Chapter 27: Chapter 27

TYLER

I was experiencing a few months of pure, easy bliss. Kate and I had fallen into a routine that worked. Successfully able to keep our relationship in the shadows, we excelled in everything we did.

Her business was getting easier for her to run; she had figured it out. And her trusted uncles had begun playing a bigger role at Martin Financial to assist her.

The Blades had an impeccable record till then: 45-10-4. Basically, we were a shoo-in for the playoffs. We were running the most points in our first-place division.

It was only less than a month until the playoffs, so we were working extra hard to maintain our standing.

My teammates and I sat in a dimly lit restaurant waiting for Kate, her uncles, and her shitty cousin, Kevin, to arrive.

They had invited the team for dinner, renting out an Italian restaurant in Brooklyn for the occasion. Cars were sent to pick all of us up, not really surprising me. Kate spared no expense when it came to the New York Blades.

Chris, Jace, Mathieu, Jaromir, and Hans sat around a table with me. Mathieu was drawing on the kid’s menu with the crayons he had asked for. We thought he was kidding when he asked, but apparently, he hadn’t been.

It was almost April then. The breeze that flowed through the front doors when opened felt slightly warm and relaxing.

The smell of spring was finally in the air, and the deep rumbling outside signified that people were finally taking their sports cars out of winter storage.

Kevin waltzed into the restaurant, but no one smiled at our general manager. We never did, for we all hated him. John and Fred walked in next, wearing jeans and t-shirts, which was very unlike them.

They greeted all of us with a smile. In contrast, when Kevin had walked in, he’d simply taken a seat at the table without a word. ~Dick.~

My eyes stayed glued to the door, waiting for my Kate to walk in. A few minutes later, she did.

The breeze blew her gorgeous chestnut hair around her face, and she struggled to move it away from her eyes. Her arm was linked with her sister’s, which was very surprising.

Nicolette didn’t typically attend hockey-related events, but I’d caught her at one of our games with Kate a few times.

For the dinner, Kate was wearing light-colored cut-off shorts and a black tank top that showed a bit of her stomach. Her grin spread as wide as her face would allow as she practically ran inside in her cute little shoes.

After she brushed the hair out of her eyes, the blue gems sparkled as she looked around at her team and loved ones.

“Hey guys!” she said. “Sorry, we’re late.” She urged her sister to sit beside her family members and positioned herself before us all. “I’m so happy you all joined us for dinner. We have a gift for you guys after we eat.”

Looking at each other, every player yelled their excitement.

Fred spoke up over the noise. “In a sense, this gift is from all of us because we co-own the team, but don’t let her fool you. We really can’t take any credit. This was all Kate.”

Kate shook her head, disagreeing with her uncles. Her eyes landed on mine and brightened instantly. I wanted nothing more than to run up to her and kiss her.

She hopped around the tables, hugging all of us. My arms stayed around her for a few extra seconds. She pushed her lips closer to my ear. “Don’t be mad,” she whispered, then walked away.

~What the hell?~

We ordered our food and then no one was able to sit still at the restaurant. It had been rented out just to us, so everyone moved about making small talk. Once again, I was reminded of the family dynamic our team shared.

A few minutes later, Coach Julian walked over to my table. He patted my shoulder, leaning down and lowering his voice so only I could hear.

“She’s too good,” he whispered. “Be careful with her. We’re gonna talk later.” He patted my shoulder again and left my table.

~Shit. Shit. Shit.~ ~Has he known for a while? Or was our lingering hug that obvious?~ I couldn’t tell Kate that Coach knew about us, terrified it would ruin her good mood.

She was so bright and happy that night. In fact, she had been living in a more carefree manner for the past few months.

“What do you think it is?” Chris asked. “Kate’s pretty clever, and if this is her idea, who knows what she could’ve thought up.” I agreed, wondering the same thing.

“Maybe a donation in our names,” Mathieu suggested. “I could see her doing something along those lines.”

“Yes,” Hans agreed. “But watch her. She’s too giggly. I bet it’s something else, or maybe a gag gift.”

Jaromir and I both turned to Kate and instantly nodded. “Hans is right,” I said with a small laugh. “Just look at her.”

Kate whispered something in Nicolette’s ear, and they both giggled, their faces an inch apart. I laughed watching her, falling more and more in love with her.

Shoving food down our throats, everyone was engrossed in eating. I wanted to savor the delicious lasagna before me; it was almost as good as my mom’s.

Over dinner, Kate’s eyes were constantly finding mine, then a small, devilish smile would creep onto her face.

She squirmed in her seat every time, either because she was turned on thinking about later, or it had to do with her weird comment earlier. ~Don’t be mad…~

Kate walked Nicolette around to each table, making official introductions. Mathieu seemed thoroughly amused by her sister. His cockiness rose as the sisters stopped at my table.

“I don’t really watch hockey much,” Nicolette whispered. “But Kate tells me all the time how incredible you are.” Her eyelashes fluttered.

Kate whipped around and began laughing quietly. She crept closer to me, brushing her forearm against mine. I breathed in her scent, then lightly touched my fingertips to her wrist.

She stood upright like she was ready to leave, but leaned down to whisper into my ear. “I love you, Tyler Carlson.”

Before I could have the chance to respond, she left our table, pulling her sister behind her. Kate never sat back down; apparently, she was ready to leave.

She made another announcement and ordered all of us to move outside. We stood in the warm weather, waiting for the SUVs to pick us back up and take us to our gift.

We were still making bets as to what it was, but no one could be sure. When the cars arrived, I climbed into the back of one with Chris and Jaromir.

“Anything new with Annabelle?” I asked once we settled into our seats.

