Match Penalty (Utah Fury Hockey Book 2) Read online

  After dressing, I took the elevator to the front office where she worked as the director of marketing. Her door was closed and I was about to knock when her assistant, Kristen, popped up from behind her cubical wall.

  “She has someone in there.”

  “So?”

  “So, she’s busy.” I didn’t like her sass, but I’d accepted that I wasn’t her favorite person years ago. I didn’t know what grudge she held against me and frankly, I didn’t care.

  “Is it an important meeting?”

  Kristen glared at me. “Of course. All of her meetings are important.”

  “Right.” I turned and knocked on the door.

  “Come in.”

  Before I turned the knob, I turned and smiled at the thorn in my side. “Thanks for your help.”

  She was muttering something as I stepped into the office, but I ignored her.

  “Hi, Erik.”

  I smiled at my sister before looking at the third person in the room.

  It was her. The daughter. She didn’t look like the type of woman I usually dated. She was beautiful without throwing it in your face, without baring it all. I forced my eyes to tear away from her gorgeous, open face.

  Chloe looked at me questioningly before gesturing to the other woman.

  “Erik, this is Madeline Romney. Madi, this is my brother, Erik.”

  Madeline turned in her seat and smiled. “Nice to properly meet you.”

  “You too.” I blinked before turning to Chloe. “I need to talk to you.”

  Her smile turned strained like she was forcing it to stay. “We can talk at home.”

  I shook my head. “No, this needs to happen now.”

  She looked to Madeline who stood without having to be asked. Smart girl. “Thanks for your help, Chloe. I’ll see you later.” She looked at me and nodded before leaving and closing the door behind her.

  “That was incredibly rude, Erik. Even for you.”

  I fell into the chair that had been recently vacated. “What I have to say is far more important than what you two were talking about.”

  She narrowed her eyes at me. “How could you possibly know that?”

  “Was your conversation life altering? Were either of you preventing someone from making a horrible mistake?”

  “And you have something that important to talk about?” She shook her head. “I swear, Erik. If you barged in to tell me about some girl you hooked up with or a new sponsorship opportunity I will ban you from my office.”

  I rolled my eyes. She could be so dramatic.

  “I’m here because Brassard told me you and Reese are talking about marriage.”

  She looked surprised. “What? How would Brassard know anything about what Reese and I discuss?”

  “Because they were talking about it after practice.”

  She sighed. “Erik, we’re a couple. We’ve been together for over six months. I know that isn’t very long, but it’s not unreasonable that we’d be thinking about the next step.”

  I leaned forward with my elbows on her desk. “Chloe. You’re so young. You can’t possibly be considering it.”

  She gave me the same look she gave me growing up when I didn’t understand the homework and she’d already explained it multiple times. It was the look that said she thought I was being stupid. I hated that look. I wasn’t stupid. I just didn’t understand her thought processes. Completely different.

  “Erik. I love Reese. He loves me. We both want to spend the rest of our lives together. It’s the natural next step.”

  “He can’t get married. He needs to focus.” It was true. That’s why I wouldn’t date. Relationships distract you.

  “Is Olli focused?”

  I glared at her. Yes, our goalie was focused. He was one of the best goaltenders in the world.

  “Is Andre? Williams? Even Coach was married when he played in the league. It’s not impossible.”

  She didn’t get it. Those people were the exception.

  “I can’t believe you, Chloe. You’ve always been the rational one. I can’t believe you’re willing to throw away everything you’ve worked for.”

  Her look turned murderous. “Do you honestly think my life would be over if I got married? I’d have to quit my job? My purpose in life would suddenly be to only support Reese. I’d become a mindless robot? Seriously, Erik?”

  She didn’t see it, but I’ve watched it happen over and over again. “Every woman that has married a player quits her job and becomes nothing more than a cheerleader for her husband.”

  “Oh, how I wish Sophia and Emma were here to hear you say that.”

  I shrugged. It wasn’t a lie. Neither of them worked. Their whole lives revolved around their husband and his plans.

  “The charities they run mean nothing?” She sighed. “Look, Erik. I get that you’re concerned. It’s your job to look out for me. But you’re wrong on this. We’re just talking about it. We’re far off from getting married, but when it happens—and it will—my life won’t change. I’ll move out and live with Reese. That’s going to be the biggest difference.”

  And one thing I didn’t want to happen.

  Chapter Three

  Madeline

  Chloe took me under her wing since the first day I got here. After the awkward encounter where she tried to kick me out of the arena, of course. She’d become my best friend within days. She wanted me to feel like I was included in the Pride, which I was told by another wife was a hard invitation to get. Apparently, I had a free pass as Coach’s daughter.

  She invited me to the team’s snow day at a park nearby. It was a public event for families complete with a waffle food truck, hot chocolate bar, and sledding. There were tents set up with heating, so parents didn’t have to freeze while their kids played.

  I’d been dragged by two adorable girls to race them on sleds. I wasn’t wearing proper snow clothes, but they didn’t seem to be concerned about my comfort.

