Page 68 of The Cupcake Cottage

Maverick gave a small nod. He didn’t want to talk about it, but seeing as Reanna was having a breakdown to his left, he continued. “My reputation took a hit, and people have treated me differently. I was traded, and I was pretty close to losing mycareer this year. Thankfully, the Dragons are doing a lot better than we were at the beginning of our season.” He smiled, trying to lighten the mood. Reanna was sobbing quietly, and he wasn’t sure what to do. Nobody had prepped him for this. He didn’t want to add to Reanna’s burden, but he wanted this stupid reporter to know that he and his colleagues had damaged his career.

“I think the worst part is that a lot of people assume the worst of me. People who didn’t know me.” And some who did.

“Do you regret keeping your silence?”

“I think stepping forward would’ve made things worse. Not just for Reanna, but for myself. Nobody would’ve believed me, especially when I couldn’t say why I was taking a married woman into a hotel. Even though I always left a few minutes later. There were never timestamps on any of the images that were published.” He stared at the host for a minute. “I’m sure there are people who will watch this today and won’t believe us. That’s the power of the press. People believe you when it’s more interesting than the truth.”

The host toyed with his question cards, skipping one.

“I told Reanna I’d keep her secret, keep her safe, and give her time so she could extract herself. Going public was never my call to make.” He turned to Reanna. “And I’m glad that you’re in a safe place now.”

“He’s suing me,” she said, her voice tight. “I’ll get nothing. I should have left earlier.”

Maverick turned back to the host, afraid he’d say something he’d regret.

“You seem very calm,” the host said. “Are you angry?”

He saw a flash of Louis’s jacket out of the corner of his eye and caught himself before falling into the trap that was being laid.NHL Star Angry at the Decimation of his Reputation!

“If I could go back in time, would I have chosen a different path? No. I have a mother. I have a fiancée. Both are women I love very much. If someone was hurting them and there was somebody who could step in and help but didn’t because it might come at a personal sacrifice…?” He shook his head. “Sure, I sometimes wish someone else had stumbled upon Reanna and her problems.” He gave a weak smile before growing serious again. “But I’m not the kind of man to turn his back. And I’m lucky I have a woman who knows who I am and loves me. She didn’t need this show to tell her why.”

They went to break, and Maverick removed his microphone. Without saying goodbye to Reanna, he stood and walked out, his quads shaking with pent-up anger. There was only one person he wanted to spend his time with right now, and if he was lucky, maybe he could still catch her for a late morning coffee.

** *

“Sorry, I have to take this. It’s my agent again.”

Daisy-Mae nodded, understanding that this was part of the package of Maverick’s amended reputation and their public engagement.

Maverick stepped outside the Longhorn Diner to take the call.

Over half a dozen offers for various deals had come in since Reanna’s little tell-all to the press last week. They’d paid her sweetly for her story, of course.

Various outlets had approached Maverick to tell his side of the story, but he’d declined. Thankfully. Things had turned into a full-on zoo since Reanna went public.

And thanks to Daisy-Mae mentioning the Peppermint Lodge after her engagement, Cassandra was also being swarmed.Although, they were all offering to help at the Ray-Blades wedding.

They didn’t even have a date yet and, at this rate, were more likely to elope like Miranda had on New Year’s Eve. And that would be lame. She failed to understand the appeal of modern elopements.

Frankly, though, the attention on her and Maverick was overwhelming. The worst of it was feeling like a third wheel around him. She hadn’t thought about what it might be like once they’d mended his reputation and the world saw him the way she did. Sometimes she wondered if he even needed her any longer. Which was silly thinking because he loved her and was marrying her—eventually. He was just really, really busy.

Daisy-Mae continued eating her salad and garlic bread, waving over Mrs. Fisher.

“Can I get a refill, please?” She tapped her empty glass of sweet tea.

“You betcha, hon. How are things going?” She tipped her head toward the window where they could see Maverick pacing on the sidewalk out front, ear to his phone.

“Good. How are you?”

“That man hasn’t been able to sit down and finish a meal all week.”

They’d only been in three times, Maverick determined to shoehorn in coffee or a semi-proper date with her. She appreciated his efforts, but Mrs. Fisher was right. His phone never stopped ringing, whether they were in for a quick coffee or a meal. Daisy-Mae had suggested Maverick’s agent stack up the list of things he wanted to talk about and do it all in one call. But apparently he already was.

And since Maverick was looking at some sizeable deals, Daisy-Mae didn’t want to get in the way of him striking while theiron was hot. Some of them could set him up for the rest of his life.

By the time Daisy-Mae finished her meal, Maverick returned. He sat across from her, looked at her empty plate, then down at his own untouched meal. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

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