91. Grant
NINETY-ONE
GRANT
MARCH, THIS SEASON
I’ve devoted every second of my life that’s not spent at practice to finding a way to be with Amelia. After a few days of brainstorming and working on my own, I called in my teammates to help.
My obsession with defeating Brad fucking Hollis and having my girl back in my arms is why we’re spending Saturday afternoon in Maverick’s living room with stacks of papers surrounding us.
“I’ve searched ways to take down a professional sports league, like, eight different ways online, and I’m still not getting any answers. Not even Reddit was any help. All they could offer me was suggestions for Dungeons & Dragons.” Ethan groans. “Goddammit.”
“My eyes hurt.” Riley pulls off his glasses and tosses them on the table. “I’ve been looking at my laptop for hours.”
“We can’t stop now.” I flip to the start of the collective bargaining agreement, ready to read through it for a fifth time. “I’m not accepting that the NHL can just force two people to end their relationship when it doesn’t break any laws.”
“I have an idea, but it’s kind of a stretch,” Hudson says, and I look up at him.
“I’m desperate, man.” I scratch my jaw. “I’ll take anything you can give me.”
Desperate is putting it lightly.
I’m fucking heartbroken, and I’ve stumbled into a trance.
I know I’m alive and I know I’m going to practice and I know I’m feeding myself, but it also feels like I’m a ticking time bomb. Seconds away from exploding into a deep state of depression, and I have to figure this out.
Not knowing how Amelia is doing is eating me alive. I’ve been relying on crumbs from Emmy, hearing about practices and how Lia looks that day, but it’s not enough. I need more, and this research has turned into a full-time job.
Hockey can wait.
“Do you know what an addendum is?” Hudson asks, and I shake my head.
“No, but it sounds important,” I say.
“Wait. Isn’t that one of those… nah.” Ethan laughs. “Just kidding. I don’t know what I’m thinking of.”
“An addendum is an addition to a piece of writing that’s already finished.
It can fix a mistake or clear up any confusion on a topic by providing new details.
You can add new rules without changing the ones in place, and that’s where the definition comes in for you.
” He taps his phone and holds up a website.
“You could petition the league to add a clause to the CBA that explicitly outlines relationship dynamics. You could include wording that would protect you and Amelia, and if it passes, they’d have no ground to deny you two from being together. ”
“They don’t have the fucking ground now,” Liam grumbles. “They want to be dickbags who control our lives when we’re the ones making them money. You could sue.”
“Fuck. You could sue,” Riley chimes in.
“I don’t understand why they care so much, and this addendum thing sounds like a good idea, Hud. And it could benefit people outside of us,” I say.
“What do you mean?” Connor asks.
“In the real world, people who work at companies date each other all the time. Why can’t the league be like that?
Are they really assuming no one in the rest of the league’s existence—from players to management to coaches—will fall in love with someone else in the league?
” I snort. “That’s a ridiculous assumption. ”
“That’s implying there will be another woman in the NHL,” Ethan says.
“You really think none of the guys we play against might like someone other than women, E?” Hudson asks.
“Oh.” Ethan blinks. “Shit. You’re right. I shouldn’t have assumed.”
“We need to get to work,” I say, clasping my hands together. “I was preparing for med school in college, not law school, but I have someone who might be able to give us some more insight.”
“Who are you going to call?” Riley asks. “Do you know someone who works in the legal department?”
“Nope. Someone else.”
I swipe my phone off the table and find James Phillip’s contact information. We haven’t talked in years, both being busy with our careers and life and growing up. I press my phone to my ear, hoping it’s still his number.
“Everett,” James says when he answers. “It’s good to hear from you, dude.”
“James.” I laugh. “Remember how you told me Amelia Green would never look at me? Surprise. She’s the love of my life, and I’m finally giving you that call. I’m only a few years late.”
“Look how that worked out. Guess you won.” I can tell he’s grinning from the other end of the line. “I saw all of that shit go down about suspensions, but I didn’t know if your relationship was true. Are you doing okay?”
“As well as I can be. Amelia was suspended for eight games while I only served a one-game ban. Not quite sure how that’s fair, since we both did the same thing, but the league is so backward, it makes almost makes sense.
” I sigh. “That’s why I’m calling, actually.
I’m with some of my teammates, and one of them suggested that I should propose an addendum to our CBA.
None of us are lawyers, obviously, and I was hoping you could help. You do contract law, right?”
“Yeah, but my experience with sports contracts is minimal. I might know someone who can help though. Can I call you back in a few?” James asks.
“Sure,” I say. “Any leads you have would be great.”
“Give me ten.”
I hang up and look at my friends. “Maybe this is too ambitious. Writing the rules sounds like a big ask.”
“I don’t think it is. Why not give it a shot?” Maverick walks out from the kitchen holding Murphy. “You love Amelia, don’t you? You want to spend the rest of your life with her, right? So why not try exhausting every option you can to get what you want?”
“He’s right,” Liam says, and I’m surprised by his optimism. “If you throw enough legal shit at them, maybe they’ll agree.”
My phone rings again, and it’s James calling back. I hurry to answers it, and I put him on speakerphone.
“Hey, James,” I say.
“Hey. I’m patching someone in,” he says, and a beep echoes in my ear. “Henry? Are you there?”
“I’m here. Thanks for adding me in. Grant? I’m Henry Dawson.”
“Hey. Nice to meet you,” I say. His name doesn’t ring a bell, but if James trusts him, he has to be good at what he does.
