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  His brows lifted. “Sure about that? I seem to recall you needing my help graduating from medical school. Tell me it’s not the truth.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Fine, it’s the truth. You were a great study partner. Now go home before I kick you out.”

  Chuckling, he started for the door. “Sweet dreams tonight. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “Be safe driving home.”

  “I will. Call me if you need anything.” He shut the door behind him.

  Releasing a heavy sigh, I hurried to my bedroom to take off my bridesmaid’s dress. I’d tripped over it numerous times through the evening. I grabbed a pair of gym shorts and a tank top out of my suitcase and put them on. It was late, but I needed to burn off some energy. My brother had a massive gym in his basement and a treadmill that was calling my name.

  The doorbell rang just as I opened the basement door. I thought maybe it would be Braeden, but I couldn’t see who it was through the glass; it was dark outside. When I opened the door, it definitely wasn’t him.

  “What are you doing here?”

  Maddox stepped past me and walked inside, still dressed in his tux. “You didn’t think I’d let you leave town without talking to you first, did you? We need to finish our conversation.”

  Huffing, I slammed the door. A traitorous part inside of me was excited he showed up. I hated that I wanted him there. “Why do you even care? It’s not like our marriage meant anything to you.”

  His gaze bored into mine. “I’m not the one who left.”

  Swallowing hard, I walked past him into the living room. “When I saw you at Justin’s house all those months ago, why didn’t you tell me then you knew who I was?” Crossing my arms over my chest, I turned around and glared at him.

  “I wanted to test you, to see how long it would take you to break.” He took a step closer, backing me against the window. “It also wasn’t the right time. You are one stubborn woman. You’d have made me look like a fool if I tried to confront you in front of Callie and Justin.”

  “You’re right about that. The question is…what are we going to do now? We can’t stay married.” With the window against my back there was nowhere to go.

  “Why not?” he asked, his voice clipped.

  I rolled my eyes. “Seriously? You’re going to ask that? Clearly you don’t know what it means to be married.”

  He snarled. “Neither do you. Did you for once think about the consequences of your leaving? I’d fallen in love with you, Lacey.”

  The words surprised me and tore at my heart. I honestly wasn’t sure if I believed him. “It wasn’t enough.” When I met him sitting alone at the bar, he was angry and clearly not wanting company. I knew my brother didn’t like him much, but I couldn’t help wanting to see if he was okay. One thing led to another…only I didn’t expect to fall as hard as I did. It was like we were meant to be until we weren’t.

  His eyes darkened and he moved closer, his lips pulling back into a smile; a complete turnaround. The window felt cool against my heated skin. Pressing his body into mine, he cupped my cheek. It was like I was under a spell; I couldn’t move. “It was enough for me. You can’t tell me you don’t still love me, that what we had wasn’t real.” His lips were so close to mine. “I want everyone to know you are mine. Braeden needs to know you’re mine.”

  “He’s not my boyfriend,” I murmured breathlessly. “We’ve only ever been friends.”

  “Good.” Our lips connected and it brought back so many memories. Even though it’d been over two years, my body still recognized his touch. It wanted him, craved him. I’d spent years trying to forget how much I was addicted to him. “Tell me it was real, Lacey.”

  Heart racing, I looked into his eyes seeing that connection we’d had. “It was real.”

  He stepped back with a smug grin on his face. “That’s all I wanted to know.” Turning on his heel, he walked out the door and shut it behind him, leaving me panting by the window. What the hell was that? Fire ripped through my veins. I stormed to the door and flung it open, flipping him off when he caught my gaze.

  “Asshole!”

  Rolling his car window down, he waved as he sped out of the driveway. “You still love me.”

  Heaven help me, I did.

  Chapter 7

  Maddox

  Cameras flashed all around us. In a matter of minutes, the Strikers would be on the ice, battling for the championship. Coach Carlisle took his place in the middle of the circle. “All right, boys, this is it! Forget about the last three games and focus on tonight. We can win just like we’ve done the last few years.”

  “Hell yeah,” I shouted.