  “Cinderella, you sit in the back and I’ll sit in the front.” I nodded and allowed the two five-year-olds to boss me around. They found me as I finished my hot chocolate and told me I looked like Cinderella. If they weren’t so young I would have thought they were using flattery to manipulate me, but they each looked star struck. When they asked me to sled with them, I couldn’t have their favorite princess let them down.

  We did three rides before I heard someone call my name from the top of the hill. I looked up to see my dad waving.

  “I’m sorry girls, the king needs me!” I took the sled so they wouldn’t have to carry it and hurried toward my escape.

  I hugged my dad when I reached him. “Thanks for the save.”

  He smiled. “I figured three times was enough.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Wait, you’ve been watching for that long? Why didn’t you get me earlier?”

  He laughed and shrugged. “They were having fun.”

  “What about me? Your daughter? I’m freezing now.”

  He put his arm around me and offered another cup of hot chocolate. He even filled it to the brim with mini marshmallows, just how I liked it. “Fine. I accept the bribe.”

  “Are you having fun?”

  I nodded while I sipped on my drink.

  “I’m glad someone is. The guys are going stir crazy. I told them they weren’t allowed to sled and I thought they were going to stage a coup to get rid of me.”

  I looked at the hill. “It’s not that bad. I doubt any of them would get injured.”

  “Are you willing to risk a player this late in the season?”

  He was right. Accidents could happen anywhere, and we couldn’t afford any injuries. I shook my head. “No.”

  “Me either.”

  I eyed the group of guys gathered by the food truck. They shouldn’t be eating sugar-covered waffles, but I wasn’t going to say anything. Not if they were already in a bad mood.

  “I’ve got to meet with some press. I’ll find you later.”

  “Bye.” He w
alked away, leaving me alone. I watched for the girls, but they found someone else to sled with. I’d asked Clark to come, but he said he was too busy. On a Saturday afternoon. I’d pointed out that he didn’t have to work today, and he said he’d try. I’d heard that before.

  He was working on growing his career. I knew he felt pressure to prove himself. I just wish he wasn’t sacrificing me to get there. What happened to us? I missed the couple we used to be. Clark was the one person to understand and support me and my dreams. We could talk to each other about anything. He understood that I wanted a life different from what I had growing up. He wanted to give that to me.

  Until we moved here. No, maybe it was before that. I didn’t know anymore. I questioned everything. I doubted myself. Had I changed? Was I not what he wanted anymore? Then why move here?

  Chloe walked through the group of players and handed a cup to Reese. She looked up and noticed me and waved me over.

  “Hey! I’m so glad you came.” She gave me a brief hug before looking at the guys. “Do you all know Madeline?”

  A few of them said hi, and others gave me a nod. They looked like a sad bunch.

  “They’re being babies because Coach won’t let them play with the other kids.”

  I almost laughed until I saw the glares directed at her.

  I looked past the truck where the park continued to a grove of trees. “You guys can’t sled, but do you want to start a snowball fight?”

  Now they were looking at me like I was crazy. Perfect.

  Something whizzed past me and Reese yelled. He had white powder on the left side of his face.

  I turned to see Erik laughing.

  Reese bent down to gather a handful of snow. He formed it while walking toward Erik, who turned and ran for the trees. Chloe laughed and made a quick snowball before throwing it at Brassard. He stood up and gave her a look that could have melted all of the snow in the state.

  The rest of the guys soon followed and snowballs were being thrown from all directions. I grabbed Chloe’s hand and ran after Erik. The team ran after us as a full-blown snow war broke out.

  I hid behind a tree and formed a ball and peeked around. Erik was running by, close enough for me to aim for the back of his head.

  It exploded down his back.

  He turned and looked around, but I ducked back before he saw me. Chloe waved her hand and caught my attention. She pointed right, and I looked over. Hartman had his back to me. I met Chloe’s eyes and she nodded and held up a finger, then two. On the third, we both threw our snowballs and ran away.

  I heard him yell but didn’t look back. I needed to get to cover. I dodged a guy, too fast to see who it was, and hid behind a tree. Coldness hit my neck. I wiped it off and spun around. I didn’t see anyone, but I knew I wasn’t safe. I ran deeper into the trees until something stopped me. The air left my lungs in a single breath.

  Someone had me. I looked up and Erik was staring down at me with a finger over his lips. He bent down, taking me with him.

  “Make some more, hurry.”

  I reminded my brain how to breathe and formed three packed snowballs. He tugged on my arm.

  “Get ready.” I picked them up and held them up to my chest.

  Reese and Brassard ran by and Erik nudged me. I threw as fast as I could and ran with Erik when he grabbed my hand. He pulled me with him until we were cornered by three players. I turned to run, but Erik grabbed my arms and put me in front of him.

  “Take her!” He shoved me forward, catching the guys off guard. They split, allowing me to run through, but showered Erik with snow.

  “Traitor.” I ignored him and ran back toward the hill.

  I moved toward the food truck when I heard my name.

  Clark was there. Taking on his phone. In a suit.

  What was he doing here? Dressed like he was heading into the office.

  I walked toward him. He held up a finger and turned away from me. I froze where I was and waited. He came here, he called my name, and he now thought it was okay to blow me off?

