Chapter 25

Dallas

“Good game, boys!” Coach Carlisle shouted as we entered the locker room. We all gathered around him. With a wide grin on his face, he looked at each one of us. “Next week, the playoffs begin. I’m proud of you boys for getting this far. You’ve definitely deserve a break. Just make sure to show up at the rink bright and early Tuesday morning. There won’t be another break until after the championship.”

The guys all clapped and hollered. I was ready for a break.

“You guys doing anything for the weekend?” Kellan asked.

Braeden reached into his locker and pulled out his phone. “I have an early flight out to New York in the morning. I’m going to help Lacey study and visit my parents.”

Kellan’s grin widened and I already knew what he was going to say. “You two are awfully close. Something you need to tell us?”

Braeden shook his head and laughed. “We’ve been over this, asshole. If there was something between us, you’d know.” He fist bumped me and headed straight for the showers.

He was the only guy besides Kellan I would trust being alone with my sister. Luckily, she never came around much, so I didn’t have to worry about anyone trying to mess with her.

“What about you?” Kellan said. “You and Callie going to do something fun?”

A smile spread across my face. “Actually, I do have something in mind. I just need to see if Callie can take off on Monday.”

“Nice. Looks like you two are doing really well. I’m glad to see you settling down.”

Hearing those words before would’ve made me laugh, but it felt good to agree with him. “She makes me happy,” I admitted truthfully. “She’s real. I want to be a better man when I’m with her.” I wasn’t even ashamed to admit it.

Clearing his throat, Kellan shifted his gaze over to something behind me. “Let’s just hope you can convince someone else of that.” He patted my shoulder and took off for the showers.

“Easton,” Justin called out.

Taking a deep breath, I blew it out slow and started taking off my pads, not even bothering to turn around. I’d tried to be civil with him, but there was a limit to what I could take. “Yeah?”

He circled around in front of me. Huffing, I crossed my arms over my chest, hoping like hell I could refrain from punching the shit out of him. However, the look on his face was anything but aggressive.

“Good game today,” he said in all seriousness.

Eyes narrowed, I studied him, wondering what the hell he was up to. “Same to you.”

Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair. “We got off to a bad start and I promised Callie I’d try hard to get along with you. The last thing I want to do is hurt her, and that’s what I’ve been doing by being an ass to you.” He held out his hand. “That’s why I’m keeping my promise. I’m willing to put everything behind us.”

“Sure you can do that?” I asked.

He smiled. “Only if you keep your promise and not break her heart. If you do, nothing’s going to stop me from smashing your face.” By the look in his eyes he was serious.

I shook his hand. “I care about your sister. I’m not going to hurt her.”

“Good,” he said, letting my hand go. “You’re welcome to come by the house anytime. I don’t want Callie feeling like she has to stay away.”

Slapping a hand on my shoulder, he walked off. I sat down and took off my skates, more than ready to take a shower, when Jason Marshall, one of our rookie defenders, stopped in front of me. “What’s up?” I asked him.

He nodded toward the door. “Someone out there wants to talk to you.”

The only person I could figure it being was Callie. I walked to the door with a smile on my face, only for it to disappear the second I walked out into the hallway. Leaning against the wall, glaring right at me, was my agent, his blond hair gelled and wearing a perfectly crisp gray suit.

“What are you doing here?”

He kicked off the wall and threw his hands in the air. “Oh, I don’t know, wondering what the hell you’ve been up to. You’ve ignored all of my calls.”

I scoffed. “Probably because I didn’t want to hear what you had to say.” Some of the guys walked out of the locker room, and the other inside had their ears perked, listening. “Why don’t we continue this conversation in the parking lot? I’ll be out there in ten minutes.”

Ty huffed. “Fine.”

He stormed off and I marched back into the locker room to call Callie. I didn’t want her anywhere near Ty. “Hey,” she answered, her voice sounding uneasy.

“Hey, you okay?” I asked.

“Yeah, just driving Kristen home. I was about to call you so you’d know I’ll be at your house a few minutes late. She’s not feeling well so I thought I’d stay with her until Kellan got there.”

“Okay. I’ll be late as well. Something came up that I have to deal with. I won’t be long.” The line went quiet, the only sound coming from the car. “Callie, you there?”

“I’m here. I’ll see you later, okay?”

Something was wrong. I’d never heard her sound like that before. “Okay,” was all I could say. She hung up and that was it.

“You’re in a shitty mood. What happened?” Kellan asked as he walked with me out to my car.

I pointed up ahead at Ty who waited for me. “Agent troubles.”

Chuckling, Kellan slapped me on the back. “Good luck. Since Kristen’s not feeling well, I got to get to the house.”

“Tell Callie I’ll be home soon,” I called after him.

Kellan waved a hand. “Will do.”

I turned my attention to Ty, who stared daggers at me. “You still refuse to take my advice,” he grumbled.

“I have a good thing with Callie. I don’t need the show anymore.”

“What about the opportunities? I thought you wanted to go into acting. This could be your chance.”

I shook my head. “Things are different now. Acting doesn’t seem so important now.”

His eyes widened. “Seriously? That’s all you’ve talked about for years. You’re trying to tell me that a girl changed you in just a few weeks?”

A slow smile spread across my face. “Maybe. That and money isn’t all that’s important in life.”

He scoffed. “You’ve lost your fucking mind. I kept hoping you’d come to your senses about the show. Think of the money and fame you’ll get. We’re supposed to meet with the producers on Monday.”

“What?” I growled, clenching my hands into tight fists. “I told you to cancel it.”

“And I thought the girl would’ve been gone by now,” he snapped back. “If you refuse to be on the show, you’ll have to pay the penalty.”

I threw my arms in the air. “I don’t care. I’ll pay it. Hell, I’ll even pay you to get off my back about it.” Sighing, I ran my hands over my face. Ty might’ve been a pushy bastard at times, but he’d always gotten me in the spotlight. I owed him a lot. “I know you wanted the money from the show,” I said, lowering my voice. “But I just can’t do it to Callie. I’ll do whatever you want me to, but the show isn’t an option.” Opening my car door, I tossed my bag inside. “I’m sorry, Ty.”

Clenching his jaw, he looked down at the ground. “I’m sorry, too.” Getting into his car, he sped away, clearly still angry with me. If he dropped me as a client, I didn’t even care. I wasn’t about to lose what I had with Callie over a fucking show.

Before I could get in my car, a red Jeep Wrangler pulled up beside me with a familiar blonde inside. “Trouble with your agent?” Madison teased.

I rested my elbows over her door. “He’s mad because I don’t want to do something he wants me to do. You know, Ty. He loves his money.”

She shrugged. “You’re his biggest client. It’s where he makes his money. Can’t blame him, can you?”

I shook my head. He had to make a living, too. “No, but he needs to respect my decisions. If he can’t, I’ll need to find another agent.”

“Good luck with that,” she replied with a smile.

“Thanks.” I glanced around the almost vacant parking lot. “What are you doing out here anyway?”

She nodded toward the coliseum. “I ran into some people I knew inside. When I saw you out here, I thought I’d tell you goodbye. I won’t be at the playoffs, but I’ll be covering the championship. Whether the Strikers are in it or not is up to you guys.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “We will be. I’ll make sure of that.”

She patted my hand. “You do that. Take care of yourself, Dallas.”

I stepped back. “You, too.”

She drove off and I got into my car, wondering if I should tell Callie about my interactions with Ty and Madison. The last thing I wanted was for her to doubt me.