Page 54 of Scoring Grey

“No, Pippa handled it fine. She cried a little but only because she wanted our adoptive mom to be her real mom. I know it doesn’t make sense, but I think in her mind, she thought our mom would love her less, as if knowing the truth would change things.” He shakes his head at the idea. “There are two reasons we don’t talk about it, the main one being we don’t want to hurt our mom, and acknowledging that we aren’t blood has always felt like an invisible divide, but the other was Bates. We kept it from him because we knew he wouldn’t handle it well, and the older he got, the worse things got.” Dash grabs the poker and stirs the fire.

“Worse, how? Isn’t he running your business while you’re away? I thought you guys were close.”

“It’s in the past now, but he saw something he shouldn’t have when we were in high school, and it almost tore our family apart.”

He grabs his backpack, and I think back to the summer I spent in Copper Falls while I was pregnant with Adler. Pippa went away for college, and I didn’t see much of Dash, and when I did, he wasn’t himself. Looking back, I thought maybe it was all in my head, my hormones morphing reality, but hearing this story makes me think whatever happened—happened around that time, and now that I think about it, Pippa hasn’t been home to visit in the past two years.

“Water?” He offers me the hydration pack from the backpack.

“Sure.” I take the pack.

“By the way, I thought you should know I texted Roe about that picture of Callum and Blair that was leaked to the press during our drive-up.”

“Really? What did he say?”

I’m sure Cal is doing his own investigating on that front, but when I left this morning, we were still looking for answers.

“Not yet.” He shrugs. “But they had a game tonight. I think he’ll get back to me when he knows something. I think he knows who leaked the picture, but he’s waiting for his proof to come through. He doesn’t strike me as the kind of person who’d flippantly say things if he wasn’t one hundred percent sure, especially given the stakes. I mean, come on. The team knows that picture is bullshit. While you’ve only met a few of Cal’s teammates, I know there’s zero chance anyone on the team is buying that photo. No one, including the Kings’ owner, has thought this through. I saw red when that picture came across my screen. I knew immediately Cal wouldn’t have signed off on that. You may be on the fence about his intent, but as a guy, I can assure you that man has it bad. All it takes is one look at him when you’re in the room, and it’s as clear as day. You are the center of his universe.”

I pass the pack back to him. I’m not oblivious. I know the way he looks at me, but somewhere along the line, I convinced myself it was an act because the alternative was a reality I couldn’t have. Dash takes a drink before adding, “I’m an outsider. No one here knows me. I’ve never met this Blair chick, and I have no leg in this game, making me the perfect unsuspecting spy. Let me help, Lou.”

I rub my hands down my jean-clad thighs and pull in a deep breath. I’m so tired of protecting something I know nothing about, and as more time passes, it’s really starting to feel like there was never anything to protect.

“You don’t have to say anything now. Just think about it.”

I nod as I stare at the fire and watch it sizzle and pop as it sparks to life. Dash shared something deeply personal with me, revelations his family holds close. If he can share something so close to his heart with me, why can’t I bare all my truths to the man I’m determined to spend the rest of my life with? I said I wanted more time, but I’m realizing now that was yet another excuse. I need to tell him the truth and make amends before the chance is lost. Tomorrows aren’t guaranteed, and I’ve waited long enough to reach for the future I want with the only man I want to give it to. It’s time to get my man.

“How are you doing?”

“I’m good,” I answer, my breathing somewhat labored.

“Are you sure?” Dash asks, putting his hands on his hips as he stops a few strides ahead of me. “You’re slowing down.”

I wave my hand. “It’s nothing. My back is a little tight. I’m fine, really.”

I was already still sore from my fall, and because I didn’t plan on making this trip or walking as far as we did, I’m not wearing the right shoes. I’m wearing standard tennis shoes designed for fashion, not athletics, and definitely not hiking. For the most part, we stayed on the trails. Bruce Peninsula is breathtaking. The snow hasn’t been too heavy this year, but there’s ice packed along the shoreline of the lake, and in the shaded areas along the trail, there’s still snow the sun hasn’t melted. It was truly a sight to see, but last night, we did get flurries, and my toes are starting to go numb as some moisture has seeped on our journey back to the truck.

Dash meets me and drops down in front of me. “Come on, climb on.”

“No, I’m not getting on your back. Don’t be ridiculous. It’s not that much farther, right?”

“It’s not up for debate. I’ve already given Callum enough reasons to be pissed at me. I’m not trying to give him another.” He looks over his shoulder. “And I’ve been told this pretty face would look good in pictures, so I’d really not like to get into a fight.”

I strain my eyes and search the path in front of us, trying to gauge how much farther we have to go. “It can’t be more than a mile, right?”

“Exactly, which is why you’re getting on. I got you in this mess. Let me help you out.”

“Fine,” I relent with an exasperated sigh as I mount his back to climb on.

“Dang, girl, I didn’t realize how heavy you were,” he says the second he stands to his full height with me hoisted on his back.

“Are you serious?” I screech as I snatch his beanie off his head and slap him with it. “Put me down.”

He laughs as he starts walking down the trail. “I’m just kidding. You’re light as a feather like I knew you would be, now put my hat back on. I hate when my ears get cold.”

“That was a terrible joke. If that’s one of your one-liners to pick up women, I’d highly suggest you retire it.”

“I disagree,” he says as I put his beanie back on. “I mean, I picked you up, didn’t I?”

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