Kailyn
Ten minutes prior
Tonight's game has been interesting, to say the least. The team is on fire, working together so well and really hyping the crowd up. The atmosphere is electric and intense with the roar of the crowd and echo off the walls.
My team hasn’t had much to do tonight, just making sure the guys are all staying hydrated and standing by for when we’re needed.
It’s the beginning of the third period now, and the score is five to one against Minnesota.
I’m not going to jinx them, but I think it’s safe to say if they keep playing like this, the game will be ours.
The whistle blows, signaling a stop but I didn’t catch what the penalty call was.
I’m underneath the tunnel, gathering some supplies to help the equipment staff out since they've been changing and sharpening blades all night and needed some more back up sticks since the guys keep breaking them.
I hand off the box to Jacob who thanks me before running off, and then turn and make my way back to Hannah on the bench.
Not even two steps in, I see Eric making his way around the corner and charging right at me.
Coach told us that he was cleared and would be returning tonight, but Hannah and I tried our best to make sure that we avoided him.
Even though it’s been slow for us, we’d managed to either fold into larger groups, find things to do, or just generally stayed clear of him. But it looks like my luck’s run out now.
“So reporting me because you got your feelings hurt wasn’t enough, now you’re trying to avoid me?” He seethes as he comes into my space, his hot breaths hitting my face. This close, there’s anger swimming in his eyes, the darkness taking over.
“First of all…” I grit, taking a step back from him. “It had nothing to do with hurt feelings. I can handle myself. Secondly, how do you even know who filed the claim? They’re supposed to remain anonymous.”
“Trust me, sweetheart.” He crowds me again until he has me backed up against a wall, his hands coming up to brace on the walls, effectively caging me in. “Nothing gets past me. It doesn’t matter anyway, HR determined that I did nothing wrong, so I guess your little plan backfired."
“Look who’s talking. You really thought you’d get back at me by reporting my relationship to HR?”
This man truly thinks that he can get away with everything that he’s done. I’m not going to back down so easily.
“Step back, before I make you.”
“And how exactly do you plan on doing that?” He moves his face closer to mine, his nose brushing the underside of my jaw.
With everything I can, I push at his chest, the unexpected contact forcing him to step back, as I use this to my advantage. I take one step away from him when he forcibly grabs my wrist and yanks me back into his hard chest.
“Where the fuck do you think you’re going? I wasn’t done with you.”
His hot breath spits right into my ear. The bite of his hand on my wrist is sure to leave a bruise.
My ears are ringing with the shouts of the crowd as I try to pry myself from his grasp.
His grip only tightens, and before I can try again, I feel him being ripped from behind me as I turn and see Jake has him pinned to the plexiglass.
It’s hard to make out exactly what Jake and Eric are saying to each other, my mind a jumbled mess of emotions. A few moments pass before Jake is being pulled back by Connor and Blake, but I can still see that he’s fighting them as more heated words are spoken.
Instantly, I’m snapped out of my own thoughts and my feet move on instinct.
“Jake, please stop,” I step in front of Jake, grabbing his face in my hands as I pull him closer to me. I catch his eyes, anger burning bright in them as I try and get him to match my breaths, calm and even. His breaths are heavy and chest rising rapidly.
“That’s it, just breathe, Jake. Focus on me and nothing else.” We stay standing together, Jake's breaths slowly evening out as he matches mine.
“I’m sorry,” he whispers.
“You have nothing to be sorry for, handsome. It’s not on you.”
Once he’s calmed enough, he turns to Coach, exchanging some words before being dismissed to the locker room.
Present
I’m shaken from my thoughts, stunned that Eric had the audacity to corner me so publicly.
Jake looks at me one more time before storming off to the locker room.
“Kailyn, are you okay?” Hannah runs up to my side, cautiously grabbing my shoulders before she pulls me into a bone crushing hug. Burying my face into her neck, I breathe in her vanilla and citrus scent as I try and calm my beating heart.
“I’m fine, a little thrown off by what just happened.”
“Kailyn.” Emilia comes running around the corner as she barrels into us, her arms wrapping around my back as my girls cage me in a loving and protective hug.
What Eric did just now actually scared me, but it wasn’t until this moment with me being wrapped in their arms that I realized how I was feeling.
With the rage swimming in his eyes and the way he was gripping me, I wasn’t afraid of being touched but more so afraid of being hurt because of how angry he was.
“I’m okay,” I whisper, tears starting to pool behind my eyes.
“It’s okay not to be okay right now.” Emilia soothes.
I nod, closing my eyes as I soak in their warmth.
I’m so grateful to have them in my life.
“Girls, I hate to break up the moment, but I’m gonna have you all escorted to the tunnels by security to make sure you’re safe and away from everyone, okay?” Coach comes up to us, and I pull back from the hug, nodding at him.
“Is it okay if I have them take me to the locker room? I need to check on Jake,” I ask.
He nods at two security guards behind us before turning back to me. “I’m sorry that he was able to hurt you, Kailyn.”
“It’s not your fault, Coach. Eric is the only one to blame, and now we have what we need. He just dug his own grave.”
“He did, and I will make sure we bury him this time.” He smiles softly, and then I turn around to follow security down the hall.
