Page 57 of Faking the Face Off

There’s silence on the other end of the line, and for a moment, I think he’s going to hang up.

“Ollie,” he says finally, his tone low. “I’m your father.”

“And I’m your son,” I reply, my voice breaking despite my resolve. “But I can’t keep saving you. I’ve got to take care of myself. If you want to be part of this family, get better. Otherwise...you’re out.”

“I can’t believe you’re doing this to me,” he says, his tone bitter now.

“I’m not doing anything to you,” I say quietly. “You did this to yourself.”

I hang up before he can respond, my hands trembling as I toss the phone onto the couch.

“Decker?” Dixon asks cautiously. “You good?”

I nod, even though my throat feels tight and my chest feels heavier than it has in years. “I will be.”

Dixon exchanges a glance with Campbell, but neither of them presses further.

“Look, the whole team is here for you two,” Dixon says after a moment, his voice steady, his eyes bouncing from Campbell to me and back. “But it’s obvious there is more to this than Jimmy’s letting on.”

I nod, grateful for their support. “It’s crystal clear there’s more happening.” I let out a sigh, glancing at the time. “I need to go back to the arena and do my fitting, then find Ben.”

I look at Dixon. “Can you two get the other guys together? I feel like we need to all go see Ben and?—”

Campbell stops me mid-thought. “I was already there myself. I’ve sent a group text out and asked the guys to make their way to Ben’s now.”

“Good.” I stand, running my fingers through my hair. “I need to call Anna really quick.”

I head to the back of the house, making my way down the hallway to my bedroom. Once I shut the door behind me, I press a few buttons and all of the stress in my shoulders eases as soon as I hear her voice on the other end.

“Hey, stranger,” she says. “Welcome home.”

“Hey, sorry for the runaround since I got back. It’s been chaotic to say the least.” I can hear Dixon’s voice intermingled with Campbell’s, only now it sounds like Stockton’s arrived as well. I open my door a crack and find I’m right, only Henry stands with him. It’s like it’s a meeting of the bullied players club.

She doesn’t respond, but I keep going. “I can’t talk long, some of the guys are here.”

“Impromptu party because of codependency after this much time together?”

Her tone is teasing, but I’m distracted. This time, it’s because someone’s leaning against my doorbell and it’s ringing nonstop. I crack the door again and I’m not even shocked to see Travis in the melee, talking away with the guys as Sawyer, who is here now, and Dixon sit with Campbell and fill Travis in on what was said to the rest of us.

“Ollie?” There’s something in her tone, and its sharpness, that makes my ears perk up.

“I’ve had a few roadblocks pop up, but I need you to know I want to see you?—”

“But you can’t.” She lets the words hang in the air, and I suddenly feel like I’m letting down the one person I don’t want to. So I quickly go over what I know from my brief chat with Dixon and Campbell.

“Whaaaat?” Anna lets out a low whistle of surprise. “Go, Ollie. You’re a wanted man. We’ll talk another time.”

There’s something in her voice, though, a hitch that stops me. She sounds funny. Off. Not my Anna. But a loud bang inthe living room pulls me away once again. It actually sounds as if my couch has been shoved through a wall this time, because it appears that hockey players like to wrestle through their emotions. I’d rather they ate their feelings, but whatever is gonna get ‘em through the night.

“I’m sorry that I need to go. There’s a lot happening.” I hate hanging up like this, when she’s clearly sounding off, but it’s like I have computer tabs open in my mind and I need to close them. Then I can focus on the good stuff. “I’ll call you later?”

Something softens across the wires. “I’ll be home after seven, so try me then.”

As I hang up, I can’t help but wonder what it is that’s got her sounding funny, but then I remind myself it could be many things. We’re both dealing with our own Daddy issues at the moment, and to say it’s inopportune considering the façade we’ve got going on would be just shy of ludicrous.

Because, let’s be serious.

It’s all nuts.

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