Chapter 24

Callie

The game had already started, but we’d only missed about two minutes. There was no going fast when you had to walk with a waddling pregnant woman. Kristen had insisted on coming to the game even though Kellan told her to stay home and rest.

“Be careful going down the stairs,” I called out to Kristen. I could see Hannah and Corey already in their seats, waiting for us. Watching Kristen walk down the stairs made me nervous. There were so many people around, shouting and jumping out of their seats. Being an ER nurse, I found it hard not to envision every bad scenario that could happen with large crowds of people.

Kristen glared back at me, pursing her lips. “I’m fine, Callie. You’re worse than my husband.”

I held up my hands. “Just trying to keep you from falling down the stairs.”

Hannah noticed us and waved. “Hey, guys. You made it.”

Chuckling, Kristen took a seat. “Slowly but surely.”

I hugged Hannah and Corey before sitting down. “I’m so glad Justin’s come to his senses,” Hannah said happily. “I know it’ll make things easier on you.”

“Got that right,” I said. “I told Dallas last night, but I don’t know if they’ve spoken to each other yet today.”

Dallas was happy that my brother was going to give him a chance. He promised not to be an ass if Justin tried to talk to him. I knew how difficult it had to be for him since Justin was such a douche.

The guys were on fire tonight, moving across the ice at lightning speed. It was the last game before the playoffs. Maddox took the puck away from one of the opposing players and passed it to Justin. There were two guys about to pummel him, but he slipped past them and took the shot. The puck went right between the goaltender’s legs.

Jumping to my feet, I screamed and clapped as loud as I could. “That was pretty damn good,” Kristen said. “Kellan’s really impressed with him.”

“Thanks. Justin’s worked hard all his life to be the best.” Now that the crowd had quieted, I sat back down. “When is Kellan planning on retiring?”

Kristen couldn’t take her eyes off of him. “The end of the season. He’s been talking back and forth with the managers about coaching the team. He’s excited.”

“Wow, that’s awesome. I guess that’s why the team needed my brother.” He was going to take Kellan’s place. The team looked up to him, even Justin. Maddox still had some lessons to learn about teamwork. Hopefully, Dallas never found out about Maddox’s tryst with Lacey. All hell would break loose.

“Come on, Braeden,” Kristen mumbled to herself. The other team had the puck and went straight for Dallas, only Braeden was there to stop it. I breathed a sigh of relief when Justin took the puck back to the other end. He scored again and the crowd went nuts. Justin was on fire.

“How’d you get along with Lacey?” Kristen asked.

“Great, as a matter of fact. She’s really nice.”

She nodded. “She is. I’ve only met her once. She doesn’t come down much.” Probably because of Maddox. I never really got the whole story between those two.

“Medical school can’t be easy on her,” I said with a shrug.

“I don’t doubt it. I know I’m looking forward to getting back to my designing job once the baby gets here. I miss working with my clients, even if it’ll be part time.” She rubbed her swollen belly and smiled at it. “Maybe this little one will follow in my footsteps.”

Giggling, I pointed to Kellan on the ice. “Or her daddy’s. I know I did with mine. And speaking of your other job, when I move to another house, do you mind decorating it? I lack creativity when it comes to that.”

She shook her head and laughed. “I’d be happy to. However, from what I hear, you’re basically living with Dallas. Sure you want to move right now? Might want to wait and see where things go. I’d hate for you to buy a house just to turn around and sell it.”

Corey and Hannah overheard her and they both stared at me. It was a question I’d pondered every day. I wanted to have my own place to live, but between work and spending every night with Dallas, I hadn’t had the time. A part of me wanted to wait and see where my relationship led with Dallas. I definitely wasn’t going to bring it up to him. My feelings ran deep, but I was afraid of voicing them.

Maddox scored a goal and the crowd cheered as the second interval came to an end. The players skated off the ice and my breath hitched when Dallas looked our way. It was like he knew we were talking about him. I waved and he waved back before disappearing with the team for their break. Cameras flashed all around them as they walked to the locker room.

“Callie?” Corey called out.

I snapped back to attention. “Yeah?”

