Page 103 of Penalty to the Heart

“I was just talking to Trent about you,” I hear myself say, desperately trying to take my mind off how our bodies are particularly grinding.

“Oh?” he retorts, visibly disappointed that I moved our conversation to another topic.

“Hmm,” I nod, looking every which way but at his stellar eyes.

“And what did he say? Do I even want to know?”

“That he’s impressed with your progression.”

“Liar,” he jokes.

“Well, he was happy you made peace with Piper, at least.”

“No surprises there.” He grins mischievously.

“Making up with Piper was the right thing to do. But you also have to make an attempt to smooth things over with the rest of your teammates. Namely Bellamy.”

The name has barely left my lips, and I can already feel his whole body tense at the mere mention of it.

“Yeah, I know,” he grumbles. “That’s going to take me some time.”

Seeing the deep-rooted frown on his lips has me struggling to keep the knowledge I learned earlier tonight. Trent forbade me from sharing with Caleb what Bellamy is going through, and usually, I never break such confidence. However, considering that Trent is not my patient, nor is Bellamy—whereas Caleb is—I make a decision, knowing that the reasoning behind it is completely flawed.

“I know why Bellamy left the Mavericks. It had nothing to do with the Guardians purposely seeking him out to offer your brother’s place in the team. Bellamy would have returned to Boston, regardless.”

“What are you talking about?” Caleb retorts in confusion.

I hesitate for a second, but his gaze compels me to tell him the rest

“Bellamy has a daughter. A very sick little girl. A little girl who is currently hospitalized at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. That’s why he moved back home. For her.”

Caleb promptly stops dancing and just stares at me, his expression in complete shambles.

“Are you sure?”

I nod.

“Fuck,” he grunts, running his fingers through his hair. “If I’d known…”

I press my hands on his chest, and he instantly holds onto them for comfort.

“I know, Caleb. I know. You would have never reacted the way you did.”

He looks down at me, misery edged around the corner of his eyes, while another, more powerful, sentiment shines through.

“Roxie—”

“Well, look who we have here?!” Rex’s bigger-than-life voice rings out.

I take a step back and pull my hands away, hating the look of disappointment on Caleb’s face for being interrupted.

“Hi, Rex.” I force a smile before giving him a hug.

“Hi, yourself, sweetheart. I didn’t think you’d make it tonight.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” I reply, praying that the sound of my rapid heartbeat can’t be heard over the music.

“Well, I’m sure glad you came. And I see you brought Caleb with you,” Rex says, his smile beaming just as bright as the chandeliers above us.

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