The Season: Rush (Austin Arrows #1)

by Nicole Edwards

  I have no words. No argument. Nothing to justify my actions. Noelle’s right.

  “I thought I knew you better than that,” Noelle says, finally pouring my beer. “I thought you knew her better than that.”

  She pushes the beer toward me, and I rattle off a thank you.

  “The one thing you have to remember, Kingston. This isn’t about you. Right now, while they’re having dinner and Ellie is helping James establish a relationship with Bianca, she isn’t thinking about you. But later … when it’s over and she needs someone to hold her, to assure her that this is the way things should be … the man she’s going to need is you. If you can’t see that, I’m not sure you deserve her, anyway.”

  Noelle spins around and stalks off, leaving me staring after her.

  I sip my beer, hating that I’ve just been put in my place by a fucking fairy.

  54

  Ellie

  Tuesday, February 21st

  “You’ve made me wait all damn day. Tell me how it went,” Noelle insists.

  We arrived at the rink a short time ago. After grabbing a couple of beers and popcorn for Noelle, we finally make it to our seats.

  “It went better than I expected,” I tell her as we get situated. I go on to give her the details of my dinner out with James and Bianca on Sunday. I’m a little foggy on some things because I wasn’t really paying attention to what they talked about. I had tried to get out of going, but Bianca insisted that I should be there. “I think Bianca’s trying to work an angle.”

  “Okay. Pause.”

  I sip my beer.

  “What kind of angle?”

  I shrug. “I think she still believes James and I might get together.”

  “Do you want that?”

  “No,” I say, a little too enthusiastically. I didn’t mean it that way. James is really a nice guy, but I’m not attracted to him like that.

  “Have you told her that?”

  “We both have. Repeatedly.”

  “I don’t think she gets it,” Noelle notes.

  “Probably not. She’s twelve. It’ll sink in soon enough,” I tell her, meeting Noelle’s eyes. I take another swig of beer. “Plus, she has more important things to think about.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like picking out the paint color for her new room at his house.”

  Noelle’s hand slaps my arm, sending beer over the rim of my cup and onto my hand. I manage to move my legs out of the way in time to avoid disaster.

  “He found a house?” she squeals.

  I snatch the napkins from her lap and wipe my hand. “That’s what he says.”

  “So, he’s just gonna up and move here? What about his clients?”

  “He’ll still take care of them. He can travel. And he’ll pick up here. Apparently, he’s really good. Several players are looking to hire him. I don’t think it matters where he’s at.”

  “Well, then.” Noelle smiles. “That sounds easy.”

  “Probably not as easy as he explains it, but I think he’ll make it work. He wants to be near Bianca.”

  “That’s fucking great,” Noelle practically cheers. She sets her beer in the cup holder, then throws her arms around me. “I’m so happy for her.”

  I pat her, then pull away. “Me, too. They seem to be hitting it off. It’ll take a little time to get used to—for all of us. It’s a work in progress, I guess you could say.”

  Okay, hockey fans. Let’s give it up for your Austin Arrows!

  As soon as the announcer’s voice registers, my eyes dart down to the ice. I peer at each person coming out, taking in their pads and their helmet. I’m looking for only one person. The instant I see the thirty-nine jersey, my heart skips a beat.

  Kingston.

  God, I miss him. I miss him so much it hurts. I would give anything for him to just show up at my house, pull me into his arms, and tell me he really did say that he loved me that night in his hotel room. I’ve replayed that moment a million times over, trying to convince myself that it was real. I want him to tell me that he’s just scared about how he feels and that he wants nothing more than to be with me. I seriously doubt that will happen, but I still hold out hope. Stupid hope.

  I watch the players skate around, my eyes constantly moving to Kingston. He’s not playing tonight, so he has taken a seat on the bench. I don’t have a great view, but I still look.

  “Oh!” I say, turning to Noelle. It’s my turn to tap her arm, her turn to spill beer.

