Chapter 35
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Hailey
Jason manages to find parking only a couple blocks away from the Salty Salmon, and he hustles us along the sidewalk, my hand clasped in his.
“Where’s the fire?” I ask, half laughing as I jog a few steps to keep up with his long strides.
He gives me a chagrined grimace over his shoulder and slows down so I can keep up more easily, though we’re still walking fast. “It’s a game night at home. It’s wise to limit your time in public if possible.”
I arch an eyebrow at him, though I’m looking at the space behind his ear, so he can’t see it. “So that’s why we’re going to a sports bar?”
This time, he throws me a grin over his shoulder. “The Salmon doesn’t count as being in public.”
Shouting across the street catches my attention, and I see a group of men in white and green jerseys and matching beanies waving. Jason ducks his head and speeds up again, though I’m still able to keep up—barely.
Fortunately, it’s not long before he steers me to the left through a door into a dimly lit space. I barely have time to catch the logo of a leaping fish, water droplets splashing around it as we go inside. I’m guessing this must be the Salty Salmon.
The space is dominated by a long bar made of dark wood, shelves of liquor behind it, and large screens hanging near the ceiling showing different sporting events.
“Chalmers!” shouts the man behind the bar, tossing a towel over his shoulder. “Abernathy and Boggs are already in the back. They said there’s a whole crew of you coming out tonight. Like old times, huh?”
Jason grins. “Exactly. We’re fresh off a win, and we’re celebrating my new wife.
” Releasing my hand, he guides me to the bar with his hand on my lower back.
“Ryan, this is Hailey. Hailey, this is Ryan. He’s been working here since before I joined the team and makes sure that the Salmon is a safe haven for the Emeralds. ”
“Not that these assholes take me up on it much anymore.”
Jason holds up his hands. “You can’t blame me for that. And I know plenty of us still come out here, even if it’s not quite the big crowd it used to be.”
“Nice to meet you, Hailey. What can I get you before this guy throws you to the wolves?”
Eyebrows raised, I glance at Jason. “Don’t believe him. My teammates aren’t wolves. Remember? They picked the Emeralds instead.”
Grinning, Ryan stays focused on me. “Oh, my bad. What’re you drinking?” He looks me up and down. “Let me guess. You’re a lady who likes a cocktail. Let me make you one of my specialties. It’s fruity and sweet. How does that sound?”
After glancing at Jason, who shrugs, I nod. “That sounds great. Thank you.”
Jason orders a beer, then he steers me toward the back, leaving Ryan to take the order of the guys who came in behind us. “That’s Barlow and Jenkins who just came in,” Jason says quietly next to my ear. “I’ll introduce you once they get back with the rest of us.”
We round the corner to where Tina, who I saw in the friends and family area but didn’t have a chance to talk to, sits at a booth with Marissa, Dozer, and another handsome man with short hair, a goatee, and piercing blue eyes.
“Tina,” Jason says, “you met Hailey, I believe? Abernathy, this is Hailey. Hailey, this is Abernathy, Tina’s husband and the Emeralds’ captain.
Tina stands and gives me a hug. “I heard Marissa was taking care of you tonight.”
“And I really appreciated all her help.” I turn my smile to encompass Marissa, who waves away my thanks. “She filled me in on all the ins and outs of the game.”
“All of them?” Jason asks.
I shrug. “Well, as many as I could keep track of tonight, anyway. It’s nice having a guide into the new and exciting world of hockey.”
“I’m so glad that you had a good time,” Tina says. “Don’t hesitate to reach out if you want more company, though. Or if Marissa’s not available.”
The man with the goatee steps forward, holding out his hand. “I’m Nick Abernathy. Nice to meet you.”
I shake his proffered hand. “Thank you. Nice to meet you too. I hear you’re the one responsible for strong-arming Jason into throwing a reception for the team.”
Shrugging one shoulder, he smiles, looking entirely unrepentant.
