Chapter 30

Callie

“Callie, please, call me back. It’s all a misunderstanding. I’ll do anything to prove it to you. It’s killing me right now, knowing I can’t be with you. Please, angel. I need to talk to you.”

Swallowing hard, I turned off my phone and set it on my dresser. Even Lacey had tried to call, but I knew it was in defense of her brother. Now that I was alone in my room, the anger had subsided and all that was left was the unbearable pain in my chest. My eyes felt like sandpaper every time I closed them. The phone calls were the worst. Dallas called so many times I had to turn my phone off, but then the masochist side of me couldn’t stop from listening to his messages. There were plenty of times I was so close to calling him back, but I couldn’t follow through.

“Knock, knock,” Maddox shouted. My bedroom door opened and he charged in with my brothers behind him.

I covered my face with my pillow. “Go away. I’m not in the mood to be cheered up.”

“That’s exactly what you’re going to get,” Justin said, flopping down on the bed beside me. He grabbed my pillow and tossed it across the room. I knew I looked like shit with my mascara in lines down my cheeks. Luckily for them, they didn’t say a word about it.

Maddox grabbed my phone off the bedside table. “Has Easton tried to call you?”

My stomach clenched. “A few times. I turned off my phone.”

He slid my phone into his back pocket. “Good. It’s staying off for now. You can have it back later. Right now, Justin and I are taking you away.”

I glared at them all. “No you’re not. I’m not going anywhere.”

They snuck glances at each other and I could see the trepidation on Corey’s face. “You might want to, Cal.” There was something they weren’t telling me.

“Why?” I asked nervously.

Justin released a heavy sigh. “Now that word is spreading, the media is really looking for more. There’s a van down the street. I think they’re waiting to get a glimpse of you, to see how you’re taking the news.”

Tears filled my eyes. “You can’t be serious. What the hell am I supposed to do?”

Justin grabbed a tissue and handed it to me. “Even though you’re upset, you’re going to put a smile on that face. Don’t let the world know how bad he hurt you. They want to see your pain so they can get another story.” Maddox and Corey both agreed with a nod.

“How are we going to leave without them seeing us? Won’t they follow?”

Maddox winked. “It’s all figured out. Now come on, let’s go. The beach is waiting on us.” Justin and Maddox walked out, leaving me alone with Corey.

“Are you coming, too?” I asked him.

He shook his head. “Someone needs to stay here since you’re technically still going to be home. If the reporters think you’re by yourself, they’ll come flocking to the door.” Taking my hand, he helped me up. “It’s time go. The sooner you get away from here, the better.”

The warm sand between my toes and the sunshine above felt good against my skin, but it did nothing to ease the pain. Nags Head was one of my favorite vacation destinations, but my heart wasn’t into it. I loved Justin and Maddox for trying. Even though they were livid, they never brought up Dallas’s name. Deep down, I knew they wanted to hurt him, but they kept it to themselves.

“Looking good,” I shouted, applauding Maddox for his surfing skills.

He rode the tiny waves perfectly. Maddox was always so versatile in sports, and my brothers had been envious of him growing up. No wonder Lacey fell for him.

“What do you want me and Mad to cook tonight?” Justin asked. I looked over at him in his blue swimming trunks, soaking up the sun, and laughed. He dropped his sunglasses and stared at me like I’d lost my mind. “What was so funny about that?”

“Um, just the part where you said you two were cooking. I’d like to see what you boys come up with.”

He glared at me and then winked. “You’ll eat what I cook and you’ll love it. This is your vacation.”

I tossed a handful of sand on his legs. “Then let me help you. We can start on those bottles of wine you bought. I could use that kind of distraction.”

He held out his fist and I fist bumped him. “That’s my girl.”

My phone rang and Justin pulled it out of our beach bag. I’d turned it back on in case our parents called from out of town. It was the excuse I used, but mainly it was to see how many times Dallas called; he was relentless.

Justin held out my phone to me. “It’s Hannah.”

I answered it. “Hey, girl.”

“Hey, how are you?”

I took a deep breath of the salty sea air. “Lying out on the beach with Justin and watching Maddox surf. We’re about to go in and make some dinner. You?”

