Page 59 of The Puck Player

“I love you too, Sweetheart. Now, go and wait outside with your friends, I need to talk to Reign,” he tells her firmly, and she looks at me in a panic.

“Dad,” she gasps, rushing to my defense, but I offer her my most reassuring smile, gently cupping her elbow and guiding her to the door.

“It’s okay, love, go, I’ll catch up,” I tell her, dropping a kiss to her hair, and she takes one last look between us as she leaves the room, Archer and Daemon already there to escort her away.

When I bring my attention back to Coach, he is already watching me. “You promise to keep my daughter safe?” he asks, moving around his desk and dropping into his chair, tapping away on his computer instantly.

“I’d protect her with my life if I had to.”

My response has him eying me again, as if trying to detect how serious I am, but he won’t find anything but the truth. “Good, now get out of my sight before I decide to exercise my right to the Second Amendment.”

“On me and not Pastor Prick?” I ask with a smirk, walking backwards toward the door, and he eyes me with a cunning glare.

“That piece of shit better hope the police get a hold of him before I do,” he grits, and fuck me, I never thought I’d have something in common with my girl’s father.

“You and me both, Sir.”

After that I make quick work of showering and getting changed, and once I’m done I find all my guys outside watching my girl’s back. She smiles when she sees me, and I don’t look at anyone else as I close the distance between us, pulling her against me.

“Ready to go home?” I ask, and she nods shyly. “Then let’s go, baby.”

We all pile back into the house and I order enough food to feed a small army, so we eat, drink, and basically just unwind after a stressful day. Jake already went with Evie earlier today to get her stuff, so she can stay here until we find Ben. The police updated us that there isn’t really anything they can do unless he shows up and does something else or becomes a threat, so now it’s down to the security guards I hired. Two of them are sitting outside, no doubt rubbing shoulders with Maddie’s guard, who has also been briefed on the situation, and despite everything that is going on, it’s a good night.

Although there is a nervous energy surrounding Aubree, one she is trying her best to hide, but I’ve been watching her long enough now to know something’s up. As soon as everyone starts drifting off to bed and back across the street, it intensifies tenfold, and I head into the kitchen to make us both a cup of tea.

“You good?” Daemon asks, eyeing me carefully, and I know this must be bringing up some bad memories for him, it wasn’t too long ago he had his own restraining order in place.

“Yes, no, I don’t know,” I huff with a laugh, and he nods in understanding, both our eyes dancing to the living room to where Archer is trying to make Aubree laugh.

“You’re good for her, you know,” he tells me, and I snap my gaze back to him in wonder. “She’s different from when she first arrived, happier. You may not see it, but I do, you’re good for her. I didn’t want to let Archer in at first, but he was unstoppable, I had no choice,” he explains, and I know what he means, I had a front row seat for how things changed between them.

I guess I am only just realizing, they have one now too.

“I don’t want to take away her choice,” I snap, setting up my tray. “I just want her to be safe, happy.”

Daemon smiles at my response, reaching for one of the cups, and holding it out in expectation so I can pour him some tea. “You aren’t taking away her choice, she’s taking away yours. You’re falling for her and there is nothing you can do to change that, trust me, I’ve tried. So basically, you’re fucked.”

He doesn’t wait for me to respond, just takes his tea and joins his boyfriend back on the sofa, who in turn smiles at him like he’s his whole world. Then Aubree lets her gaze travel over to me and her smile, even tense, almost knocks me off my fucking feet.

Daemon’s right. I am fucked.

Aside from what happened this morning, everything has been fine. I spent the day with all of my friends, watched the Flyers win another game, and even seemed to have smoothed things over with my dad and Alexander. So why can’t I breathe? Why do I feel this pressing weight atop my chest? I know Alexander has everything under control, he’s told me, I’ve seen it, but still I can’t stop myself from spiraling. Something I know hasn’t gone unnoticed by him. He has the courtesy of waiting for everyone else to retreat first of course, but as soon as Archer and Daemon head up to bed, he is there in front of me, once again trying to slay my dragons.

“What’s wrong, Aubree? What do you need?”

I think about his question, about everything he has done for me, about everything he has done since I got here, since mymom died, and with all that in mind, there is only one thing that I think can help me.

“I need to go to church,” I whisper, holding my breath a little as I prepare for his answer, but all he does is nod.

“Okay, let’s go,” he replies, rising to his feet and holding out his hand for mine. Just like that. No questions, no jokes, just nothing but complete and utter faith in me and what I need.

Which is how, thirty-minutes later, we find ourselves stepping from Alexander’s car and approaching the little white church I passed the first day I arrived in town. Alexander already told me he’s joining me inside in a way that suggested I don’t argue with him, and much to my dismay, one of the security guards has followed us here too. Alexander shares a look with him as he pulls up behind us and we exit our car, but then his focus is completely on me and our surroundings.

There is a welcome sign outside the church that reads ‘The most powerful position is on your knees’ and I know when Alexander spots it, because his wicked gaze dances back to mine and he smirks. “I think I’m going to like church.”

I’d probably laugh if I wasn’t so nervous, and I’d probably pause on the threshold and talk myself out of being here if I came alone, like I have so many times over the last six months, but with Alexander’s firm touch at my elbow, we just glide right inside. My finger feels particularly bare as we push through the doors, a thousand memories hitting me all at once, but the overwhelming feeling of faith and hope I was expecting, doesn’t come.

I can still remember the first time I went to a church, the first mass I attended with my grandmother, my first Holy Communion with my mother at my side, the first time I saw Ben there, it all felt like it would be memorable, but now it just hurts. This place was once my salvation, but now it just reminds me of everything I have lost, and even worse, everything I have donewrong since. Guilt and regret churn inside of me, and my eyes land on a place I haven’t visited since the week before my mother died.Confession.

---