Page 86 of Her Greatest Mistake

I can still feel the burn of it in my throat and chest. I’m pretty sure I was coughing that shit up for months.

“Seems like you and Braxton have a lifetime of memories together, huh?”

I roll my eyes at his attempt at being slick. “Ask what you want to know, B.”

Nodding, he folds his arms over his chest and settles into the seat. I watch the gold hoop in his earlobe shake as he repositions himself and find myself wondering if I could pull off an earring as well as he can.

“I want to know what’s really going on. Not the story you’re still feeding to the press and the rest of the team. I’m your friend, Madman. And probably the only one here who can handle you even when you sit and pout for nearly an entire plane ride home. I’m here for you, yeah?”

I chew on the inside of my cheek, contemplating what to do. Braxton told Anna the truth about our relationship a couple of nights ago after explaining to me how much she didn’t like lying to her, and I agreed wholeheartedly.

If it were up to me, I would make sure everyone knew that Braxton and I are the farthest thing from fake now, but it’s not up to me. Fuck, I hate giving people power over me, and I’ve let an entire team of people dangle my career in front of me over something that wasn’t entirely my fault in the first place.

“You have my word, man. Shit, I already know something is up. Things have changed since that day at the clinic,” Bentley adds and then leans over his seat and looks around the plane. “Anyone close enough to hear is passed out. This stays between us.”

I scratch at my thigh before blurting out, “Obviously it started off fake. But it’s the furthest thing from that now. Alexander’s plan is working, I think. But Braxton and I . . .fuck. We were fake for about two days. We’re too real to be anything else. You were right when you said I was in love with her. I’ve always been in love with her. This entire sham just forced us to come to terms with everything that happened and move on.”

“So, now what? I’m happy for you, man, but Alexander is still going to want you to pull through. Are you and Braxton just going to keep up appearances and let everything fizzle out?”

“I think so? The only thing I’m sure of right now is her. Everything else is a giant question mark. She signed an NDA before we started this entire thing, and we’re supposed to keep playing by Alexander’s rules until after the adoption day she’s hosting and the playoffs are done. After that, I’m hoping we can just be normal. You know?”

There’s a pang in my gut, but I ignore it.

He hums, nodding. “And what about your contract? You not being signed with us for next season doesn’t sit right with me. This isn’t normal.”

It doesn’t sit right with me either. But there isn’t much I can do. It isn’t up to me.

“That’s supposed to come after everything has died down too,” I say, words tight, my worry obvious.

He clenches his jaw. “If I were you, I would have Dougie start to shop you around, even in secret. Test free agency and see if anyone bites. You can’t put all your eggs in this basket, man. Not when they’re holding your future captive. It’s kind of fucked up, actually. You’re the best player in this league, and that’s not me being biased. Regardless of what’s happening in the press, your talent shouldn’t be up for debate. You should have been offered a contract months ago.”

I groan, a prickly sensation worming up my spine. He’s saying everything I’ve been feeling since I was called into Alex’s office. I’ve played my ass off for this team, and they’re going to let a completely bogus story keep us from continuing this journey together? This fake relationship agreement feels a whole lot like blackmail the longer I think about it.

“You’re right,” I agree. “Braxton’s dad soiled my name in the league when I was eighteen, and Vancouver saved me. When I turned down Florida’s entry contract, it made a statement. A bad one. They were upset, obviously, and it took my dad and his connections in the league to help turn my decision back around on Roy where itshouldhave been. Most teams were still on the fence about me when I re-entered the draft, but it didn’t matter. My dad convinced Alexander that they needed me, and they traded a stack of players to get into the position to draft me. I owe them. And they know it.”

I drop my head in my hands and grip my hair. “If Vancouver hadn’t drafted me, I wouldn’t be where I am. I would have been on a team that didn’t care for me and let me rot away on a bench. Now, Alexander says jump, and I ask how high. I don’t have an option here. My dad would hate me if I turned my back on Vancouver after everything he had to do to get me here.”

Silence. Bentley is rigid beside me.

He’s the first person I’ve told all of this to, and I can’t say that I feel any more relaxed than I did five minutes ago. Now, there’s just another person who knows how fucked I am.

“You’ve been in the league for seven years. What happened when you were a teenager is in the past. I think you’re being too hard on yourself. If you put yourself out there—”

“I can’t,” I snap, frustrated with myself. “I just can’t. Loyalty is everything, and I can’t turn away from Vancouver or my dad.”

Bentley gently bumps my shoulder with his. “Okay, Madman. I’m sorry I pushed.”

“It’s okay. I shouldn’t have snapped at you.”

“You miss your girl. I get it.” He winks.

I laugh hoarsely. “Yeah, I do. What about you? You got a girl at home?”

“Not me. I’m loving the bachelor life right now.”

“Doesn’t it get tiring being with so many different women all the time?” I ask with genuine curiosity.

Most of the guys on the team are either married or are like Bentley and accept the female attention that comes with the job with open arms. Either way, it’s never bothered me what they choose to do. Not as long as they still show up at the rink every day with a clear head and a hunger to win.

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