Hockey Christmas (A Holiday Sports Romance Love Story)

by Naomi Niles

  As she shook my hand, I felt a little happy that she was so nice. At least that was something. She might not have been someone I knew, but I had the feeling that everything would be okay. “Hi, I’m Danica.”

  “It’s really nice to meet you; I’m glad that you’re going to be my roommate,” she buzzed excitedly, raising my spirits somewhat. “Tell me about yourself.”

  I’d had the full intention of calling Sally as soon as I was unpacked to catch up, but instead I found myself settling down to get to know my new roommate better. Sure, I stayed far away from any difficult topics, but her enthusiasm was infectious, and I found myself even happier to be back at college than I was before.

  ***

  Unfortunately, my good mood didn’t last too long–it faded slowly over the days that followed. I quickly realized how difficult college was going to be for me, which was an issue that I hadn't even considered. Not only did I struggle with the constant rushing about, up and down the stairs, the smell of the place was making me constantly nauseous. It was the kind of sick feeling that left me dizzy and a little confused.

  This sickly dreamlike state made it extremely difficult to focus in class too, which left me frustrated and upset to be so far behind. My friends tried to help me, but I couldn’t rely on them too much without confessing why I was such a mess. It was a dilemma like no other, which had caused me to pull away from everyone just a little bit.

  The dorm was no longer a relief from that, either. For all of her good points, Chloe loved scented candles, and that made the room smell horrendous. To me, at least, but I couldn’t ask her to stop burning them with no explanation. Not unless I wanted to cause an unnecessary rift between us, so I found myself spending an increasing amount of time in the library, just struggling with what was going to happen next.

  When things got too difficult, and I considered quitting–which began to happen at least once a day–I just reminded myself that it was a whole lot easier than being at home, around the people that it would only take one slight slip of the tongue to blow everything apart. At least here I could remain a little anonymous. It might have felt a little lonely, but it was the only way I would survive.

  Chapter 32

  Rhett

  I arrived home in a state of utter sadness, heartbroken that I’d been forced away from the best thing that had ever happened to me, because of the man that I hated–the one that I shared some unfortunate DNA with. I hated being such a coward, and I kept internally criticizing myself for making that decision, but all it boiled down to was that I had no other choice.

  Mom had been surprised to see me, and even more so when I told her everything. She’d dismissed a lot of what I’d said about Dad, not caring to hear my opinion on him no matter what he did. She understood that I didn’t want to see him again, but she didn’t seem to want to hear why.

  “I’ve had enough of my own bad experiences with that man,” she said to me with pursed lips. “If you now have your solid reasons for never wanting to see him again, then that’s fine. At least you tried, and there’s no way that I can be blamed for keeping you apart.”

  I could only assume from that statement that he had also used Mom as an excuse for his shitty parenting, which made me angrier than ever. But at the same time, it drove a desire inside of me. One that I needed to get this all resolved once and for all. If dad thought that I was going to run away with my head between my legs, then never become an issue again, then he was very wrong.

  But before I got to that, I told Mom everything about Danica. I explained to her how we met at Camp Woodtree, how a spark had developed, and about how shocked I was to see her at Dad’s.

  As I told her that I tried to stay away, but that there was something so real there, she explained diplomatically that my dad might have been trying to think of the family when he sent me away. I knew that she was trying her best to prevent a meltdown from me, but that was the last thing that I wanted to hear.

  I got the impression that she assumed Danica and I were wrong for one another, and that I would eventually move on. How wrong she was. I may have given Danica up temporarily, but I wouldn’t forever. Not when I loved her.

  Oh God; there were so many times that I should have told her that I loved her, and I didn’t. I was in idiot, a fool, and I regretted that massively. Sure, it might have helped ease the pain of my disappearance somewhat, but I felt guilty that she didn’t know. It didn’t feel right.

  Which was what really spurned me on in the end, to get done what I needed to do to get back to her. After the first few days of pure misery, I started on the mission that I really should have been focusing on while at my dad’s house.

  Of course, it was harder doing it from a distant location, but how else was I going to spend the rest of my summer? Breaking my heart and doing nothing to make it better? Hell no. I needed to take my dad down if I was ever going to find my way back to Danica–which was my one and only focus now.

  It took a while, and a lot of digging in places that I never expected, but I eventually stumbled across my answer. I expected to find something. Of course I did, or I wouldn’t have been looking, but I never thought I’d find out what I did.

  As soon as I had all the evidence in my hands, my mind was spinning with what I’d learned, and I realized that I needed to tell someone what I’d just discovered. A few faces crossed my mind before I eventually settled on one. This was the one person who had been there my whole life, who might actually finally be able to understand what had happened to make my mind up about my father in the way that I had.

  When I came home, I’d had something of a heart to heart with him, but only to explain the general gist of why I was home. He hadn't pushed me for more, but I was certain that he was intrigued. He was waiting for me to be ready, and now I finally was.

  “James?” I panted into the phone, wondering how the hell I was going to get all of this out in a coherent fashion. “Can you talk?”