  I sighed and waited. Erik came out of the trees laughing. He stopped next to me and raised a hand for a high five. “You made it out alive.”

  I hit his hand and laughed. “Barely. No thanks to you.”

  He shrugged. “I needed a diversion.”

  I crossed my arms over my chest and attempted to glare at him, but I was still laughing. “So you sacrificed me?”

  “Yeah. I did.”

  I shook my head and checked on Clark. He was still on his phone with his back to me.

  “Who’s the suit?” Erik eyed him.

  “That’s my boyfriend.”

  His head whipped in my direction. “What? That guy?”

  I nodded. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Erik cringed. “He seems a bit uptight.”

  “He’s not.” I’m not sure why it felt so important to defend Clark. He was uptight.

  He hadn’t always been that way. In college, he’d been spontaneous. Taking me off on weekend getaways. We loved going out and exploring Chicago. He was determined to try every pizza place to choose for himself what deep dish was the best. We’d stay up all night talking and coming up with grand plans for the future. He’d changed though. It happened when he graduated from law school. He’d managed the stress and demands just fine until it was time to take the bar exam. He never wanted to go out. If he wasn’t at the library studying, he was sleeping. I rarely saw him until the test was over. But then he became solely focused on finding the perfect job and networking with important people. We went to events and galas his father invited us to just so Clark could speak to one or two influential people. It was enough to get him his first position in a senator’s office, but it felt like he left us behind.

  When I’d told him I wanted to move to Salt Lake to be closer to my parents, I thought that would be the end of us. There was no way he’d be willing to give up all he’d worked for, or so I thought. He’d shocked me by telling me he’d come with me. His parents had connections for him here. He could propel his career even faster then by staying in Chicago.

  He took the Utah bar exam while I looked for jobs close to Salt Lake City, and just a few months later we moved.

  My parents were surprised Clark left Chicago just as much as I was, but my mom told me that meant he was serious about me. About us.

  It didn’t feel that way.

  I hadn’t spent time with him, alone, since we moved. When I got home from work, he was still at the office. By the time I went to bed he was just getting in and he was up and gone before I woke up in the mornings. We were more like roommates than a couple.

  Erik didn’t look like he believed me. Not that it mattered what he thought.

  Clark turned and finally put his phone in his pocket. He walked over and kissed my cheek.

  It was the first time since lunch with my dad that we were together, and he gives me a cheek kiss?

  I forced a smile and introduced him to Erik.

  “Nice to meet you, Clark.” Erik extended his hand, and Clark returned the gesture while looking around.

  “You too.” Clark looked down at me. “I heard the mayor is here. Can you point him out to me?”

  I had no idea what the mayor looked like or if he was here. Why did he care?

  “I don’t know him.”

  Erik pointed across the park where my dad was standing with a few other men. “He’s talking to Coach right now, with the black coat.”

  Clark nodded and walked off without another word.

  “He seems like a great guy. I can see why you’re with him.”

  I ignored his sarcastic remark and avoided his gaze. I wasn’t in the mood for more of his opinion. I just wish people could see who Clark used to be. Bac in college he’d swept me off my feet. I wanted that version of him back. The man I’d fallen in love with. Things would get better soon. The stress would decrease, and he’d go back to normal.

  “I’m going to get some hot choco
late.” It would be my third cup, but I didn’t care about my sugar intake at the moment. I needed to get away from Erik and his judgmental looks.

  I hurried off, but he fell into step next to me. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. If you’re with him, he’s got to be a good guy.”

  He was. It would be hard to find anything bad to say about him, besides his overly ambitious work ethic. That wasn’t even a bad thing. It was just unfortunate for me.

  “Thanks.”

  He took a cup and filled it with the liquid gold before handing it to me. I eyed the marshmallows, but didn’t want to give him anything else to tease me about. He filled his cup and unwrapped a candy cane and dropped it in his cup.

  “Interesting choice.”

  He smiled. “Drinking it plain is too boring.”

  He was right. I got over caring what he thought and poured a heaping scoop of minis into my cup.

  His smile grew when our eyes met. “Good to know you live on the wild side.”

  I shook my head and moved away from the table as more of the players came out of the trees and made their way toward us.

  “I’m so cold.” Chloe was trembling and rubbing her arms. Her hair was dripping onto her coat.

  “What happened to you?” Erik was looking at his sister with concern.

  “They ganged up on me. Brassard stuck snow down the back of my sweater while Hartman filled my hood then put it on me.”

  I tried not to laugh at the image that came to mind.

  “Why didn’t you run?”

  She shot a murderous look at Reese. “He trapped me and held me so I couldn’t move.”

  Reese started backing away with his hands up. “You didn’t see what she did to me.”

  “Do you want me to kill him?” Erik asked without looking away from Reese.

  Chloe reached out and put her hand on Erik’s arm. “No, calm down. We were all just having fun.”

  He shook his head and offered her his hot chocolate.

  “Thanks.” She took a sip and soon the shivering stopped. “Did your boyfriend make it, Madeline?”

  “Yeah, he’s…” I pointed at where my dad was standing, but Clark wasn’t there. I looked around the park but didn’t see him. “Huh. I don’t know where he went.”