Page 114 of These Pucking Boys: Part Two

“Are you really... you know, all dating her at the same time?”

“Yep. Do you have a problem with that?”

Banksy shakes his head. “No, no. Sorry... I’m just curious. I don’t think I could share Maya with another man.”

“We couldn’t share June with anyone else either. It works because it’s me and my best friends.”

“That makes sense. Listen... I’m not sure if you heard, but Maya said some not-so-great things to June at the Halloween party.”

I frown. “I heard.”

Guilt shines in his eyes. “She’s very sorry. I just wanted you to know.”

“If she’s sorry, then she should apologize to June.”

Banksy nods. “She will. She’s just waiting for the right time.”

“No time like the present.” I put my mask back on and skate to the crease.

I don’t want to take out my frustration on Banksy. He’s one of my favorite teammates. What Maya did was fucked up, but jealousy makes people do and say crazy shit. I can forgive her if she apologizes to June.

When practice starts, I force myself to concentrate on the drills. Hockey always helped me in my darkest moments, and I’m glad I can still count on it. When it’s over, I’m more optimistic about the future. I feel lighter, even though I’m still worried about my lass.

On my way to the locker room, an intern from marketing stops me. “Lachy, do you have a moment?”

Jake and Ryan have already gone down the tunnel, so whatever she needs to ask me might not be related to the scandal.

“Sure. What do you need?”

“Do you remember that interview you gave from your apartment a couple weeks ago?”

“Yes?”

“The reporter who interviewed you reached out to us. He’s received an email that he thought you should know about.”

My brows furrow. “Is that so?”

“A woman from Scotland reached out to him. She believes you are her grandson.”

I stare at the intern without moving a muscle for a moment as I process her words. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I know, it seems farfetched. Doug told me to dismiss it, but I watched your interview several times.”

Bloody hell. I hope this intern doesn’t have a crush on me. I can’t deal with more complications. “Uh...”

“Oh God!” She blushes. “I don’t have a thing for you. I watched your interview so many times because I could relate to your story. I also grew up in the foster care system.”

“Oh, okay. I’m sorry you had to go through that too.”

“Thanks. But anyway, I thought you should know about the email from this woman. What if she’s indeed your grandmother?”

Fuck. I thought I had put my past behind me for good. After years of longing for my family to find me and getting my hopes crushed, I shoved that yearning into a dark corner of my mind and tried to ignore it. Now, I don’t know if I want to open myself up to more pain.

“How could she know I’m her grandson?” I ask.

“It was the blankie. She recognized it. Apparently, she was the one who gave it to you.”

“How could she recognize that? It’s in tatters.”

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