Chapter 34 Knox
KNOX
I pull up to the Iceplex early on Tuesday and park near the side entrance. We’ve got practice today, but at this hour, the place is deserted. There are only a few cars in the lot. I spot the one I’m looking for easily.
Fueled by determination, I grab my bag from the passenger seat, hop out of the truck, and make my way inside. The morning air is cool and crisp, a reminder that Thanksgiving is just days away.
If everything goes according to plan, I’ll be celebrating with the team.
The organization put on a nice spread last year. A few of the guys brought their families, but most of us didn’t know each other too well, and it ended up being a pretty sedate affair.
I have a feeling this year’s dinner will be better attended and far rowdier.
Yeah, with Ginny unofficially headlining the shenanigans.
At least the entertainment portion of the evening will be covered.
I grin as I push through the doors of the facility. Then I shift my thoughts to the mission at hand.
Coach has been ignoring my calls, and he iced me out when I tried to talk to him after practice yesterday, so I figured an ambush was my best shot at having a real conversation.
If this fails, I’ll have to lay it all on the ice at practice. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that. It would be awkward for everyone involved.
For weeks I imagined that the worst possible outcome of my relationship with Ava was getting benched or being cut out of Adam’s life. Now I know there are worse consequences, like watching Ava nurse a broken heart.
It’s fucking torture, and not the fun kind.
She’s barely eaten in two days, and yesterday she only got out of bed long enough to visit Ollie. The instant we got home, she crawled right back under the covers.
I can’t take it.
If Coach wants to freeze me out, fine, I probably deserve it, but I can’t sit by and watch him do the same to Ava. Not when it’s tearing me up inside.
When I get to his office, the door is ajar, and I knock to announce myself.
“Come in.”
He looks up to see me standing in his doorway, and his face turns to stone.
“Hey, Coach. Can we talk?”
“I’ve got nothing to say to you, St. James.” He folds his hands across his midsection. “Besides, I’m busy.”
“I’ll wait.” I lean against the concrete wall and cross my arms, trying to play it cool despite the fact that my heart is about to beat out of my chest.
“You really want to do this?” He gives me a slow once-over. “With no witnesses?”
I swallow hard. Coach was a bruiser back in his day. He knows how to throw a punch, and he’s still in great shape, but he wouldn’t really hit me—would he?
A muscle in his jaw twitches.
Fuck. He might actually do it.
Fine. If that’s what he needs to get the anger out of his system, so be it.
“You want to take a swing at me? Go ahead.” I throw my arms wide, completely defenseless. “I deserve it. I lied to you. Broke your trust.”
Coach leaps to his feet, jabbing a finger in my direction. “Damn right you did. I trusted you. Treated you like my own kid. And you turn around and pull this shit? I should bench your ass.”
Now we’re getting somewhere.
“That’s right. If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at me.
” I stab myself in the chest with my index finger for emphasis.
“I’m the one who pursued her. I’m the one who convinced her to give me a shot.
I fucking love your daughter, sir, and I will not apologize to you or anyone else for my feelings.
Ava is an incredible woman. She’s smart, funny, compassionate, and she deserves the world.
If you can’t see that, then you don’t deserve her. ”
I suck in a breath, chest heaving. I’ve never spoken to Coach like this before, and he looks as shocked as I feel. And yeah, maybe I should quit while I’m ahead, but I’m not finished.
“I tried to keep my nose out of it—to let you work this out on your own—but you’ve got to be the two most stubborn people on the planet, and I care too much about you to stand idly by and watch you burn your relationship to the ground.”
Coach snorts. “Don’t you think you’re being a little dramatic?”
“No, I don’t. The way you blew Ava off Saturday night?
That was a dick move.” Anger flashes in his eyes, but I’m on a roll and I’m not slowing down.
“I get that you were upset, and probably shell-shocked, but she’s your daughter.
All she wants is for you to accept her, and you treated her like an inconvenience, like she was just another problem to be dealt with after hockey.
Do you even know what kind of message that sent? How much you hurt her?”
Regret flashes in his eyes, but it’s gone as quickly as it appeared.
I knew this wouldn’t be easy. Adam is a tough SOB, and stubborn to boot.
