Chapter 29
MADDIE
Istared at my phone.
MATT: Can we talk after my game?
He sent that last night, and I still didn’t know what to make of it. What was there to talk about?
All my friends had been telling me to suck it up and go talk to him. That I shouldn’t care what my brother thought because it was my life. I wanted to believe they were right, but worry coursed through me. Every time I imagined telling Noah, I pictured how he rang Jaime’s bell on the ice. Noah wouldn’t do that to his own teammate, right?
I was confused about Matt’s motives because yesterday, I saw him spying on us at practice. He was with Ty and a girl I didn’t recognize, but I felt his stare on me while we ran through drills. They were gone before I finished the next one, so I didn’t know what that was about.
My phone buzzed and I declined the call from Dinah. I had been avoiding her, and she knew something was up. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could avoid the house, especially since my brother was saying how he hadn’t seen me in a while. I kept telling him I was busy, but he’d probably show up here one day demanding what was going on.
I rolled my eyes at Dinah’s text message and left her on read.
I furrowed my brow when I saw Ty was calling.
That was odd.
I cautiously answered. “Hi?”
“Hey. Do me a favor and answer your sister-in-law’s calls?”
“I’m sorry?”
How did Ty know Dinah?
“Matt’s sister called me.”
Matt’s sister? Why would she…oh shit, she was supposed to come for a visit, and I was going to show her around campus. That was the girl I saw them with. Obviously, Matt didn’t call me because we weren’t talking to each other.
“Call your sister-in-law back,” Ty said, and then he hung up.
I sighed and did as he asked.
“Well, you clearly didn’t lose my number,” she said, in a way of greeting.
“Hey, D,” I said defeatedly.
“Okay, listen up, get your ass in the shower and come to the game.”
I groaned.
“I know why you’re avoiding me.”
“He told you?”
“Yes! But it wasn’t that hard to figure out. You think I didn’t notice the carpet in my basement in your post yesterday?”
I cringed. “Does Noah know?”
She hesitated for a second. “I don’t think so. But…you’re gonna come to the game, cheer on your man, and then you’re gonna work things out, okay? We’ll have my husband drink a couple of beers, and then we’ll tell him.”
“That’s the problem.”
“Oh my God! I have three meathead older brothers, and they got over it when I started dating Noah. Matt needs to stand his ground. You better be at the arena, or I’m sicking Rox on you.”
She hung up before I could answer, and that lit a fire under me. Roxanne Desjardins was scary, and as much as I wanted to be her when I grew up, I was also kind of afraid of her.
I got a shower because I had been living in my hoodie—Matt’s hoodie, actually. The idea of going to the game, of facing Matt again, scared me, but my heart ached. I even went to the health center because I thought something was wrong with me. The hurt inside my chest was all in my head. I could have easily avoided this if I told Matt I loved him too. Or if I stood up to my brother and didn’t let him treat me like a child in need of protection. I should have told Noah I was a grown woman capable of making my own decisions, even if they were the wrong ones.
I was swiping lip gloss across my lips when I saw a text from Dinah that she was outside my dorm waiting for me. Um, we hadn’t talked about her picking me up. That must have been her insurance plan. For a little thing, she could be pushy.
I left my room a few seconds later, wearing a Kennedy jersey, as I wrapped my big coat around me. Winter in Philly so far was nothing compared to Winnipeg, but it was still cold out.
I got into the backseat of Dinah’s car.
Dinah sat in the driver’s seat while a petite brunette sat up front. She looked familiar, and I realized that was who Matt and Ty had been with yesterday. That all made sense.
“You hate driving,” I blurted out.
Dinah laughed. “True, but it was the only way to make sure you’d actually come.”
She sped off toward the arena, engulfing the car in silence for several minutes.
The silent brunette turned around after another few minutes of awkward quiet. “Hi! I’m Luna.”
I grimaced. This was not how I wanted to meet Matt’s sister after I ripped his heart out of his chest. “Maddie.”
She beamed, which confused me. “Oh, I know. So, do you love my brother or what?”
Dinah was laughing so hard in the driver’s seat. Meanwhile, I felt the judgmental gaze from Matt’s little sister.
“Umm.”
“She does,” Dinah answered for me. “That’s why she came out and put on makeup.”
“You didn’t give me a choice,” I grumbled.
“Stop being such a mope. You two are a pair and annoying as fuck to deal with.”
“It was like pulling teeth to get it out of Matt what was going on,” Luna agreed.
I groaned. “You know I’m right here?”
“So, do you love my brother?” Luna asked again.
“Yes!”
“So what exactly is your fucking problem?”
“Excuse me?”
“Why did you let him walk away?”
I sighed. “My brother.”
“That seems like bullshit.”
“Mmmhmm,” Dinah agreed.
This was exactly what my teammates said to me. The worst part? They were right. I was so scared of what my brother was going to do to Matt when he found out, but it also scared me how much I loved Matt. When he told me he loved me, I didn’t say it back because it shocked me into silence. Then he stormed out, and I never got to tell him how I felt.
