Page 52 of Keep Me
It couldn’t.
He needed to be a family with Olana for the sake of their child.
Being a stepmom before the age of twenty-one was too much for me, and as much as I loved Matty, I needed to let him go. So, I lied.
I cringed thinking about how easily the words came out of my mouth. It wasn’t just a small fib about something insignificant. It involved someone else. Someone I hardly knew.
I blew out a breath and shook my head, cursing on a whisper. The game was still going; the crowd was still cheering, and I was almost certain the mascot could hear me mumbling.
Instinctively, I glanced around the arena, then remembered Matty was here, and I didn’t want to accidentally catch eyes with him, so I focused all my attention on the Crusher goalie.
I’d hardly processed the end of the game before Sienna clutched my hand and pulled me to the plexiglass. “Come on. I need your help.”
My body trembled as I looked at my oblivious friend. What would she say when she found out what I’d done? A hot heat crept up to my face, and I could only conclude it was a delayed reaction to my huge mistake earlier.
“Are you hot or something?” Sienna looked me up and down, her brows furrowing.
I couldn’t lie to her. I’d done enough of that over the last hour.
“I saw Matty.” It was all I needed to say for her to get it.
Pursing her lips, she nodded. “Okay, well, I want to hear all about it once we can get out of here, but right now, I need your help interviewing the guys.”
“Okay.” I swallowed down my nervousness, trying my best to keep it together even though it felt like the world was burning around me.
The players shook hands with their competitors, and when they finished, they skated to the boards. Sienna stood next to a couple of fans, smiling brightly while she waited for the players to get to her.
Unsurprisingly, Erik was the first one there, and when he pulled his helmet off, he gave me a wink, making my stomach roll with worry. He wouldn’t do that if he knew what I’d done.
Pushing out his mouth guard, he grinned at Sienna. “So, Lawrence, did that performance earn me an interview?” Wiggling his eyebrows, he waited for her to answer.
When she threw her head back and barked out a laugh, he clutched his hockey stick close to his heart.
“No. Of course not. You were too busy flirting with my assistant to have any luck on the ice.”
His lips tugged at the edges, and his gaze flicked to me for a few seconds before he looked back at Sienna. “You’re kidding me, right?” He threw his arms open. “I scored the game-winning goal. What’s a guy got to do to get an interview?”
She tipped her chin toward the cheering crowd. “Not get it through an assist from the son of a Stanley Cup winner.”
Scotty Hendricks was on the other side of the rink talking to fans through the plexiglass. Rolling his eyes, Erik groaned. “I can’t wait until that guy graduates.” Then he took no encouragement to move over to me, much to Sienna’s happiness.
“Aren’t you both sophomores?” Sienna asked.
“Yeah, but who knows, he might go pro before I do.” Erik rolled his eyes in my direction, then a megawatt smile broke out acrosshis face when he saw me watching. “Britt,” he drawled out. “Maybe you could interview me instead?”
His smile and easygoing nature made me feel somewhat relaxed, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that Matty was probably watching me. He was still here, and I wasn’t sure he believed anything I said.
But what was I supposed to do now? It wasn’t like I could date a guy without his consent, which meant I needed to stay as far away from Erik Steele as possible to make sure I didn’t have to drag him into any more of this mess.
“Britt.” Sienna knocked me in the side with her elbow, bringing me back to reality.
“Sorry. I can only interview football players,” I stated, letting my eyes roam the rink. I didn’t see Matty, so hopefully he’d left.
“Is that what you say to all the guys who show you a little interest?”
I shook my head. “No. It’s the truth. Take up football and we can talk.”
“Ouch. You know how to break a guy’s heart, don’t you?”
