by Layla Hagen
Hold Me Forever
Layla Hagen
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Hold Me Forever
Copyright © 2022 Layla Hagen
Cover: Uplifting Designs
Photography: Regina Wamba
Copyright ©2021 Layla Hagen
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, including electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Table of Contents
Copyright Page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Epilogue
Chapter One
Tyler
I was screwed. I couldn't take my eyes off her. Her hair fell to the middle of her back in dark waves that sparked my imagination.
Focus, Tyler. You're here for the kids, nothing more.
Yep, I was here to meet the kids I was going to coach for a couple of months until my team allowed me to play again—long story. But I looked forward to it.
What I hadn't counted on was the program coordinator, Kendra Douglas, being such a distraction. A smoking hot distraction.
"I'm so happy that you're going to spend time with the kids this season. Believe it or not, we've never actually had a hockey player before," Kendra said.
"Really?"
"Yeah. I think that's going to be super exciting for them."
"How long have you been working as a volunteer coordinator?" I asked her.
"Four years. I honestly love it."
I could see that from the way her green eyes lit up. Damn, she’s beautiful. She was curvy and tall, but at six foot two, I still towered over her.
"I love pairing up volunteers with the right program for them. My boss says I have a knack with people.”
“You certainly found the perfect activity for me.”
Her smile widened at my comment.
Volunteering had always been part of my job as a goalie with the NHL's hottest hockey team, the Chicago Blades. And I'd enjoyed doing it, but I didn't like it one bit that the team’s management had put volunteering as a condition for rehabilitating my image after the scandal and letting me back on the ice. I was benched because of a video that went viral. I also had a shoulder injury to deal with, so the extra time to heal wasn’t such a bad thing.
So here I was, at the Chicago Sports Center. Every year, they offered kids from low-income families an opportunity to meet and play with some of the sports stars of the area, which was a really cool thing. I had no idea why it was the first time I’d heard of it.
“Do all your volunteers work with kids?” I asked Kendra.
“No. It’s all wildly different, to be honest.”
“You don’t actually work at the Chicago Sports Center, right? I got confused reading the email from management.”
Kendra laughed. “Sorry for the confusion. No, I’m employed by The Illinois Volunteer Society. My job is to find placements for people who want to do volunteer activities. We often collaborate with the Chicago Sports Center. I’ve brought a few professional athletes here to the center, and it always makes the kids so happy. Most of them don’t come from well-off families, so it’s a treat for them, and I also think a bit inspiring.”
She was obviously proud of her job and probably doing it because she wanted to. I'd been around plenty of people doing all sorts of volunteer stuff for public relations, but Kendra was genuine. I liked that about her.
"Anyway, the circumstances might not be ideal for you, but I'm still happy that you're here,” she continued. “I hope I can make this more enjoyable for you."
It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her exactly how much more enjoyable she could make it, but I caught myself in time.
Damn, Tyler, what's wrong with you?
"It won't be a hardship,” I said instead. “I like working with kids. I’m good with them."
Her eyes widened, and I went on to explain. "I have a niece. She's ten years old, so I have some experience. It's different than this, but I think I've got a few tricks up my sleeve that the kids will enjoy." I finished with a wink.
"I'm looking forward to seeing that," she said with a challenge in her tone.
I flashed her a grin. “I look forward to proving myself to you.”
She looked away quickly, but I caught her smile.
Ahh, so she isn’t immune to me.
“Maybe I should ask your niece for references too, just in case.”
I laughed at her snarky comment. “Feel free to do that. You can ask my whole family. I’m sure they’ll sing my praises.”
My family was very close. I’d gotten into this clusterfuck of a problem because of a family issue. My cousin Reese had an altercation with her ex-fiancé, Malcolm, and I stepped in. I wasn't happy with the outcome, but I sure as hell didn't mind punching that moron. He'd hurt Reese so deeply that I wasn't sure my cousin would ever trust anyone who wasn't part of the family again. He cheated on her with her best friend, and Reese had discovered it shortly before they were supposed to get married. I had no clue how someone could come back from that.
Even though that moron filmed our fight and posted it on YouTube, I didn’t regret standing up for Reese. My family always stuck together. We had each other’s back no matter what. I had five brothers and two cousins, Reese and Kimberly. There wasn’t much I wouldn’t do for my family.
"Okay, are you ready to meet the kids?" Kendra asked, sounding anxious. It was just so damn cute.
"Sure. I didn't know I was going to meet them today, but yeah, that works.”
"It's only a meet and greet. It’ll be very short because they’re about to start their tae kwon do class, but it’ll give them something to look forward to."