“The team wants to celebrate your marriage. I understand you didn’t want a big production, but this is just a party.
That way, the team doesn’t feel left out, which means when your husband gets targeted on the ice, his teammates will still defend him. ”
My brows pull together, and I look at Jason. “Not inviting the whole team to the wedding means they’ll let the other team beat you up?”
Jason scratches his cheek, his face screwed up like he’s thinking about that. “Well …” he hedges. But he’s taking way too long to answer for it not to be true.
“I wouldn’t let him be a target,” Dozer chimes in. “I mean, not any more than normal.”
“Wait. You’re usually a target?”
Jason shrugs. “Not exactly. Well, sort of. I score a lot, so if they can take me out, it’ll make it easier for the other team to win. It’s not like they’re trying to seriously injure me.”
“Oh, just slightly maim you?”
Everyone laughs—except me.
Jason pulls closer, running a hand down my arm in reassurance. “No one’s trying to maim me,” he says quietly. “But if they can bang me up enough to get me off the ice for a few minutes, that’ll help them out. Don’t worry, though. Dozer’s got my back. He said so himself.”
“What about everyone else, though?” I ask just as quietly.
“That’s why you’re having a reception,” Nick puts in. “Besides, they’d only hold back for a game or two to teach him a lesson. Not the whole season. We wouldn’t shoot ourselves in the foot like that.”
Soon, more people show up, and Jason introduces me around.
It’s a whirlwind of names and faces that I don’t remember for more than a few seconds.
And Jason’s hands are on me nearly all night, distracting me from being able to pay attention to the people I’m meeting—on my hip, my back, my arm, holding my hand, his arm behind me while we’re seated at a booth, and then …
Someone bangs a fork against a glass. Then a chant starts. “Kiss. Kiss. Kiss. Kiss.” It’s slow at first, then gets faster until the words are all tumbling over each other, and everyone’s banging on their glasses with silverware. “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! KissKissKissKiss.”
Grinning, Jason turns to me, and I do my best to return his smile, trying not to look as gobsmacked as I feel.
He stands, holding out a hand and pulling me to my feet when I set my hand in his.
Then his lips are on mine, his arms wrapped around me, bending me backward.
The room around us erupts in cheers, but I’m only dimly aware of that.
All my focus is on the firm pressure of Jason’s lips on mine, the hard muscles of his shoulders under my tingling hands as I cling to him for support, the way his arms cradle me against him, keeping me safe.
My heart races, and my brain flits between the sensations—the crisp scent of his deodorant, the taste of beer on his lips, the feel of his shirt against my fingertips—but mostly I’m caught on the fact that I’m kissing Jason.
After a moment that lasts far too long and is over way too soon, he straightens and pulls back, still smiling down at me. He gives me one more quick peck, then turns to face the crowd, giving little bows and accepting their applause and congratulations.
I hitch up my smile as best I can, but I can tell I look overwhelmed by the sympathetic looks I’m getting from Marissa and Maggie. Tina reaches out and pats my hand. “They’re not always this rowdy,” she half-yells over the noise.
Her husband laughs next to her. “You’re just not around them all at once that often.”
Chuckling, I sit back down, scooting into the shelter of the corner booth.
I know we kissed when we got married, and he gave me that peck when he greeted me tonight after the game, but I guess I didn’t think that hanging out with the team meant he’d have me tucked against his side all night long or that he’d kiss me like that. Again.
And it’s … doing things to me.
It’s all for show, I remind myself eleventy thousand times. No one knows this marriage is a business agreement, a way for him to assuage his guilty conscience for not looking out for me before and for me to get the support I need to be able to make it on my own again.
That’s the deal, right?
I guess when I agreed to that, I didn’t realize we’d spend time with his teammates as a couple, though.
I thought we’d go to a courthouse, say, “I do,” then go about our separate lives while sharing his apartment.