“Just got to your house. You wouldn’t believe the people sneaking around out here hoping to get a glimpse of you. They took pictures of me as I pulled into your driveway.”

“What the hell?” I groaned. “That’s bullshit. Why can’t they leave me alone?”

“That’s not how the press works, sweetheart.”

“What about work? Who all was talking about me?” The line grew quiet and I knew it was bad. “Just tell me, Hannah.”

“A vast majority of them were. I’m actually kind of glad you weren’t here today. It’s all everyone could talk about.”

I felt sicker by the second. “Great. I might as well not go back until Tuesday like I planned.”

“Good idea. Hopefully, it won’t be as bad. Just be prepared to answer a bunch of questions.” At least on Tuesday I’d be in surgeries all day with Dr. Sands. I wouldn’t have to worry about being on the floor with all the other nurses. “Have you talked to Dallas at all?” she asked carefully.

“No.”

“What if he was right about canceling the show? What if it doesn’t air on Wednesday? The magazine could’ve gotten wind about it somehow and exploited it to make it look like it was still going to come on.”

I couldn’t argue with her there. I’d thought about numerous scenarios on the way down to the beach, and that was one of them. The only thing I had to do was wait for Wednesday and see. “It’s a possibility,” I said, “and if that happens, I’ll figure something out. Although it doesn’t change the other issue.”

“About Madison?”

“Yep,” I huffed. “I don’t know what to think about that one. He didn’t tell me he saw her after the game. Makes me think he’s hiding something.”

“Could be, but I know he’s in love with you. I can see it.”

I wanted to believe her, but he never once told me he loved me. Then again, I’d never told him that I was in love with him, either. Holding his surfboard under his arm, Maddox ran back up the beach toward us.

Justin patted my leg. “Come on, Cal. It’s time to eat.”

“Hannah, I’ll call you later tonight. The guys and I are going to fix us some dinner.”

“Okay, babe. Don’t get into any trouble. I know what heartache can do to a woman.”

“I’ll be fine. Talk to you soon.” We hung up and I helped the guys carry the beach chairs back up to the house. It was a blue three-story house with the name Summer Escape. It was perfect, considering I was trying to escape my heartbroken life.

Maddox set his surfboard on the back porch and then grabbed the chair in my arms. “I bought stuff to make spaghetti. Want to do that tonight?”

We walked inside. “Sounds good to me.”

Justin slapped Maddox on the back of the shoulder. “While you two start that, I’m going to take a shower.”

I threw a sandal at him. “Nice, asshole. I knew you were going to flake out on us.”

Bursting out with laughter, he charged up the stairs. “I’ll help as soon as I get out.”

Maddox shook his head and looked at me. “Believe him?”

“Not at all,” I said, laughing. “His shower will no doubt be an hour long.”

The kitchen was on the top floor, as well as the master suite, which I gladly took. There was a huge Jacuzzi calling my name tonight. I helped Maddox gather the spaghetti ingredients while he pulled out the pots and pans.

“You don’t have to help. I can do this myself,” Maddox said.

“I’ll at least keep you company.” I needed the distraction. Fetching a bottle of wine from the refrigerator, I grabbed a glass from the cabinet and filled it to the top. “Have you ever been in love?” I asked him.

He grabbed an onion and the peppers and began chopping them. “Nah. I’m having way too much fun for that shit.”

I wanted to know what happened between Lacey and him, only I didn’t know how to ask. “What about in the future? Don’t you want a family?”

Setting the knife down, he looked at me and laughed. “Why are you asking me this?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. As much as I love you, I know you’re one of the bad guys that all the women love. I’m just trying to figure out if there’s more to you when it comes to women. With me, you’re amazing. I just hope one day you’ll be able to show that side of you to a woman you care about.”

He looked over at me and winked. “Not gonna happen anytime soon.”

“You’re twenty-eight, Maddox. Once you retire, you won’t have the fame and fortune from hockey backing up your game.” I winked back. “Just a little something to ponder. Might be time to grow up a little.”

“Yes, Mother.” Chuckling, he finished dicing the onions and peppers, and tossed them into the pan along with the hamburger meat.