She led me into a small room with mattresses on the floor. The second I stepped inside, the crowd of kids seemed to erupt in cheers. They were all wearing uniforms.
"Oh my God, Tyler Maxwell is here. I can't believe it. Can I get your autograph? You're the best, best, best goalie ever," one of them exclaimed.
I looked at the kids, grinning widely. They were a group of boys around twelve years old.
"If you give me pen and paper, I can sign autographs for all of you. I've got time." I looked at Kendra, whose smile widened. “But Kendra here has some good ne
ws for you, so you might want to listen to that first.”
"Thanks, Tyler. Kids, can you be silent for a few minutes?"
"Yes," all of them chorused.
The room went quiet a few seconds later. "So, I promised I'd get someone to train you to play hockey this season. And I'm proud to say that Tyler here will do the job."
"Holy shit," a kid exclaimed.
Kendra glared at him. "Tim, what did we say about swearing?"
"Sorry, Kendra." He turned my way. "You’re going to be our coach? That's so awesome." Tim was taller than the rest by at least a head, with dark blond hair sticking out in all directions.
"Yeah, I will, buddy. So, I can sign any autographs you want today, but we'll be seeing each other twice a week, I think. Right, Kendra?"
She smiled. "Exactly, twice a week."
I turned back to the kids. "So I’ll have plenty of time to sign whatever you want."
"Can you also sign my T-shirt?" another boy asked.
I nodded.
"Do you have pics to sign?" a third chimed in.
"Not on hand, but I can bring some," I assured them.
Kendra laughed nervously. Did she think this was an imposition on me? Because it wasn't. I hadn't lied when I told her I liked being around kids. Granted, my limited experience was with my niece, but I couldn't see how spending time with a bunch of kids who shared my passion for hockey could be anything but fun. I liked new challenges and opportunities, and while it was bittersweet that I only had time to coach because I was injured and my team had benched me, I chose to focus on the positive. I could share all I knew—both technique and passion—with their young minds and maybe even play a small part in helping shape the next generation of hockey players.
The kids threw question after question at me, but I didn't mind. Most of them were about when I would play again, and more than a few looked surprised when I said I didn't know.
"Yeah, I know, it's shocking to me too," I said, unable to keep the gloom out of my voice, but why hide how I felt about it? Hockey was my life. Obviously I wasn't pleased with this development.
Kendra clapped her hands. "Okay, guys, I think we've had enough of Tyler's time today."
"Can we train now?" Tim asked, standing tall and looking straight at me.
"You don't have hockey today," Kendra said gently. "It's on Monday, remember?"
I saw the disappointment immediately take over their faces and quickly added, "I'll be here on Monday, buddy."
Tim pursed his lower lip, the way my niece used to do when she was four.
"Hey, I'll make you all a deal. Everyone who wants autographs can get one today, but that's only on paper, okay? And we can do stuff like sign pictures or shirts during our sessions."
"Awesome! I knew you would be cool," Tim said, making me smile as the other kids laughed and cheered.
For the next five minutes, I just signed random slips of paper, laughing when the kids carefully folded theirs like it was a prized possession. Kendra watched me silently, jutting out her hip. That woman was just too sexy. The way she was standing made her curves stand out even more, and I liked them far too much.
Once I was done signing, I ordered an Uber. Kendra walked outside with me, and I had to make a concerted effort not to check her out. For the foreseeable future, I would focus on one thing only: getting back on the ice. I couldn’t allow myself any distractions, not even one as tempting as Kendra Douglas.
Chapter Two
Kendra
"That went great,” Tyler said as we walked out of the building.
"You were a hit. I don't know anyone else who's been so well received."
"Singing my praises. I like it." He winked.
The man was sex on a stick, no question, but I’d heard rumors about him that he was not a one-woman man.
I looked at him with narrowed eyes. "You have a reputation for being cocky and self-confident.”
Totally unfazed, he said, “You can add stubborn to that list. Doesn't always get me what I want, but I can't change who I am."
Something told me Tyler Maxwell didn't like to pretend to be anyone else other than who he was, and that was the part I thought was refreshing. But judging by his reply, the rumors were true. He was a tad full of himself.
Since I started this job, I’d met many people who were guests at the Chicago Sports Center volunteering for various reasons, and most did it for PR purposes, not because they cared about what they were doing. And to be completely honest, I'd expected the same from Tyler. I knew he came from a wealthy family. The Maxwells were a fixture in Chicago, and they’d owned the Maxwell Bookstores chain years ago before selling the business. I wasn’t sure what the rest of his family was doing, only that one brother was involved in the wine business. Maxwell Wines were my favorite.
