Seeing Lily makes me wish everything about our fake relationship was real. That she could be there, waiting for me and looking so enticing in my jersey because she cared about me as her boyfriend. Or dare I say, her husband? Just not her principal.
She surprises me by wrapping her arms around me, lifting herself on tiptoe to whisper into my ear. “What happened out there?”
I pretend to nuzzle her neck so I can discreetly reply. “We need to talk.”
A slight shiver runs over her, giving me some satisfaction that I can affect her like she has me. But itdoesn’t last long. The threat Jennings poses dominates my thoughts at the moment.
When she leans back, studying me with questions swirling in her eyes, I give a curt shake of my head, hoping she’ll get the hint that this conversation needs to happen away from listening ears. Neither one of us misses the concerned glances Sophie and Mia keep darting our way.
Sophie braves the first question. “What’s going on with that guy Jennings? Coach Markelson knows about it, right?”
Luke tries to nudge her toward the exit. “Let us deal with it, Soph.”
Fists on her hips, she plants herself in place. “What did the therapist tell you and your dad last week about sharing burdens?”
Luke hangs his head. “Not sharing our problems shows a lack of trust.”
“Right. You guys are a team on the ice, but we’re all in this together off the ice.” She turns toward me. “What can we do to help?”
Lily lifts her eyes to mine, revealing something akin to confusion or surprise. I’m not sure what she’s thinking at the moment. And until I can tell her about this latest development, I’m just winging it with the rest of this crew.
I shrug. “Coach said he’d deal with it. But if I think of anything, I’ll definitely let you know.”
The others continue to chat as we make our way out to the bus waiting to take the team back to the hotel. Tomorrow, we’re off to Atlanta for our game against the Gladiators.
I can tell Lily is slowing her pace to create some distance between us and the others. When they walk outside, she tugs me back. Now, only the glass doors separate us from the others. They won’t be able to hear us, but they’ll see everything if they bother to look.
“Tell me.” Her words may be curt, but I don’t miss the concern dripping from them.
“Jennings knows who I am.”
Her eyes widen as she studies me. “You mean…?”
I nod. “He even clocked the name of my hometown. Fancy that.”
She takes a deep breath and then lets it out. “I’ll get Del on it.”
Either I’m more tired than I realized, or this situation has pushed my frustration threshold to the limit. “What can she possibly do about it? Jennings is like a feral animal.”
“Then we’ll take him out.”
I shoot my brows up. “You can’t honestly mean…you’re joking, right?”
She tucks her lips in as if she’s trying not to smile. “Yes, you dork. We don’t do things like that. But I will get Del to look into it in case there’s more going on than meets the eye. And in my experience, there usually is.”
The weight of this keeps growing. I run my hands down my face. “What if he tells the rest of my team? Or worse, leaks it to the press?”
She presses her hand against my chest, sending a wave of solace through me. “We’ll figure it out as it comes, big guy. In the meantime, let Del and me do some digging and damage control if needed.”
I cover her hand with mine and nod. On the ice, I know the fellas have my back, as I have theirs. That’s held true off the ice as time has built friendships between us. But this feels deeper with Lily. Like I have a true partner running alongside me on the adventure that my life has become. She fills an empty place in me I didn’t realize existed until now.
What am I going to do when she returns to England?
Chapter Seventeen
LILY
“Are you sure Payton’s okay?” Sophie implores me with those giant eyes of hers from where she’s sitting cross-legged in the middle of her bed. Mia’s sprawled on the other one, yawning while trying to stay awake.
