Page 68 of Silent Girl

I walk farther into the room and notice that all Gray’s shit is out and he’s packing up. We don’t leave for another day. The team all voted to spend their day off in New York before we fly back to Vancouver. “Why are you packing already?”

“I booked my own flight. I gotta go home early.”

“Does this need to get home early have anything to do with Kathryn?” I ask him.

Gray stiffens, but quickly recovers. “Who?”

“Don’t play dumb. You know who. Kathryn, the girl you brought home that one time when you were in college. The same woman in that picture that you took from Dad’s office. The one with the little girl Liam signed a puck for.”

“This really doesn’t concern you, Lia.”

“You know… you, Vinny, and Jonah always overreact and think you need to protect me. I get it now. I’ve never had a reason to want to protect any of you before, because I didn’t think anyone was capable of hurting you. But she did. She’s hurt you and, honestly, I want to go and rip her hair out of her head for even daring.”

“Lia, I’m telling you it’s nothing. I want you to drop it,” Gray says.

“Do you think she’s yours? The little girl? I couldn’t put my finger on it, but there was something about her…” I say.

“No, I don’t think she’s mine,” he says. “Lia, listen to me. You want me to stay out of your… whatever it is you have going on with King? Then stay out of this. It doesn’t concern you.”

“It’s arelationship. You can say the word, Gray. It won’t kill you.”

“No, but you might.” He smiles.

“Maybe.” I sit down on one of the sofas. “Are you really okay?”

“Yes, I appreciate your concern, Lia. I do. But you’re my little sister. I’m the protector here, not you.”

“I can protect you too, you know.”

“I don’t doubt it, and if ever I need a bodyguard, you’ll be the first person I call.” He smirks.

I smile, knowing he’s full of shit, but I’ll take it. “What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to go coach youth league.”

“Liam said that Matteo told everyone he thought you killed Kathryn and that’s why she disappeared.”

Gray laughs. “Matteo is a fucking idiot.” He shakes his head. “She left because she didn’t like the kind of life our family leads.”

“You’re a hockey player,” I remind him. We fall into silence, as Gray continues to pack his bag, before I finally break it again. “Can you do something for me?”

“Anything,” he says.

“Can you please not hit my boyfriend?”

“Anything but that, Lia.” His smirk turns into a full-on grin.

“Please, Gray, I really like him and he makes me feel like I matter,” I say.

Gray’s eyebrows pull down in the center. “Aliyah, you have mattered since the day you were born,” he tells me.

“Not to everyone.” I shake my head.

“To everyone who counts.”

“Either way, I want to keep him. Don’t scare him off, please.”

“If he was going to run, he would have done it already. Unfortunately, the fucker doesn’t scare that easily—either that or he’s just too fucking stupid,” Gray scoffs.

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