Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 85585 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85585 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
Relief and fear tangle together until it’s impossible to tell them apart.
“You didn’t cause this,” he murmurs. “And you don’t get to carry it alone.”
My eyelids flutter closed as I lean into his strength. “What do we do now?”
“We face the fallout,” he says, stroking my hair. “Together.”
I glance down the hallway toward Elody’s room, and realize something I’ve never understood before. Being brave doesn’t mean standing alone.
It means staying.
Even when running would be so much easier.
42
Laiken
I arrive at the rink earlier than usual. The lights buzz overhead as I walk through the familiar hallway, hoping the sharp scent of ice and rubber will do what it always has and calm me.
It doesn’t.
Nothing does.
My coffee remains untouched in my hand as my mind replays the same moment on a relentless loop. My fist connecting with Collin’s face and then his head snapping back. The impact is reframed from angles I didn’t even know existed.
On the ice, fights are part of the job. They’re expected. Almost ceremonial.
Off the ice, they’re a liability.
Especially now.
Pressure builds behind my eyes as my jaw tightens, my teeth grinding together before I make the conscious effort to relax. I’ve faced worse than a fine. Worse than a suspension. What I can’t stomach is the idea of a judge watching that clip and deciding I’m volatile.
I’ve sat in family court before. I know how quickly nuance can be stripped away. How context disappears the second emotion enters the frame. How a man defending his family becomes a risk the moment his temper is visible on a screen. All it takes is one aggressive, impulsive word, and suddenly visitation schedules are rewritten by people who don’t know me or my daughter.
That’s the very real fear crawling under my skin, refusing to leave.
I stop outside the conference room and take a measured breath before pushing the door open. Hugh is already seated at the head of the table with a neat stack of folders arranged with military precision in front of him. Evelyn stands near the window, arms folded loosely, gaze steady. Rina sits near the center, tablet in hand, dark hair pulled back, expression calm in a way that tells me she’s already ten steps ahead of the story.
A man I don’t recognize loiters near the far wall. My guess is that he’s somewhere in his early thirties. His suit is immaculate, and his posture is relaxed but alert. He pockets his phone as I enter, then gives me a brief nod.
Hugh gestures toward him. “Laiken, this is Noah Walker. Team counsel.”
Noah steps forward and extends a hand. “Good to meet you. Although, I wish it were under better circumstances.”
His grip is firm. He strikes me as the kind of guy who doesn’t need to raise his voice because he already knows how to command a room.
“All right then, now that everyone’s here, let’s get to it,” Hugh says once we’re seated.
He doesn’t waste any time.
“The video looks bad,” Hugh says, sliding a tablet across the table. “And it’s not just fans who are watching. The league office, sponsors, and our broadcast partners are all paying attention.”
I don’t touch the tablet. I’ve already seen enough. This is the part where brands protect their image and players are reminded how replaceable they are once optics turn ugly. I understand the machine and have always played my role within it.
Rina speaks before I can mentally spiral. “From a PR standpoint, we’re positioning this as an isolated incident. No history or pattern of escalation. Context is everything.”
Evelyn takes a seat at the table. Instead of looking at the tablet, her gaze remains fastened on me. “This wasn’t recklessness,” she says evenly. “It was defense.”
Hugh glances at her before his attention slides back to me.
“It was about protecting his family,” she adds. “Anyone who tries to frame it otherwise will have to go through me first.”
She doesn’t hesitate or try to distance herself from any of it. She believes Kia and is choosing a side.
Ours.
Noah finally speaks again. “The good news is Collin DeSoto declined to press charges. I wanted that confirmed before saying anything. There won’t be a criminal case.”
I stay still, barely able to breathe.
“The league is issuing a fine,” he continues. “But no suspension or further disciplinary action will be taken against you.”
Relief hits like a delayed wave, crashing over me with so much force, my fingers curl against the arms of the chair. Tension drains from me in one long exhale.
It’s a small miracle.
Rina’s shoulders loosen as she starts typing. “We’ll have a statement out by noon. No interviews unless absolutely necessary.”
Evelyn nods once. “We’ll manage the media cycle. If we’re lucky, it’ll flare and then fade.”
Hugh closes the folder. “Do me a favor, Lennox. Don’t give them a sequel.”
“We won’t,” I say, meaning it.
We spend another half hour reviewing language, timelines, and press releases. As I rise to leave, the understanding of how close I came to losing everything presses down on me. If I’d hit him a second time or lost control, this meeting could’ve ended very differently.