Chapter 39
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Justin
“Push, push, push!” I yell and then skate back to the bench where the other kids sit.
Walking into the rink today, I didn’t know what to expect.
Ever since the news hit that I was arrested, things have just gotten thrown at me.
I was surprised when my agent called and told me that the general manager of the team and the team owners were not pleased with me, and they suspended me until further notice.
I thought it would bother me more, but it didn’t.
I put my phone down and just walked to Dylan and Caroline.
I was also not sure how the parents of the camp would feel, and when I walked in, a couple of the dads came up to me and hugged me, thanking me for doing what needed to be done.
“Look who decided to show up.” I hear and look toward the bench at Ralph who is wearing a track suit and his skates. “You just had to be Superman.”
I laugh. “You know me. I want all eyes on me.”
He throws his head back and laughs. “Of course, you do. You scored the hottest mom there was.” I put up my hand and glare at him, and he laughs. “Point taken. Anyway, I wanted to be the one to tell you I just signed a new contract.”
“No way,” I say, happy for him. He became a free agent July first, and he turned down the shitty contract Edmonton offered him. “Where to?”
He smiles at me. “Actually, Matthew saw me skating and liked my work, and we got to talking, and he hooked me up with Nico. I’m going to Dallas.”
“Does that mean I get ten percent for introducing you guys?” I laugh, and he shakes his head. “I’m happy for you. It’s a great organization.”
“Yeah, I’m excited about it. My wife, not so much, since all of her family is here,” he says and then looks down and then up again. “She’s expecting.”
“Holy shit,” I say, holding up my hand and waiting for him to high-five me, and he beams with pride. “That’s crazy. Nico is the new owner, right? I heard about him taking over for his father. He has big plans for that club.”
“Yeah, it’s really early, and she doesn’t want to say anything.” He looks at the kids. “But fuck, I’m just so happy.”
“I’m happy for you,” I say, and then Matthew comes out of the back. “Stop stealing my people,” I say, and he laughs now.
“I have to go. I just wanted to tell you,” Ralph says. “See you later.”
He shakes Matthew’s hand and walks away.
“That was a good pick,” I say to Matthew who stands there in his track pants. He’s been at my side since this whole thing started. Actually, everyone has. All the men are hanging at the rink today. My father is teaching on the other ice with Max, and Evan is in the gym with mini Cooper.
“Where is Viktor?” I ask Matthew, and he looks down.
“He wanted to hit up a meeting,” he says, and I look at him. “At the church where Caroline works.” And just like that, I see that he went to make sure she is okay. “With Mom.”
My eyes open huge. “What?” I almost scream. “Why would he take her there?”
“Would you say no to her?” Matthew laughs. “The best part is that she didn’t tell Dad.”
“Oh my God,” I say, and then blow the whistle for the kids to get off the ice. “He’s going to lose his shit.”
“Yeah,” Matthew says, and we both know how protective my father is about my mother. He doesn’t let anything touch her that is bad. He shields her with everything he has. “Dinner will be interesting.”
I look toward the clock and see it’s lunchtime. “I’m dragging my ass today,” I say, getting off the ice. I walk through the hallway and peek into some of the rooms to make sure no kids are lingering.
“Oh, shit,” Matthew says, and I look at what he’s looking at, and I see that Caroline is charging into the arena with my mother following her. “This doesn’t look good,” he says. “I know that walk,” he continues. “It’s not a good walk.”
“I think she’s charging,” I say under my breath, and I see Caroline look around. When she finally spots me, I smile at her, but all she does is glare.
“Oh, I definitely know that look,” Matthew says. “Just say you're sorry.”
He tries to talk fast. “Doesn’t matter if you don’t know what it’s about, just say sorry.”
I look back, and she is in front of me now, and I see that she is even more beautiful. “Hey there, sweetheart,” I start softly, and she just crosses her arms over her chest.
“Don’t ‘hey there, sweetheart’ me.”
Matthew mumbles under his breath, “Say sorry.”