“Still a bitch,” Jaromir responded. “She’s holding Chloe against me.”

I wondered how a woman, or man, could hold their child against their spouse, or soon-to-be ex-spouse. That was a new kind of low. Jaromir was a wonderful person and a great dad; my heart broke for him.

“Sorry, man.”

We stayed quiet for a few minutes until my phone rang. I wasn’t going to answer it, but a part of me had a hard time ignoring the person who had brought me into this world.

“Hi, Mom.”

“Are you with Kate?”

I clicked the volume down on the side of my phone a few notches to ensure the others didn’t hear her prying about our team’s owner. “No.”

“I’d like to set up a meeting with her,” my mom said. “Can you make that happen?”

“No.”

“I gave you life. You can do this for me.”

I leaned my head back against the seat. This woman used that line any chance she got. She was lucky I loved her.

With the car slowing to a stop in front of a massive warehouse, I knew I could escape the conversation for at least a few hours.

“I’ve got to go, Mom. I’ll call you later. Love you!” And I hung up.

Chris leaned into the row in front of him. “Dude, sounds just like my conversations with my mom.” He laughed and we climbed out.

We all gathered, the crisp night air sweeping across my bare neck. Kate’s hair blew in the wind again, her eyes looking slightly teary.

“Hi again, everyone,” she said. “So this is my dad’s warehouse. This is where he kept his collection of beautiful cars.

“I haven’t driven any yet. Honestly, I’m too nervous to do so.” She giggled to herself, while Nicolette squeezed her arm supportively. “But this was the only place hidden enough for me to keep your gifts!”

A tear rolled down her cheek and disappeared. She was excited to gift her players something. That same excitement consumed the guys. We were all big, bad, tough hockey players, but everyone loved presents.

She clicked a button, and the massive door to the warehouse lifted. The group let out a gasp as we stared into the headlights of our gift.

“Back in the day, this was my dad’s favorite. Now, it’s even faster. I want you all to have one as I have one too many sitting in my dad’s collection.

“Thank you for being the best team, for being patient with me, protecting me, and just being who you are. Go ahead and pick one.” She smiled as she spoke.

She probably assumed everyone would run to the cars first, but she was wrong. She was practically tackled. She was hugged, kissed, squeezed, and picked up. She enjoyed the appreciation more than anything, and tears dotted her eyes.

When I reached her, I did the same as the others. I picked her up and spun her around. Not because of the gift though. I did it because I was in love with the most generous, giving woman I’d ever met.

I kissed her cheek and whispered, “I love you too, Kate Martin.” Then I followed my teammates to the cars.

A sprawling row of twenty-two Dodge Challenger Hellcats sat in front of us in three different color choices: black, lime green, and cherry red.

The Hellcat held 707 horsepower under the hood. The roar from the engine was throaty and old-school. We all fell in love with the cars.

Her choice of car said a lot about what she thought about us players. It was a muscle car—the new version of a sexy old one. With its clean lines and mean sound, the Hellcat was truly impressive.

And that was how she imagined us, rugged around the edges but unbelievably impressive on the inside.

It also now made sense why she thought I’d be mad. She knew I wouldn’t want her to buy me anything like an expensive car, but how could I be mad?

She cared about all of her players so much that she wanted to gift them each something. I was one of those players, and it would have looked suspicious if I was the only one who didn’t get one.

I climbed into the driver's seat of a lime-green Hellcat. I turned the red key that sat in the ignition and the engine roared to life, rumbling the seat.

I pressed the gas and listened to the roar of the supercharger. I was in heaven.

The line of our new cars rumbled together, but something was missing. Kate, looking smoking hot, stood grinning in front of the cars, knowing how excited we were.

We were like sixteen-year-old boys receiving their first cars. Except that the first car was badass, supercharged, and too fast for our own good.

I wanted to thank Kate, but not in the way the others would thank her. I wanted her home, alone and naked.

I glanced down while imagining her wrapped up in my arms. I looked up to see she was not standing in front of the line of cars anymore.

~Where the hell did she go?~

I turned the engine off, pocketed the keys, and climbed out. Jaromir was stepping out of a red Hellcat beside me. “Can you believe it, man? These are gorgeous,” he said.

I moved to stand closer to him. “That’s Kate for you,” I replied, glancing between all the cars again. “Did you see where she walked off to?”

Jaromir looked around the warehouse, then outside. She wasn’t visible anywhere. A few minutes later, a breathless Mathieu jogged up to us.

“Hey, where’s Kate?” he asked. “I want to thank the shit out of her.”

I laughed and patted his shoulder. “Come on, let’s go find her.”

We walked around outside some more. I wasn’t necessarily comfortable walking deeper into her dad’s private warehouse, but that’s where she had to be. Her uncles, cousin, and sister were also missing.

“What color did you snag, kid?” I asked Mathieu.

“Black. I bought an Audi when I signed with the Blades, but it was just a cheap used one. I’ve had my eye on these Hellcats since they were released.”

I knew Mathieu’s contract couldn’t have been more than a couple hundred grand. I was glad to hear he was being smart with his money and not spending it all on alcohol and girls like many of the rookies do.

I was about to begin a story about my first car when loud voices echoed through the warehouse. Then all we could hear was yelling, cursing, and screaming.

When the pitch of Kate’s innocent voice hit my ears, I took off on the dead run. A few seconds later, Mathieu and Jaromir were by my side.

We kept running until we spotted a half-open door at the back of the warehouse. Lights were on inside, and I could see Kate, Nicolette, Fred, John, and Kevin within.

Kate was in the middle of a heated argument. I’d never heard her so mad. As we approached, we whipped the door open just in time to do some damage.