“What’s their cabin like?” Bailey asked, buckling her seat belt.
I pulled out of the parking space and braked to let a group of Falcons fans pass. Their faces were painted crimson. It was awesome. I loved super fans.
“More of a mansion than a cabin, to be honest. Four bedrooms and five bathrooms, I think. It backs up to the lake, sick hot tub. You know, the works.”
Their “weekend getaway” home was ten times nicer than the house we lived in. And our place was pretty damn nice.
“Why am I not surprised?” She laughed, then her expression turned wistful. “Ah, to be rich.”
If I had it my way, she’d at least be comfortable someday. If she ever let me pay for things. It was still a battle with her most days. At this rate, I’d be stuffing money under her pillow like the fucking tooth fairy.
I signaled left out of the parking lot. “Ward texted and said Shiv was going to take a quick shower before they headed out too.”
“Really?” Bailey groaned. We both knew there was no way she’d be showering alone. And their two-person showers weren’t exactly quick or water-conserving. “She hasn’t even finished packing yet. You said it’s, what, a two-hour drive? They’ll be a while.”
Bailey was right—we planned to make dinner once we were all there. Their scheduling would make for a late evening, but that meant more time for the two of us alone.
“Looks like we have time to kill.” I put my hand on her knee. “Want to take a little detour along the way?”
Bailey eyed me suspiciously. “Are you still trying to get truck sex?”
That wasn’t my original plan. But if she was offering…
“I’m always trying to get truck sex, but I was thinking hot chocolate.”
Half an hour later, we made our way up the staircase to End of the World with two cups of salted caramel hot chocolate in hand. Naturally, I had converted Bailey to the only appropriate flavor choice. Though her blowjobs were better than the salted caramel by a mile.
It was a brisk, chilly day and no one else was around, which afforded us our choice of benches. We grabbed the one with the best view, but the instant we got settled, my phone vibrated from inside my coat pocket. I pulled it out, expecting it to be Ward, but it was his father instead.
Bailey stared at my phone. I swiped the screen and put Stewart on speaker. It was easier than giving Bailey a replay after.
“Hi, Stewart.”
“Chase,” he boomed. “How are you doing?”
Bailey’s attention snapped to my face as if she’d been wondering the same thing.
“Decent.” All things considering. My life hadn’t totally fallen apart. People were talking about me, but they always had. It was just amplified temporarily.
“I have some news,” he said. “I just got off the phone with Los Angeles.”
My body went rigid. Bailey’s grip on her cup of hot chocolate tightened, and her breath stilled. We both froze, waiting for Stewart to continue.
“They’d like to see you stay and finish out your fourth year of college.”
I must have been holding my breath too, because I let out a heavy exhale. “Okay.” Then I nodded. Stewart, of course, couldn’t see me, but it was more of a reflex than anything.
After several conversations with Stewart, I’d been expecting it and had made peace with it already.
Sure, I was disappointed. My future was veering in a direction I hadn’t planned for, but a small part of me was relieved by this outcome. I liked my life the way it was now, so I’d welcome another year of it.
I stole a glance at Bailey, and for once, I couldn’t read her expression. But I had a hunch she felt much the same way I did.
“It’s not a punishment,” he stressed. “They want to shield you from negative attention while the case is ongoing. As a rookie, the media would eat you alive over this. Waiting a year gives things a chance to cool down.”
He was right. The last thing I wanted was to be known for a scandal instead of my gameplay. It would probably always follow me, but by the following year, at least it would be old news.
After I ended the call, I shifted my weight and turned to face Bailey.
She touched my arm, studying me with concern. “How are you feeling about that?”
“It could be worse.” I shrugged. I could have been dropped from my contract altogether, so this was a win. “And it means more time with you.”
If not for James, I probably would have been devastated. But I could keep playing high-level hockey, and I could still live with Dallas and Ty next year. And best of all—I’d be here with her.
“Still,” she said, “it’s okay to be disappointed. I wouldn’t take it personally if you were.”
“Maybe a little, but I’m good, I promise.”
Bailey scanned my face and sucked in a breath like she was going to speak. Instead, she slowly let the air out and gave me a soft smile. She didn’t believe me.
“Promise, James. When have I ever hidden how I felt?”
She laughed. “Fair point.”
OceanofPDF.com
CHAPTER 61
OceanofPDF.com
THE MOON
Chase
Just as I’d suspected, we beat Dallas and Siobhan to his parents’ place. We had time to pick up takeout and eat said takeout once we got to the cabin. I even had time to eat Bailey for dessert and get her into the hot tub after.
Naked.
With, of course, the caveat that Ward would text me when they were fifteen minutes out so we had time to get decent.
Steam from the water rose in the cool night air, and stars blanketed the sky above us, far more vibrant than in the city. The colored light in the hot tub changed in a slow, continuous pattern, tinting the water all the shades of the rainbow and back again. It was silent aside from the jets of the hot tub bubbling.
Bailey nestled against my chest, and we fell into an easy, comfortable silence. I was relaxed beyond belief…until today’s date hit me. I’d been so absorbed in hockey, the tape scandal, and all my own shit from the past week that I hadn’t connected the dots.
Shifting, I set my amber bottle of beer in the drink holder beside me. “Weren’t you supposed to hear about the internship this week?”
True to my brand, the words slipped out before I could think them through, and regret hit me square in the face immediately after. Was it a mistake to bring it up now, when the moment was so perfect otherwise? In this case, I guessed that no news was bad news and Bailey didn’t want to tell me.
“Um, I did hear, actually.” Bailey reached over and turned down the jets. She peered up at me, her eyes dancing in the twilight. “I got it.”
Cool relief washed over me. Fucking finally, we had something to celebrate for a change.
“James, that’s incredible.” I kissed her temple, smelling the hint of chlorine from the water on her skin. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
She gave a one-shoulder shrug and tucked a stray strand of hair back into her bun. “I found out this afternoon. I was waiting until after the game to tell you. But then Stewart called, and it didn’t seem like the right time in light of the news he gave you, so…”
“Are you kidding?” I tilted her chin up so we were eye to eye. “I always want to hear your good news. Though I knew you’d get it.”
Bailey broke away from my gaze and ducked her head. She was so much more modest than she should have been. If I could slice off a chunk of my ego and give it to her, we’d both be set. But I’d settle for pumping her tires any chance I got.
“Yeah, they were sold when I pitched my article about toxic masculinity in team sports. They want to run it as a front-page feature on the site.”
My chest swelled with an irrational sense of pride then, even though I’d done nothing more than cheer her on and be her occasional sounding board.
“That’s awesome.”
“Yup.” She grinned. “They want it by the end of next week. I should start working on it soon, but I figured we both needed the weekend off.”