Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 73012 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73012 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
“I love you too, beautiful.”
We lie here, holding each other for as long as we can, before forcing ourselves out of bed. We clean up, get dressed, then change the sheets, Kason throwing the dirty ones into the wash.
And then he wraps his arms around me, holding me until I drift off to sleep.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Kason
There are lots of hugs and tears from my family as we say goodbye. I hate leaving them and wish we lived closer, but I’m so glad we got to have this time together and that Anthony was here to enjoy it with us. Everyone in my family insists on swapping cell numbers with him, reiterating how welcome he is and that they hope to see him soon.
The flight back to LA is less tense than the one to Milwaukee—well, I guess tense isn’t the right word, but he’s happier and more relaxed. He doesn’t hesitate to hold my hand and show affection. It’s like a weight has been lifted off him, and I hope that motherfucker stays gone for good. Anthony deserves to just feel good.
We deplane in LA, where a car should be waiting for us out front. The second we step out the door, I see a group of men leaning against the building, cameras in hand.
Shit.
I don’t believe they’re here for us. The paparazzi sometimes hang out at the airport hoping to get a glimpse of someone. Or hell, maybe they are here for us, but I can’t figure out why we would matter that much. Hopefully it’s a coincidence and they don’t recognize us.
“Fuck,” Anthony says, having noticed them.
I look around for our driver but don’t see him waiting, because of course he’s not here. The photographers’ gazes are darting around, and when they see us, one of them hits his colleague in the arm, pointing our way. Here we go. I pull my hat down lower.
“Kason Maddox!” the first guy says, snapping photos as he jogs our way. “You just getting home from Milwaukee?” he asks conversationally, as though we’re friends and he’s not invading our privacy.
“Yep.” My hold on Anthony’s hand tightens.
“Must be serious between you two. How does it feel finding love again after everything you’ve been through, Anthony? To go from a public cheating scandal to dating one of the hockey players from the game where everything was exposed?”
Anthony’s spine immediately straightens, and prickles of discomfort attack my nape, exploding into a type of anger I don’t often feel. “What the fuck is your problem, man? Don’t ask him shit like that.”
People around us pull out phones, all facing our direction. The photographers keep snapping photos, the one doing the talking holding his hands up as if in peace.
“Fuck off,” I tell them.
“Come on, Mads. It’s just a question. Aren’t you the one who’s supposed to be levelheaded? You’re the peacekeeper on the team.”
“That doesn’t mean I accept people being assholes. Where are your manners? Back up. Leave him alone. You guys are piranhas.”
He ignores me and focuses on Anthony. “Do you still talk to Malcolm? How does he feel about your moving on with Kason? And Hayes with Rylan for that matter? Seems like you guys made the best out of that fiasco.”
“Jesus, man. Get out of the way.” I see the car pull up, and my driver gets out. Anthony and I head for the vehicle, and he doesn’t let go of my hand the whole time.
We’re safe inside the car. Before I can ask if he’s okay, he says, “I won’t let them ruin my day…I won’t let them ruin us.”
The tension squeezing at my chest falls away, my breathing coming out easier. That’s exactly what I needed to hear.
“Me neither,” I tell him, then settle in and enjoy the ride.
*
We fall into a routine, or at least, as much of a routine as we can fall into with my hockey schedule. The Rebels are having a good season, the playoffs getting closer, my life basically consisting of hockey and Anthony. Every day I’m in town, he stays at my house. I’ve told him he can stay when I’m traveling too, but it’s not something he’s done yet. Still, I’ve given him a key and the code to my alarm so he knows he’s always welcome. He’s changed his schedule around at Lush too, so he’s able to attend more of my home games, and most of the time, Hayes, Donovan, and Eric are coming with him.
The past few weeks have been incredible. We haven’t had any other issues with paparazzi. Some of the bystander videos circled online, but it didn’t pick up much steam. Coach hadn’t been happy with how I responded, but nothing came of that either.
Today we’re leaving for a road trip—Dallas, St. Louis, and Chicago. Rylan’s in the seat beside me on the flight, fidgeting and touching everything like he always does.