Tyler was the hockey world’s darling, so I sort of jumped to conclusions about his intentions. Besides, the exact words of his team’s management were "He needs to clean up his image for the sponsors."
But he'd been so open and fun with the kids. It was unexpected and made his hotness score skyrocket in my book, which was problematic for me. His smile was a little too sexy, and let's not even talk about that body. It was so sinful and perfect that it was hard to look away.
Thank heavens he was cocky, because that was a turn-off for me.
Whew. I’m safe.
"Okay, then, so what's the schedule?" he asked while we approached the Uber he’d ordered a few minutes ago. I tried not to focus on how sexy his ass was. The rest of him was just as delicious. He was really tall, and his muscles were so defined that I could see the contours through his shirt. The jacket he put on only highlighted how broad his shoulders were.
Oh, Kendra, get yourself together.
"They have hockey training twice a week in the afternoon. Are you sure you're going to be able to do it for the whole season?" I asked warily.
His face darkened, and he looked away. "I'm not sure. It all depends on when I'm allowed back on the team. But I do want to be prepared if that happens. I want us to have a plan so I don't leave the kids high and dry, okay? During the season, the training program is pretty much full time, so once I'm back on the team, we either have to move training to the mornings—”
I shook my head. I loved that he was trying to accommodate the kids, but mornings wouldn’t work. "That's not possible. They have school."
"I thought you might say that. Anyway, we're going to need a plan for that at some point."
"Sure, that's no problem. Let me think about what might work and talk with the center’s staff.”
“I'm going to make this clear to them next time, so they're prepared and aren’t disappointed further down the road."
Aaaaand that’s my heart sighing. He could not possibly be sinfully hot and have a decent personality. He might have been a bit cocky—though in his line of work, it was probably a necessary evil—but to be sexy and caring? It should have been illegal to be both. "Thanks for coming here today.”
“Will you be here at every training?" he asked, fixating his molten brown eyes on me as he opened the car door.
"No, but I’ll be here next time just to make sure everything is going smoothly."
"I can't wait."
After he left, I went to my office. The headquarters of The Illinois Volunteer Society was in Bucktown. I was currently in the Ashburn neighborhood, so I got on a bus, planning to use the long ride to write some emails on my phone. My job mainly consisted of looking at each of our volunteers and finding an activity that would interest them, then, of course, setting up everything.
I was pleased that I’d been right in Tyler’s case. He looked genuinely thrilled after today’s meet and greet.
The office was empty when I arrived, but that was normal since most of us were out in the field most of the time. I knew my sister, Emma, was here somewhere, though. She’d promised to wait until I was done so we could grab dinner together. Our boss, Henrik, said we were two peas in a pod, and a
s soon as my sister joined the company, he put her in my small office for us to share.
I headed straight to my chair and sat down. Our office consisted of two long glass desks, leather chairs, and a small shelf for extra paperwork. Emma had hung a brightly colored painting on her wall. I just had a calendar. It seemed practical, though I could admit it was a bit boring.
My mind immediately flew to Tyler, and I started fanning myself, wondering how exactly I was going to handle working with him.
I had met my fair share of celebrities, but he was the only one who made this kind of an impact on me.
Emma burst into the room the next second, giving me a start. My sister looked nothing like me. She took after Mom, with long blonde hair and green eyes. She was also creative, like Mom used to be. I didn’t remember much about Daddy, but Mom always said he had a practical side, so I guess I took after him.
I loved my sister to bits. She was my best friend, though she often said I took my big sister role too seriously. I had to constantly remind myself that we were both adults now. She didn’t need me helping her anymore.
“Tell me everything. Is Tyler Maxwell even hotter in person? He seems like a bad boy.”
“I’ve never seen him on TV. You know I don’t watch hockey.”
She waved her hand, tapping her foot impatiently before leaning against the edge of my desk. “We’re getting off the point. Is he hot?”
“Very.”
“Whew. You noticed. I was afraid you were going to just let that slide, as usual.”
I grinned. "I'm not letting things slide. I usually don't notice, but... well, Tyler Maxwell is in a league of his own. I couldn't help but notice. And besides, he’s very funny and seems to genuinely like kids.”
Emma blinked. “Hmm. Clearly he’s made an impression. So, what are you going to do about it?"
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Well, you know." She wiggled her eyebrows.
I chuckled. "I'm going to do absolutely nothing. He's going to coach the kids, and that’s it. Besides, he’s a bit cocky."
"Oh, I know how you feel about that. But... you're not even a teeny, tiny bit tempted by him?"
"He would tempt any red-blooded woman. The man is practically walking temptation. But I know better."
