Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
A nnie
Briar is driving us to the arena. I couldn’t be more excited to see my first hockey game.
“Tell me what to expect,” I say to Charlie and Ruby.
“I didn’t realize how hot guys are when they play hockey,” Charlie says. “My dad and I always watched basketball together, but hockey is different. Be prepared.”
“I don’t get how guys skating on ice can be sexy,” I tell her.
“You’ll see,” is her only response.
The drive isn’t long. We pull into the parking lot at the Sports Complex.
We all get out of the car and head to our seats.
“Wow, we’re really up close,” I note as we take the seats behind the plexiglass.
“They are the best seats here,” Ruby says.
The girls take off their jackets and Charlie is wearing Finn’s jersey and Ruby is wearing Macklin’s. I take off my jacket to show off my own jersey.
“Look at you.” Briar laughs.
“Cade brought it over this afternoon.”
“Why are you blushing?” Charlie asks.
“Things are really heating up between me and Cade. I’ve never had such intense. . .”
Ruby’s mouth drops open. “Are you trying to say the big O?”
I nod. “It’s been so good with him. I think I may be developing feelings, and I know Cade doesn’t want anything serious.”
“Did he tell you that?” Charlie asks.
“Pretty much when we made our little fake relationship pact,” I answer.
The game is about to start. The anthem is playing and so we quiet down.
There are a bunch of girls behind us wearing Riverside U jerseys.
Ruby leans into me. “Scarlett is here.”
It doesn’t surprise me from what Cade has said of her being a puck bunny. Now I feel overprotective of Cade.
Ruby points her out to me. I see her wearing the number twenty-eight when she turns to talk to her friend, who is also wearing a jersey.
Finn is at puck drop. They are playing against a team from West Michigan tonight. Everything moves fast. I can’t really tell what is going on, but it is very different than watching Cade coaching the kids. Damn, the girls are right. Watching Cade fight for the puck on the ice is hot.
“Watch this, that guy from West Michigan has it out for Cade,” Charlie says. She would know since she spent first semester as the team’s social media coordinator and attended almost all of their games.
Cade is blocking the guy and passing the puck to Hayden. The guy cuts Cade off and he slightly hits the boards. Hayden has possession of the puck now and takes it halfway across the ice, but then he loses the puck.
“Boy, this is intense.” I blow out a breath. We are so close to the ice that you can really feel the intensity up here.
Ruby and Charlie are cheering. Briar is sitting and watching the game, but she seems less invested than the rest of us.
When Cade gets a hold of the puck I shout, “Go, Cade!”
When I turn around to look at the girls causing a commotion behind us, I see Scarlett with a sign that says: We love you, Cade! It’s circled in a red heart.
The same guy who cut Cade off before circles around him and they fight for the puck. When the guy pulls at Cade’s jersey, he doesn’t respond and shakes him off. He skates across the ice, passing a bunch of players and he shoots a goal. The crowd cheers and so do we.
But the coach looks pissed.
“Why is the coach shaking his head?” I ask Charlie.
“It wasn’t Cade’s job to take the puck across the ice like that. He was supposed to block the rough guy from Michigan,” she explains.
I realize Cade took my advice and is playing his own way. He skates across the ice to me and places his hand on the plexiglass. I place my hand on his.
“Annie, look up,” Briar shouts.
I do and see Cade and I are on the Jumbotron.
“Holy shit.”
The rest of the period goes by in a flash. Cade doesn’t fight with anyone, but I am assuming that maybe he doesn’t fight every game. By intermission I head to the bathroom with Briar.
Scarlett is in line two people behind me.
“Annie, is it?” I hear her say so I turn around.
“Can I help you?” I ask her.
“You think you have Cade, but he’s going to come back to me. He always does,” she says with a devilish smirk.
“I doubt that, Scarlett. Cade bought this jersey for me because he wanted me to wear it when he played. I know for a fact he didn’t buy you that jersey and it’s because he didn’t feel that way about you,” I tell her. I don’t mean to lay it out in a bitchy way, but she started it.
“I’m guessing Cade didn’t tell you the truth about why we aren’t together. What does that tell you, Annie?” Scarlett asks.
“Ignore her,” Briar whispers in my ear.
That’s what I do. But something about her words is cryptic and I can’t figure out why.
I head to the bathroom and then I wash my hands. I see Scarlett again a few sinks over, but I don’t acknowledge her. When Briar leaves the stall, I wait off to the side for her to wash her hands and we go buy some drinks for everyone.
“That Scarlett is a big bitch,” she says.
“Tell me about it,” I reply.
When we head back into the arena, second period has started. Cade is on the bench and he looks back and nods to me. Macklin and Cade don’t play second period. Cade explained they are a pair and that defensemen usually go on the ice in pairs.
“Is Coach that mad at Cade that he won’t let him play?” I ask Charlie.