He doesn’t like to admit when he’s wrong, but he’s a good man. A compassionate man. He could be a hell of a father if he’d just get out of his damn head.
“All she’s done since she got here is try to impress you and earn your love, and you didn’t even take the time to learn her birthday.
” I draw a steadying breath, but I’m too fired up to hold back the last jab.
The one that will hammer the point home.
“It was the fourteenth, in case you were wondering.”
His face goes slack, but he recovers quickly. “She lied to me,” he says, jaw tight. “You both did.”
He’s right, but hearing it aloud, hearing the pain in his voice? That shit stings.
Coach taught me to move through the world with integrity, and I’ve disappointed him.
Hell, I’ve disappointed myself.
“We both felt guilty as hell about lying to you. It’s been tearing us up for weeks, but you didn’t give us any other choice. You made Ava believe that she had to choose, and that was unfair as fuck.”
“I was trying to protect her,” he shouts back, eyes blazing.
“She deserves someone who can be there for her. Someone who doesn’t spend half of the year on the road.
I missed so much of her life, so many little moments, and when I let myself think about it, I get so damn angry.
” He drops into his chair, defeated. “Angry at myself. At her mother. At the game.”
His words hit home.
Coach’s situation is different from mine, but he’s right.
There will be away games and time apart and moments I’ll wish like hell I didn’t miss, but that just means I have to make the most of the ones we do have. I’ll be present and committed. Ava will never have to wonder if the game comes first. Not with me.
“Adam, I’m sorry I lied to you. I love you like you’re my own father, and I’m so damn grateful for all that you’ve done for me over the years.
I hope that in time, I can re-earn your trust.” I meet his gaze, holding eye contact.
“Without your support, I wouldn’t be half the man I am, but I’m an adult and so is Ava.
We should be free to make our own choices. ”
“You mean your own mistakes?” he asks, skepticism lining his hardened features.
“No.” I shake my head, voice thick with emotion when I speak. “Loving Ava could never be a mistake. If you don’t know that, then I feel sorry for you.”
Coach leans forward, covering his face with his hands and resting his elbows on his knees.
He’s frustrated, upset, and if I’ve gotten through to him, recognizing the error of his ways.
I squat before him, resting a hand on his shoulder. It’s a surprising reversal of our usual roles, but maybe it’s just what we need.
“You still have time to make this right, to show Ava that you care about her more than the damn game. You may not be able to see it now, but if you don’t fix this, it’s going to be the biggest mistake of your life.
” One I’d hate to see him make. “I lost my mother to an accident, and not a day goes by that I don’t miss her, don’t wish we’d had more time together.
Ava is right fucking here. Don’t you see how lucky you are to have this opportunity with her?
Don’t fuck it up because you’re too stubborn and too proud to admit you were wrong. ”
Coach exhales wearily and scrubs his hands over his face. When he straightens, his eyes are clear and there’s no trace of the hurt and anger that lined his features just moments ago.
He stands and I follow suit.
“You’re truly in love with my daughter.” His tone is…bemused, and the hint of a smile curves his lips. “I never thought I’d see the day Knox St. James became a simp.”
I pull a face. “Coach, do you even know what that word means?”
“McGinnis has been giving me an education.” Of course he has.
I groan, and Coach’s grin widens. “Listen, I know I didn’t handle this situation the best, but Ava’s lucky to have you in her corner.
” He claps me on the shoulder. “You’re a good man, Knox, and it’s clear you care for her a great deal.
The fact that you came here today, went to bat for her, well, I’d say Ava couldn’t ask for a more devoted or passionate partner. ”
Tears sting the backs of my eyes, and I blink rapidly. “Thank you, sir.”
“Hell, if there was such a thing as a daughter test, you’d pass with flying colors.” Before I can respond, he throws up his hands in self-defense. “I get it. Ava’s a grown woman and she can make her own choices.”
“True, but I’m not the one who needs to hear it.”
“Fair enough.” He nods and jerks his chin toward the locker room. “Now, get out of here so I can get some work done. I’m sure you have better things to do than sit around and yap with me.”
He’s right, I do.