  Justin slapped my shoulder. “Got that right.” The guys chuckled and clapped.

  Coach Carlisle waved his hands. “Even if we don’t win, I’ve been truly honored to be your coach.” His attention landed on Kellan. “I know you guys are going to miss Carter being on the team, but as your coach, he’ll be an amazing asset.”

  “You’re fucking right, he will,” Dallas called, bumping Kellan with his shoulder.

  Kellan lifted his hockey stick. “I look forward to the new season, but right now, let’s go kick some ass.” I could feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins, a high I lived for. Music blared from the rink, signaling it was time for us to go. I was ready to win.

  The crowd was intense, jumping and shouting as we took the ice. Tonight was it, the final game in the Stanley Cup play-offs. We couldn’t lose. We’d worked way too fucking hard. I looked up into the private box seats to see if Lacey was there. My parents were, and my mother waved while my father sat with his arms crossed over his chest, no trace of a smile on his face. The man was a fucking ornery bastard. Other than them, Kristen, Callie, and Justin’s fake fiancée, Miranda, sat along the front row. I really wanted to see Lacey. It’d been two weeks and I hadn’t heard a word from her. Granted, I was the one who left her high and dry. She wasn’t the type to forgive easily. I was going to have to step up my game.

  “Try not to lose your shit this time,” Justin shouted as he passed me.

  I chuckled. “Can’t promise anything.” During the last play-off game, one of the Pittsburgh forwards, Brock Hansen, had a problem with high sticking our players. The first time he came for me, an all-out brawl ensued. I fucked him up and it felt good. My tolerance was almost nonexistent. With everything going on with my father and Lacey, I was ready for a fight.

  As captain, Kellan skated to the center of the rink. It was time to face off. The official dropped the puck and the sound echoed throughout the rink. I skated forward with Kellan and Justin, but since I was a left winger, I stayed to the side. Kellan passed the puck to Justin, but he missed the shot. It was exactly what happened last week.

  Rage coursed through my veins. I refused to be a fucking loser again. The humiliation was too much to bear. There were already headlines dominating the media about our past losses. Brock secured the puck and raced past the center of the ice. Braeden stole the puck and shot it to me. I was surrounded by Pittsburgh players, so I had no choice but to bank it off the wall and hope to hell it made it to Kellan. Luckily it did, and he was able to make the goal. The crowd went crazy. Brock glared at me and I sent him the widest eat-shit grin I could.

  We secured a one-to-nothing lead for most of the game until the last ten minutes turned into our worst goddamn nightmare. One of the best forwards on Pittsburgh’s team, Phillipe Morgan, scored their first goal, and then another just a short minute later. Now it was two to one, with Pittsburgh in the lead. I didn’t dare look up at my father. I could feel the weight of his disappointed stare on the back of my head.

  “Shake it off, boys, we got this,” Kellan shouted.

  Brock skated past me, chuckling loudly. “Yeah, shake it off, you fucking pussies.”

  I wanted to go after him so damn bad, but there was only one minute left in the game. The pressure was on and my target was Brock. If we were going to lose, I wasn’t going to let him escape
the ice unscathed. Everything moved in slow motion, the sound of my breathing the only thing I could hear. The puck slid into my zone and I raced toward it. Justin was wide open, so if I could get it to him, we could still be in the game. I was ready to send it to him when Brock barreled into me and pushed me into the wall, landing on top of me. All I could see was bright flashes of red.

  Brock jabbed me in the back. “How does it feel to cost your team the win, cocksucker?”

  The buzzer echoed through the stadium. We’d fucking lost. Brock got up and started toward his teammates, who celebrated across the rink. Tossing off my mask and gloves, I skated after him and hurled him onto the ice. His mask slid across the rink and I punched him as hard as I could, over and over.

  “How does it feel to be a fucking cunt?” I spat.

  Phillipe raced toward us and I couldn’t move away in time before he tackled me. The punch came swift but I barely felt it. All I could feel was the rage and disappointment inside of me. Justin pushed Phillipe away and I was able to get to my feet. As of now, everyone on the ice was in their own brawl. It was worse than the fight last week. Phillipe dragged Brock away to safety just as more officials charged onto the ice, breaking up the remaining fights. Coach Carlisle glared at me as I exited the rink. Cameras flashed all around as I made my way to the locker room. The media was going to have a field day at my expense.

