Match Penalty (Utah Fury Hockey Book 2)

by Brittney Mulliner

  I decided I would think about it all later. For the next eight hours, I would be positive. Happy.

  The next six hours went by faster than I could have hoped. Just two more before I could head home. I stopped by my office on the way to the front desk. I knew I shouldn’t check my phone but I couldn’t resist.

  I had a text from Mom and that was it. Nothing from Erik. Not even a check-in.

  Fine. I wouldn’t let it ruin my mood. I’d been doing good so far today.

  I would not let it get me down.

  Just two more hours. I repeated that to myself until there was one hour left.

  My last patient was Chris, the basketball player, which was good because I could get through his treatment without having to think too hard. We’d been working together for long enough for both of us know the routine.

  “How you doing, Ms. Madeline?”

  I tried to smile, but he saw right through me.

  “Oh no. Who hurt you? You tell me. I’ll take care of him.”

  I looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

  “Okay, not me, but I’ll get some people to take care of him.”

  That made me laugh. Probably for the first time all day. I’d been good about smiling, pretending to not be falling apart inside, but it hadn’t been genuine until now.

  “Come on. Tell me.”

  This was completely inappropriate. I couldn’t talk to a client about my personal life. “I’m fine. Just an off day.”

  He narrowed his eyes and stared at me with his head turned.

  It was like he knew I would crack. I focused on sticking the electrodes along his back and shoulder, but I finally shook my head.

  “I’ve been seeing someone.”

  “I knew it. You’re too beautiful to be single.” I swatted at him but he just laughed. “What’d he do?”

  I turned on the machine and sat down in the chair next to him.

  “He said somethings. I’m not sure if he meant them or not, but they hurt.”

  He pursed his lips and nodded a little. “Men are stupid like that. We say stupid things. We don’t think.”

  I laughed again. “That’s true.”

  “You like him?”

  I nodded and looked down at my hand in my lap. “Yeah, I really do.”

  “Then you got to let it go. Unless he’s a bad guy. Then you drop him and let me know and I’ll hook you up with a real man.”

  There he went again. I smiled at his suggestion, but he had a point. We all say stupid things. We all say things we don’t mean, but that shouldn’t end what we have.

  I could forgive him for what he said. I could listen to his explanation and move on. But not if he didn’t reach out to me.

  That was beginning to bug me more than the press conference. Why wasn’t he calling or texting? The silence was the worst.

  “I think we’ll be okay, Chris. But thank you.”

  He nodded. “I got you, Ms. Madeline.”

  I ended the day smiling. Genuinely smiling. Chris was a great person, and one of the few patients I would miss when he completed his therapy.

  When I got home, I got in the bath to decompress. My lavender and vanilla bath bomb was exactly what I needed. I sunk in and closed my eyes. If only I had a dessert or drink, then this would be perfect.

  “Madi?” Mom was knocking at the door.

  “Yeah?” Maybe I could have her bring me something. There were probably some cookies left, if Dad hadn’t found them.

  “There’s someone here for you.”

  I groaned. Now was not the time, Erik. I was finally relaxing. “Give me a minute.”

  I pressed on the drain plug and watched my little piece of heaven disappear. I toweled off and dressed in comfy pajamas. Hopefully he didn’t expect me to go out or anything.

  Mom was sitting in the living room when I got downstairs. I looked around but no one else was there. “Did you make him wait outside?”

  She nodded and didn’t look the least bit guilty. Geez. I was a little mad, but not even I would make him stand out in the cold. Mom knew how to hold a grudge.

  I opened the door and stepped out to the porch and closed the door behind me. No one was out here either. I looked out to the driveway and froze.

  The silver Mercedes was parked and the driver door opened. Clark stepped out wearing a suit. Of course.

  I went down the steps but stopped halfway to him. “What are you doing here?”

  He smiled. “Hi, Madeline. Nice to see you. How are you doing?” I rolled my eyes. He didn’t deserve pleasantries. “Fine. I’m just here dropping off a few things you forgot.”

  I narrowed my eyes as he walked to the back of the car and lifted the trunk lid. He pulled out a single box and walked back to me.

  “Just a few miscellaneous items. Your dad missed them when he was packing your stuff.”

  It seemed like the safest option. Mom would have started a fight with him, but Dad would just silently hate him.

  “Thanks.” I reached for the box, but he twisted out of reach.

  “I want us to talk.”

  I dropped my shoulders and sighed. “About what, Clark?”

  “This was a mistake. I shouldn’t have let you leave.”

  “You didn’t let me. I chose to leave. You don’t control what I do.”

  He huffed. “That’s not what I meant. I should have fought for you.”

  The cocky idiot. “There was nothing to fight for. You gave up on us when you started cheating. When you stopped coming home. When you pulled away from me. There was no relationship left. We were barely even roommates.”

  “I want to change that.”

  “No, you don’t. You just don’t like that something didn’t go according to your perfect plan. You’ll move on.”

  He pursed his lips. Looks like I struck a nerve. “We could have been great, Madeline, if you would have just stood by me. We could have taken office together.”

