Chapter Eight
Emmett
Emmett had played an entire third period with a fractured finger.
He had taken a puck to the throat, finished the shift, and apologized afterward because blood had gotten on the trainer’s towel.
None of it compared to watching Piper agree to let strangers vote on which of her relationships had been real.
She stood beside the temporary court with Maren’s phone in her hand, reading the producer’s message for a third time.
The audience will vote at the end.
Emmett wanted to take the phone, cancel the interview, and throw every available camera into Lake Briar.
He did none of those things.
Piper had asked him not to decide for her.
He was beginning to understand that respecting the request would be much harder than agreeing with it.
“This is humiliating,” Ava said.
“It is engagement,” Tyler replied.
Griffin looked at him. “You are one word away from being engaged to the bottom of the lake.”
Tyler stepped behind Beckett.
Beckett opened both arms. “I protect artists.”
“You are both the problem,” Griffin said.
Piper returned the phone to Maren.
“I already agreed.”
“To the interview,” Emmett said. “Not the vote.”
“The vote changes nothing.”
“It turns your relationship into a competition.”
“It already became a competition when Owen started posting private messages.”
Emmett moved closer, lowering his voice. “You do not have to prove that he was worse.”
“I am not trying to prove he was worse.”
“What are you trying to prove?”
Piper looked toward the crowd.
Families were still gathered around the challenge court. Mason had recruited three other children to help hold his Team Piper sign. The cameras near the entrance remained fixed on them.
Her shoulders straightened.
“That I can stand in the same room with him without letting him tell me who I am.”
Emmett understood the answer.
He still hated the plan.
“What do you need from me?”
Her gaze returned to him.
The question affected her every time. He could see it before she answered.
“I need you not to turn this into a fight.”
“I will not hit him.”
Piper went quiet.
Emmett knew immediately that he had chosen the wrong sentence.
Her eyes narrowed. “Why did you say that?”
“No reason.”
“That was a very specific promise.”
Griffin turned away.
Maren became interested in her phone.
Beckett slowly lowered his sunglasses.
Piper looked around the group.
“Why is everyone acting guilty?”
“No one is acting guilty,” Tyler said.
Griffin covered Tyler’s mouth with one hand.
Piper returned her attention to Emmett.
“Did you hit Owen?”
Emmett considered lying for approximately half a second.
Rule Eight made the option unavailable.
Neither party will lie about feelings that existed before the agreement.
Technically, punching Owen was not a feeling.
Piper would not appreciate the distinction.
“Yes.”
The word landed heavily.
Her mouth opened.
Then closed.
Emmett continued before Tyler could provide historical commentary.
“Once.”
Piper stared. “Once?”
“There was only one punch.”
“That was not what I meant.”
“It seemed important.”
“When?”
“Outside the Founders Gala.”
Her face changed.
“The video did not show that.”
“Owen edited it.”
“What happened?”
Emmett glanced toward the children.
“Not here.”
Piper folded her arms. “You keep saying that.”
“Because children are close enough to hear us discuss assault.”
Mason shouted from the front row, “My uncle got arrested at Thanksgiving.”
His mother covered his ears.
Piper closed her eyes.
Emmett almost smiled.
She pointed toward the staff tents. “Inside. Now.”
He followed her.
Maren started after them.
Piper held up one hand. “Alone.”
Emmett glanced at Griffin.
Griffin’s expression said he had tried to warn him.
The equipment tent was cooler than the court and significantly less welcoming. Boxes of spare jerseys lined one wall. Volunteer bags covered a folding table. Someone had placed Tyler’s microphone inside a locked plastic container marked Do Not Return.
Piper zipped the entrance closed.
Then she turned.
“You punched Owen.”
“Yes.”
“Because of the woman outside the gala?”
“Partly.”
“What does partly mean?”
Emmett placed both hands in his pockets. “He had been drinking.”
“You said that.”
“He was angry that I told him to leave.”
“You said that too.”
“He said something about you.”
Piper’s expression became guarded. “What?”
“It does not matter.”
“It mattered enough for you to hit him.”
Emmett looked toward the locked microphone.
He would rather answer questions from twenty reporters than repeat Owen’s words.
Piper stepped closer.
“What did he say?”
“He said you would forgive him.”
“That is not punch worthy.”
“No.”
“Then what else?”
Emmett’s mouth went hard.
Piper waited.
He had never understood how someone who filled every silence could become so effective at using one.
“He said you always forgave him because you were terrified no one else would tolerate you.”
The tent did not move.
Piper’s face revealed nothing.
That was worse than anger.
Emmett continued because hiding the rest would only repeat the mistake.
“He said if he left you, you would spend the next year pretending you chose to be single while begging him to take you back privately.”