  Once in the locker room, I tore off my pads. I waited for Carlisle to tell me it was my fault we lost, but he walked right past me to the center of the room. Jaw tense, he looked down at the floor and huffed. “It was a hard loss, boys. You win some, you lose some. We can’t always be winners.” He lifted his head and his lips pulled back in a sad smile. “You’ve given me some of the best years of my life. Just keep your heads up and get some rest. Next season I want you back and ready to win.”

  Justin squeezed my shoulder. “It wasn’t your fault we lost, man. We all played a part in it.”

  “He’s right,” Dallas agreed. He slammed his fist into one of the lockers. “I’m the one who let two fucking goals get past me.”

  Braeden came up behind him. “It happens. We didn’t have the edge tonight.”

  It didn’t matter what they said. I had the puck and I could’ve given it to Justin to score. Kellan was the last one to enter the room, and being the good captain that he was, he made his rounds to everyone, saying how well they played. He knew how hard it hit us all because I could see on his face he took it just as hard, even if he pretended otherwise.

  Before he could get to me, I hopped into the shower. All I wanted was to get the fuck out of there and disappear before the media got any more pictures. I finished in the shower and got dressed, my bag ready to go. Still wet from the shower, Justin ran a towel through his hair and sat on the bench. “Callie came in and said our families want to take us to dinner. We’re supposed to meet them at Mason’s Steakhouse in thirty minutes.”

  Hauling my bag over my shoulders, I headed toward the door, not even attempting to look back. “See you there.”

  Kellan shouted my name, but I kept going until I was out of the locker room. My father was at the end of the hall talking to reporters, and when he saw me, it was clear how unhappy he was. I knew exactly what he was going to say to me. Instead of facing him, I turned on my heel and headed down the opposite end of the hall, taking his dreams right along with me.

  Chapter 8

  Lacey

  “It’s going to feel good having a long weekend,” Sophia said with a sigh. She slid the hair tie out of her chocolate hair and it fell onto her shoulders. I’d already changed out of my scrubs ready to hit the shopping scene with Callie.

  I followed her into the breakroom. “Tell me about it. We’ve been working our asses off.”

  Dr. Sophia Armstrong had graduated four years ahead of me and was already board certified and working on her own. She remembered me from school and took me under her wing. It turned out we had a lot in common. We’d been working together nonstop the last two months.

  She grabbed her leftover lunch out of the refrigerator while I drank a glass of water. “Feel like going out this afternoon? We could catch an early movie.”

  “I wish I could. My brother and his wife are in town. I promised Callie I’d take her shopping, but you’re more than welcome to join us.”

  “No,” she said, waving me off. “You don’t see your family much. I don’t want to impose.”

  I rolled my eyes. “You wouldn’t be imposing.”

  “Maybe next time.”

  My heart broke for her. She was thirty years old and already going through a divorce. I knew how much pain she was in; I could see it on her face. We walked out of the breakroom and I squeezed her arm. “If you change your mind, give me a call. Callie and I would be happy to hang out with you.”

  A sad smile spread across her face. “Thanks, Lacey. Even though I hate my husband for cheating on me, I can’t help but feel utterly gutted. I’m just trying to keep myself busy.”

  Her eyes grew teary as we headed to the elevators. “It’ll get better, I promise. One day I’ll tell you about my relationship drama. You wouldn’t believe the kind of mess I’ve gotten myself in.”

  She snickered. “I bet. Although I do have to say how envious I am of you.”

  “Why is that?” We took the elevator down to the bottom floor.

  “Your brother’s famous. I can’t imagine being around all those hockey players all the time.”

  I scoffed. “It’s overrated, trust me. The only ones I actually like are Callie’s brothers, Justin, Kellan, and Braeden.” I purposefully left out Maddox. He was the one I both hated and loved at the same time.

