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“Oh. That’s good.”

“Good enough that we both get the team?” Gareth wanted to know.

“Well…I think so,” her father said hesitantly. “But I won’t sign this contract until I’ve gone through every single point with you. I do believe you’ve proven that you get along well.”

“Are you fucking serious, Dad?” Gareth exploded angrily. “You were doing this just to get Penny tostay?! What the hell!”

Her father said something, but Penny wasn’t listening. The blood was rushing in her ears and her hands were tingling uncontrollably. Everything was…wrong. Ridiculous. Not to mention that her parents needed to rethink their parenting… They thought she was smart and competent. They had missed her. They didn’t care how many scandals she caused. Why the hell had she told Jack they couldn’t be together?

Her mother was right. She had always lived her life the way she wanted. She was not a puck. But she was going to give the damn press the power to push her around?

“Shit,” she whispered, holding a hand to her forehead. “I’m so afraid of drama and scandal that I told the man I love that I don’t want to see him anymore!”

“What?”

That grabbed everyone’s attention.

“Are we talking about Jack West?” her mother asked promptly.

“You love Jack West?” her father chimed in, confused.

“Yes!” she barked.

“But…isn’t he holding a press conference to deny that you two had an affair?” he asked, surprised.

“What?”

“He called in a bunch of reporters,” Gareth said quietly.

“And you’re only telling me this now?” she cried in disbelief, heading for the door. “He shouldn’t have to lie! He already has to lie about too many things. We should… Shit, we should just tell them everything! If this conversation proves one thing it’s that we should all be more honest!”

“You want to tell the press that you’re in a relationship with one of your players?” her mother asked, shocked. “But, honey, people will talk about you again. They’ll bring up old stories about you. Are you sure you want that?”

She smiled shakily and nodded. “Yes,” she whispered. “Because it’s worth it.” The next moment, she threw open the door.

“Penny!” Gareth called after her. “The paperwork…”

“You’re better at that stuff anyway. I trust you. You negotiate with Dad, I’ll explain it to the team and the press. You paperwork, me people work.”

“Thank God. People aren’t my strong suit…” she heard Gareth mutter as she rushed out the door to Room 06.

When she slipped through the door to the room down the hall, she was met by an overwhelming mass of reporters seated before a small podium. There must have been over two dozen people here, while only two were at the podium: Jack and Lucy.

Apparently, they hadn’t started yet. The journalists were still talking amongst themselves, filling the room with a steady hum.

Penny stood along the edge, unnoticed by everyone, searching for Jack’s gaze. She wanted to tell him he didn’t have to deny their relationship — because they still had one, if he wanted it. Jack, though, was looking intently at the crowd. As soon as he pulled his microphone closer, they fell silent. Some of them pulled out their notepads, others, cameras. Penny stared at Jack, not knowing what to do. Should she say something? But what?

“I don’t want any questions,” Jack finally said slowly, his voice matter-of-fact and clear. “I just want to make a few statements.”

Immediately, hands went up.

“He saidno questions,” Lucy remarked with a sigh and rolled her eyes. “You better listen, guys.” She waited until the hands dropped again before nodding at Jack.

“Well, there have been a few rumors about me recently that have reminded me how much of my life I’ve kept secret over the years,” he began slowly. “And how much they have limited me. You know, I had a terrible childhood. Hardly anyone knows about it. For a long time, I believed I should be ashamed of it. But I have realized that I should be proud that it didn’t turn me into an asshole.”

Lucy sighed quietly and the reporters laughed…and Penny’s heart clenched. This wasn’t about her. It was about finally beinghonest. It was about not letting the secrets that Jack had carried with him all these years dictate his life anymore.

“I don’t want to talk about my parents at all,” he continued. “Because they aren’t the ones who made me the man I am today. Those were my siblings.” An uneasy murmur broke out.