Her throat moved.
“And you hit him.”
“Yes.”
“Immediately?”
“Yes.”
“Did he hit you?”
“No.”
“Push you?”
“No.”
“Threaten you?”
“No.”
Piper looked toward the tent ceiling.
“Emmett.”
“I know.”
“No, I do not think you do.”
“I assaulted someone who insulted you.”
“You assaulted my boyfriend without telling me.”
“Yes.”
“The night before I found the earrings.”
“Yes.”
“The night before our breakup.”
“Yes.”
Her eyes returned to his.
“Did you know he was cheating?”
“I knew enough to believe he was.”
“And you still did not speak.”
“I thought the woman outside might have been the first time.”
“That was not your decision to make.”
“I know.”
“You keep saying that after making every decision.”
The words struck cleanly.
Emmett nodded.
“I should have told you.”
“You should have trusted me with my own life.”
“Yes.”
Piper found something else to look at.
For a moment, Emmett saw something beneath the anger.
Not fear.
Recognition.
He wondered how often Owen had withheld information while claiming it would only upset her.
The realization made the punch feel less defensible, not more.
“I was not protecting you,” Emmett said.
Piper’s head turned.
“I told myself I was. I was angry, and hitting him felt easier than coming to you with something you might not believe.”
“That is not better.”
“No.”
“You could have lost your place on the team.”
“Yes.”
“You could have been arrested.”
“Yes.”
“Did anyone see?”
“A security guard.”
“What happened?”
“Owen told him it was nothing.”
Piper stared at him.
“Why?”
“I do not know.”
“You did not ask?”
“I was removed from the event.”
“By whom?”
“Griffin and Nate.”
“That is why everyone knew.”
“Yes.”
Piper pressed her fingers to her forehead.
Emmett remained still.
Every instinct told him to move closer.
He did not.
“What is Owen going to do with this during the interview?” she asked.
“I do not know.”
“He has the security footage.”
“Yes.”
“He could show the punch.”
“Yes.”
“He could accuse you of waiting for a reason to attack him because you wanted me.”
“Yes.”
“Stop agreeing as if that makes this easier.”
“What would make it easier?”
“The truth before I have to drag it out of you.”
Emmett absorbed that.
She was right.
Again.
He was becoming tired of discovering that silence was not the same thing as restraint.
“My agent knows,” he said.
Piper’s expression sharpened. “Graham?”
“Yes.”
“Did he pay Owen?”
“No.”
“Are you certain?”
“Yes. Owen never threatened to report it.”
“Until now.”
“He still has not.”
“He invited you onto live television.”
“The producers invited him.”
“After he spent two days releasing private material.”
Emmett considered it.
“He may be planning to show the footage.”
“May?”
“Yes.”
Piper began pacing between the boxes.
The tent was not large enough for effective pacing, but she used every available foot.
“We need to tell the producer.”
“No.”
She stopped. “Why?”
“Because they will promote it.”
Her face tightened.
He continued. “If they know a physical confrontation happened, they will build the interview around it. They may already know.”
“So we wait for Owen to announce it live?”
“No.”
“What is your plan?”
“Tell the truth before he does.”
Piper stared.
Emmett removed his phone.
“I will record a statement.”
“Now?”
“Yes.”
“You want to publicly confess to punching him?”
“I want to remove his leverage.”
“That could affect your hockey career.”
“I know.”
“The professional offer.”
“I know.”
“You cannot keep throwing away career opportunities to prove you are not using me.”
“I am not proving anything.”
“It looks like you are.”
Emmett moved closer.
Piper remained where she was.
“I hit him,” Emmett said. “That choice belongs to me. If it affects my career, that belongs to me too.”
“You hit him because of me.”
“No.”
“He insulted me.”
“I decided what to do with the anger.”
Her expression changed.
Emmett continued.
“You did not ask me to confront him. You did not ask me to hit him. You did not even know I was outside. I will not let him make you responsible for what I did.”
Piper looked at him for a long moment.
“That was almost emotionally intelligent.”
“I am improving.”
“Slowly.”
“Yes.”
Her mouth moved.
Not quite a smile.
Emmett lowered the phone.
“Do you want me to record it?”
“No.”
He waited.
Piper picked up one of the spare volunteer chairs and sat.
“You were right about one thing.”
“Which thing?”
“If we release it now, the interview becomes entirely about the punch.”
“It may become about that anyway.”
“Yes, but we do not know what Owen is planning.”
Emmett sat across from her.
“What do you want to do?”
“We prepare for it.”
“How?”
“We request the full gala footage.”
“From the venue?”
“Yes.”
“Graham tried. They said it was part of a private security archive.”
Piper took out her phone.
“I planned the gala.”
“That gives you access?”