At least until I get enough gigs and whatever else to be able to afford a place of my own, at which point we could quietly divorce and go our separate ways.
Except … would we really go our separate ways? If I get established here, I’ll be staying here. For some reason, I highly doubt Jason would just stop talking to me once we’re divorced.
I never really thought that far ahead before now. And I’m not sure why I’m thinking about this when I’m supposed to be meeting his teammates and their wives and girlfriends.
I deliberately push that thought aside and try my best to stay focused on the people around me—and not on Jason leaning into my side and talking quietly into my ear or the goosebumps that raises or how good his arm feels around me or the way he gently caresses my shoulder.
It’s all part of the show, I remind myself yet again, glancing at him at his latest gentle caress. He meets my eyes and smiles, but there doesn’t seem to be any intentional silent communication going on. He’s just … being himself.
I’m relieved when people start to peel off and head out—either to go home, like Tina and Nick, or to continue the party somewhere else, like I overheard some of the other guys saying whose names I do not remember at all.
Eventually, it’s just Jason and me, Marissa and Dozer, and Maggie and Bouchard left.
Maggie gives me a sympathetic smile. “Is your head about to explode after being introduced to so many people?”
Laughing, I nod. “I don’t think I remember anyone’s names. Oh, wait. I do remember Tina. And Nick.”
“You can just call him Abernathy,” Bouchard puts in. “We all do.”
Maggie nods her agreement, but Marissa shrugs. “I call him Nick,” she mumbles.
“That’s because you’re new here,” Dozer says gently, patting her on the shoulder.
She sticks her tongue out at him. “I’m not that new. Not anymore.”
“Sure, sweetheart,” he says. “We know.” Then he lets out an oof when she elbows him in the side, and everyone laughs.
“I call him Abernathy because I work for the team,” Maggie adds. “But if I didn’t, I might call him Nick too. He won’t mind whichever one you call him,” she says to me.
“Thanks for the tip.”
“It was cool that Molly came out,” Marissa says to Maggie. “Did you invite her?”
“Yeah. She’s been having kind of a rough time lately.
I thought she could use a little fun. Plus, I know she wanted to meet Hailey, too, even if she wouldn’t be as pushy about it as Tina.
” To me, she adds, “Molly’s my boss, though she gives me a lot of leeway in running the socials.
But she’s the one who’s been managing the release of your wedding announcement, so I know she was interested in seeing the woman who finally caught Jason Chalmers. ”
My eyebrows go up, and I look at Jason. “Have you been running away from women?”
Laughing, he shakes his head. “No. Though I am known for my speed. But I’m not aware of any women who’ve been chasing me.”
Shaking her head, Maggie finishes off her drink. “Of course you’re not.” Then she turns to Bouchard. “This has been fun, but I’m pretty tired. It’s been a long day. Can we head out?”
“Awww,” Bouchard says, pulling Maggie in for a hug. “Of course. We could’ve left ages ago if you’d wanted to.”
“I didn’t want to abandon Hailey,” she murmurs against his chest. “I know Marissa’s here, and Tina’s great, but I could tell she was feeling overwhelmed.
I wanted to make sure she was okay before we left.
” She turns her focus to me. “It gets easier the longer you’re around.
When I first started working for the Emeralds, I could barely keep everyone straight.
Now they’re all like a big extended family. ”
Marissa nods. “I mean, I’m not quite as integral as Maggie is, since I don’t work for the team. But it’s a good group. They’re happy that Jason’s happy, so they all want to get to know you. You’ll have to make sure you come to the next team thing.”
Nodding, I murmur a noncommittal response because the truth is, I’m feeling all discombobulated after tonight. The allure of belonging is strong, but the reality that Jason and I have a definite ending planned makes me hesitant to let myself get pulled in.
I don’t want to lose another friend group as the result of a break up. And I can already tell that if I let myself get pulled in, losing this one will hurt even more than the last.