Chapter 24
Chapter
Twenty-Four
Roxie
Iwas supposed to be editing. Instead, I sat in the bleachers, watching the Narwhals practice.
Hayes had them skating drills and going over plays for tomorrow’s game. He was the same coach as always, except for this time when he looked my way, he gave me a smile or a wink.
There was a certain grace to watching these large alphas and deltas skate. They were able to turn quickly, maneuvering their giant bodies in a way that should have been completely impossible.
Greer was still fairly stoic and serious, but he seemed more relaxed and focused on the game since we’d all bonded.
Even I could see the difference in the way he moved and worked with his team. I’d watched several practices and games at this point, and I was starting to learn the ins and outs of hockey.
He and Kota followed Lachlan’s lead without hesitation, clearly, more in tune with each other than ever before.
I had a feeling the next game wouldn’t be quite so close, and now that Greer had his rut behind him, I hoped he wouldn’t let the bullshit words of the other teams get to him.
“Shouldn’t you be working, young lady?”
I grinned at the familiar female voice next to me, looking over to see my new best friend, Lana, joining me.
“What are you doing here?” I asked as I hugged her tight. She looked incredible. Her long, blonde hair was hanging long and glossy around her shoulders. She was wearing a cute boho white top and baggy jeans, looking classy and comfy, which was her superpower I swear.
The biggest change was in her face. Her eyes no longer held dark circles. In fact, she was glowing. Radiating happiness that only finding your pack could provide.
“Seems our boys are playing against each other tomorrow,” she said. “We just arrived a bit early because I wanted to catch up with you.”
“I feel honored,” I said, giving her a grin.
“Go again!” Hayes barked out. I turned back at the sound of his yelling, and when I did, Lana let out a gasp.
“You have bites.” She grabbed my arm, practically dancing in her seat now. “Does this have anything to do with a certain player almost going feral after last night’s game?”
“It just might,” I admitted.
“Tell me everything,” she demanded, just as bossy as always. I honestly loved that about her.
“Well, you already know about my roommate...”
And then I launched into the entire story. From finding Kota, to the reveal of who Rylan and Greer were to each other, to packing up with the coach.
“Oh, my god, are you kidding me? The coach?” she shrieked and turned his way. She was not being subtle but they were too busy to notice. “He’s hunky for a silver fox.”
Lana was eating up every bit of this story because, of course, she was. We were both professionals, but when we got together we were just two omegas indulging in some solid girl time.
“Every time we try to say we’re not going to do something, here comes fate to show us she’s a petty bitch who wants to prove us wrong.”
Our laughter drew the attention of all three of my pack mates out on the ice.
“I know that look,” she teased, bumping into my shoulder. “I’ve seen it quite often from mine. Those men have it bad for you.”
“I have it bad, too,” I admitted with a sigh. “I still have my issues, but so do they. And honestly, I think that makes me trust them easier.”
A whistle blew before Hayes was shouting at the team, sending them off to the locker room. “Showers!”
“I’ll let you get to your guys. I’m sure they’re going to be anxious to see you. But maybe we can all meet up for dinner?” she practically begged. “I need more girl time.”
“That would be amazing. Do you think the guys can get along long enough for dinner?” They were some of the biggest rivals in the AHA world.
“The better question is can the world handle seeing them out together?” she countered.
“Let me talk to the guys and see what they suggest. I bet we can come up with something private,” I reassured her.
“Just give me a call. We’ve got a few hours before then.” I watched her stand up and walk away. My chest felt light and happy and the bond echoed it back to me, like they were happy just because I was.
“Get down here, little bat,” Hayes called out as the guys disappeared through the tunnel. I walked around the stadium seats and down to the box.
He reached over, lifting me over before pressing his lips to mine. Sometimes, it felt like they couldn’t wait a single second more and I loved it.
“It’s been way too long since I’ve seen you,” he teased.
“Only since this morning. You better watch it. I might think you’re getting attached, Coach.”
