Preston

My stomach clenches every time I look at another picture of Bex online. I have to get her pictures taken down from these websites. Seeing her in pain crushed me. No one should have to endure this.

I did a Google image search on a picture I took of Bex a few weeks ago and found seven images of her. She was naked in three, in a red bra and panties in the other four. It’s easy for me to understand why Coach Bryant has rules, ones Bex would have followed whether he told her to or not. But those rules were in effect before she started dating Kellan Lehane, which is why she feels so guilty about seeing me behind his back.

I scroll through the list of e-mails I’ve sent over the last two weeks, none of which have received a response from the webmaster. From what I’ve learned, they don’t have to comply. Removing an image is at the discretion of the domain owner. E-mail isn’t enough. Lawyers can’t help.

Lehane will pay for what he did the next time our teams cross paths. He’s a right winger for Boston College, where my grandfather coached years ago, and my father played in his day. The names John and Alex Parker mean something at that school.

Unsure if this is the right move, I lift my cell phone from the bed and call my dad.

“Hey,” my dad says on the second ring. “Everything okay?”

“I don’t know.”

“You never call this late. What’s going on?”

I look at the clock and realize it’s eleven-thirty at night. “Sorry, I couldn’t sleep. I wanted to ask you something. Do you still have connections at Boston College?”

“Why?” He seems confused. “Do you want to transfer? I don’t think that’s a good move this late in the year.”

“No, I want to stay at Strick U. Can you get someone thrown off the team?”

“What are you talking about, Preston?” His tone grows serious. “Even if I could, why would I want to do that?”

“Because one of the players did something to someone I know. He needs to pay for what he did.”

“What did he do?”

“I can’t tell you. I promised I wouldn’t say anything. Isn’t there something you can do?”

“You would need cause to get him kicked off the team. Unless he has a problem with his grades or drugs, I’m not sure what they could do to him. I can’t make a call and ask the school to remove a player from their roster.” He sighs into the phone. “Have I spoiled you that much that you think I can solve every problem with a phone call or money?”

“It was worth a try, right?”

“What’s going on, Preston. Talk to me.”

I push my laptop to the side and lean back against my headboard. “I wish I could tell you, Dad.”

“Are you in trouble?”

“No, of course, not.”

“Is the person you’re protecting?”

“No, but—”

“I can’t help either of you if you don’t tell me what’s going on.”

“I shouldn’t have called this late. I hope I didn’t wake you and Mom up.”

He laughs. “Are you kidding? Your mom is still in her office. She’s been in there for the past five hours.”

“She’s such a workaholic.”

He huffs. “Tell me about it. She’s still the same woman I married.”

“Hey, Dad, one more thing. How did you know you were in love with Mom?”

“Your mom was like a tornado.” He chuckles. “She rolled into my life when I needed someone to shake it up and get my ass back on track. But she was the best thing that ever happened to me. I wouldn’t have had the chance to hold the Stanley Cup if it weren’t for her. She saved me. Because of her, I had the career my dad pushed me toward my entire life.”

Like you’re doing to me.

“But how did you know?”

“Hmm…” He pauses for a second to think it over. “I knew there was something special about your mother the day I met her. She was so dominant, so different from any woman I’d ever met. She knew what she wanted and took it. Most people sit around and think about what they’re going to do, but your mother acted on it. I was in awe of her. She inspired me to be a different man. There are so many reasons I fell in love with her.”

“What did it feel like? How did you know for sure?”

He hesitates for a second and then continues, “When we split up, I had a lot of time to think about everything that had happened with us. Your mom was afraid to see me because she thought Mickey would fire her and that our relationship would ruin her career.”

Mickey Donoghue, my dad’s godfather, started Donoghue Management Group, known as DMG, where my mom is now the owner. Mickey left the company to her before his death a few years ago. Now, my brother JP works there with her.

“Being apart from your mom gave me a lot of time to reflect. I knew I loved her because I couldn’t stand to be without her. I was in physical pain when we were apart. It was like a piece of me was missing without her. And that’s how I knew I had to do anything to get her back. The things I did… they were so embarrassing some of them. But they were worth it. Look at what I have now because of her.”

My dad might be a total bruiser on the ice, but he’s such a sap when it comes to my mom. The more time I spend with Bex, the more I want that with her. I want all of her. Not just a hookup or friends with benefits. I want her to be my girl.

“Why are you asking me this?”

“There’s this girl,” I admit.

“Are you talking about Bex?”

“Yeah.” I blow out a breath of air into the phone. “I can’t shake her. It started off as friends, and I don’t know what to do now.”

“The way I see it, you have two options,” he says. “Tell her how you feel or break it off.”

“Breaking it off isn’t an option. I see her almost every day, and when she’s not with me, I’m texting her or talking to her on the phone.”

“You need to keep your head on straight,” he warns. “Unless she’s the one, you can’t allow her to come between you and your career.”

“I know,” I spit back. “Thank you for the reminder. It’s all about my career, one I don’t even have yet.”

“You won’t have one with that attitude,” he counters, his voice stern. “It will happen. I know it will. You’re better than me, and I went pro right out of college.”

“I’m not better than you.”

“You are,” he challenges. “What’s it going to take for me to make you see that? Don’t throw away everything we’ve worked for over a girl. Got it?”

“Yeah, Dad, I got it.”

“If you need me to come down there and work with you, say the word, and I’ll be there. We can go over to Skate Zone if you want. Get in a little quality time. I haven’t seen you in a while.”

“Our schedules never line up.”

“I’m home now, but only until tomorrow morning, and then I have to fly to Vegas.” A beat passes between us before he adds, “I’ll be home for Thanksgiving. No matter what. You should bring Bex with you. Your mom really likes her. She said she reminds her of herself.”

I gag. “Oh, God. Please don’t say that.”

He laughs. “You can’t ignore the similarities.”

“I’m not dating Mom,” I yell into the phone. “Stop it. That’s gross.”

Dad chuckles. “I’m just giving you a hard time. Any woman who’s like your mom is a keeper. Trust me. And this Bex sounds like she is, too. Just promise me that nothing will get in the way of your career.”

“I promise. I need to get to bed. We have practice at six o’clock.”

“All right, you better get some sleep.”

“Night, Dad.”

“Night, buddy.”

The line goes dead, leaving me with the realization that I am falling in love with Bex.

How did this happen?