  She glares at me and snatches a napkin.

  “That girl called me today.”

  “What girl?” Noelle dabs at the mess on her lap.

  “The best friend. Tabitha.”

  “Oh, my God.” Her eyes widen when she looks up at me. “What did she say? Did she confess for her friend?”

  I nod. “She told me everything.” I couldn’t believe the story.

  “You have to tell me.”

  “Turns out—”

  “Ladies and gentlemen, if you’ll please rise and remove your hats. Direct your attention to the flag.”

  I get to my feet and immediately place my hand over my heart. My eyes stray to the American flag and I sing along.

  A few minutes later, we’re getting situated once again, and Noelle’s eyes are fixed on my face. “If you make me wait until the end of the game, I’m gonna… I just might punch you.”

  I laugh because the idea of Noelle punching anyone is absurd.

  I lean over closer so I’m not interrupting those around us.

  “Turns out, the Wendy girl was dating one of the Detroit players. He apparently had a beef with Kingston over something that happened on the ice. You know, normal hockey shit. The girl didn’t know exactly what. Doesn’t matter. I guess the guy broke up with Wendy, and in an effort to get him back, she decided she would burn Kingston. She thought it would make the ex-boyfriend happy enough to take her back.”

  “Did it?” Noelle’s mouth is hanging open.

  I shake my head. “Nope. He thinks she’s a psycho.”

  “Holy shit. So what happens now?”

  “I told the girl she needs to tell the truth, or get her friend to. She agreed to talk to Phoenix, so I passed along the information to Spencer. He said he would ensure it made it to Phoenix so they could address this immediately.”

  “What does Kingston think?”

  I lean back in my seat and reach for my beer. I offer a quick shrug. “I didn’t tell him.”

  Noelle doesn’t look happy with me. “Don’t you think he deserves to know?”

  “I figure he has enough shit to deal with right now. The last thing I want is for him to start fretting over it. It might affect his game.”

  “You affect his game,” Noelle mumbled, turning toward the ice.

  “What does that mean?”

  “Have you see the way he’s been playing? He kinda sucks right now.”

  “He does not.” It’s in my nature to defend both Kingston and Spencer. I can’t believe Noelle would say something like that. Although, it might actually be true. The team hasn’t been doing all that well.

  But surely that’s not my fault.

  Kingston

  I wish like fuck I was out on the ice. It kills me to sit on the bench and watch the action in front of me. I’m programmed to pretend it doesn’t, but it does. The game has flown by and so far we’re up by one with six minutes left in the third period. I’ve got my fingers crossed that we can hang on to this lead. Based on the way things have been going, there’s not a good chance of that happening. Luck doesn’t seem to be on our side.

  While the guys rotate on and off the ice, I can’t do anything but twiddle my fucking thumbs. Locke actually looks pretty good out there tonight. More confident than he has been. I don’t think it’s due to my conversation with him last week, but I’d given it a shot. At twenty-three, the kid has a lot of growing left to do when it comes to his position on the ice. The fact that he’s cocky already doesn’t help. However, he do
es have skills, although he hasn’t been showing them much lately.

  When the whistle is blown to stop the play, I take a moment to glance over at Ellie. Since I’m not on the ice, I’ve spent the past hour and a half stealing glances every chance I can. She seems happy. Always smiling and laughing with Noelle. I haven’t seen her look my way, though, so I’m starting to believe that James really is the guy who makes her happy, despite what Noelle said to me on Sunday.

  Something is going to have to give, because I don’t know how much longer I can torment myself this way. It’s killing me to stay away from her, and though I know she would probably welcome me in her bed, I can’t seem to do that, either. She’s not just a quick fuck for me, and every minute I spend with her draws me in deeper and deeper.

  I’m torn. I’ve already fucked this up, but I can’t stop thinking about her. I owe her an apology at the very least. But when I think about doing that, I think about what it would be like if she could forgive me. Would she take me back?

