Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
Twenty-fourth encounter
“It feels like...the end, doesn’t it?” Anna murmured, nodding toward the window.
Lucas followed her gaze to the dark clouds that painted the sky black. “Endings and beginnings are usually the same. So, maybe it’s a beginning,” he replied calmly.
Lucas left.
He wasn’t in the mood to celebrate anymore. He didn’t want to see anyone but Melody.
Never in his life had he hated someone else being right so much. Never had he hated so much that he was wrong. He wanted Anna to lie. He wanted to hear that they could continue as before. For...forever? Yes, forever seemed like a reasonable amount of time. Forever might be close to enough.
I’ll get over the fact that you don’t love me.
He hated Anna for those words, for putting them in his mouth. But not as much as the honesty behind I love you. You know that. I know that. Because he believed her. His body spoke to her. And, in turn, her face spoke to him. He hadn’t known. He had only imagined being loved by a woman like Anna.
But in his mind, it hadn’t been so damn tragic and it hadn’t hurt so damn much. Fox called him. Temple called him. West called him. Fuck, even Leon called him.
He ignored them all. He ignored Hazel, who cheerfully congratulated him on his victory and told him what she and Melody had done that evening. He just thanked her and said he was tired. He went upstairs to Melody...who was asleep.
She was sleeping soundly, clutching the stuffed eagle to her chest. It had been easier for her to fall asleep for a few weeks now.
Without him. That was good. But at the same time, he wished she were still awake, would wrap her thin arms around his neck and remind him why it was okay that he’d let Anna go.
Why it had to be this way. Why he didn't have a choice.
Melody was worth it. She was worth everything.
But that didn’t mean he didn’t feel like someone had replaced his heart with a balloon filled with nails.
“Hey, I thought... I’d talk to you alone for a minute before we go in.” Lucy nervously pushed her hair back from her forehead and glanced at her watch. “You know... PR consultant to player. Dax’s girlfriend to...you.”
No one had ever uttered that word so accusingly, but Lucas had neither the nerve nor the energy to tell Lucy that.
He had no desire to talk to her at all. He’d dropped Melody off at daycare only to return an hour later and be greeted by the red-haired, nervous wreck named Lucy.
She was expelling one gasp after another as if she were running a marathon or dealing with a harrowing PR situation.
Fuck, it was a harrowing PR situation.
Lucas raised an eyebrow and silently crossed his arms. It was one of those situations that no amount of words could improve, so he let it go.
“Okay, listen. I’ll be honest: I was rather surprised when Dax barreled in and informed me that you were Anna’s secret boyfriend.
” She puffed out her cheeks. “Of all the players, I know the least about you because you’re incredibly private.
But I honestly always thought that you..
.” Frowning, she tilted her head. “...were just about the most loyal man the world has to offer.”
Perplexed, he opened his mouth.
“Yeah, that’s probably true," she continued. "It’s what Fox told me. That you hate drama. That you didn’t want to upset anyone. That it...just happened.”
Yeah. Maybe it had just happened, even though that sounded too simplistic for all the feelings churning in his chest, each gunning to win the gold in wrestling.
“Which leads me to believe that you...like Anna? That you only risked this shit-storm because you actually care about her?” Her gaze softened.
“If that’s the case, it certainly wouldn’t be a problem if you wanted to be together.
There aren’t strict rules regarding relationships between team doctors and players, and I can talk to Dax and Jack.
We could also keep it under wraps for the playoffs so that… ”
“It’s not an issue anymore,” he interrupted harshly. The conversation was ridiculously irrelevant — and he didn’t want to hear it. He had no use for what people thought, or even what he felt.
I’ll get over the fact that you don’t love me.
His jaw cracked.
“Oh.” Lucy’s eyes widened in surprise as Lucas narrowed his. He’d assumed Anna had told her. Her brothers, her friends...
“I see.” She looked at him. “Why?”
He remained silent because it was none of her business.
“Ah,” she said. “That explains it, at least.”
“That explains what?”
“Well, you look worn out.”
“Thanks,” he replied dryly.
He hadn’t slept, but he had glanced in the mirror. He knew what he looked like.
Lucy smiled apologetically and exhaled for the hundredth time. “So, about...”
“I’m not going to fight Dax.”
She laughed. “No, of course not. He’ll behave himself. There will be children present. That...” She frowned. “That will hopefully restrain him. But you said your niece attends this kindergarten.”
Niece. It was the truth. It was the right word to describe Melody. But at the moment, he hated it.