“I don’t know,” she answers.
A knot forms in my stomach because I don’t want Cade penalized because I encouraged him to find his own rhythm.
By third period Cade and Macklin are on the ice. When the guy from Michigan West pulls on Cade’s jersey, he fights him off and takes off with the puck. He shoots it to Aaron who, if I remember correctly, is a wingman. Aaron scores a goal. The crowd goes crazy since a lot of Riverside U students fill up the stadium.
Now I see what Cade meant by he was a rough player. At one point he ends up in the box. I think it’s called the penalty box or the sin bin, I think I heard Ruby say. The guys win the game and the girls say they are going to meet them by the locker rooms, so I assume it’s something I should do as well. Briar takes off for the night and Charlie says one of the guys will give us a ride home since they probably want to go out for food after an intense game.
I’m pretty sure I understand what happened. Cade played the way he wanted to and the coaches penalized him by keeping him off the ice second period. That’s why he went back to his old ways.
Poor Cade.
Cade and Finn are taken aside for interviews. Then they head into the locker room to change while the other guys walk out in their suits.
When Cade leaves the locker room, he isn’t smiling like the other guys.
“Great game,” I say to him.
“Yeah,” he agrees.
The guys are talking about going to get some burgers from a place off campus.
“You want to come?” Cade asks.
“Sure, I can eat a burger,” I smile.
Finn and Charlie ride with us in Cade’s car, and Ruby and Macklin head out with the other guys.
Finn and Cade talk about some of the goals and some annoying things that some of the players on the other team did.
“How would you rate your first hockey game?” Cade asks.
“It was thrilling. I got into it. I was rooting for you guys. I was ultra-focused on the puck,” I tell him. “But I’m not sure I see myself watching games on television, although, I know better than to never say never.”
“At least she’s honest.” Finn laughs.
“That’s what I like most about Annie. She tells me like it is,” Cade says. He gives my hand a squeeze and I feel his nerves radiating off him. I see the disappointment seeping from his eyes.
We arrive to a bar and all of us sit at a long table together. Almost the whole team is here. Cade introduces me to a bunch of guys.
We laugh, eat, and hang out. At the end of the night, we drop Charlie and Finn back at the hockey house before Cade takes me home. He’s bothered by what happened tonight on the ice and he isn’t talking about it.
“Scarlett was there tonight,” I say. “She was wearing your jersey and holding up a sign that said Cade, we love you.”
“I saw her,” is all he says. “I told you I didn’t expect her to back away.”
“She told me the same thing.”
Cade’s brows furrow. “She spoke to you?”
I nod. “She told me we’re temporary. That you’ll always go back to her.”
He exhales and runs his fingers through his hair. “Not this time, Annie.”
“She said there are things about your relationship that no one knows about. She seemed confident you’d come back,” I press. I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t understand why I’m jealous. “Just promise me you won’t be with her while we are having this fake relationship.”
“You’re the only one I’ll be with, Annie. I’m not a liar or a cheater. I gave you my word,” he promises.
I yawn. It’s been a long day. I have an early class tomorrow.
Cade leans in and presses his lips to mine. He maybe means for the kiss to be quick but when he slips me tongue, I feel it between my thighs and grab on to the strands of his hair, deepening the kiss. He groans into my mouth. “If we don’t stop now, I’m going to convince you to let me come up to your room.” He smirks.
“That doesn’t sound bad, but I have some homework and an early class,” I say.
“I have an appointment with my hand and my dick in the shower now.” He shifts in his seat.
I laugh. “Why does the thought of you jacking yourself off turn me on so much?” I ask.
“I don’t know, but I think it’s a kink we’ll need to explore.”
I smile and peck his cheek but there’s one more thing sitting on my chest that I need to say. “At the game tonight. In the first period you tried to play your way, right?”
He nods. “And Coach put me on the bench second period after ringing me out. I’m stuck, Annie. I need to face the facts.”
“I’m sorry. I feel like it was my fault. Like I encouraged you.”
“You did nothing wrong. If anything, since I met you, I feel like I want to reach for the stars,” he says.
“That’s very sweet.” I caress his cheek. “Maybe your role is set in stone now, but maybe you can ask for some movement with your position once you enter the NHL.”
“I have an agent who’s dealing with that. It may mean a pay cut but it isn’t a bad idea. Especially if I can prove myself. I don’t want to walk away from the NHL. The type of money I can make there is significant. I want to be able to give my family a good life one day.”
“You mean your wife and kids?” I ask him because clearly his parents are wealthy.
“Yes.”
“You’re very sweet, Cade Price.”
“You mean I’m sexy and hot,” he corrects.
“All that. You’re the whole package. You’re going to make a woman very happy one day.”
“Thanks.”
I leave the car and tell him to have a good night but as I make my way up to my room, I wish I could be that woman.