Chapter 54
DISCONNECT
FLETCHER
Anger courses through my veins as I stalk into the locker room. We haven’t had that much disconnect in our team since fucking pre-season. I have no idea what happened tonight, but something was off.
First, Lydia didn’t answer my calls, then she wouldn’t look at me at all, not during warm-ups. If I caught her glancing at me while I sat on the bench, she’d rip her gaze from mine as fast as possible.
I don’t want to blame the loss on my superstition, but it definitely didn’t help me get in the right headspace for the game.
Trigg takes his gear off as fast as possible, heading to the showers without a second glance at anyone.
He’s probably blaming himself, but we’re a team.
He’s not the only one who stops the puck.
Clearing my throat, I wait for everyone’s attention to shift to me. “It was a tough one tonight. We have a few things we can work on at practice this week, but it’s one game. We’ll get the next one.”
The words are a bandage over a bullet wound, but it’s all I have in me tonight. Coach tips his chin in my direction. “You’re on press tonight. Might want to prepare yourself after that article.”
“Article?” I ask, confused.
“You didn’t see the article about you and Lydia?” He raises his brow. “It’s everywhere.”
I clear my throat. “No, sir.”
What could the article possibly be about? Is whatever it says the reason she didn’t answer my calls? Why she ignored me?
I grab my phone from the shelf in my locker, quickly check for texts, and see one from my mother.
Mom
Lydia isn’t feeling well, so I’m running her home. All is fine with the baby, she says. She thinks she’s getting sick. I’ll see you in the morning for breakfast. Love you.
I have a feeling Lydia isn’t getting sick, and the reason she’s going home has more to do with an article than illness. A sinking feeling settles in my gut. What did that article say?
There’s another message, this one from Lydia’s mom.
Sandra
The photos are so beautiful. Enjoy!
Below it, she’s sent a link.
I click it and skim through the article, each line making me angrier and angrier. What the actual fuck? Was Sandra the one who submitted those photos? She completely invaded our privacy by doing that, and now the whole world knows and is in our business.
When I get to the part with a quote from me, it all clicks. No wonder Lydia ignored me. If she saw this article, she’s got to be losing her mind. I scroll to the end, clicking play on the video. They purposely skewed my words, cutting out the second half before I said, “But never say never.”
I toss my phone into my locker. I want to run home.
I don’t want to speak to the press. They, and Lydia’s mom, are the ones who caused this mess in the first place.
I have to talk to her. She has to know what I said wasn’t true.
God, I can’t imagine how stressed she is.
I need to call her, need to get home, and make sure she knows they cut the video.
“Fuck.” I groan, pulling at my hair.
“Whoa,” Calvin says, stepping up beside me. “What’s going on?”
“That article is bullshit,” I breathe, running my hands down my face. I yank my jersey over my head, not caring about putting my gear away neatly. My life is falling apart.
“What article? What’s happening, dude?” Calvin squeezes my shoulders and turns me to face him. “Breathe.”
I take a sharp inhale of air, letting it out slowly.
“Lydia’s mom leaked photos of the baby shower to the press, and they used a quote I said a long time ago about not wanting to settle down and have kids, but they cut it off, so it sounds horrible.
And I’m pretty sure Lydia saw it, and that’s why she didn’t answer me before the game. Now, my mom took her home.”
Calvin’s eyes widen. “Oh, fuck.”
“Pretty much.” My heart is threatening to burst from my chest. “I have to do press when all I want to do is get home to my girl.”
“I’ll go with you. We’ll get it over with and then get you home.”
Within a minute, we’re walking to the press room, and my dread grows with each step. We’ve barely entered the room when they start asking questions, their words overlapping until they don’t sound like words anymore.
Calvin holds up a hand. “One at a time.”
I shake my head. “No. I need to make a statement first.” I clear my throat.
“The photos shared in that article were shared without our consent or knowledge. It’s true that Lydia and I recently had a shift in our relationship, but I firmly believe a friendship is a perfect ground for a strong relationship.
Yes, I will confirm that we are expecting our first child together.
When I did that interview, things were different, and the video cut off one of the most important parts of my words—when I said ‘never say never,’—skewing the tone of the video.
I never saw myself having kids, but when you find the right person, things change.
Now, I cannot wait to become a father and raise our child with my favorite person in the world. ”
The room is silent, and a few of the reporters smile.
Calvin chuckles to break the tension. “And here I thought I was your favorite person.”
The reporters laugh, and Calvin claps me on the back, running his other hand through his damp red hair. “I think that covers everything. Do you need anything more from my boy, or can he get home to his family?”
The reporters shake their heads, and Calvin offers to stay and answer their questions about the game, which they take him up on.
I leave the room without another moment of hesitation, running through the halls to get back to the locker room to rinse off and grab my things.
Within ten minutes, I’m in my car, heading home. My skin prickles with fear as I worry about what’s to come, but I need to stay calm and hope Lydia can see what went wrong.