Chapter 17
Channing
It’s been twelve weeks since I’ve seen Cassidy. Twelve weeks since we hired a PI to dig into Natasha’s pregnancy. Twelve weeks since Natasha’s been living with me and causing the biggest headache of my fucking life.
Again, it started this morning with her moving my shit. I’m a man of routine and placement of things, yet every morning, it seems little Miss I’m Nesting, moves my belongs. The biggest items being my wallet and keys.
Which is why I’m late walking into the arena to prepare for our last preseason game. I walk into the locker room, annoyed as hell that I’m behind on my pregame rituals. Brooks is sitting on the bench next to me as I aggressively remove my suit jacket, before yanking my tie loose.
“Let me guess, she moved your keys again,” he says, with a smirk as he laces up his skates. “You should put an air tag on that shit. That way, you’ll never miss where they are.”
I huff out a sarcastic laugh as I dress for warmups. “That, or I track down Talya and see if she’s heard anything more from the PI. I can’t take this anymore man. I want my life back.”
Brooks sends a sympathetic look my way before getting up and continuing to dress. “I get it, man. But what if this isn’t some sort of set up? What if it was all as real as it is right now?”
“Then I would just have to accept it,” I say, in frustration. “Cassidy will never talk to me again.”
“She’s going through her own shit right now, man.”
Yeah. I get it. Your fiancé cheats on you, and then the guy you take a chance on turns out to be a lying scumbag who can’t tell you he had a child on the way. That’s more than enough shit to go around. Yet, I want her. I need her to forgive me. I need her to tell me no matter what, she’ll be mine.
“I’m going to find Talya,” I say, pushing myself from my spot on the bench.
I make my way to the admin offices, slowing as I pass Hayley and Cassidy’s, hoping that by some chance, I’ll see her, and she’ll talk to me. Yeah, pretty farfetched, but I have to try. I quickly wrap my knuckles on the door, waiting for Talya’s response before entering.
“Before you say anything, no, I haven’t heard from the PI yet,” she says, as soon as I walk in.
It’s been three months, and there still has yet to be any developments. Maybe we need to hire someone else. This guy doesn’t seem to know the importance of this, or he just wants to milk me for every penny I’m worth.
“Three months, Talya. It’s been three fucking months. I don’t know how much more I can take,” I say, flopping down in her chair. “You know how many times I’ve been late for practice or games this month alone? All of them. I can’t do this anymore.”
“I get it, but we just need a little bit more time. Our guy is working on two good of a story to drop this now.”
“How good?”
She sits across from me, crossing her arms over her chest as she leans against the desk. “Apparently, so good, that he’s going to blow everything we believed out of the water. He’s just waiting for confirmation from one more lead before presenting his findings to us.”
My elbows rest on my knees as my head falls into my hands. “How long will that be?”
“Hopefully, a day or two. A week at most.”
It’s not ideal, but I can do it. Hang in there for one more week, and this nightmare will finally come to an end. Or everything will be confirmed, and I’ll just be stuck with her for the rest of my life. Then Cassidy will never forgive me.
Stop it. I need to stop thinking like that. I give Talya my best fake smile and make my way back to the rink. There’s nothing more I can do for now.
My phone rings at the ass crack of dawn after what was the worst game I ever played in my NHL career. Heck, since college too. Glancing at the flashing screen, I see Talya’s name and spring out of bed, sleep all but forgotten. It hasn’t even been a week. She said it would be a week. Tamping down my eagerness, I answer the phone and school my voice.
“Channing Halloway.” Really?
“I know who you are, Channing,” Talya says with a chuckle. “Sorry to call so early, and I know I said it could be a week, but our guy called, and he wants to meet with us in thirty mins.”
“I’ll be there in ten.”
I hang up the phone and throw on a pair of gray sweatpants and a dark-gray hoodie before grabbing my keys and wallet and heading out the door.
Avoiding all speed limits, I arrive at the little dingy dive bar that the PI asked to meet at. I’m shocked a place like this is open at seven thirty a.m. on a Sunday, but I shouldn’t be surprised either since it is in one of shadiest parts of towns. Guess it comes with the territory for PIs? Meet in discreet, sketchy places. I push open the bar door and spot Talya sitting with the man of the hour.
Scotty Mars. One of the best PIs in Seattle. He’s known as the best for several reasons, one being that the guy I’m meeting right now looks nothing like the guy I met three months ago. Three months ago, he was dressed in a business suit, looking like he was a lawyer ready to slap my ass with a lawsuit. Today, he looks like a punk rocker, covered head to toe in piercings and tattoos. Hell of a transformation if you ask me.
“Sorry I’m late,” I say, sliding into the booth next to Talya.
“Right on time actually,” he says, tapping the manila folder in front of him. “Drink before we begin?”
I shake my head as my leg bounces nervously under the table, anxious as to what he has to say. My life could either be fucked for the rest of time to where I’ll need a drink, but I’ll take my chances for that one. I need to be clear minded for what he says.
“So, this may or may not surprise you, but your girl’s full of shit.”
“She’s not my girl—” I start to say before registering what he just said.
I watch as he pulls out documents and pictures, ready for him to explain his findings as Talya takes a sip of her vodka soda she had ordered before I arrived.
“First thing’s first. The document you received and leaked to the media of your paternity test was falsified. According to my guy on the inside, your girl is having a relationship with this fella here. Ronald Black conveniently works for the lab you did your test through.” I glance down at the photo of Natasha and the guy from the clinic locking lips. My jaw tightens as I grind my teeth. “My guys were able to hack her phone and access messages between her and numb nuts there. Their plan was to claim the baby was yours, trap you into a marriage for a year or two once the baby came, then she would divorce you for a hearty alimony and child support check.”
You got to be shitting me. “Not again,” I fucking mutter under my breath as I continue to sift through the information before me.
Talya stares at me with a million questions in her eyes. I could have sworn I said what I intended quietly. But judging by the look on her face and Scottie’s, I know I fucked up.
“What?”
“Did you seriously just say not again?”
I drop my head into my hands before looking at the pair. “Back in high school, I was dating a girl. When I got drafted, she went to college, and we did long distance. One day, she called me and told me she was pregnant.” I pause, remembering the day she called to tell me I was gonna be a dad. I loved her so much that I let my pride cloud my judgment. “We got engaged. Planned a wedding because my parents always told me to own up to my shit. Take responsibility. So, there I was, ready to commit my whole like to the two of them. Only for her to not show up.”
“Her maid of honor found me later that night and gave me a note she found. She lied to me. The baby wasn’t mine. It was some guy’s she met in a bar.” The pain in my chest intensifies, aching fresh like it did that very day. “She told me it was mine because the guy told her he didn’t want children at first. She figured I was rich and could take care of them, so it didn’t matter that she didn’t love me anymore.”
I was seen as a paycheck. A payout just like Natasha had seen me. It was why I didn’t commit. No one ever saw me beyond the hockey and the pay.
No one except for Cassidy and thanks to Natasha, she destroyed that as well.
“Yeah, sorry about this, mate,” Scottie says, passing me the manila folder. “This is all yours to do with as you please. The last of my fees will be waived.” With that, he pushes to stand and leaves the bar, leaving me with Talya to stew over my thoughts.
Talya chugs back the last of her drink before eyeing me with caution. “So, what do you want to do?”
Take a time machine to travel back and punch myself in the face so I can avoid getting involved with Natasha to begin with. Commit to Cassidy the moment I met her. There’s only one thing to do though.