Chapter 9
JACKSON
Tyler fucking West is coming to Hartford.
I'm staring at the text from Chase like it's written in a foreign language.
Chase
Tyler and Donny are in town this weekend. Want to grab dinner Saturday? Emma's excited to see them.
Of course she is. Emma and Tyler dated for three years when they were teenagers, broke up when he cheated, and somehow managed to become friends after all the mess. Tyler still plays for the Pinewood Bears, Chase's old team before he got traded to the Wolves.
Tyler's also a shit-stirrer. Always has been. The kind of guy who sees things other people miss and uses that information to cause chaos just to see what happens.
The last thing I need is Tyler West poking around while Maya's barely holding it together.
Me
Sure. Where?
Chase
That Italian place downtown. 6 p.m. Ethan's coming too because apparently he loves Tyler.
Great. Family dinner with my sister's ex-boyfriend, who has a talent for making everything complicated.
I head upstairs to find Maya. She's in the kitchen with Emma, helping prep vegetables for whatever elaborate meal Emma's decided pregnant women need. Max is supervising from the counter.
"Tyler's coming to town," Emma says when she sees me. She's practically vibrating with excitement. "Saturday dinner. You'll come, right, Maya?"
Maya's hands are still on the cutting board. Just for a second, but I notice.
"Sure," she says. "Sounds fun."
It doesn't sound fun. It sounds like the last thing she wants to do.
"Tyler always has the best stories," Emma continues, oblivious. "Remember that time he got stuck in that hotel elevator in Montreal?"
"With the bride and her entire wedding party," Maya finishes, a smile that doesn't reach her eyes crossing her face. "Classic Tyler."
I grab water from the fridge and watch Maya's shoulders tense. She's gripping the knife too tightly, her knuckles showing the strain.
"You don't have to come if you don't want to," I say.
Both Emma and Maya look at me.
"Why wouldn't she want to come?" Emma frowns. "Maya loves Tyler."
"I do," she says quickly. "Of course I'll be there."
More lies. More performance.
Saturday arrives too fast.
The restaurant is one of those upscale Italian places with white tablecloths and wine lists longer than the menu. We get there first: me, Chase, Emma with Ethan in her arms, and Maya trailing behind like she'd rather be anywhere else.
She's wearing jeans and a sweater, her curls pulled back. No makeup that I can see. The bracelet I gave her catches the light on her wrist.
We're barely seated when Tyler and Donny walk in.
Tyler looks exactly the same. Sandy blond hair styled perfectly, blue eyes bright with that cocky energy that makes you want to punch him and laugh at the same time.
Donny's quieter, built like a brick wall with dark hair and the kind of face that looks like it's taken too many punches. He’s also the captain of the Bears.
"Emma!" Tyler sweeps her into a hug, careful of her bump. "You're glowing. Pregnancy looks good on you."
"Liar, but I'll take it." She laughs.
"Hey, Maya," Tyler says, turning to her.
"Hey, Ty." Her voice is flat, lacking the warmth it used to have when she'd greet him.
He pulls her into a hug, and she goes rigid, but endures it until he lets go. His smile falters, like he's noticed something's off but can't quite place it.
"You look good," he says, and it sounds more like a question than a statement.
"Thanks."
Donny gives her a nod and a quiet "Good to see you, Maya" before settling into his chair. He's always been the calm one, the guy who observes more than he talks.
We settle around the table. Ethan immediately reaches for Tyler, who takes him and balances him on his lap while looking at the menu.
"So how's the season treating you guys?" Chase asks, flagging down the waiter.
"Not bad. We’re sitting third in our division," Tyler says, bouncing Ethan. "Could be worse, but the captain over here keeps saving our asses."
"Just doing my job," Donny says with a shrug. "You guys are killing it, though. Saw the highlights from your game against Boston. That third period was insane."
"Cap here pulled off some miracle plays," Chase says, grinning at me. "The kid's got eyes in the back of his head."
"Always did," Tyler agrees. "Remember that game where you threaded that pass through three defenders?"
"The one where you totally missed the net?" I fire back.
"I was under pressure!"
"You were wide open."
Everyone laughs except Maya, who's studying her menu like it contains the secrets of the universe. She hasn't looked up once since we sat down.
The waiter comes, and we order. Emma gets some elaborate pasta dish she's been craving. Chase and I both order steaks. Donny goes for the chicken parmesan. Tyler orders fish and immediately gets roasted by Chase for it.
"Who orders fish at an Italian place?" Chase demands.