  “What’s going on?” He sounded as if I’d woken him up, which caused me to glance at my watch–just after eleven p.m. He was clearly with his girlfriend, Lilly, and she’d tamed him enough to have him in bed at a reasonable hour. What a difference. Lilly was amazing, though. I could understand why she’d been the one to finally reel him in. She was spontaneous, sporty, exciting–almost the female version of him–and gorgeous to boot. She was absolutely perfect for him. Luckily, she was understanding of our friendship, too; she never stood in the way when we wanted to do stuff alone. I couldn’t have asked for anyone better for my friend–however jealous I felt of his easy-going happiness. “Are you okay?”

  “I’ve found it,” I replied simply, knowing that he would instantly understand what I meant by it. “I found what I was looking for.”

  I hadn't told my mom about my plan because of the way she’d reacted to how everything went with Dad, but I’d discussed it with James. If he didn’t think that it was a good idea, then he never said it. He simply remained supportive of what I wanted to do, like the amazing friend that he always was. I knew that he didn’t fully understand my awkward family situation, but that didn’t stop him from helping me out. Any small rift that I’d once felt between us was well and truly gone.

  “You have?” he gasped, clearly shocked. “What have you found?”

  “He’s a criminal,” I still couldn’t quite believe it, even as I said it aloud. I always knew that he was horrible, and a bad person, but I’d assumed that I would discover more about him cheating, not this. It had stunned me to my core, which was why I’d made sure that I was totally certain before making this phone call. “He’s a con man and a swindler.”

  “Really? Are you…are you sure?” I couldn’t blame James for being doubtful–I’d been there myself only a short time ago–but I knew the truth now. There was no denying it with the evidence sitting right in front of me.

  “I’m definitely, one hundred percent sure. I’ve been researching for weeks, and I’ve found out so much evidence that it’s un
real.” I grasped the printouts between my fingers, clutching them like they were the Holy Grail or something. This was the key to everything, and nothing would cause me to let them go.

  “How has he never been caught? What sort of crimes are you talking about?”

  “Conning, money laundering, fraud…all sorts. He’s never been caught because he never directly gets his hands dirty. He has minions to do all of the bad stuff for him, but I know that they are his men because I met a lot of them at the wedding.” Half of me couldn’t believe his gall; the other half wondered why I ever expected anything different.

  “Oh my God…” James jumped in, but I quickly shut him down. I wasn’t done just yet.

  “It gets worse. I discovered a massive case that he’s mixed up in which has involved him setting up this fake company, stealing money, and absconding,” I wasn’t sure that I was getting it out right, but I was doing my best. All of this legal jargon was way out of my bounds of knowledge, but I could understand enough to know that it was bad. “And the law firm involved in the case is the one that Lyla works for.”

  “His new wife? Doesn’t that put everyone in trouble? Won’t that make it easier to track?”

  “I honestly have no idea,” I admitted. “From what I can understand, Lyla wasn’t directly involved, but it’s suspicious, right?”

  “Do you think that she’s a part of it?”

  James sent my mind reeling in a direction that I haven’t even considered. I thought about it for a moment, really thinking about that possibility, before I shot it down. There was just no way; Lyla was a good woman who worked hard for her future. There was no way she’d throw it away over a scam that seemed to lose people millions.

  However much she loved Brad.

  “No, I don’t think so. But it does make me wonder if he married her for some reason linked to the case. It did all happen very quickly.”

  “So, what are you going to do about it?” He asked the one question that I really had no answer for. “Will you take it to the police?”

  “I’m not too sure just yet,” I told him honestly. “I just… I don’t know, I needed someone to talk to about it.”

  “Well, if you do make a decision, I’ll do whatever I can to help you.” He brought up a whole range of emotions inside of me that almost made me tell him the full truth about Danica, before I shut down once more. I couldn’t, not just yet, not until everything was sorted.

  “Thanks, man.”

  Long after I’d hung up the phone, my mind was reeling about what to do next. I was due to start my course at Grange soon, but I knew that Danica would already be at college. She’d already told me that her course was starting a little before mine, so I could be safe in the knowledge that at least she was safe. At least she wasn’t in the same building as that bastard.

  And if she was out of my father’s home, surely she was out of his sights, too? I couldn’t imagine that such an important man would care enough to keep his little game going on now that she was away from him?

  Should I? Could I? Was I actually considering calling her?

  As I glanced down at the papers in my hands once more, I realized that I needed to. I absolutely had to. So I gripped my phone tightly and I dialled the number that I’d been so desperate to do so for what felt like forever.

  Ring, ring.

  As the phone rang against my head, my heart fluttered with nerves. I had no idea how she was going to take my communication after all this time, and I was terrified that she’d be too angry to even speak to me.

  Ring, ring.

  “Please pick up,” I muttered to myself, praying that she was somehow getting my telepathic messages. “Please answer, Danica.”

  Ring, ring.

  But she was either too busy to speak to me, or she was ignoring me, because unfortunately the phone just rang out, so I was forced to leave a message on her answer phone.