“You too. James gave me the condensed version of your situation, and I think I can help,” Henry says, and I almost fall off the couch.
“Really?” I grab Ethan’s knee, shaking his leg. “You can?”
“I’ll give it my best shot. I used to do sports contract laws, and while the CBA isn’t technically in my wheelhouse, I know sports leagues like the back of my hand. I made my clients a shit ton of money because I pushed until people said yes,” Henry explains.
“Shit. Okay. You’re making me very happy, Henry.”
“First, you need to lay out everything for these people. The league has their own set of lawyers they use, and if there’s any loophole, they’ll find it and use it to their advantage.
I’m talking exact wording and covering every avenue you can think of.
This is about personal relationships, correct? ”
“Yeah. I’m dating—was dating—a coach of another team. She was never in charge of me. There was no abuse of power. We had a consensual relationship the league didn’t agree with, and she’s the one paying the price,” I say.
“Some things never change. Okay. Look. Your best bet is to be specific about what you’re trying to accomplish.
Is it to protect her job? Is it to lessen the punishment?
Is it to set a precedent for all relationships going forward?
Once you’ve figured out your end goal, you can shoot me an email.
I’ll add in all the legal jargon, make it pretty, and send it back to you so you can file it through the NHLPA,” Henry says.
“Again. The more specific, the better. You don’t want to give them a gray area they’ll take advantage of. ”
“I can do that. I’ll start drafting something right now.” I grin. “Holy shit. This is the most hopeful I’ve been in days.”
“If you need to run some early ideas about what you think you’re looking to accomplish, I’m happy to check to make sure you’re going in the right direction,” James.
“Thank you. Both of you. I realize it’s a longshot, but she’s the love of my life. There has to be a way for all of this to work itself out, and I’m going to be the one to find it.” I run a hand through my hair. “Appreciate you taking the time to talk with me.”
“Women,” Henry says. “They’re the best, aren’t they?”
We exchange a few more words, and I hang up. I glance at the guys, and I offer them a grin.
“Boys. It’s time we call in Stabler and Benson,” I say, reaching for the remote on the coffee table. “I don’t care what kind of hell I have to go through to get Lia back. I’ll study every goddamn law book that’s ever been published until I find a way to figure this out.”
“Fuck. You have me wanting to sign up for the LSAT,” Ethan says. “Let’s get to work.”
Six hours later, I’m on the floor with a splitting headache.
“One more time,” Riley says from the other side of Maverick’s living room. A paper airplane lands on my stomach, and I use it as a pillow. “Go through it one more time.”
“We’ve gone through it ten times,” Liam says. He sits up on the couch and glares at all of us. “If we haven’t found a mistake yet, we’re not going to find one at all.”
“Let’s be sure.” Hudson hands me a water bottle. “Grant is going to read the addendum one more time, and I want all of us to listen for any possible missteps the league could look at as a way to deny what he’s asking.”
“My ears hurt,” Maverick complains. “And none of these books are the romance books I like to read.”
“You got your girl, Mavvy,” Riley says. “It’s time for Grant to get his.”
“Fine.” Mav sighs and puts his hands behind his head. Murphy is sleeping next to him on a blanket, and he looks close to passing out too. “Let’s go, G.”
“If two individuals in different ranking power positions who are not affiliated with the same National Hockey League team want to pursue a personal relationship, they’re free to do so as long as no professional benefits—such as money, draft picks, potential trades or free agency signings or insider knowledge of team personnel—are being exchanged.
In addition, no board of governors may punish a member of their organization for activities that occur outside of their jurisdiction, which include and are not limited to, socialization with other members of the National Hockey League.
The only conflict of interest and unethical behavior deemed inappropriate and pursuant of punishments up to, but not limited to, suspension or contract termination, lies in members of the same organization involving themselves in a relationship with someone of a lesser position,” I read, my throat going hoarse.
“Holy fucking shit. I feel like Elle goddamn Woods.”
“I don’t know how you get better than that. I mean, I don’t understand what half of those words are, but it sounds pretty fucking legit,” Ethan says.
“Covers all the bases. Implies that the only issues would be if two people who are associated with the same team got involved with each other, but it allows those from different teams to date each other as long as no one is bringing business into the bedroom,” Hudson says.
“I think that’s perfect, G,” Riley says. “And if they reject it, we’ll come up with a new addendum and present it to them. We won’t stop until they give in.”
“If that doesn’t work, I’ll start boycotting games at the beginning of next season.
The league should be fucking lucky my agent told me to keep my mouth closed.
I’m two seconds away from spending my media availability calling out every transgression some of these other players are guilty of.
” I stretch my back and groan. “I just want my girl back, and I don’t want to wait ten years to make it happen. ”
“Why ten years?” Connor asks.
“Lia said to give her a call when I retire. That’s probably in ten years, and that’s too long of a time.”
“You’re not going to have to wait that long. Take a picture of the addendum, G, and send it to Henry,” Hudson tells me. “As soon as he approves it, we can send it to Coach to send to the legal team. They can forward it to the league, and then it’s just a waiting game.”
“Thank you for all that you all have done for me,” I say. “For reading textbooks for me and cheering me up when I’m down. We all have been through a lot of shit together, and there’s no group of guys I’d rather go through all this with than y’all.”
“Group hug!” Ethan whispers, not wanting to wake up Murphy. “Get in here, you assholes.”
I smile when they all wrap their arms around me.
This might be the biggest shot in the dark, but I need to take a chance.
Lia is worth it.