“Oh, I am,” he promised, kissing me again for good measure, his chest rumbling softly. “Who were you talking to up there?”
“Oh, that was Lana Flynn. She’s the girl from the article,” I explained. “She also happens to be my best friend. We met doing the article, but now we’ve gotten a lot closer.”
“Ah, so she’s the competition,” he teased. This time it held no frustration. He truly had let go of his worries and was putting trust in me.
“She actually came down early for the game tomorrow so we could have some time to hang out. I know there’s some rivalry, but it would be really nice if my pack and hers could be friends. Or at least comfortable enough to hang out because your omegas are besties.”
“Point taken, little bat.”
“Which brings us to the issue that there’s nowhere we can really go have dinner together in town without telling the world, ‘Hey, these guys aren’t really rivals’.”
“I’d say the estate, but Kota doesn’t want anyone to know about his wealth,” he added.
“No, he doesn’t,” I agreed. “I have no intentions of pushing him toward anything he doesn’t want.”
“Well, it’s not uncommon for us to get a private room for the team.
I may not be able to stop people from coming in and out of the restaurant, but they’re pretty sympathetic to the North Crossing players, giving them a chance to actually enjoy a meal without fans coming up to them. So, I’ll see what I can arrange.”
A smile stretched across my face. “Have I ever told you how much I appreciate you?”
“Not yet, but I do love hearing it.” He grinned. It made him look even younger. My alpha was no longer holding back and it showed.
“Why don’t we go up to my office? Let me gather my things, and then we can get out of here.”
“Sounds good to me. I can edit later tonight anyway.”
He snorted. “I don’t know if I’d bet on that. A certain ever-cheerful delta was talking about us having a pack movie night.”
“That does sound like more fun than editing. Maybe I can do thirty minutes of edits first or something.”
“We can head home now if you want so you have time before dinner,” he offered. I had a feeling he had other ideas but was easily willing to pivot.
“That sounds perfect.”
He kissed me one last time before pulling me through the admin hall toward his office. It was the only other way in, outside of the locker room, and I didn’t think any of them would appreciate me showing up in a locker room full of half-naked or fully naked deltas and alphas.
“Hayes,” a deep voice called out as soon as we rounded the corner. We both turned around to see who was calling. The moment my eyes landed on the alpha waiting outside of his office, all the color drained from my face.
My breath caught in my throat and suddenly it felt impossible to take in a normal breath. My panic was so strong I squeezed Hayes’s hand, desperate for him to help.
A burst of panic from Rylan and Greer surged through the bond, but I couldn’t even manage to send reassurance back.
The man had no idea who I was. That much was clear as he walked up. Even though his eyes were focused on Hayes, he shot me a few curious glances and raised his eyebrows at our joined hands.
“Looks like someone found himself an omega,” the man joked, letting out a booming laugh. He was the kind of guy who spoke and made sure everyone was paying attention.
“Yes. This is Roxie.” Hayes glanced down at me as if he was just catching on that I was absolutely losing it. “Roxie, what’s wrong?”
He looked at the man in front of me who just looked lost, not shocked or confused.
This asshole didn’t even know my name.
“Do you know him?” Hayes asked, leaning closer and trying to get me to focus on him.
“Yeah,” I managed to choke out.
“Oh, are you a fan?” he asked, giving me the charming smile that I’m sure worked on a number of puck bunnies back in his day.
Hell, it worked on Mom.
“No.” My voice was sharp this time and it pulled me out of my panic so I could finally suck in a desperate breath. “In fact, you’re the reason I’ve hated hockey until recently.”
I glanced at Hayes as if begging him to understand. He was still clueless.
The door to the locker room burst open. My two deltas and omega came charging out, searching frantically for me. They turned our way and immediately rushed over.
Greer was already growling at my sperm donor, who stepped back and held up his hands to ward him off.
“Who is this?” Greer demanded. “What did you do to her?”