There’s chaos and commotion all around us before we make it into the hallway and it becomes quiet. I follow the guards as they lead me to the locker room, when I hear yelling coming from behind me.
“KAILYN!”
Unison shouts come from my brothers as they come barreling down the hallway toward me. The guard tries to step in front of me, but I stop him. “It’s okay, they’re my brothers.”
He steps back just as Brayden and Brandon come running down the hall and wrap me up in an awkward but much needed hug. I wrap my arms around them, knowing they need this just as much as I do.
“Hey, are you okay? Did that asshole hurt you?” Brayden asks.
They release me and I take a step back. “I’m okay. Just a little shaken up.”
“I hate that there’s nothing that we can do right now.” Brayden says, frustration lining his tone.
“I mean, yeah, but you know Coach has a plan in place. Plus, I’m pretty sure everyone saw what just happened on the jumbotron, so Eric is going to have a hard time explaining this one away,” Brandon adds.
“I hope so.” I nod.
“You sure you're okay?” Bray asks, sounding like he’s ready to fight for me, and I appreciate my brothers so much.
“I’m okay. I just need to check on Jake right now.”
Brandon nods, looking at Bray. “Okay, just call us if you need anything. We’ll stop by tomorrow and check on you both.”
“I love you both.” I tell them.
“Love you, too,” they say in unison before turning around and making their way back to the arena.
As I breathe in a few deep breaths, I hear the clearing of a throat, reminding me of the guard that was escorting me to the locker room. I nod, following him down the hall.
Once I make my way through the doors, I tell the guards I’m okay and they leave me be.
It’s quiet here, the only sound is the hum of the air.
As I make my way further into the room, I can make out the faint sounds of shower water.
I walk into the showers and steam of the water hits my skin and then look to the back and see Jake hunched on the floor, his head between his knees.
I make my way over and crouch in front of him, reaching out and placing my hand on his knee. “Jake.” My voice comes out soft so as not to disturb him.
He looks up at me.
There’s red behind his eyes, signaling to me that he’s been crying.
Not caring if I get wet, I push his legs down and crawl over him, straddling him as I wrap him in my arms and hold him.
His arms find my waist and he pulls me even closer to him until there’s no room between us.
“I’ve never been so angry before,” he admits after a while of silence.
“When I saw him grab you like that, I lost it. All I wanted to do was kill him for hurting you and making you or anyone else feel scared.” He pulls back slightly so we’re face to face, his forehead touching mine.
“I love you, Kailyn. I will do anything to protect you. But I feel like I’ve failed you because he’s still here and he hurt you and—”
“Shh, it’s not on you, babe.” My hands run up and down his back, a reassuring touch for both of us.
“I need you to know that none of this is your fault. You didn’t ask him to hurt me.
You weren’t the one that dismissed the case and sent him back here.
It’s not on you what he does. You saw him put his hands on me and rushed over to protect me, and that’s all I could've asked you for. I’m okay, we’re okay.
” I kiss down his jaw and behind his ear as a reminder that we have each other and that we’ll get through this.
“He’s going down for this. I don’t care how, but he will.”
“He will. But right now, I just wanna be with you, so take me home, handsome.”
We both get out from under the water, dry off and then make our way to the locker room where he hands me a pair of his sweats and a hoodie that I gratefully change into.
After we’re both dressed he grabs his things and we make our way out to the parking lot, where we hop into his truck and start to head home.
Nothing needs to be said between us right now, just knowing that he was there when it mattered is enough for me.
We make our way inside his house. Today's events are finally catching up with me as exhaustion finally takes over.
“I’m gonna go take an actual shower before bed if you wanna join me,” I say, making my way down the hall and to his room. Walking into his closet, I grab one of his shirts from the hanger before I turn around and see him leaning on the frame, a lazy smile crossing his features.
“What?”
“Nothing. I just love that you’ve made this place your home.
” He walks over to me and glides his hands down my sides and under my ass before lifting me up, my legs wrapping around him.
He walks us to the bathroom before he puts me on the counter and turns to the shower to start the water.
“I love that you feel safe and comfortable here.”
He undresses himself, throwing his clothes on the floor before walking back over and helping me undress. I hop off the counter and slide his sweats down my thighs, then guide him into the shower. “Wherever you are is where my home is.”
He leans down and kisses me, soft and slow, savoring this moment. He guides me under the spray as we take turns washing each other. There’s nothing sexual about this moment, it’s just us taking care of each other.
Once done, we dry off and before I can put a shirt on, he’s grabbing my hand, leading me to the bed where he pulls back the covers and lays me down.
He walks over and turns off the lights before joining me, wrapping himself around my back.
Our bodies are tangled together, skin to skin with nothing in the way.
“Tonight, I just want to hold you,” he admits, his voice catching on the last words.
My hands find his arms and tangle into him, sinking further into his touch. “I want that, too.”
As I lie in his arms, his breaths even out as his chest rises and falls into me. When tomorrow comes, I know there’s going to be a lot to deal with, but right now, all I want is to be in his arms.
Knowing that I’m safe as he holds me tight to his chest, I let myself fall into a peaceful sleep.