He merely nodded and rubbed his chest, where a dull throbbing pain had begun.
“Would you mind if we took some photos of you with her...”
“I would,” he said abruptly. “She won’t be in any photos.” His words were perhaps a tad too cold and threatening because Lucy took a surprised step back, but he didn’t care.
“Okay. Come with me then. The others are already inside.”
By inside, she meant the children’s coatroom, which, in his opinion, had always looked like the inside of a dollhouse.
All the benches were so low they barely seemed to rise above his ankles, and colorful animals marked each child’s coat hook.
Melody’s was the eagle. She had traded a pack of crayons with one of the other children to get it.
She’d been so damn proud when she’d told him about it: “I didn’t care about the crayons! So I won.”
“Hey, asshole,” Dax greeted him casually, his hands in his pockets and a look as hard as Lucas’ fist would be, landing on it, if he didn’t wipe that expression off his face.
Lucy groaned. “Dax! What did I tell you?”
“I held back. I was going to say motherfucker,” he replied coldly.
Great.
Lucas ignored him because whatever he wanted to say to Dax might end in a fight. He avoided Fox’s gaze, which was...concerned – what the fuck? – and landed on Leon, who just seemed furious.
“I hate you a little, you know!” Leon exclaimed incredulously. “It’s not fair. You get to fuck Anna, but I don’t? What’s different about you?” He placed his hand on Lucas’ shoulder and looked sullenly into his face as if he could find the answer to his question there.
“Leon?” he said coolly.
“Yes?”
“Take your hand off my shoulder before I break it.”
“Oh man, you’re all such jerks today, aren’t you?” he said, annoyed, but let go.
“Leon, back off,” Fox said darkly.
“What? It’s not fair that he’s screwing her...”
“No one’s allowed to screw her,” Dax growled. “Least of all you.”
“Dax...” Lucy’s voice was more than a warning.
“No! It’s fucking treason, Lucy! Everyone knows that. Moreau and I have been on the ice together for five fucking years. He’s my fucking friend and he seduced my sister behind my back!”
Lucas snorted. “Are you living in the eighteenth century, Temple?” he whispered. His voice was dangerously soft.
His colleague’s expression darkened as he took a step forward. “You better shut up, Moreau. The only reason I haven’t knocked you down yet is because we need you conscious if we’re going to win the Cup.”
“You have no reason to knock me down,” he replied calmly. After all, he and Anna were siblings — and he strongly suspected it would upset Dax to hit him as much as it would upset her.
“I don’t, do I?” Dax gritted his teeth. “Anna up and disappeared yesterday! She’s ignoring my calls. She won’t talk to me. She won’t answer her fucking door. And I fucking blame you!” he said, his voice menacingly low. “Anna and I never argue. Not really. Before you two…”
“Hold on a moment, Dax,” he said abruptly.
The longer he talked to him, the angrier he became.
“Stop attributing Anna’s behavior and desires to anyone other than herself!
Because what you’re saying is bullshit.” His toes bumped Dax’s as he glared down at him angrily.
“Anna was too damn exhausted and overworked to argue with you. She wanted to please you too much. She thinks she owes it to you to tolerate your fucking intrusive behavior. Why should you be mad at me when I seem to be the only damn person who cares about what she wants? Not what suits you. You’re the one who should be apologizing to her. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Dax’s eyes widened in disbelief. “What the hell...”
“I’m not done yet,” he interrupted hastily.
“She moved to L.A. for you. She never had as much contact with Jack as she wanted because of you. She kept ten thousand secrets for you. And she felt incredibly guilty about having contact with your father because of you. And honestly, Temple, she doesn’t deserve to feel bad because you can’t bring yourself to ask what she wants!
Only because she feels like she owes everything she’s accomplished to you and Jack. ”
“Wow,” Leon whispered. “I didn’t know Moreau knew so many words.”
“You’d be surprised,” Fox replied.
Lucy and Dax, however, just stared at him. Lucy was shocked, and Dax...
“What?”
Dax was confused. Offended. Hurt. Yes, maybe that was the word.
“But she doesn’t. She owes us nothing. She’s brilliant. Everything she’s achieved is thanks to herself.”
“I know that,” Lucas snapped. “You don’t have to tell me that.”
Dax blanched and stared at him as if he’d seen a ghost. “She told you that?” he muttered. “Shit.” He narrowed his eyes. “How come I'm still the asshole?” He looked back at Lucy for help. “I thought you cured me!”
Lucy laughed. “I’m your girlfriend, not a miracle worker, Dax.”