That said, I hang up, breathing heavily.
Enough is enough with my parents. If they sit back and watch my sister get abused, then I’ll play dirty and they’ll not only lose their reputation, but they’ll also lose their daughter.
Shaking my head, I walk back to the double doors but pause when I receive a text and scoff.
Zane-hole: Tomorrow night, I’m taking you to dinner. We need to discuss our engagement.
That son of a…. Engagement, my ass; he knows I want nothing to do with him or the so-called marriage.
Me: There is no engagement. Delete my number.
I press send and put my phone away, my anger doubling.
I won’t ever marry him; I won’t ever give in like my sister did. As soon as I’m able, I’m moving far away from New York so I can live my life without their pressures. Hopefully, I’ll fall for a guy just as hard as I fell for Taylor after one night. Though my gut screams that I never will.
I need to believe I will though; otherwise, I'll fall apart.
Chapter 4
Taylor – A Month Later
“How’s my little squirt feeling?” I ask my sister as I tie my skates up and try to hold my phone to my ear with my shoulder while the men behind me get their head in the game.
Today is our final game. If we win, we will win the Stanley Cup, bringing it back home for the first time in three years.
“Like nothing happened, whereas I am still panicking over every little thing she does, even if it’s just a fricking sneeze,” Hannah says with a sigh, and I smile gently.
“That little sister is what a parent is, a good one anyway. Kids bounce back quickly, whereas the parent, not so much,” I retort as I notice Ezra look my way for the fifth time since I answered my phone to my sister, wishing us luck.
Holding in my smirk is fucking difficult with the longing he has in his eyes. He’s been at my sister's nearly every day sinceI got the call after practice that Kaylah was rushed to hospital, proving exactly what they both mean to him.
We both ran outta here like our asses were on fire, and by the time we got to the hospital, Kaylah was already out of surgery and talking about how amazing her nurse was, a nurse I apparently even a month later need to marry, something my mother has jumped on the bandwagon as well despite her now knowing about Pen.
I never met the nurse while Kaylah was admitted; apparently, I just missed her each time I was in the room. According to Dylan, she was hot and right up my alley, but I’m not interested. There’s only one girl I want, a girl not even my dad can find.
Fuck, I was hoping whatever I felt would have disappeared by now, especially after not seeing her.
“Speaking of Kaylah,” Hannah says as I sit up straight on the bench, grabbing my phone.
“What, does she want another redo of the game because she can’t come today?” I ask with a smile, remembering when we won our first game of the year, but she couldn’t make it, so the boys redid the game, but the smile soon drops when she says, “Actually, she gave your number to Nurse Vine this morning at her check-up.”
Mother…
I groan and say, “Fuck’s sake Hannah, why didn’t you stop her.” Ezra furrows his brows, and steps closer to me, but I shake my head and snap, “The woman is mostly likely a puck bunny or a fucking jersey chaser. Dyl told me about the one in the ER who got suspended after she left her post one too many times just to get close to him… fuck, the woman nearly got someone killed, so I can guarantee this nurse Vine is the same.”
Ezra grins, the fucker not hiding the humor he finds out of this, while Hannah snorts but coughs to cover it up, pissing me the fuck off, and before I can snap at her yet again, she says,“Dylan actually commented that she had no idea who he was. Yes, she looked at him funny, but only because he reminded her of someone, that is it. She never tried hit on him, didn’t even ask for his number, and focused on Kaylah every time she came into the room.” I shake my head about to refute, not wanting another woman getting my number – it’s bad enough my fucking agent has it – and just as I open my mouth, my sister cuts me off and says, “It’s been over a month, and you haven’t found Penelope. You need to move on Tay.”
Ezra, hearing my sister winces, knowing Pen is a sore subject for me. The longer I go without finding her, the angrier I get. I’m pissed at her for leaving, for not giving me her number, or fuck, even her last name, and I’m angry that my friends and family want me to move on.
Dammit, I didn’t even know her for ten hours, and I’m falling apart, a small part of me, the part that is becoming insecure, is starting to believe she just wanted to lose her virginity to a hockey player even though deep down I know she had no idea who I was.
Fuck, I sound like a chick.
“Look, I don’t need you or my niece trying to set me up with a sweet nurse, and yeah, she probably is right up my alley, but I’m sorry, Han, I only have one girl on my mind, and until I find her and confirm what I felt was just lust then I won’t be getting with anyone, I’m sorry.” I state as Coach walks in, looking serious.
Fuck, here we go…
“I have to go, give Kaylah a kiss from me, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”