  Her smile widened. “I’ve seen you with Braeden before. Are you sure there’s nothing going on between you two?”

  I could see Callie through the glass doors. “We’re just friends and nothing more. He’s really smart, too. If he’d gone to college, he would’ve made an excellent doctor.”

  “Really?” she gasped. “It’s hard to imagine a hockey player being a doctor.”

  I shrugged. “Braeden’s different. He’s on our level. I’ll introduce you to him. He’s in New York this weekend visiting his family.”

  “I’d like that.”

  We walked out the doors and Callie waved. She had on a bright pink skirt and white lacy top that went great with her golden skin tone and blond hair. I ached to ask her about Maddox, but I couldn’t give in. I hadn’t seen or heard anything about him in two months.

  “Hey, girl.”

  “Hey,” I said, waving back. She smiled at Sophia. “Callie, this is Dr. Sophia Armstrong. We went to Columbia together.”

  Callie shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  Sophia smiled back. “Likewise. I’ve heard so much about you and Dallas.”

  Callie nodded toward the cab waiting for us. “Are you coming shopping with us?”

  Shaking her head, Sophia stepped back. “I think I’m going to head home. You two have fun, though. Maybe I’ll catch you again this weekend.”

  “Definitely,” I told her. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  She waved. “Sounds good.” Turning on her heel, she started down the road.

  “She seems nice,” Callie stated.

  We hopped in the cab and began our way across town. “She is. I want her to meet Dallas and Braeden this weekend.”

  “That can be done. They’re with Braeden’s family right now. We’re supposed to meet them for dinner at seven.”

  I glanced down at my watch. “That gives us three hours. Perfect.” The cab driver pulled over at our stop and I handed him the money. “Thanks. Have a good day.”

  We got out and strolled down the bustling streets to the shops. It took a long time to get used to life in New York. It was more fast paced than Maine, where I grew up. However, I missed small-town life. With the kind of hours we worked, I barely had time to talk to anyone. Sophia was really the only person I spent time with.

/>   A bright purple dress caught my attention and I pointed at it. “Let’s go in there. I have to get that dress.”

  Callie’s eyes brightened. “It’s so pretty. I want it, too.”

  We hurried inside the store and I grabbed my size and so did Callie. Giggling, she took one dressing room and I entered the one beside it. “How’s your brother and Miranda doing?” I asked, hoping she’d give me a clue how Maddox was doing as well.

  She groaned. “He’s hanging in there. I doubt he’ll be signing any more contracts for reality shows anytime soon. I think he wants to try his hand at acting.”

  “That’s not surprising.” I took off my shirt and shorts and slipped the dress on. It looked and felt amazing. “Miranda’s a bitch. I can’t wait for him to dump her. How’s he going to do it once the contract’s over?”

  “I don’t know. She’s clinging on to him tight.”

  “Sucks to be him. Then again, he’s the one who wanted to do the show.”

  “Exactly,” she said, laughing. “He’s not getting any sympathy from me. Okay, I really love this dress. How’s yours look?”

  Glancing at the mirror, I turned around and watched the dress fan out to the sides. “It looks amazing. I’m buying mine.”

  “Me, too.” I took off the dress and hung it back up on the hanger. However, when I slipped back on my shorts, I could hear the sadness in her tone. “Lacey?”

  I froze. “Yeah?”

  “Have you by any chance talked to Maddox?” The door to her dressing room opened and I could see her feet just outside of mine.

  I hurried and slipped on my shirt. “No, why?” I asked, opening the door.

  Her gaze averted to the floor. “I was just asking. No one else has heard from him, either.”

  “What do you mean? Isn’t hockey practice about to start again?”

  She nodded. “Next week. The Strikers are teaching a hockey camp for kids before they start the preseason the following week. They could really use his help. So many of the kids are expecting to see him.” I could see the concern on her face. “I’m hoping he’ll do it, but after the Strikers lost the championship, he left and hasn’t been heard of since. My uncle’s not happy at all, but it’s because of him that Maddox left. The man has always ridden him hard. I knew with time Maddox would eventually break down.”