My father laughed nervously, holding up his hands. “You’ve got me at a little bit of a disadvantage here. I have no idea what’s going on.”
“Who is he, Roxie?” Rylan demanded.
“She said I’m the reason she hates hockey. I don’t know what I did to her.” Now my father was getting defensive. Asshole.
Rylan snapped toward him so fast his eyes narrowed. Because he understood exactly what that reference meant.
“You’re so fucking out of touch that you don’t know what your own daughter looks like?”
“Oh god,” Kota breathed out, moving closer. He stepped up behind me, pressing his hand to my lower back, the warmth seeping into my skin.
Greer looked ready to pick me up and run but settled for taking my hand in his.
“This is your father?” Hayes choked out. He looked startled, horrified, and completely confused.
“You can’t call him my father.” I laughed bitterly. “In fact, I’ve never met him until now.”
Lincoln Anderson’s face went pale. His smile finally vanished and a dozen emotions danced across his face.
Regret wasn’t one of them.
“Look,” he said, laughing nervously. “I just...” He stammered over the words, clearly, not sure what to say.
“Maybe it’s best if you go,” Greer bit out. He looked downright menacing here and Lincoln was quickly realizing he was outnumbered.
“Look, I would love the chance to talk. I know I don’t deserve it, but I’d like to learn more about you. Maybe I can explain a bit from my side. One dinner. You can walk out on me but just give me fifteen minutes?”
“I have plans tonight,” I bit out.
He reached into his suit jacket, pulling out a card and holding it out.
Greer snatched it, crumpling it in his hand as he glared at the alpha in front of me.
“Tomorrow, then?”
“There’s a game,” I said.
“Lunch, perhaps. The game doesn’t start until seven. I know. I have tickets.” He gave me that disarming smile like it would smooth all this over. He was, clearly, used to having easy fixes.
“I’ll consider it.” It was the best this asshole was getting from me. I wasn’t sure I could force myself through one-on-one time with him.
He let out a breath. “That’s all I can ask.”
“I’ll show up. If you don’t, I’ll understand. But I’d love to properly apologize and try to find a way to chat.”
That was all he said before backing away slowly. Greer was shooting daggers at him, teeth bared. My delta was ready to rip him apart.
“Simmer down, boy,” Kota said, clapping him on the arm.
Surprisingly, Greer didn’t snap at him. He closed his eyes and took a step back, calming himself down.
“You don’t have to go. Fuck that,” Rylan said.
“I’m going to need someone to fill me in,” Hayes said, shaking his head.
I’d mentioned my hangups about hockey to the others, but not him.
“He got my mom pregnant, and when he found out, he paid her one huge check to never have to deal with me. He signed his rights away and walked out the door. I’ve never met him. Never even seen him in person until now.”
I stumbled over my words. I’d been so panicked, then angry, and hurt, that it was taking a toll on me.
“Mom tore up that check and worked three jobs just to make ends meet. I was raised by a single omega because he was too big of a pussy to be a dad.”
“No,” Hayes said, shaking his head. That had Greer growling in warning. “Sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just... for years we played together. Two separate times. He’s someone I’d consider a friend. Or at least I did.”
“I’m not going to tell you who to be friends with, but I certainly don’t have high expectations of that asshole,” I said.
“Are you going to go to lunch with him?” Kota asked carefully.
They were all looking at me like I was going to break down at any moment. I was caught off guard, but now all I felt was anger.
“You should consider it,” Hayes said carefully.
“Why?” I asked, looking at him and waiting for an explanation because right now I thought he’d lost his damn mind.
“In a year or two, do you think you’ll regret not going? If this is your one chance to get answers for yourself, don’t you want them?”
“I don’t know.” And that was the truth. I had no fucking idea.
I wasn’t sure if Hayes still had hope that my father wasn’t a complete fuckup or if he simply didn’t want me to have regrets.
“We have a dinner to get ready for and a game tomorrow. I’ll figure it out later. But no promises.”
As far as I was concerned, my father could get fucked.