While drinking my wine, I watched him curiously. Even though we were family, there was a lot I didn’t know about him. This whole thing with Lacey had my curiosity piqued. I finished off my wine and could already feel it coursing through my veins. However, the sharp pain in my chest was still there.

“Cal, can you hand me the tomato sauce, please?” Maddox asked. Setting my wineglass down, I grabbed the cans and set them on the counter beside him. He looked at me and smiled. “Thanks.” Leaning against the counter, I stood there and stared at him. Brows lifted, he snuck another glance at me. “Something on your mind?”

I shrugged. “Just trying to think of other things besides you know who. Figured I’d focus on you.”

“What do you want to know, Callie?”

“How many women have you been with?”

He burst out laughing. “Why the hell do you want to know that?”

All kidding aside, I crossed my arms over my chest. “Because there has to be someone that’s left a mark on you. You’re a good guy, even though you act like a dick a lot of the time to others.”

A sly smile spread across his face. “It’s part of my charm.” I glared at him and his grin faded. “Fine, I’m going to tell you something and then I want you to get off my back. Got it?” I nodded and he sighed heavily, turning his attention back to the spaghetti sauce. “I met a girl in Vegas a couple of years ago.”

Lacey never told me anything about Vegas. It couldn’t be her. “What happened?” I asked.

His brows furrowed and I could see the uncertainty on his face. “We spent five days together. It was during our break before we had to start training for the playoffs.”

“Wow, five days. Is that the longest relationship you’ve had?” I teased.

“Fuck off,” he joked back. “We had a good time.”

“So basically, you two just slept together.”

“That was part of it, but we did other things, too. I’m not a complete ass when it comes to women. I know how to wine and dine them when I want to.”

I held up my hands and laughed. “Sorry.” By the faraway look on his face, I could tell he was thinking about her. “What was she like?”

“Beautiful.” He met my gaze. “She reminds me of your friend Lacey.”

My breath hitched and I froze. “Oh really? That’s interesting. What was the girl’s name?”

“Paige.” Heart racing, I walked over to my wineglass and filled it up. If I recalled correctly, Lacey’s middle initial was P. I saw it on her credit card when she bought her lunch at the hospital. It couldn’t be her, could it?

“Do you still keep in touch with her?”

He shook his head. “She took off the morning I was supposed to leave. I didn’t have her phone number or any way to contact her.”

“Looks like she pulled a Maddox move there,” I said.

“Ha-ha.” He threw a piece of onion at me.

“Were you even going to call or keep in touch with her?”

His smile faded slightly. “I wanted to, but she left. End of story. Why don’t you go watch TV so I can finish dinner in peace?”

Grabbing my glass of wine, I retreated to the living room, completely torn. It couldn’t have been Lacey he was with, could it? If it was, I couldn’t get in the middle of it, not with Lacey being Dallas’s sister. As much as I wanted to find out the truth, I refused to get involved any further.

“Dinner ready yet?” Justin shouted from his room.

“You don’t get any, cocksucker,” Maddox hollered back. “Not unless you get your ass in here and help me.”

Justin chuckled all the way up the stairs and they bantered back and forth. Maybe the weekend wouldn’t be so bad after all. Turning on the TV, I leaned my head back on the couch, determined to stay away from the sappy love channels. That was the last thing I needed. Instead, I settled on one of my favorite Clint Eastwood movies, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

“Oh shit, I love this movie.” Justin sat down beside me, his eyes glued to the TV. Everything was going just fine until a commercial came on I wasn’t expecting to see. Dallas’s face popped up, along with those of the ten women joining him on Rich and Single. “Motherfucker,” Justin growled. He grabbed the remote and shut the TV off, pulling me into his arms. “Damn, Cal, I’m so sorry. I’d do anything to beat the ever-living fuck out of him right now.”

Tears streamed down my face and all the pain came crashing back. The hope I had lingering on the surface completely disappeared. Dallas was actually going to be on the show. I kept hoping Wednesday would come and the show would wind up being canceled. I was wrong.

Gulping down the rest of my wine, I slipped out of Justin’s hold. “I’m going to need more.” A lot more.