Page 141 of Dirty Pucker

They all murmur in agreement.

Emotion surges through me. “Thank you, guys. Seriously, thank you.”

I let out a breath, feeling exhausted all of a sudden.

“You should go home and get some rest,” Xander says.

As thankful as I am for the support of my whole team, I still can’t stop thinking about what will happen when my coaches and the team’s management see the video of my arrest.

I glance around at the guys. “The video of me tonight. How bad is it?”

When no one says anything and just looks at me, I know I have my answer.

“I’m sorry, guys,” I say. “I know this is gonna mess up things going into the rest of the playoffs…”

“Hey.” Xander claps a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t even worry about that right now.”

I nod. Ingrid walks up to me and takes my hand. “What do you need from us right now?” she asks.

Just the touch of her hand and the sound of her voice is enough to distract me from this mess. “I want to go home with you.”

She gives me a soft smile before dropping a kiss on my lips.

We walk out of the police station together, ready to face whatever comes next.

Chapter 50

Del

As I walk down the hall to Coach Porter’s office, I’m on edge.

Tension riddles my muscles and bones. I hardly slept last night. I was too nervous for this morning.

I’m meeting with Coach to talk about my arrest and to see if I’ll be suspended.

My arrest, which happened a day and a half ago, has been a trending topic on social media and sports news. I already put out a statement with my lawyer explaining the situation, but that hasn’t stopped people from commenting and speculating online.

I’ve been trying to stay off social media, but my curiosity got the best of me this morning. When I checked social media and the major sports news sites, my arrest was trending higher than the actual Stanley Cup playoffs.

This isn’t the kind of attention the Bashers or the league wants. I’m tarnishing their sport and their team with my arrest.

And that could mean the end of me playing in the playoffs. It could mean the end of my career.

Acid churns in my stomach.

When I make it to his closed office door, I take a second to deep breathe. I pull my phone out of my pocket and reread the text Ingrid sent me as soon as I left my place.

Hey. Just wanted to say that I love you so much and I’m here for you, no matter what happens <3

Through this chaos, Ingrid has been my constant. Ever since I bailed out of jail, we’ve been holed up at my place because I haven’t felt like going out. She hasn’t left my side.

My heart swells in my chest. Without her, I’d be a disaster. I’d be crawling up the walls of my place, restless and a wreck.

But every time she hugs me, I feel calm. Every time she kisses me, I feel content. Nothing in the world makes me happier than being with Ingrid. She’s everything to me.

And no matter what happens today, I’ll still have her. I’m okay with losing everything as long as I have her.

I take a breath and knock on Porter’s door.

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