Chapter 26
Sebastian
I hang up the phone and resist the urge to hit something. “You good?” Aiden asks.
I blow out a breath. “Yeah.”
”Do you mind if I use your phone again to check in with my brother?” Aiden nods. I dial my brother’s number, the thing I probably should have done as soon as he texted about Kayla. But I felt the urge to make sure Stephanie was okay first. I know firsthand how scary something like this can be. Keith picks up after a few rings. “How is she?” I don’t waste any time asking.
“She’s okay.” My brother’s voice is rough, and I feel for him. “She’s stable now. Eight stitches.”
I grimace at his words. “Man, I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah.” He breathes out, and I can feel his pain from however many miles away I am. “How’s Kristin holding up?”
“She’s okay; she’s strong.”
“Yeah, I know she is.” I wait a beat. When he doesn’t say anything more, I continue. “I’m sorry I can’t be there.”
“It’s okay. Tina and Andrew came and Mom and Dad.”
I’m the only one not there. I feel frustrated at times like this that I can’t be there for my family. I feel the same way every time I miss a Sunday brunch. I tell myself it won’t always be like this. I’m putting in the time now, earning the money now to be able to help take care of everybody later on.
“Your girl came and got me,” he says suddenly.
“Stephanie?” I’m surprised by his words.
“I was working out at your place, and she came and got me. Kristin couldn’t get ahold of me. I didn’t have my ringer on.” I can hear the anger in his voice, anger I know that’s directed at himself.
“I can’t believe she did that. Is she still there at the hospital?” I didn’t ask when I spoke with her.
“I’m not sure. She rode with me here, but I haven’t seen her since then.”
An odd feeling wells up inside me at the thought of her in the car alone with my brother, not that I don’t trust my brother. He’s so incredibly in love with Kristin. Still, something dark fills me at the thought of her in the car with any other man that’s not me. I put a hand on my heart. I gotta chill. Something bothers me. “Why did she ride with you?” Then it hits me, and I curse under my breath.
“What?” Keith asks.
“Nothing. I just remembered something.” I don’t bother telling him that I just remembered she doesn’t have her car. Because of me. I close my eyes. I have done everything wrong with this girl. I’ve made such a mess of things with her, and yet, how many times has she done something for me...and now for my family?
“You still there?” Keith asks.
“Yeah. Sorry. I know you need to get back to your girls. Listen, can you do me a favor? Would you ask Stephanie to come to brunch on Sunday? I can’t be there, but—”
“I was already planning on it; she’s family.”
A weird emotion fills me at my brother claiming my girl as family. I blink my eyes and then berate myself. I need to get hold of myself. “Thanks, Keith. Give my love to Kristin and to Kayla and Max.”
“Will do. Be safe.” With that, he hangs up.
I use Aiden’s phone to purchase a stuffed animal and balloon bouquet from the hospital’s gift shop to send to Kayla. I also add money to Keith’s account at the hospital for food and whatever else they need. I shoot him a quick text to let him know there’s money available for whatever they need before I hand Aiden’s phone back to him. I’m irritated that I don’t have my own phone. I can’t believe I left it behind.
Aiden takes his phone. “Come on. Let’s go burn off some steam.” I follow him out to the practice rink we’re allowed to use while we’re here in Texas. I have a hard time getting into it; my heart’s with my family and a certain history teacher back in Wisconsin. I make a mental note to make some phone calls after practice to figure out a way to get her car back to her.
Gunner skates to a stop next to me. “Hey, Aiden told me about your niece. Is she okay?”
“Yeah. She’s got eight stitches on her head, but her numbers are stable.”
Gunner grimaces. “I’m sorry, Man.” He looks me over with the eye of a captain. “You gonna be good for our game tomorrow?”
“I always am,” I shoot back.
He nods. “Let me know if you need anything or your family does.”
I watch him skate away, thankful to have him for my captain and friend. I’m thankful for all these guys. They’ve become like family to me. “Hart!” Coach yells at me, and I shake my head. I need to get my head back into hockey. As much as I want to be with my family, the best thing I can do right now is focus on hockey and my guys. I skate towards the action and let myself fully delve into my favorite thing in the world. I chase down the puck and steal it from Travis, ignoring his shout of frustration behind me. I make quick work of hustling down the ice. I pass it to Scott, who nearly gets it stolen from him by Zac, before he sends it sailing back to me. I fake and score on Ben, our backup goalie. He curses, and I smile and skate away. The practice is fast-paced, and I push myself, needing the physical escape.
“Hart, good hustle but save a little in the tank for tomorrow night’s game,” Coach calls out. I nod, letting him know I heard him. Practice comes to an end, and I skate to the exit.
“You looked good out there, Hart,” Rico says, skating over to me.
“You didn’t. What was that? Aiden scored on you twice.”
Rico scowls. “I know.”
I frown; he rarely misses a stop. “Everything good with you?”
