Chapter 26
Nik
The minute we stepped out of the hotel in Houston, we lost the bubble that was just us. The bubble that felt fun and intimate, the bubble that said if I were anyone else, she’d stay.
But she can’t stay. She can’t get too close, and if I can’t save her, none of it matters anyway.
When we landed in Mistletoe Falls and left the team, Stone following close behind, I almost thought for a moment that things would go back to how they were at the hotel when we entered my condo. Lock the outside world away, and maybe we could try this thing again.
Not sure what I want to try. It was just sex, and I need to remind myself of that. Clearly, she did. She put so much distance between us, I feel miles away. And maybe that's exactly where I need to be.
Because when we dropped our bags, Dante called me.
We were waiting on one more game to cash in, and it was big.
The kind of bet that doesn’t just pay out, it shifts us into a new tier.
But one name made me unsettled: Rhett. Dante said he had been hanging around all weekend, almost like he belonged there.
He said he was trying to befriend the security guards.
He didn’t drop my name but was hinting all around it to see who’d bite.
But even with that news, I couldn’t stop thinking about her—how she wouldn’t meet my eyes when I handed her bag to Stone. How she thanked him and not me.
And all I kept hearing in the back of my head, louder than Dante, louder than the risk, was her voice from the night before.
“Are we going to talk about this?”
“You’re different when no one’s watching.”
“Careful, Nik. You sound like a man who’s falling.”
And, of course, my fucked-up response, “Too late.” I said it in Greek, and she didn’t question me, but I already know I’m in trouble.
When we got to my condo, the first thing she did was shut herself in her room, and I walked out.
~~
The weight room smells like rubber and sweat. I finish my training session and head for the shower, still hearing the guys chirping behind me. The mood has shifted back to normal again and I can only hope that the chatter Coach Gage was talking about was because of my shitty playtime.
“Yo, Papas, take it easy and let the other rookies eat, huh?” one of the veteran linemen, Knox Garrison, calls out.
I smirk over my shoulder, meeting his cheesy grin. “Never. I’m fucking starving to be here.”
Jameson walks past, claps me on the shoulder, grinning. “It’s exactly why Gage brought you here.” Then, “Yo, Garrison, don’t ever tell him to slow down! We need him on our side!”
I chuckle and disappear into the showers, hearing their laughter, and then stand under the hot water longer than I should, letting the water try to wash away the dirt that’s coming from the past. I take a deep breath and step out with a towel wrapped around my waist. Quickly drying off, my mind, as usual, drifts right back to Noelle.
The weekend was just a big explosion. She wrapped herself around me, allowing me to use her in a way that grounded me, making me feel something more than shame. She doesn’t even know what it is, but what we were trying to hold off couldn’t be held any longer.
There's a league dinner tonight, and it's the last thing I want to do. What I really want is to go back to my condo and see Noelle. I want to feel her out, test what this is between us once more. Instead, my phone buzzes with a text, reminding me I have to be professional tonight.
Eva: Car’s outside.
Mom would hate these dinners, I think to myself as I flip up my collar and throw a tie around my neck.
She’d rather be home, cooking lamb and potatoes, the way her mother did.
And I find myself wishing I were home for that dinner instead of this one.
Eva thrives in these scenarios, and I guess I’m more like Mom; I’d rather just stay hidden.
Especially now. But she tells me that showing up will be best. Dane agrees and is meeting us there, and although Eva is never out of character, tonight she swears she’s there as family, not on business.
I send off a text to Stone, making sure Noelle is safe for the night, and slide into the back seat, seeing my sister with her perfect hair and an unreadable expression. As usual, she has perfected the professional look, not letting anyone in.
“I spoke with league PR,” she says. “You’re off-limits to press this week.”
“Hello, dear sister. I’m wonderful, and how are you?”
She gives me a dry look and repeats herself. “No press, Nik.”
“Why?”