“Don’t you start.” My mother looks at Matthew, and he just holds up his hands.
“Why didn’t you tell me you got suspended?” she asks. “I can’t be in this if you aren’t going to be honest with me.”
“Okay, for one, being suspended isn’t that big of a deal,” I say. Sure, it pissed me off that my team didn’t have my back, and I have a call with the general manager set for next week where I plan to tell him exactly how I feel about this. “I honestly didn’t even think of it.”
“If you want me to work for you, there has to be a contract of sorts,” she starts saying, and I look at her. “When we are at work, I’m your employee and not your girlfriend.”
I am about to say something, and Matthew is the one who puffs out. “You’re his woman,” he says. “He’s not hiding that fact.” Caroline looks at him, and he puts his hands up. “Just stating the facts.”
“I’m not hiding that we are together, and if I want to come and say hello and give you a kiss, I’m going to come and give you a kiss.”
“You come and say hello during lunch, and if I’m on break, you can kiss me,” she negotiates.
“Fine,” I say, accepting it. I’m not about to tell her that I’m going to do what I want. I’ll ease her into it.
“Next, I gave up my apartment today,” she says, and I look at my mother, who just smiles. “So I’m basically homeless.”
“You aren’t homeless; you live with me,” I say.
“I told her that,” my mother chimes in. “It was silly for her to pay rent if she is never going back there.”
“Wait, you went to her place?” Matthew asks, and my mother nods her head. “Viktor is fired.”
“Oh, you stop that,” my mother says.
“I’m telling Dad,” Matthew says, and my mother laughs. “Not kidding.”
“Can we for a second get back to me?” Caroline says. “I want to pay rent.”
“Fuck no,” Matthew and I both say at the same time.
“Then I’ll buy food,” she counters.
“Sweetheart,” I start to say, and she glares at me.
“Then you cancel the cleaning lady.” She raises her eyebrows.
“Only if you quit your job at the motel.” It’s now my time to counter.
“Wait, you work two jobs?” Matthew says to her and shakes his head. “He lets you work two jobs.”
“I do,” she says, and Matthew just looks at me like how could you?
“Fine, I’ll quit the job at the motel, and in return, I’ll clean the apartment,” she says, and I nod.
“Sure,” I say, knowing full well that’s never going to happen. “What else?”
“Well,” she says and looks at my mother. “I bought you a gift.”
“Wait, what?” I say, and she hands me a white square box.
“Oh my God,” Matthew says. “If she proposes to you, I’m going to die, and you’ll never live it down.”
“Caroline,” I say, using her name.
“It’s not a ring,” she says. “And if it was, would you say no?”
“Say no,” Matthew says.
“Matthew Grant,” my mother says in warning.
“Mom,” he says, “don’t even.”
“It’s not a ring,” Caroline says. “God, it’s not a ring.”
“Then I’ll take it,” I say, taking the box from her and opening it. It’s a silver chain with a medallion on it.
“It’s Saint Christopher,” she says softly and steps closer to me, and I pick up the silver medallion with the saint on it and the words protect us on the bottom. “It’s not new,” she says, and she turns it over, and I read it.
Caroline he’s his problem now.” He motions to me with his head. “Now where is my cash?”
My lawyer hands him the envelope that I gave him when I came in, and Andrew opens it to see the bills. “Should have held out,” he says, turning around.
When he is finally out of the room, Evan stands up. “I think I’m literally going to be sick.” He puts his hand on his stomach.
“The guy just signed away a kid,” Markos says.
“He’s sick,” Viktor says, and we all look at him. “Relax, I don’t like him. I’m just saying that he’s a sick man.”
“I don’t give a fuck what you say.” Matthew looks at Viktor. “You’re in recovery. Would you sell baby Zara?”
“I would die before I gave her up,” he says without skipping a beat.
“The question now is when are you going to tell Caroline?” my father asks me.
“Tonight,” I say, and when the lawyer gives me a copy of the papers and I walk out of his office, I get sick right next to the car.