It’s time to put the second part of my plan into action.
I slip into the hall, pull my cell phone from my pocket, and start typing.
It’s time to implement part two of my plan.
Me: Team meeting at The Smoothie Bar. 8am.
The Smoothie Bar is just a few minutes from the arena, and because it’s located in a business park, the morning rush is mostly drive-thru, which works perfectly for our needs.
I’m the first to arrive, and I order a strawberry-banana smoothie from the harried girl at the counter.
Behind her, blenders whir and buzz, providing the perfect cover for our unofficial team meeting.
I’m seated at a table in the back when the guys start to file in one by one, their faces anxious.
D-Vo arrives first, followed by McGinnis, Hardy, and Smitty. The rest of the guys arrive in quick succession, and once they’ve ordered, they gather around the high-top tables in the back of the restaurant.
Once everyone’s settled, I stand and clear my throat.
“Thanks for coming on short notice. I’ve got some news to share, and I didn’t want to risk being overheard by anyone at the arena.”
“What’s up?” Hardy asks, rolling his cup between his palms. “It’s been a minute since we had a team meeting like this.”
I nod slowly, mentally organizing my thoughts.
“Ava’s been fired.”
“The hell you say?” D-Vo asks, brows pulled low. “Is that why she wasn’t in yesterday? I knew something was up when she was a no-show for our appointment. She’d never bail without canceling.”
“I just thought she had the day off,” Smitty adds. “Or that she was visiting Ollie.”
Several of the other guys express their dismay loudly, and I hold up a hand for silence.
I explain the situation as concisely as possible, revealing that Banks blew Ollie off right before the accident, and how he fired Ava to cover his ass using breach of contract as an excuse.
Mac’s eyes go round. “That’s messed up.”
Bates, who’s been slouching in his chair and chewing on his straw, straightens. “Dude. You’re such a hypocrite.”
“Excuse me?” I just told them Ava’s been fired and Banks is an incompetent asshole, and that was his key takeaway?
“You told the rest of us not to so much as look at Ava, and you’ve been hooking up with her all season.”
When he puts it like that, it does sound pretty shitty.
“That was Coach’s directive, not mine. It’s why we had to keep our relationship a secret.” I scrub a hand over my face, hoping I won’t regret this. “The thing is, Ava and I already knew each other when she moved to Atlanta. We met five years ago. In Cancún.”
“No shit.” Forey cocks his head. “Wait. Are you saying Ava’s the girl in the photo strip? Your lucky charm?”
“Yeah,” I confirm, nodding. “She is.”
“Holy shit,” Hardy breathes.
Might as well tell them everything. After all, in for a penny…
“I lost a bet to her the night we met and ended up with my first tattoo.”
Despite the current circumstances, I smile to myself.
Things were so much simpler then…
“But, Cap, you only have one tat—holy shit,” Mac all but squeals. “Ava’s the one who made you get a flamingo tattooed on your ass?”
D-Vo cackles, and I shoot him the side-eye.
“Small world, right?” he asks between peals of laughter.
“I’ve been thinking about Ava for five long years, and when she walked back into my life, I knew I couldn’t let her go again, despite the fraternization policy.”
“That’s wild.” Bash rubs his chin thoughtfully. “But what are we going to do about Banks? We can’t let him get away with this.”
“We must get justice for Ollie,” Fedy says, slapping his palm down on the table.
“And Ava,” Boosh adds. “He screwed her over too.”
“Exactly,” I say. “Ava has done more for this team in a few months than Banks ever has. She’s helped us bond, communicate better, play more cohesively. And that creep fired her to cover his own incompetence.”
“What do you think, Cap?” JoJo asks. “Can we fix this?”
I knew the guys would come through, but seeing it—hearing it—gives me an unexpected swell of pride. We’ve come a long way in a short time. We still have miles to go, though, and Ava should be here to make the trip with us. She earned it.
“I have a plan, but it only works if we do it together as a team. All of us equally committed, all of us prepared to pay the price.”
The mood shifts immediately, and the guys shoot each other curious glances.
To my surprise, it’s McGinnis who steps up. “We’re in, Cap. What do we need to do?”