Page 89 of Xander

“That photo was a fake. There is nothing unseemly going on between Xander and me,” I insisted even as I felt Xander tense next to me.

His words from last night blared in my ears. You act like you’ll die of embarrassment if someone finds out about us.

But this wasn’t about shame. You couldn’t retain endorsements—nor would anyone keep you on as the center of an NHL team—while actively screwing one of your family members. It was too big of a scandal.

Something had shifted in me after seeing Xander on the ice. Sharing that moment with me was everything to him because hockey was his passion, his one true love. I couldn’t let Henry take that away from him.

“Henry doesn’t like to be thwarted,” I continued without looking his way. “He’s done some terrible things in an attempt to control both of our lives and now that we’ve gotten away from him, he’s probably going to do worse.”

And he will.

“Henry’s going to come at Xander with everything he’s got,” I said grimly.

My throat tightened as I realized Henry had waged this ridiculous PR war because of me. His target was Xander’s career because that was what his son loved the most.

I thought of the malicious glee Henry exhibited whenever he took down one of his competitors. To him, people were just obstacles to overcome in his quest to get what he wanted. The destruction of another soul was just a pyrrhic victory. I had no doubt he had hired someone to take that photo of us and leaked it online.

My confession seemed to move the meeting in the right direction. Carl and Coach were suspicious of what was brewing between Xander and me, but they were less angry when faced with the sight of my bruise. It was difficult to dismiss a battered woman’s sad story, and in the end, their empathy won out.

They decided to help Xander fight his father and attest to his character to defuse the situation.

Xander, for his part, reluctantly agreed to one of my ideas—some conspicuous volunteer work on weekends and after practice, teaching kids to skate. Kids were cute, and a big man like him providing gentle guidance while eight-year-olds tugged at his clothes and tried to please their hero was bound to melt countless hearts.

I nodded through the rest of the meeting with a smile plastered on my face, aware of the looks his agent and coach kept flicking in my direction. They liked the skating idea, but I knew that they didn’t trust me. They saw me as the reason for all of this.

And they weren’t wrong.

“All right.” Carl clapped his hands. “I think we’ve made good progress here. Let’s take a breather and circle back to see where this lands.”

“So, we’re done here?” Xander asked, and when his agent gave a tight nod, he looked at me and said, “Let’s go.”

He nodded at his coach with a promise to see him tonight. They were flying out in a few hours for a game tomorrow morning in New Jersey.

Despite his insistence to never be more than five miles away from me, he hadn’t demanded that I join him for the away game. At first, I thought it was because I didn’t have my passport; I had no idea how he’d snuck me across the border in the first place. But something about Xander’s lackadaisical attitude about my attendance didn’t sit right with me.

Since I got to Canada, Xander had stuck to me like moss on a damp wall. If he was finally allowing me some breathing room, it was because he was up to something, and whatever he was planning couldn’t be good.

He suggested having lunch before leaving for his flight, and it appeased him when I immediately agreed. As soon as our main course came, he slipped away to go to the bathroom, and I picked up my phone, holding my glass of water loosely in my other hand.

Henry’s previous messages glared at me like a taunt.

The one he’d sent by not speaking was even louder. Regardless of what else Xander had said, this wasn’t a warning shot. The war had started, and Henry would consider it a victory only after accomplishing his goal—destroying Xander’s career. Henry must’ve realized by now that I wouldn't return to him and blamed Xander for it. Hockey was what Xander loved the most in this world, and Henry wanted to take that from him as revenge.

I didn’t want to be the reason for him losing everything, not while he made me feel like I could regain a part of myself just by being around him. Being responsible for his fall from grace made me feel like a selfish person.

I squeezed my eyes tightly shut and braced myself before clicking on the text field.

What do I need to do to make this stop?

Chapter

Twenty-Eight

XANDER

The leaked photo had fucked everything up. The first thing I did after finding out about it was ask Jasper to sign Mom out of the institution and send them to an overnight whale-watching retreat with two private nurses. I passed it off as a ‘treat’ after Mom’s recent ordeal, hoping Jasper wouldn’t have access to the incriminating photo if he was in the middle of the ocean.

I needed one more day to sort things out. I was already booked for a trip to New Jersey for an away game. I planned to make a detour to my father’s house after the game tomorrow morning. Less than 24 hours. All I needed to do was search my father’s office for the proof I sought, and Henry would be in the rearview mirror, and I could finally be with the woman of my dreams.