Page 45 of The Secret Play

Would he be angry? Hurt? Would he want to be involved in her life? Would he want to be part of mine? And what if he didn’t?

The thought made my chest ache, and I let out a shaky breath, trying to push it away. I couldn’t afford to think like that. Not now.

But as much as I tried to push it aside, the truth loomed over me. I couldn’t hide it much longer.

Chapter 17

Casey

When I walked into the arena after the ice cream shop debacle, something was off. I couldn’t put my finger on it right away. The guys were bullshitting like always until they saw me. Then they averted their eyes or gave me a stiff, “‘Sup, Coach?”

But it wasn’t their usual greeting tone. More like they had something on their mind but couldn’t say it.

The air felt weighty like unsaid words hung around like buzzing flies. It wasn’t just the players, either. In the breakroom, Esai—one of our trainers—gave me a look that I’d only ever seen him give to players who half-assed things. Sharp disappointment.

“What’s up, E?”

Esai was normally a go-getter, gregarious and friendly. So his formal, “Nothing at all. Anything you’d like to share with the rest of us?”

I had the sneaking suspicion I’d done something wrong and the absolute panic that they knew about me and Gemma.

My heart raced once I realized the problem. They knew. They all knew I’d been sleeping with a player’s little sister. I was going to lose my job, and they were disappointed in me for breaking the rules.

For Gemma’s sake, I covered. “No. Anything you want to tell me?”

“No. I have nothing to hide.”

“Good. Then we’re on the same page.” I poured my coffee and left. By the time I reached my office, my gut was in knots. If I was fired for fraternization, I might not work in the league ever again. Pro hockey was my life, my calling. What would I do if not this?

When I opened my door, Whitney was already there, standing by the window with her arms crossed. She didn’t turn when I came in, but the tension in her shoulders was obvious. The way she sighed when I shut the door behind me set me even more on edge.

“All right,” I said, setting my bag on the chair. “What’s going on?”

She turned, her expression grim. “You might want to sit down for this.”

My stomach dropped. “Whit, just tell me.”

She hesitated for a moment like she was trying to figure out how to soften the blow. But then she straightened, her tone sharp and to the point. “There’s a rumor going around, Casey. A bad one. About you.”

“What kind of rumor?” I asked, my voice low.

“People are saying you might have an illegitimate child,” she said, her words landing like a slap. “That you bailed on the mother and left her to raise the kid alone.”

For a moment, I couldn’t speak. The room spun. This was a worse rumor than just me sleeping with a player’s sister. This was character assassination.

“What?” I finally managed, my voice barely above a whisper.

Whitney nodded, her jaw tight. “It started an hour ago, but you know how these things are. Nothing travels faster than your hero falling, and now it’s all over the building. Staff, players, everyone. No one knows exactly where it came from, but it’s spreading fast.”

“Well, it’s not true,” I said, my voice rising. “I didn’t?—”

“I believe you,” she said quickly, cutting me off. “I know you. You’re not the kind of guy who would do this sort of thing. But you need to understand how this looks, Casey. People are upset. Some of the players are angry. They think you abandoned a kid and their mom, and that’s not sitting well with anyone. A lot of those guys were raised by single moms, and they look up to you like a dad, so they’re pissed. It’s personal to them.”

“Why the hell would anyone think that about me? They know me, too! How could they think that of me?”

Whitney held up her hands, her voice calm but firm. “I don’t know who started it, but at this point, it doesn’t matter. The speculation is already out there. If we don’t get ahead of this, it’s going to spiral out of control.”

I paced the length of the room, trying to wrap my head around what she was saying. The thought of people believing that I’d abandoned a child—especially my team thinking that of me, the people who were supposed to trust me—made me want to rail at them for doubting me. Or, at the very least, set the record straight.

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