You really are a big teddy bear, aren’t you?”
I chuckled and rubbed my neck. “I guess. It’s my job to protect him, even though he has Dane now.”
Laura sat forward in her chair. “Mason, correct me if I’m wrong, but you only have two sisters, right?”
Frowning, I nodded. “Yes, ma’am. What does that have to do with this?” I was confused.
“That’s what I thought. That’s why this makes no sense.”
She tapped on her keyboard, causing photo after photo to fill the oversized wall monitor.
My breath caught in my chest, and my mouth fell open as the understanding of what she’d been alluding to sank in.
Everything around me slowed down as my brain processed the man in the photos.
Familiar dark, sandy-blond hair and green eyes pierced me through the screen as I rose from my seat to move closer for a better look.
The room was silent as I approached the screen. When I stopped to look at Laura, I found the same expression of disbelief on her face. “It’s uncanny, isn’t it?”
Drawn back to the screen, I stared at the man as she spoke. “We’ve been tagged in hundreds of photos, because people all over the internet think that’s you. But we know it’s not.”
My mind raced as I tried to come up with how she could know that.
The hair, the eyes, and the build were all the same.
The only difference was the absence of a beard and the intricate tattoos that flowed from under the short sleeve of his t-shirt.
Instinctively, I rubbed my unadorned skin on my right arm.
“Who is he?” I asked, unable to take my eyes off him. “Are you sure it’s not just an AI image?”
“He’s real. His name is Axel Hughes,” she said. “He’s a British hockey player who plays for the German League. He plays center for Leipzig.”
My eyes widened as I turned to look at her. “Seriously?”
She smiled at the irony. “Yes. Do you know anything about hockey?”
I did. “Yeah. It’s big in the northeast.” I turned back to look at the screen. “It means he’s an exceptional athlete.”
“Just like you,” she added.
Mesmerized by the man on the screen, I was rendered speechless. My heart raced again because all my life, I’d felt like something was off. Or missing. I could never put my finger on it. But looking at him sparked a variety of feelings that left me unable to put it all into words.
“Why would they tag me? I can see the resemblance is uncanny, but the center is probably the least popular player on the team.” Lifting my hand, my fingers traced down the sleeve of colorful ink on the screen.
Before she could answer my question, Coach piped in. “You’re more than just a center, son. I know I don’t have to remind you that you’re the main protector of the ball and the quarterback. Don’t sell yourself short,” Coach added. “I won’t tolerate it.”
I smiled at his scolding. He reminded me of Thomas.
“According to what I’ve read,” Laura said, “he’s the top-scoring center in the German League. He was scouted by the NHL but chose to stay in Europe.”
“Do you have family over there?” Mr. Carlisle murmured.
I shook my head as I stared at him. “No, sir. Not that I know of.”
The silence in the room was deafening until Laura spoke. “We just wanted to make you aware of him. I’ll handle the social media if you’d like.”
“Yes, please,” I whispered. “Thank you for letting me know.”
Laura looked from me to Coach, then to Mr. Carlisle. He had the last word. “If we can help with anything, let us know, okay? We like to think of the Storm as a big family.”
I nodded. “Yes, sir.”
As I left the building, my mind churned with possibilities. I needed to find out more about him. More than what my meager internet skills would provide, but I knew Thomas could. But it would have to wait until he came back from Ireland.
Climbing into the driver’s seat, I started my car, then sent Lennox a text.
Me: Everything’s fine.
Lennox: It was about the Bachelor Auction, wasn’t it?
Shoot. I’d forgotten about that, but it made for a good excuse.
Me: Yeah. And thanks for that albatross.
Placing my phone on the passenger seat, I drove home on autopilot. My mind was a riot of questions, starting with who the heck was I?