  “Hi, Danica; it’s Rhett. I hope this is okay…me calling you like this.” Oh God, I was floundering already. I really should have planned what I was going to say in advance. “Erm…look, I just need to tell you that my dad isn’t a good man, and I have proof of that. In fact, he’s dangerous. Please call me, so that I can talk to you about it. I… I need to speak to you.” I held the phone for a couple more seconds, willing myself to say something about my sorrow and my feelings, but it was as if my mouth was sealed shut.

  I felt awful as I hung up the phone, but there was nothing more that I could do. I would just have to hope that she would believe me, and that she would be able to read between the lines and understand how I really felt.

  Chapter 33

  Danica

  Ring, ring.

  I stared down at my phone in shock and horror.

  Ring, ring.

  Why? Why the hell was he ringing me now after all this time?

  Ring, ring.

  Just as I’d started to move on. Just as I’d started to adjust to life without him.

  Ring, ring.

  Was he trying to torture me? Was this all a part of his sick and twisted game?

  My fingers trembled as I actually considered answering, to get all of the answers that I so desperately needed, but I couldn’t quite make myself do it. I wanted to hear his excuses, to know what he had to say, but at the same time I wasn’t quite ready to re-open all those old wounds. Not when I’d only just shut them up. It didn’t feel fair.

  Ring, ring.

  And why did it have to be on his terms? I’d been trying to get in touch for ages and he’d just blatantly ignored me. Why the hell should I be so quick to give into him?

  Ring, ring.

  Maybe it would be good for him to get a taste of his own medicine.

  And then, the phone simply rang out, making my decision for me, and I heaved a sigh of a sad relief. It was over, done. I couldn’t go back there, not after everything we went through. He seemed to be nothing more than a player, and I refused to be one of his games any longer. When I really considered all that I put up with from him, it felt like too much. It wasn’t fair and it wouldn’t be smart to go through all of that again. I needed to be wiser and smarter now.

  Then, just as I was about to turn over to go back to sleep on my dorm bed, the message tone rang out. Rhett had left me an answer phone message, and I was back to the same dilemma. My heart thumped wildly as I thought over all of my options. Did I really want to listen to what he had to say? Could I ignore it, even if I wanted to?

  The only good thing was that at least I wouldn’t have to answer him if he said something that I didn’t like. At least it would have to be a conversation that could easily lead to an argument. I could just listen, hope for my closure, and get on with my life.

  I sucked in a deep breath, and I hit the button, trying to pretend to myself that I was feeling brave.

  “Hi, Danica; it’s Rhett.” The first thing that I noticed was how nervous he sounded, which made me sit up straighter in the bed. This wasn’t going to be good, I could just tell. Dangerous? My mind went wild over that word as I listened to his message, unable to digest it in the same context as Brad. Sure, he wasn’t the easiest person in the world to get on with, but there had been absolutely no indication that he presented any danger to anyone, so why the hell would Rhett say that to me?

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I actually had to listen to the message more than once to have it sink in, and by the time I’d finished, I decided that for some unknown reason he was lying, and I felt disgusted by that. Maybe it was his weird way of getting me to talk to him after all that he’d done, or maybe he was telling more fibs about his father in that weird game he seemed to play with him, but I wanted no part of it. I didn’t even want to know why he was lying and involving me; I just wanted to forget that he ever existed.

  I’d actually managed to spend some time alone with Brad now, and I could clearly see that he was nothing more than a nice man that cared for my mother deeply. Sure, I’d had some reservations about their relationship
, but now I was sure that they were right for each other. I’d never seen Mom so happy in my life, and I wasn’t going to let Rhett’s idiotic behavior ruin that.

  I tossed my phone onto the bed, trying to forget what I’d heard. I didn’t need to be dragged into any drama that didn’t directly involve me; I had to organize my life before this baby came along, and I still had so much to do. I needed to concentrate on that, not Rhett. He’d lost his chance with me, and if he thought that pathetic attempt would get him back into my good books, then he was very mistaken.

  I had my doctor’s appointment booked for the very next morning, and I needed to be well rested for that. I needed to be calm and stress free so that I could find out everything I needed to in the right manner. I also had to work out how I was going to buy diapers and baby clothes and whatever else a baby needed without anyone noticing. I was also getting closer and closer to the date where I would have to get out of the dorm. There was no way I could raise a baby in that tiny space with Chloe. That would just be ridiculous.

  Of course, I was also worrying about how I was going to continue with my course, but that was something I’d deal with later. I was trying to tackle my issues one at a time so I didn’t become overwhelmed by it all.

  Before I got too worked up by everything all over again, I squeezed my eyes shut and I forced myself to go at least try to go to sleep. Luckily, I was so exhausted by everything pregnancy related, it wasn’t long before I managed to switch off and shut down.

  ***

  After a fitful night’s sleep, I was woken up by a frantic knock at my dorm room door, which was confusing and left me feeling more than a little bewildered. I glanced over to Chloe’s bed, and quickly noticed that she wasn’t there, so maybe it was her, and she’d left her key somewhere. She often spent the night elsewhere, so this wouldn’t have been too out of character, but I felt a little put out by it all the same.