Hannah reached over and touched my forehead. “You blanked out for a moment. I was beginning to think the talk of living with Dallas freaked you out.”

“No,” I said, rolling my eyes. “I haven’t thought too much on the matter. I just haven’t found a place to live yet.”

“Uh-huh,” Hannah cut in, sounding sarcastic. “I bet that’s why.”

Corey shook his head and shrugged, clearly not having an opinion, or he was just keeping it to himself. “I’m going to get something to eat. Want anything?” he asked us.

We all put in our requests and he hurried off before the game resumed. When he came back, he gave me my water and Kristen her nachos and cheese. The lights dimmed and then Jack the Jaguar came out onto the ice.

“It’s so cute how the guys started doing this. The fans love it,” Kristen said, laughing. Jack skated around the rink and the announcer called out the lucky fan to get a hug from the infamous jaguar. Every time I saw Jack, I kept thinking it was Dallas inside the costume.

However this time it was Josh Harrison. The fan was a little girl in pigtails, escorted by her mother. It was nice to see hard-core hockey players with a sweet side. Once the show was over, the guys came back out onto the ice. The score was three to zero.

Kristen leaned closer and I could hear the chips crunching in her mouth. “Dallas keeps looking over here at you. It’s so sweet.”

“Just like that picture on the Internet,” Hannah added with a wink.

I snorted. “Yeah, it was a good picture. Only I didn’t particularly like the tabloid it was attached to. Basically, they were saying we’re not going to last.”

Corey glanced over at me. “That’s what’s going to happen when you’re involved with a famous hockey player, sis. You’ll have to get used to it.”

Kristen nudged me in the side. “And most of the stuff you’ll see on the Internet is horseshit. Don’t let it get to you.”

Easier said than done. The last few minutes of the game went by quick, and of course, the Strikers won without any brawls. The crowd cheered and the whole coliseum vibrated under my feet.

“All right, Cal, we’re headed out,” Corey said, taking Hannah’s hand.

“Bye, guys. See you sometime this weekend.” They walked off while Kristen and I stayed in our seats. Breathing hard, Kristen held on to her stomach. “Hey, are you okay?”

She closed her eyes and nodded. “Just having those Braxton-Hicks contractions. Plus, I have heartburn from those nachos. Not a good combination.” Opening her purse, she pulled out a pack of Tums and popped one into her mouth. “I’ll be fine in a minute. Do you mind taking me home once the crowd lessens? I don’t feel like celebrating with the guys tonight.”

“I don’t mind at all.” I looked behind us at everyone moving toward the exits. “We should be good to leave in about five minutes.”

While we waited for the aisles to clear, we watched our team exit the ice. Cameras flashed from the news crews, and the top players in the game stayed behind to be interviewed. With a huge smile on his face, my brother seemed to enjoy his time in the spotlight. Apparently, so did Dallas.

“Who is that?” I asked, watching Dallas hug a beautiful leggy blonde in a short skirt. It wasn’t just a quick hug, either. There was something intimate about it.

Kristen searched the crowd and found her husband hugging the same woman. “Oh, that’s Madison Bennett. She’s a sports reporter.” She turned to me, her brows furrowed. “Dallas didn’t tell you about her?”

“Tell me what?”

I focused back on Dallas and the woman, at the way they smiled at each other. My stomach clenched and I tried to swallow down the jealousy, but it kept creeping back up.

With a heavy sigh, she grabbed my arm. “Don’t get mad, but they used to date a long time ago. Other than you, she’s the only girl he’s actually dated.”

He did tell me about her, but I didn’t know who she was, and I definitely didn’t expect them to still be friends. Teeth clenched, I watched them finish the interview and then he walked away with Kellan.

Kristen squeezed my arm. “Hey, it’s not like that with them anymore. He cares about you, not her. I wouldn’t let him anywhere near you if I thought he was going to hurt you.”

The tension eased and I took a deep breath. “She’s just so beautiful. I promised Dallas I wouldn’t throw his past back up in his face, but sometimes it’s hard to trust blindly.”

“Has he given you a reason not to trust him?” she asked.

Meeting her green gaze, I shook my head. “No.”

“Then there’s nothing to worry about.”