  I know I could make her happy, but I don’t know that I could make her as happy as James could. After all, they’ve got a kid together, and that kid very clearly informed me that she’s happy now that her parents are trying to work things out.

  Never mind the fact that I’ve watched Bianca grow up, and I’ve tried to spend as much time with her as I could over the years. And okay, maybe I did it more as an uncle than a father, but still. I love that kid. The idea of James coming in and getting to do all that stuff with her while I have to watch from Spencer’s side… I don’t think I can handle it.

  It’s my own damn fault. Ellie did me a favor by pretending to be my girlfriend. She’s been up front with me regarding how this would work. She said she wasn’t looking for anything serious because she has a daughter to raise. Then I went and slept with her and now I can’t get her out of my head.

  It’s slowly driving me insane.

  The final buzzer sounds and I peer up at the score. Well, hot damn. We managed to win it. No help from me, of course. But that’s a positive thing for the team, so I force a smile and go congratulate everyone.

  If I’m lucky, I’ll be able to keep my mind off Ellie for the rest of the night.

  Then maybe I’ll be able to sleep for the first time in a month.

  55

  Kingston

  Friday, February 24th

  “Well, Willy,” I say to the little boy sitting beside me. “It’s clear you’re the better race car driver here.”

  Willy smiles happily.

  I’ve been at the hospital for three hours now. I can’t seem to make myself leave, although I know the nurses are starting to wonder if I’ve permanently moved in. Locke, Benne, and Valeri all came and went a long time ago, but I’m still here, still trying to make these kids smile.

  Okay, that isn’t entirely true. I’m here, but these kids are making me smile, not the other way around. I had to do something to clear my head, something to get my mind off Ellie and Bianca. I even stayed at practice longer than usual but finally gave up on that.

  “Will you be back on Wednesday?” Willy asks.

  “I’ll do my best, buddy.”

  “Cool. Maybe we can have a rematch.”

  “I’d like that.”

  Figuring I should make my exit on that note, I get to my feet, say good-bye to the kids, make sure the nurses are aware that I’m finally leaving, and head out to my truck.

  I’ve got nothing to do for the rest of the day, so I figure I might as well head home. Take a shower. Maybe cook up some dinner. And after that, if I’m lucky, I’ll be tired enough to sleep.

  It’s a little after seven when a knock sounds at my front door. I peer up from my spot on the couch. I’m not expecting company, so it catches me off guard. Another knock tells me the visitor is impatient, so I get to my feet and pad across the living room to the door. Without bothering to check the security hole, I pull it open to find Spencer standing on my front porch.

  He lifts his hand to show he’s carrying a six-pack of Sam Adams. I step back out of the way and let him inside.

  “Is there a problem?” I ask, confused by his appearance at my house.

  Not that he hasn’t shown up unannounced before, but it’s rare these days. Ever since I entered into the agreement with Ellie, my friendship with Spencer has been on the back burner. While he used to come over once a week, now it’s more like once a month.

  “Wanted to talk.”

  “Oh, yeah? You get your regular dose of estrogen today?” I joke, staring at his back as he makes his way to the living room.

  “Sit down and shut up,” he grumbles, his smile completely absent.

  I sit down and shut up because I don’t have anything else to say.

  He passes over a beer, grabs one for himself, then takes a seat on the couch, propping his big-ass feet on my coffee table. “How’re things with you and Ellie?”

  There’s something in his tone that tells me he already knows the answer to that question.

  “Fine.” It’s a lie, but again, I’m at a loss for words.

  “Really?” He doesn’t sound convinced. “That’s exactly what she said. In that same defeated tone, in fact.”

  I roll my eyes and take a long pull on my beer.

  “I don’t like to be the mediator,” he tells me.

  “Is that what you call this?” I motion toward the space between us. “I thought it was you sticking your nose in other people’s business.”

  Spencer’s eyebrow quirks and he continues to stare at me as though weighing his words. I have no idea what prompted him to stop by, but obviously it has something to do with his sister. And apparently me, as well.

