Chapter 8 - Nate
The lake house hums before I even step outside.
Bass thrums through the deck boards, glasses clink, voices rise and blend into the kind of summer noise that feels alive and hollow at the same time.
It’s a good crowd. A mix of teammates, wives, girlfriends, and whatever groupies or influencers attached themselves to the convoy on the way up. The kind of people who don’t ask whose place it is, just how many bedrooms it has and if the bars open.
Music pours from the outdoor speakers, country pop, something with just enough twang to make it sound authentic. The lake catches the reflection of the sun, bright orange and gold rippling over glassy water.
The place looks exactly the way it did when I bought it: black siding, floor-to-ceiling windows, the deck cascading into stairs that meet the dock like a runway.
A manicured lawn that spreads around the property, with curated bushes and trees.
It’s a house that doesn’t creak, doesn’t smell like earth or smoke, a house that looks perfect in photos, but feels empty inside.
I haven’t had a drink yet. Not because I don’t want one, but because I know what happens when I do. I’ve been skating on a short leash since the playoffs, and one wrong move could be my ticket out of Summit City.
“Cap! You got any more steaks?” Reeves calls from the grill, smoke curling up into the sky. His little girl, Olivia, is twirling nearby, her tiny white dress with sequin maple leaves, catching the light as she spins.
“Fridge in the garage!” I shout back. "I'll grab them and the burgers."
Olivia squeals, chasing the reflection of the sequins on the ground.
And somehow, that small, innocent joy feels like more than the noise around me.
The house is full, laughter spilling down the stairs, perfume and cologne colliding in the air.
Everything’s bright, polished, and curated.
I probably couldn't tell you half their names.
And all I can think is: this isn’t me.
But where does that leave me?
I worked so fucking hard to get where I am.
To get the 'C', the first line ice time, the salary, the fans and sponsors. I can feel it all slipping away. I feel out of control, and that is not me. Maybe Brielle and I weren't the kind of love my parents have, but I knew what to expect at least... until I didn't.
Fuck.
I fist bump people on the way to my garage, pulling out what Reeves needs and grabbing my first beer of the day. I crack the cap and take a swig. It's ice cold and settles something in me. I take a deep breath and walk back outside, smile wide and head held high.
Placing everything on the countertop built in beside my grill, I take it all in.
This is good, this is fun. A girl locks eyes with me, she's in a skin-tight dress, heels and a full face of makeup at the lake.
She gives me what I am sure is supposed to be a sexy grin.
But she looks uncomfortable, or maybe she's trying too hard.
Wait, do I know her? Like know her know her.
Fuck I need to get it together.
Her friend joins her and struts up to the barbecue.
Reeves makes a disgusted grunt kind of sound.
He hates puck bunnies, and I know there is a story there somewhere.
I think it has something to do with Olivia's mom.
But we haven't really gotten close enough to talk like that.
The one I may have fucked, makes her way over to me, trying to sway her hips, but her heels keep catching.
She stumbles into me and tries to make it work to her advantage by grabbing onto my arm and squeezing with a giggle, "So strong! "
The other one tries to start a conversation with Reeves, and his response is a simple, "Not going to happen."
I suppress a laugh while trying to figure out how to remove the girl still attached to me.
Then I hear the sound of a truck I would know anywhere.
I look to my driveway to see two vehicles pulling in: my parents’ truck, and behind it, a familiar old baby blue Chevy.
No fucking way.
They came?
I move to the edge of the deck, beer bottle dangling loose in my hand.
Kenzie’s the first one out of the blue truck parked behind my parents, all red sundress and bare feet, carrying a pie like she’s about to walk into Sunday dinner instead of my chaos. She spots me immediately and waves, that same bright grin she’s had since she was little, pure, unfiltered joy.
I can feel some of the guys gathering behind me. Like they can sense what's to come.
Eli exits my dad's truck, arms crossed, wearing a flannel that’s seen more grease than detergent, over a worn white t-shirt and swim trunks. He clocks the girls in barely there bikinis, the drinks, the loud music and his jaw tightens.
Then Tessa steps out of the Chevy. She's in cut-off jean shorts that sit low on her hips, a white crop tee. Her hair is loose from her earlier braid, wild and free, strands escaping in the breeze. She looks like she belongs in the kind of summer people write songs about, honest, unhurried, real. Every single thing about her is the opposite of this party. And maybe that’s why I can’t look away.
And by the crowd of guys that are now suddenly interested in the barbecue, I would say I am not the only one.
They head toward the deck, and the noise shifts.
A few of the girls glance over, the kind who measure attention like currency, glance at Tessa, and exchange looks that could cut glass.
I have been so focused on her that I didn't notice my parents getting out.
Until Kenzie gives me a look and I realize that I still have a girl attached to my arm.