  “I’m more than a trophy wife, Clark. I’m more than the cardboard cutout you want me to be. I can’t silently smile and wave at your side. I have my own goals. I have my own dreams to chase.”

  “Like what? You got your degree and your job. What else could you want?”

  Did he really think that was all that mattered to me? It made sense. His career was all he cared about.

  “I want love. I want a family.”

  He laughed bitterly. “I could have given you that.”

  “No, Clark. Not the way I needed.” I moved to take the box but he stepped back.

  “No.”

  I shook my head. “No what?”

  “No, you’re not leaving me like this.”

  “It’s done. I’ve moved on.”

  He looked stricken. “How could you?”

  “How could I what?”

  “Move on. It’s been a week.”

  “It’s been over for so much longer than that.”

  “How dare you.”

  I took a step back. He rarely let his temper show, and I didn’t want to be around for its appearance. “You can keep whatever’s in the box. I won’t miss it.”

  He held it up and shook it. “There’s nothing in here.”

  “What?”

  “I needed to see you. I needed you to see how wrong you were. The mistake you made. I’m giving you a second chance.”

  I tiled my head and really looked at him. He’d aged ten years since we moved here. He had wrinkles around his eyes and forehead that hadn’t been there before. The stress was killing him.

  “We’re done, Clark. I wish you the best, but you can’t come over here anymore.”

  He stared me down for a few beats before throwing the box on the ground and crushing it beneath his shoe. Really mature move.

  I watched his fit as I walked backward toward the house.

  “You’ll regret this, Madi. You’ll miss me. But this is it. No more chances.”

  He really thought so highly of himself.

  I smiled. “Goodbye, C
lark.”

  He turned, kicked his tire, and threw the door open. He started the car and peeled out, racing down the street. Hopefully he didn’t hurt anyone in his rage.

  He’d move on. I knew he didn’t care about me nearly as much as he cared about his reputation. He probably didn’t want to tell his colleges about the breakup. He’d have to find someone else to iron his clothes and hang on his arm at events.

  I was done with that chapter of my life.

  As much as I’d hurt with what Erik said last night, the pain that I’d been living through in my previous relationship cut deep.

  That had killed me slowly. Chipping away at my self-confidence. Made me question everything, especially my worth. That had done damage that I was still working through.

  Erik’s words hurt in a different way. Maybe it was worse because I loved him. I trusted him to keep my heart safe.

  That didn’t mean what he did was anywhere near the level of what Clark put me through.

  Seeing him put things into perspective for me.

  The very worst day with Erik was a good day with Clark.

  My level of happiness had changed. In a good way.

  I was getting used to being happy. To feeling loved.

  I wanted that. I wasn’t going to let it slip away over this. I wanted to hear Erik’s explanation, then I would make him promise not to do it again, then I’d kiss him and tell him how much I loved him.

  I went back inside and sat next to Mom.

  “Did you kick him to the curb?”

  I laughed and leaned against her. “Yeah. I told him to leave and that I was done.”

  “Good.”

  “Hopefully he heard it this time.”

  She laughed. “You hurt his pride. Men like Clark don’t know how to handle that.”

  I nodded. “I don’t even know if he cares so much about losing me. It’s about the idea. The ability to tell people he’s with me. That’s all that matters to him.”

  Mom sighed. “He’ll find some poor girl that will love to fill that need for him. Someone that only cares about his money and fame.”

  “As long as it’s not me.”

  She patted my leg. “We were never going to let that happen.”

  I wasn’t surprised. I’m sure if I ever mentioned marrying Clark, one of them would have stopped me. Probably both.

  “What about Erik?”

  “What about him?” I turned toward her.

  “Your dad told me about the press conference.”

  I bit my lip.

  “You know the PR team has a strong influence on what the guys say.”

  I nodded.

  “You know that they like to make him seem like the fun bachelor that the lady fans can fawn over.”

  I nodded again, even though I didn’t like thinking about that.

  “That’s what happened last night, honey. I know it was probably hard to hear, but he wasn’t trying to hurt you.”

  “I realize that now.”

  “So, you’re not still mad.”

  “I’m more hurt that he hasn’t tried to contact me since.”

  She wrapped her arm around me, tugging me close. “Give him time. I’m sure he knows what he did and is trying to figure out what to do next.”

  I nodded even though I wasn’t sure I believed it. A full day had passed. What if there was something else going on.

  I rested my head on her shoulder and focused on the home renovation on the TV. One more day. I’d wait until then to call him.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Erik

  My bad mood had turned sour. I wasn’t even trying to pretend to be okay. The guys gave me space after I hit the third defenseman into the boards harder than necessary. I ignored the calls to take it easy and pushed harder and harder. My legs were burning. My arms were nearly impossible to lift. I was beating myself up. I thought it would distract me, but nothing was working.

  He was back. He was at her house.

  She looked at him with sadness. Possibly regret.

  I left before I saw anything that would break me.

  How could she go back to him? After all we said? I’d opened my heart to her, and after one misunderstanding she goes back to him?