“I really miss him,” I whispered.
Dinah pulled her car into the parking lot of the arena. She cut her engine and turned around, giving me an annoyed look. “Yeah. We know. He’s been miserable lately, so he misses you too.”
“He’s burying himself in hockey and looks like a robot out there,” Luna said.
“Come on, let’s go watch our men play, and then you can apologize and, for the love of the hockey gods, get it in!” Dinah said with a mischievous grin.
“DINAH!” I yelled while Luna laughed her ass off.
Dinah gave me an innocent smile. Sometimes, I forgot she could be so blunt, but that’s why I loved her. Even if she was being annoying as hell right now.
* * *
“Come on,” I muttered under my breath as I watched the team struggle to keep the puck out of their zone.
Luna squeezed my arm, and I realized I liked Matt’s bubbly sister. We chatted about hockey during the first intermission, and she was excited about the prospect of coming to Franklin. If she got in.
I watched Matt race after one of the Pittsburgh Miners, and I cringed when he slammed into the boards and got knocked down.
Then play stopped, and the whistle was blown.
“What’s happening?” I asked. “That was a clean hit.”
Dinah stared down at where Mac and Hallsy were talking to the refs. Matt wasn’t getting up from the ice. Why wasn’t he getting up from the ice?
Horror coursed through me when I saw the medical team race out toward Matt, bringing on a stretcher.
I looked at Dinah. “What’s going on?” My voice was shrill, panic rising inside me.
Dinah shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“Shit,” Luna swore as she stared down at her phone. “He’s really hurt.”
“Fuck, fuck, fuck…” I rambled.
Dinah had her phone to her ear while the arena watched in silence at the medical team getting Matt off the ice. My heart sank to my stomach at his unmoving body. Luna squeezed my hand in comfort, but it didn’t help the anxiety building up inside my chest. I sucked in a nervous breath at the sight of the medical team lifting him onto the stretcher, but then I exhaled in relief when he gave a thumbs up to the crowd. That was good and likely meant not a concussion, but if he couldn’t get up by himself, something was really wrong.
After a couple of minutes went by, Dinah turned to me. “Okay, let’s go.”
“Where?” I asked.
“Hospital. They’re taking him as a precaution, but they think his leg’s broken.”
“Oh no!” I cried.
A broken leg meant he would be out for a while. Maybe even the whole season. This was bad.
“Let’s go. He’s asking for you.”
“He is?” I asked.
“Because he loves you,” Luna sang with a grin across her lips.
Dinah pointed at me. “Something like this happened to Noah, and I freaked out, so you’re not doing that. We’re gonna go make sure Matt’s okay, and then you two can figure out what’s going on between you. You got it?”
“Man, she really cracks the whip,” Luna laughed.
Dinah stood up. “Come on, let’s go.”
I let Dinah take charge of the situation. We rushed out of the arena and got back into her car to head over to the hospital.
All I could think about was how stupid I had been. How I never got to tell Matt how I felt, all because I feared my brother. Now Matt was injured, and I was so scared for him.
When we got to the hospital, they wouldn”t let me or Dinah see Matt, but Luna demanded the doctor tell her what was going on since she was family. She had disappeared behind one of the doors hours ago and hadn’t returned yet.
I stared down at my phone, ignoring all the sports app push notifications, and instead kept reading back that message from Matt about wanting to talk. He had to be okay. I couldn’t forgive myself if he wasn’t.
The sound of footsteps approaching made me look up and see Luna coming back over to us.
“How he is?” Dinah asked.
Luna waved us off. “He’ll be fine.”
“Luna! What’s going on?” I cried.
“Broken leg. They had to x-ray it, but my brother’s fine,” she explained. Her gaze shifted to the exit, and I turned my head to see what she saw.
Noah rushed inside, his coat whipping behind him as he came closer. “What’s the verdict?”
“Broken leg,” I muttered.
He winced. “Oof. Season ender?”
Dinah cringed. “Not sure yet. Luna, what did the doctor say?”
She shrugged. “He was more concerned with finding out the problem and setting the cast. But…probably. Any time I’ve broken a limb, that”s it for my hockey season.”
The knots in my stomach began to untangle. Okay, just a broken limb. It could have been so much worse. Especially in this violent sport we all loved.
“Does he want visitors?” Noah asked Luna.
“Can he have any?” Dinah corrected.
Luna turned toward me. “He’s been asking for you specifically. But he won’t mind everyone.”
I forgot that my brother was standing next to me. Ignoring all the fear that had been tying me down, I sprung up from my chair and followed Luna to her brother’s hospital room. My heart plummeted into my stomach when I stepped inside and saw how miserable Matt looked in that hospital bed.
“Sweet pea,” he whispered.
“Baby!” I cried as I rushed over to him, pulling him into a hug. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“I know.”
I pulled back, and my heart broke at how in pain he obviously was. “No, you don’t know. I was so scared of what Noah would think. I love you, okay? I’m sorry. How do you feel? What can I get you?”
His lips curved up into a smile. “I’m okay. I just wanted to see you. I missed you. C’mere.”
