Page 56 of Playing to Win

Megan lay back. “That’s…a lot. Wow. Going to be hard on Faith if everyone knows.”

“Is Frank going to want everyone to know his son is playing in the NHL? Like, will that be something his ego wants out there? If it was my Dad, definitely. And then Faith’s mom. If she finds out, how will she feel?”

Megan pointed out something I hadn’t considered. “And if people know, what’s it going to do to Braydon’s team? I mean, we’d all have Faith’s back, but Cooper will be Team Faith. He’s her daughter’s godfather and her husband is his best friend.”

What a fuckup it could be. “Anyway, I just wanted someone to know. I support Faith, but I have to keep up this dating thing with Braydon so I don’t know where I’ll be if this comes out.”

“I’ll be there for her,” Megan promised. “And I’ll let her know you want to be there too. Maybe we’ll be lucky. Maybe Frank will keep his mouth shut.”

We exchanged looks. If we’d learned anything from Faith, it was that she didn’t trust her father. So we couldn’t either.

Chapter17

I’m going to help you so good

Braydon

For a coupleof days after running into Frank Devereaux, things were tense. My parents left early, since Mom was stressed. None of us were going to reveal anything, but if Frank said something… Well, we’d have to deal with that when it happened. I kept checking the news, watching my teammates to see if they were looking at me differently… It wasn’t fun.

Jayna was gone for a couple of days with the Bonfire for the playoffs in Boston. I hadn’t been able to attend another Bonfire game—our schedules didn’t sync up, and now their season was almost over. Next season, I swore, would be different. I posted the hell out of their series though.

I even invited some of the Inferno over to watch a Bonfire game. It wasn’t anything we’d ever done, and I was chirped a lot over the influence Jayna was having on me. But it was hockey, and once the game started we all were invested in it. We celebrated the win, though I stuck to my two-beer limit, and the guys agreed we’d attend some games next season. I hoped I was still in Toronto, and no matter which team I was playing for, I would make sure a bunch of us went to the Bonfire games.

I sent Jayna a text after that win and she responded, but we didn’t have a chance to get together. She had some tests on her knee this week and was meeting with her doctors next week. I’d have been happy to help distract her in bed, but she’d been clear that sex was a one-time offer.

I stayed late at practice, working with Coach Salo. I might have won the last game, but those two early goals were a problem. When I got to the locker room I checked my phone. Nothing from her. Just one from an unknown number.

We should talk. Frank Devereaux.

I quickly checked over my shoulder as if someone would figure this out from those five words. I heard some of the staff in the hallway, but the room was empty for now. I stared at my phone and fought back the panic. How had he gotten my number? Okay, maybe that wasn’t such a great mystery—he represented the guy in the stall beside me. He knew a lot of the people I did.

I wanted to say no. Delete his number and avoid him, hopefully forever. But better to know what he planned to do instead of waiting for the secret to explode like a ticking bomb. I didn’t have to acknowledge the man or have any kind of relationship with him. But I did need to know that he was going to protect this information. If I didn’t meet with him, would he go public?

This kind of attention could affect the team and my future with it. It might spill over to my parents in Montana. When they called to tell me they’d gotten home safely, I could hear the tension in my mom’s voice. She asked if everything was going well, and I knew she meant about Frank Devereaux.

I pictured reporters coming into the diner where she worked and asking questions. Then there was my half-sister and her mother. I didn’t know Frank’s wife, or how much this would upset her. Faith wouldn’t be thrilled to have this out. My fingers moved on the phone.

Sure.

He listed a time and location. But I wasn’t going on my own.

* * *

I pickedup Jayna from the arena and we drove over together.

She put her hand on my leg, which was jiggling as we waited at a light. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want. We can walk out anytime, right?”

I nodded. She had let me vent my worries, and promised she’d support whatever I wanted to do. Problem was, Frank might want to do something different than me.

He’d asked to meet at a restaurant downtown. Parking was a pain, but Jayna and I managed to make it to the door with two minutes to spare. I’d just asked for a reservation in Frank’s name when someone spoke behind us.

“Tempo?”

Faith Devereaux and her husband, Seb Hunter, had come up behind us. The nerves in my stomach tightened. If Faith was here, Frank had either told her already or was going to. With us there.

Faith had a puzzled frown on her face. “Are you here to meet my dad too?”

Fuck. She didn’t know yet. My fists were clenching and unclenching, till Jayna slid her hand into one.Right.We were together. It was just a front, but it calmed me. I wasn’t alone.

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