  “Have you had the chance to meet James yet?” Spencer prompts.

  I shake my head.

  “What do you know about him?”

  I frown. “I don’t know anything about him.”

  “So, after all this time that he’s been coming around, talking to my sister, meeting my niece, you know nothing about him? Yet you say all is fine with you and Ellie?”

  I don’t bother to answer because I know he just set me up. Fucker.

  “However, I know that you were aware that Bianca was trying to find him.”

  “Those are old headlines, bro. Is that why you’re here?” I can’t hide the frustration in my tone. “To bitch me out because of that?”

  “Would it make a difference?”

  “A difference for what?” Again, Spencer has my head spinning. I have no idea which direction he’s trying to go here. I feel my anger start a slow burn in my gut, but I take a deep breath and exhale slowly. “I thought she knew.”

  It’s Spencer’s turn to look shocked.

  “She told me she monitors Bianca’s social media. I figured that meant she was aware of it.”

  “Well, hell.” Spencer drops his feet and leans forward, his elbows on his knees. “So, why didn’t you bring it up in passing? You know, ‘hey, saw you and Bianca are looking for her dad. How’s that going?’”

  “If she wanted me to know, she would’ve told me.”

  “But she didn’t know.”

  I roll my eyes. “I know that now. Besides, what Ellie does isn’t my business.”

  “Why wouldn’t it be? You care about her, right?”

  I don’t know what to say to that. Although Spencer’s my friend, I don’t care to share what’s going on with me and Ellie. Not with him, not with anyone.

  “Or is this still just an arrangement for you?” he snarls. “’Cause if you tell me that’s the case, I’m gonna punch you in the face.”

  It becomes very clear to me that Ellie hasn’t told him about our breakup. I figure I have to go along with it. “Of course it’s not,” I counter hotly. “It’s never been an arrangement to me.”

  That seems to pacify him momentarily, because Spencer leans back and gets comfortable again. We’re both quiet for a few minutes, drinking beer and listening to the ceiling fan turn above us.

 
“Do you love my sister?” he blurts.

  Christ. “I really don’t think this is a conversation we should be having.”

  Spencer’s expression turns serious. “Did you know that my sister tracked down that woman who made the accusation against you?”

  It’s my turn to sit up straight. “What?”

  “Yep. She took it upon herself to do what no one else thought to do.” He looks at me pointedly. “Find out who the woman’s best friend is. Turns out, you were a scapegoat for an ex-girlfriend looking to make things right.”

  I’m completely confused, but Spencer obviously realizes that.

  “Turns out, she’s the ex-girlfriend of a fourth line rookie in Detroit. The guy had a beef with you and rattled on and on about you at some point. Well, when he dumped the chick, she decided to make an effort to get him back. At your expense.”

  “She…?” Holy fuck. I can’t believe what I’m hearing.

  “She took you down a notch in order to make this guy happy. When it didn’t work, she recanted her statement.”

  A bitter rage is boiling in my gut. “Did Ellie talk to her? Wendy Whatserfuck?”

  “Nope. Didn’t have to. The best friend … the one who took the picture … she told her everything she needed to know. And I mean everything. Apparently she agrees that her friend has a couple of screws loose.”

  I’m still reeling that Ellie found out that information. “Why’d she tell you this and not me?”

  “She only told me so that I would pass it along,” Spencer clarifies.

  “To who?”

  “To Phoenix. She convinced the friend to share the details with Phoenix so he could take care of it. Last I heard, Phoenix’s gotten the team’s lawyer involved, and she now understands the very serious repercussions of defamation of character.”

  “Why didn’t she tell me?” I still don’t understand why Ellie couldn’t come to me.

  “She knew it would only upset you—and me—so she spared me most of the details and asked me to have Phoenix call the woman for the story. Once he did, he called Ellie to confirm. Surprisingly, the woman told him the truth, too.”