I did as he asked, framing his face as I bent down to kiss him. I put all my feelings into the kiss, trying to show him with my body how much I missed him.
I would have climbed into the hospital bed with him if the loud clearing of a throat hadn’t forced me to wrench away.
All the blood drained from my face when I saw Noah standing there with his brow furrowing. Dinah and Luna had already taken up residence in the chairs next to the bed. I think if they had a bowl of popcorn, they would have eaten out of it as they watched. Assholes.
“Does someone want to explain to me what’s going on here?” Noah asked, gesturing between the two of us.
Matt opened his mouth, but I held up a hand to stop him and whirled on my brother. “No, you don’t get to do that overprotective big brother thing. Matt’s my boyfriend, and I love him, and there’s nothing you can do to stop that. Don’t tell him if he hurts me, you’ll kill him. I’m an adult and can make my own choices.”
Noah stared back at me in silence.
“And…this was on me. Matt wanted to do the right thing. As soon as we got together, he wanted to sit you down to tell you his intentions, but I wanted to keep it a secret. Until…he couldn’t handle lying to you anymore. I’m the one that fucked up. Not him. So if you’re gonna be mad at anyone, it’s me. But you don’t get to dictate my love life, Noah! It’s my life.”
My chest was heaving as I stared down at my brother.
He raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Matt.
Then he laughed. He tipped back his head and laughed. I looked at Dinah, and she shrugged while Matt looked scared.
Once Noah stopped laughing, he walked over toward Matt. I tensed up immediately. “You love my sister?” he asked Matt.
“Yes,” Matt said. His eyes hardened like he was ready for a fight. My heart sang at the idea of him fighting for me no matter what my brother was about to say.
“You good to her?”
Matt nodded. “One hundred percent.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?” I shrieked. “Just okay? That’s all you have to say?”
Noah gave me a hard look. “Mads, did you think I didn’t know?”
“Yes?”
I was so confused. What was going on? Dinah said she didn’t think he knew, and she didn’t tell him about what happened at their wedding.
Noah sighed. “First, you two aren’t as sneaky as you think. Second, I follow you on Instagram, Mads. I recognized you wearing Matt’s hoodie in some of your posts and my own damn basement floor.”
Oh. That’s how Dinah figured it out, too.
“But…” Noah continued. “After I fought Chester, Matt said something to put me in my place about how I’ve been treating you. But you were pissed and wouldn’t talk to me. I figured if I showed up at your dorm, we’d have to talk it out.”
“But we didn’t. I kept ignoring you,” I said.
“Yeah, no shit. I saw you with Matt holding hands, walking down the street. None of those fucking absolute losers you’ve dated made you smile like that.”
Dinah stared her husband down. “You knew this whole time and didn’t say a thing?”
“Gotta keep some things close to the vest, lovey,” he explained. He turned back to me. “I’ve been waiting for you two to finally admit it and be grown-ups about it. Kinda annoyed you hid it, and I appreciate Matt wanting to be upfront. He’s a good guy, but I’ll drop the gloves if he hurts you down the line.”
“No, you will not!” Dinah cut in. “Absolutely not Noah Kennedy.”
Noah grinned at his wife. “Come on, lovey, I have to put a little fear in them.”
She glared at him and stood up. “Let’s give these two some privacy.”
Luna stood up too and followed my brother and his wife out of the room.
That was way easier than I thought it was going to go. Maybe all my fears had been for nothing. Or Dinah made my brother see that I could make my own choices.
“C’mere, sweet pea,” Matt whispered.
I climbed into the bed with him, careful not to hurt his leg. “I missed you so much. I’m so sorry.”
He pushed my hair behind my ear. “Missed you too.”
“How bad is it?”
“Broken leg. Probably out for the season. They’ll rehab me down in Reading, which sucks, but it is what it is.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault,” he laughed. “I’m the dummy who went feet-first into the boards. I’m glad you got to meet Luna.”
I smiled. “I hope she gets into Franklin. I’d love to have her on the team.”
“I’d love to have her closer. But I don’t want to talk about my sister right now.”
“No?” I teased.
“Kiss me already,” he whined.
I laughed but bent down and kissed him again. I kissed him like I’d never do it again, like this was the last time.
When I pulled away, he was smiling through the pain. “You want me to get the doctor?” I asked.
He shook his head. “No. I just want you.”
“I want you too.”
“I shouldn’t have given you that ultimatum.”
I shook my head. “No. You were right. We couldn’t keep pretending. I can’t believe Noah knew and said nothing.”
“I had no clue.”
“Me neither.”
“I don’t want to hide you, Maddie. I never did. I love you so much, it hurt being away from you. I didn’t want this to be the way we had this talk.”
I nodded. “I know, baby. And I’m sorry about your season. Maybe you’ll heal before the end. I believe in you.”
“You’re my girl again, right?”
“No, I’m your sweet pea,” I told him with a grin.
He didn’t respond. Instead he pulled my face toward his and kissed me again, and it was like everything was right in the world again.