  The thought of him being within ten feet of her was enough to blind me with rage.

  “Schultz!” I turned to see Coach waving me forward. Perfect.

  I went back to the bench and sat down. He stepped in front of me and waited to speak until I was looking at him.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Just practicing, Coach.”

  “Practicing killing your teammates?”

  “It’s getting into crunch time. Every game matters now. I don’t want to go soft.”

  He blinked once. “That’s a load of crap.”

  Yeah, it really was.

  “If you’re not going to back off, I want you off the ice. You’ll go to the training room.”

  That was a warning. No ice meant no playing in the next game.

  “I’m fine.”

  “Prove it.” He swung his arm toward the half door leading to the ice. I followed his direction and joined the team.

  Hartman hit me in the shoulder. “You good, man?”

  I nodded and moved behind him to run the next drill. I could push it out. All of the anger and frustration. I’d forget about it until later. I wasn’t going to let it affect my game.

  It was my turn to practice my slap shot, so my focus zeroed in on the puck. I weaved my way forward, glanced at Olli in the goal, rose my stick back, and followed through. It went straight to the top right corner and passed Olli’s glove by mere centimeters.

  I went to the back of the line and got a few pats on my back. It was a decent shot, but nothing worth celebrating. It was better than I’d been performing. Not thinking about last night was harder than I thought. I went through the motions for the rest of practice and was one of the first through the tunnel when it was over. I was off. I knew it, and so did the team. This wasn’t normal for me, so they didn’t heckle me too much, but Reese and Hartman sat down next to me where I was stretching.

  “What’s going on?” I appreciated Hartman’s direct approach.

  “I went to talk to Madi last night.”

  Reese’s eyebrows shot up. “It didn’t go well? I thought she would forgive you for sure.”

  I shook my head. “I didn’t get that far.”

  “What do you mean?” Hartman leaned forward while stretching his quads.

  “I was driving down her road and saw a car parked in the driveway. I pulled over and turned off my lights. I didn’t want to intrude if they had a guest over, so I waited for a minute.”

  They were both watching me intently now.

  “Madi came out, and Clark got out of the car.”

  They both looked as surprised as I’d been.

  “They spoke for a little bit, but when she didn’t send him away, I left. I couldn’t sit there and watch them get back together.”

  Hartman was shaking his head, but Reese looked angry. “You’re an idiot.”

  “What?”

  “You have no idea why he was there. You didn’t even stay to see what happened. She could have punched him right after you left.”

  “Or she could have invited him in so they could talk and get back together.”

  Hartman looked between us then sighed. “Reese is right. You shouldn’t have left. You should have gone up and told that loser to get away from your woman.”

  I couldn’t believe they didn’t get it. “Why would he be at her house if she didn’t call and ask him to come over?”

  Reese looked at me like he really did think I was stupid. “He probably just showed up. Who knows? Oh, wait. Madeline does. You need to talk to her. You both need to stop making assumptions and speak to one another.”

  “I tried.”

  He shook his head. “No. You didn’t. You ran away.”

  Hartman nodded. “He’s right. If you care about
her like you say you do, you should have fought for her. It’s too late to fix last night, but you need to leave here and go figure your stuff out. No more days like today.”

  With that, he stood and walked out of the training room. I looked to Reese, who gave me an I-told-you-so look and got up.

  They were right. Why had I left last night? I should have marched up to the suit and told him to leave. Had Madeline wanted him there? I wasn’t close enough to know what was said, but it wasn’t like she ran into his arms.

  I’d let my jealousy take over. I was afraid he would change her mind and she’d back to him. I knew it was stupid, especially after all he’d put her through, but a part of me thought he could still give her what she wanted. A stable, predictable life.

  This had gone too far. I’d let two days pass without talking to her. She probably hated me by now.

  I needed to see her.

  I needed to tell her exactly how I felt. I would make this right. I would prove I was the man she thought I could be.

  There were just a few things I needed to do before I saw her.

  I got up and hurried to the locker room. I was showered and ready in record time.

  A few of the guys shot me questioning looks, but I just waved on my way out. They would hear about what I was doing later. I had things to do.

  I stepped onto the elevator and froze. Chloe was standing there with her arms folded. I looked to her, then back to the hall, but the doors were already closing. “Aren’t you getting off?”

  “Nope, the person I was looking for found me first.”

  Well great. “What is it?”

  I pressed the garage button, and she didn’t protest. Guess she was just along for the ride.

  “What happened today?”

  “I was a little off.”

  “A little? That was one of your worst practices in years. Keep showing up like that and your contract is going to be sold to the highest bidder, Erik. Is that what you want?”

  “Of course not.” Did she really think I didn’t realize that? I’d had one bad day. The team wouldn’t trade me because of that.

  “You can’t throw away everything you worked for, everything that we sacrificed to get you here because you’re having a bad day.”

  I looked at her and dropped my bag. The doors opened but neither of us moved. “I know that, Chloe. I’m not going to let that happen. It was one bad day.”