I shake her off and take a few steps towards my family. Mom reaches me first. Her arms wrap around me in a hug that still smells like lemon and laundry that dried on the line, familiar in a way that undoes me.
“I forgot how loud your parties can be,” she says with a soft smile. Her tone is kind, but her eyes are scanning the scene.
"This isn't even loud yet. It's just a party." I try not to sound defensive but fuck it feels like they are never happy with me.
Her eyes scan the house. “It’s beautiful, Nathaniel.” She says my name the way only she does, full, proper, lined with love and something that feels like sadness.
Dad’s right behind her.
“Nathaniel.” His voice is a handshake you don't ignore. He doesn’t hug me. The look he gives the girls giggling by the railing says everything. He takes in the lake, the house, the noise. “You sure this is you?”
I force a grin. “I'm sure.”
He hums, low, unreadable and then moves around the growing crowd towards Reeves.
Eli’s next, carrying a large cooler. "Where can I place this?" he asks.
“Depends on what's in it.”
He gives me that big brother scowl. “The steaks you said you stopped by for, drinks and some of Mom's macaroni salad.”
"You didn't have to bring anything. I have lots."
Eli looks around, "I can see that. But you know Mom and Dad don't go anywhere without contributing."
"They should know they don't need to with me."
Eli's eyes that match my own lock on me. "Should they?"
And with that, he moves over to dad, placing the cooler down on the other side of the grill.
Kenzie throws her arms around my waist, squeezing hard enough to steal my breath. “You gotta play nice if you want them to come around,” she whispers into my chest.
I glance down, hiding a smile. “What’d you say to Dad to get them to come?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know,” she teases, stepping back with that same mischievous glint she used to get when she’d sneak extra pie from the kitchen. "But it wasn't me who convinced them."
What?
She must see the confusion on my face because she grins widely and nods towards the trucks, “It was all Tess.”
I follow her line of sight to the truck where Anders and Jensen are chatting up Tessa.
I watch as Jensen gives Anders a playful elbow and then grab a cooler from the back of the Chevy.
I can't take my eyes off her. She’s walking alongside Anders, smiling at something he said, and I swear for a second, the whole place shifts focus.
Even the noise seems to quiet, just a beat.
Then one of the girls near the grill laughs a little too loudly.
“Is this family day or what?” she says, eyeing my family like they brought dirt into her boutique.
Reeves’ little girl, Olivia, is on the deck beside her dad now, when her eyes go wide.
“Daddy!” she gasps, tugging on his shorts. “I didn’t know Disney princesses celebrate Canada Day!”
The whole deck chuckles, tension dissolving. Reeves laughs, shaking his head, eyes still on the grill before him. “Guess they do when Captain Carson’s around.”
Colby steps up beside me, his eyes locked on Tessa. "Who needs city girls when you've been hiding hot cowgirls from us, Cap?"
The girl who was hanging off of me scoffs and says something about comparing fine wine to cheap whiskey.
Olivia stares at me with those big brown eyes. “Can you tell them she isn't a whiskey cowgirl... she's a princess, I just know it."
I can't help it; a genuine smile breaks free across my face.
"Can you introduce me.... palleeassssse?"
I grin at her. “Sure can.”
She bolts towards Kenzie, bare feet slapping against the boards, ignoring the need for an introduction.
“Hi! You’re so pretty!" Her whole body is vibrating. I can feel Reeves beside me now, watching the interaction. He is very protective of his little girl. "Ohhh, I don't know who to hug first. Cinderella or Ariel?”
Kenzie drops to a crouch, smiling so wide. “Depends, do you need a pumpkin carriage or a fork?”
Olivia giggles so hard she has to wipe away tears.
“She’s never going to forget this,” Reeves says, grinning.
Something tells me neither will I. Because for a second, everything felt normal again. Everything moves around me while I try to understand what I am feeling right now.
Dad’s talking to Eli now, both of them by the barbecue, sliding in when Reeves stepped away. Mom’s helping one of the wives cut watermelon for the kids, and Kenzie’s chatting with Olivia. And Tessa...
Tessa’s standing at the edge of the deck, the sun catching in her hair, making it look like it's on fire, bare toes curling against the wood. She looks out at the water, not for show. Not for a picture for her feed. Not for anyone. Just because it’s hers to look at.
And maybe that’s what gets me, the way she exists like she doesn’t have to prove anything.
Reeves calls for me, pulling me back into the moment.
Someone turns up the music. McKenna cannonballs into the water again, and everyone cheers.
Girls are dancing on the dock, looking like they should be at a club instead of by the lake.
It’s loud and messy and feels cheap compared to my family sitting by the grill talking to some of my teammates, and the woman with red hair who seems to be the only woman here today who doesn't want anything from me, but I can't seem to keep my eyes off of.