Page 26 of Saving Forever
“Sorry,” I murmur, though I’m not sure whether I’m apologizing for making her stumble or for not kissing her.
“It’s okay.”
So why doesn’t it feel okay?
By the time I get to the locker room, I’m calmer but completely wired and definitely not ready to focus on hockey. Normally, nothing gets in my head before practice or a game, but these are not normal circumstances. Not for me anyway.
“Hey, man.” West gives me a friendly clap on the back.
I turn to him. “Holly’s father—he is an asshole.”
His brows inch up. “Yeah? What happened?”
I give him an abbreviated version and he grimaces. “Jesus. You okay?”
My hands are on my hips and I look up at the ceiling. “No. I do not know.”
“Okay, let’s focus on getting through practice and then we’ll figure out what to do next.”
I nod. “We need ride to apartment.”
“Of course. No problem. Get your head in the game and then I’ll do anything I can to help.”
I know he will.
West is a good friend.
“Hey, it’s the newlywed!” One of the younger guys on the team, Ashton Knight, comes over to me with a grin, extending his hand.
I’m in no mood for this but he’s a good guy and there’s no reason to take my bad attitude out on him.
“Thank you,” I say, shaking his hand.
Then I’m surrounded by my teammates, and for a few minutes, I forget about Holly’s father and how badly I wanted to kiss her in the elevator. For a few minutes, I enjoy the camaraderie of my teammates and the high spirits in the locker room. This is where I’m usually happiest and today is no exception. For the first time since the wedding, I’m completely relaxed.
Even though I feel a twinge of guilt at the way I’m deceiving my friends.
I’m not a liar by nature. I prefer to be up front regardless of the situation, but these are extenuating circumstances. And the fewer people who know what’s going on, the easier it will be to protect Holly and myself.
“You’re really moving up in the world,” Ashton says to me when we finally separate to start changing. “A senator’s daughter—that should bring a lot of attention to the team. I just hope it’s good attention.”
I scowl. “He is...jerk.”
He lets out a low whistle. “Yeah? Daddy not happy his daughter married a foreigner?”
“He thinks I want her money.” I roll my eyes.
“Does he have any idea how much your contract was for?” Ashton asks in surprise.
I just grunt, yanking on my shoulder pads and rolling my neck to release some tension.
Issues were inevitable but I didn’t expect such open hostility from her father. I also didn’t give much thought to the fact that he was a senator. She told me but I guess it didn’t fully sink in.
Until this morning.
The car rolling up to the apartment without notice.
A driver banging on the door.