"Someone with taste," Tyler shoots back.
"Fish. At an Italian restaurant. That's like ordering a salad at a steakhouse."
"I order salads at steakhouses," Emma says, and Chase looks personally offended.
"That's different. You're pregnant. You get a pass."
Maya orders wine and drinks half the glass in one go. Tyler's eyes track the movement, his expression flickering with something I can't read.
Ethan entertains himself by throwing breadsticks on the floor, and every time Tyler picks them up and hands them back, Ethan thinks it's the funniest thing in the world.
"Kid's got an arm," Donny observes. "Might have a future in hockey."
"Over my dead body," Emma says. "He's going to be a doctor or a lawyer or literally anything that doesn't involve getting hit with sticks."
"Where's the fun in that?" Tyler grins.
"The fun is in having all his teeth at thirty."
Food arrives, and the conversation flows easily. Stories about the season, Emma talking about nursery plans for the new baby, Chase explaining some complicated play strategy that goes over everyone's head except mine, and the other hockey players.
Donny tells a story about their rookie getting lost in the arena before his first game and somehow ending up in the opposing team's locker room. Tyler adds details that make it funnier, and even Maya cracks a small smile at the mental image.
"I still remember when Jackson got lost in that arena in Quebec," Emma says, laughing. "Mom said he ended up in the Zamboni room."
"I was nineteen," I protest. "And the signs were all in French."
"You took French for three years!"
"Doesn't mean I can read it."
Maya is refilling her wine glass. Third time since we sat down. Tyler's watching her more carefully now, that calculating look I recognize from playing against him.
"So Maya," Tyler says during a lull in conversation. "What brings you to Hartford?"
"Just needed a change of scenery."
"From Pinewood?"
"Yeah."
"Interesting timing. I heard the hospital there had some drama recently." His tone is casual, but his eyes are sharp. "Something about a supervisor getting accused of assault."
Maya's wine glass stops halfway to her mouth. She sets it down carefully, her jaw tight.
"I wouldn't know about that."
"No? I figured working there, you'd hear things."
"I don't work there anymore." Her voice has an edge now. "Budget cuts."
Tyler leans back in his chair, studying her. "That's unfortunate. You were always good at what you did."
"Leave it, Ty," Donny says quietly, catching the tension.
But Tyler doesn't leave it, keeps watching Maya like he's trying to solve a puzzle. The conversation moves on to safer topics: Donny's new apartment, Emma's pregnancy cravings, Ethan's newest words, but the damage is done. Maya orders another glass of wine and retreats further into herself.
Dessert comes and goes. Ethan falls asleep in Emma's arms, tired from all the excitement. The check arrives, and Chase grabs it before Tyler can argue.
"Next time," Chase says.
"You said that last time," Tyler protests.
"And I'll say it next time too."
We file outside, but before we can all leave, Emma insists on getting extra desserts to go and disappears back inside with Chase and Ethan, leaving me, Maya, Tyler, and Donny standing on the sidewalk.
Tyler's on Maya immediately. "So what really happened in Pinewood?"
"Nothing."
"Come on. You show up in Hartford out of nowhere, you're not working, you're drinking like it's going out of style." He steps closer. "Something happened."
"Tyler, back off," I say.
"I'm just trying to help."
"You're being an asshole," Donny says quietly. "Leave it alone."
But Tyler's never known when to quit. "Maya, if something happened to you—"
"Nothing happened to me." Her voice is sharp now. "Can you just drop it?"
"I know you. You don't just leave a job you love for no reason."
“Tyler.” My voice has a warning in it now. “Stop.”
He ignores me, focused entirely on Maya. “Whatever it is, you can tell me. We’re friends, right?”
“We were friends.” Maya’s backing away from him now, toward the wall. “Now you’re just someone who can’t take a hint.”
“I’m trying to help—”
And then he does the stupidest thing possible.
He reaches for her and puts his hand on her arm to stop her from backing away further.
Maya flinches so hard she hits the wall behind her.
“Don’t—” Her voice cracks. “Tyler, let go.”
But he doesn’t. He steps closer instead, into her space, his grip tightening on her arm. “Maya, just listen to me for one second—”
“Get off.” She’s trying to pull away, but he’s not letting her. “Tyler, please, I—”
“I’m not going to hurt you, I just need you to understand—”
“Let go of me.” Her voice is rising, panic bleeding through every word. “Please, just—”
He leans in closer, his other hand coming up to her other arm, and that’s when I see her face.
Pure terror.