“Because you need to focus, and the press doesn’t care about your game right now.”
“Of course they care. I had an amazing game on Thursday. It’s all they’re talking about.”
She studies her perfectly painted nails. “It’s all most of them are talking about.”
“You still mad over this legacy piece? It’s good PR. All questions so far have been surface-level.”
She rolls her eyes. “So far.”
“Why does this upset you so much?”
She lets out a sigh. “We’ve seen this before. Everyone wants a quote they can twist into a story. Right now, it’s fine, but it will turn. You know this.”
I smooth my hands down the tops of my thighs and look out the window. “I’m not stupid, Eva.”
“No,” she says calmly. “But you’re trusting. Especially with people who have deadlines to feed.”
She doesn’t say Noelle’s name. She doesn’t have to.
I bite my lip to keep quiet. I don’t want to fight with my sister, but she and I have different takes on how we deal with the media and our jobs.
She wants me closed off, giving just enough, and I agree that certain things need not be spoken of, but I still have to give some to make the press happy.
We drive a couple of blocks in silence before I ask, “Since when does your driver smoke in the car?”
She whips her head to me. “What?”
I scrunch my face. “It smells like cigarettes in here.” I look out the window. “Anyway, you don’t represent me, so you don’t get to decide who I talk to.”
“I do when it affects your image,” she snaps, and then softens it. “I’m trying to protect you.”
“You keep saying that,” I mutter.
“I saw the social media pictures of you and the other two Nicks this weekend, flanked by three women. You looked like a cozy family. Are you ready for that, Nik? A family? Because that’s what these women want.
They want to trap you, and then you’ll be paying her your bonuses.
I already know Soba’s girl is pregnant."
I roll my eyes at the mention of the other two. Eva never liked the idea that the three of us were so tight and trying to make it together. She wanted me to soar alone. “Soba’s ‘girl’ is his girlfriend and they’re going to get married.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it. But I can’t believe you brought that reporter with you.”
I turn to her. “She’s doing a story; she came to the game.”
“She didn’t have to go to dinner with you.”
I study her as she actively looks everywhere but at me. “How do you know that’s her anyway? I could have just had a random girl with me.”
She glances at me, then away. “You don’t do random, and I make it a point to know everyone around you. Nik, the media already turned on you once. Remember that.”
I flinch, not at her words, but at how true they feel.
“No, they tried to turn on me. But they had no story. Just a bunch of rumors.” I look out the window, seeing the buildings pass by. “It’s not my fault Trevor failed out.”
Just then, we arrive at the hotel, and the valet opens the door.
She turns and looks at me with a raised brow.
“And how do you think that happened?” She secures her phone in her purse and slides out, her smile locked in place for the cameras.
My heart races at her words, and my head swims. I move more slowly behind her, the knot in my stomach even tighter than before.
~~
The night passes without incident. People welcome me, tell me we’re having a great season, but there is no mention of anything, as if they’ve been told not to.
Eva has been her polished self all night, and only when she slips away from the table for a call do I see her falter for just a moment.
I excuse myself and go to her. For whatever reason, her look worried me, and I thought it could be about Mom.
She stands near the edge of the hotel balcony, one hand resting on the railing, the other holding her phone to her ear. Her voice is low and measured. I can’t make out the words, only the tone. I clear my throat, and she turns quickly, seeing me. Her face is unreadable, but she ends the call.
“Everything alright?”
“Yes.” She walks toward me, her phone buzzing in her hand. She looks at it briefly, a flicker of something crossing her eyes. She has the screen turned slightly, but I still catch some words.
Blocked Number: I know how to get to her
She locks the screen.
“Was that Mom?” I ask carefully.
She smiles as she lets out a breath. “Yup, you know her and our scheduled face time calls. Just making sure I check in with her tomorrow.” She brushes past me. “Let’s finish up and get out of here,” and I’m left standing there, wondering why she’s lying to me.