“Yeah. How about you? I’m sorry about your niece.”
“What? Did they make a team announcement or something?” I frown.
“Gunner told me.” I shake my head. Sometimes these guys are worse than females with all their gossip. “He was worried about you,” he adds.
“I’m fine, and yeah. She’s okay. She passed out and hit her head, earning her eight stitches. But she’ll be okay.”
He grimaces. “How old is she?”
“Eleven.”
“That’s tough.”
“Yeah.” I don’t say anything else as we head to our borrowed locker room. Coach follows us into the locker room and gives us details about tomorrow night’s game. I absently wonder if Keith invited Stephanie over for Sunday brunch and what she said if he did.
The rest of the day passes in a series of scheduled events—press conference, private interview, signing some giveaways, answering questions from Chloe for our fan page. It’s not until later that night that I’m able to track down Aiden’s phone and make a few calls to get Stephanie”s car back to her. I send her a text thanking her again for what she did for Kayla and telling her goodnight. I try to keep it lighthearted, since I won’t have Aiden’s phone to be able to text her again.
I settle in bed that night in my hotel room and stare up at the ceiling. I wish I had my phone to call Stephanie and talk to her again, see how she’s doing. Later, I reach for it to order flowers to send as a thank you before I realize that I don’t it. I grunt in irritation; it’s such a handicap without my phone. It’s going to be a long few days before I can get home and get it. It takes a long time to fall asleep.
The next night, the energy in the arena is palpable. I’ve spent all day thinking about Stephanie, but now my attention is fixed one hundred percent on this game. I skate around the rink, warming up and mentally going through my pre-game warm-up. I scan the crowd, even though I know my family isn’t going to be here. It’s just too far. I pull my gaze away and focus it on the puck at my feet. I’m going to take every ounce of my frustration and pour it out on the ice tonight. I want to be able to sleep as soon as my head hits the pillow tonight.
A few minutes later, we’re lined up and ready to start. The hockey puck is dropped, and Aiden sends the puck sailing to Gunner. And just like that, we’re off. I let the noise around me fade and focus in on the tiny circular disk sliding across the ice. Tonight, it’s just about it and me and how many times I can get it into enemy territory and into their net. The first period is about to end when I get a pass from Gunner. I skate towards the net, the puck nearly attached to my stick. I send it backwards to Aiden, knowing without looking that he’s behind me. He sends it sailing into the net. Score! We huddle together and then finish out the first period.
The second period ends with a score of 2-0. We head into the third period ready to finish this thing. Rico plays a perfect game, and we score one more goal in the third period. We finish the game and celebrate in the locker room. Coach follows us in. “And that’s how it’s done.” We celebrate some more before we start showering and changing.
“Dinner at Truckie’s,” Gunner tells the team. It’s one of our favorite spots when we’re here. It’s a hole in the wall that serves the best bbq ribs and brisket in Texas. My mouth waters just thinking about it. I shower quickly, wondering if Aiden will let me borrow his phone on the way over to dinner.
On the bus, I call Keith first to get an update on Kayla. “Congrats on the win,” Keith says.
“Thanks. How’s Kayla?”
“She’s good. We came home last night. We kept her home from school today, but she wants to go back tomorrow.”
I can tell he’s nervous about it, and I don’t blame him. I would be too. “She’ll be okay.”
“I know.” His voice is rough, and I don’t push the issue.
“Did you get a chance to invite Stephanie to brunch?”
“Yes.”
“And?” I prompt when he doesn’t say anything more.
“She said she’d come.”
“Really?” I can’t keep the surprise out of my voice. I didn’t think she would go. I wonder absently if it’s because I won’t be there.
“I think she only said yes because she feels guilty.”
I frown. “She shouldn’t feel that way.”
“I know. I’ve tried telling her that and so has Kristin, but...” His words trail off.
“Okay. I’ll try calling her next. Thanks, Keith. Give my niece and nephew a kiss for me.”
“Will do. Be safe.”
I hang up and pull up Stephanie’s number. It rings several times before her voice comes across the line. I swallow my disappointment when I realize I’m not going to get to talk to her. I wait for the beep. “Hey, it’s Sebastian. I just wanted to check in with you. Keith said you said yes to going to my parents’ house for brunch. I’m glad.” I pause. “Listen, Keith also said he thinks you only said yes because you feel guilty. You have nothing to feel guilty about. You saved Kayla’s life. My family and I will forever be grateful. Anyway,” I take a breath. “I hope you’re doing well. I miss you and hope I can see you when I get back.” My voice is quiet, and I feel sad at the emptiness I feel in my chest from missing her. “Take care of yourself. I’ll talk to you soon. Call Aiden’s phone if you need me.” I feel hollow as I hang up, and I rub my chest again. I shouldn’t feel this way. We’re on our way to one of my favorite restaurants after a crushing win; yet all I feel is an ache to see my girl. I think I’m in way over my head.