Chapter 21

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

ZACH

I got fuck all sleep. Tossing and turning all night, I knew this morning I had to go and straighten things out with my old school buddy.

I can't fly back to Seattle and leave it like this. No way. He's not only one of my oldest friends but also my dad's employee.

Last night Luke was raging, and even though he's out of order for thinking he has any sort of claim over Luna, I need to make sure things aren't left in an awkward place for her. She lives here and will see him around town. This is my shit to clean up. Luke is, or possibly was, my friend.

It's early morning when I pull up outside his place, so I'm shocked to find him already in his garage, working on a piece of furniture.

The door of my truck slams shut, and Luke's head shoots up to see who it is. He eyes me for a second, a cold look on his face, and then gets back to work on the table he's sanding down—almost as if I weren't here.

The walk up his drive feels long and uncomfortable, and as I get closer, he leans across and switches on a radio, turning the volume up high.

I reach over and turn it straight back down. "We don't want to wake the neighbors. It's barely seven."

He scoffs. "I've got nothing to say to you, Zach."

"Yeah, well I've got plenty."

"Shame you didn't have ‘plenty' before last night, huh? Or maybe that wasn't the first time." He looks up at me, his eyes slightly narrowed and his lips pursed. "You could've had anyone, fucking anyone ."

I shake my head in disbelief, he still can't see the error in his ways. "But I stole your girl, right? Give me a break man. She hasn't been your girl for over ten fucking years. Did you get pissy with all the other guys she's slept with since you split?"

His eyes blow wide with rage, and he comes to a complete stop, dropping the sander. "You fucked her?"

I work to keep my tone calm. "We've slept together, yeah." Saying I fucked her doesn't fit with what we shared this summer. She wasn't just a fuck. No way.

"How many times? How long?" he spits, his anger ready to boil over.

I scratch at the back of my neck. "That's not really any of your business. Like I said, she's not your girl." I exhale a slow, deflating breath. "She's not mine, either."

"So, what, you hookup with her and then fuck off back to Seattle." He shakes his head with disdain. "She's worth more than that man. She's not some cheap fuck you get after a game."

I have no clue how I'm keeping it together. He's way out of line and clearly knows nothing about me if he thinks I have a different woman in my bed each night. "I came here to talk to you about what you saw last ni?—"

"What I saw was you making out with Luna. I'm glad I didn't arrive five minutes later." He rounds the table and comes to stand opposite me. We're only a couple of feet apart as I watch the anger pour off him in waves. "Why didn't you just tell me that day I came to your door and her car was parked in your drive?"

"Because at that time, nothing was happening between us." My voice raises slightly higher. "And you want me to ask for your permission now? Because that's what it sounds like. Like you're some sort of fucking gatekeeper to your ex- girlfriend."

"I'd have been the better man and spoken to you first."

"When things started to happen between us, I said to Luna that I was worried how this would sit between us." I shove my hands in my pockets and recall the conversation we had when I was kissing her on my kitchen counter. That day feels like a long time ago. "She reminded me that you guys were over a decade ago, and she didn't appreciate being owned, and me going to you to seek permission under the guise of ‘bro code' was exactly that." I puff out a breath. "She's right man. I'm not saying I wouldn't have ever told you, but it wasn't going to stop me from being with her. I never intended for you to see us."

He nods, but it feels like my words have passed him by. "You're together?"

Why is it that I want to say something way different than what I'm about to say? "No. It's a complicated situation."

He laughs darkly. "Yeah, no shit. So, you head back to Seattle this morning and what, leave her here to watch you hook up with a different woman each week? Nice one. You're not the Zach Evans I used to know."

I hold up a finger in front of him, my hand trembling with building rage. "One, I don't sleep around. Not that there's anything wrong with that, and I have plenty of great friends who do, but that's not me." I hold up a second finger. "Two. She's coming back to Seattle with me for a few days to attend the annual gala for my foundation." A third finger joins the others. "And three. I said it's complicated . She's got her life here, and I'm buried knee-deep in a mile-long contract with the Scorpions. I didn't come here looking for love. I actually came here for the opposite. Life isn't that clean cut."

Luke's eyebrows shoot to his hairline. "Looking for love ?"

Shit. Did I say that?

I don't respond as the silence continues to stretch between us.

"You're head over fucking heels for her," Luke finally says.

I pull off my cap and run a stressed hand through my hair. "Whatever I am, I'm in deep, and I can't do a thing about it. I can't have a relationship with her from nearly three thousand miles away and see her every holiday. She's got her life and an awesome career here." I blow out a humorless laugh. "She's got her own mind, and I'm not hearing that she wants to uproot and move to the West Coast."

Arms across his chest and his tongue poking into his cheek, he shrugs, an amused smile on his face.

Yeah thanks, buddy.

"I can see why it's complicated." He claps his hands together and circles back around the table, picking up his sander. But before he gets back to work, he looks up at me once more. "I appreciate you coming over here to set the record straight, and I guess this is the final confirmation I need that there's no going back for Luna and me. Good luck for the new season."

He holds out a hand, and I walk the couple of paces to shake it. "All the best, Luke."

I guess that's all we can offer each other for now.

LUNA

"This is how the other half lives. I guess I could get used to it."

I recline my leather seat once we hit full altitude, and the belt signs go off. Zach smiles and brushes the top of my hand lightly with his fingertips before I begin flicking through the in-flight entertainment.

He brings his bottle to his mouth, taking a sip of water. He's back on a strict regime now that pre-season is upon him. "I don't fly first that often. We have a team plane to travel for road trips."

"Do you still share hotel rooms too? That always blows my mind. These big NHL stars earn millions of dollars but don't have separate rooms," I muse.

"Yeah, it's good for team bonding and has kind of stuck. I share with Jon. Technically as the alternate captain I should probably share with a rookie, but they don't always follow the rules."

I tilt my head and pinch my brows together. "What rules?"

The look on his face tells me he's regretting saying that, but I'm too curious to grant him a reprieve, so I remain silent, wondering if he'll elaborate.

"Most players don't like their teammates bringing girls back to their room. Some of the rookies get smashed and forget."

" Most players?" My voice is a tad incredulous, which I don't mean.

He folds his arms across his chest. "Some don't mind sharing."

"Oh." What else can I say? I mean, I knew it was a possibility. These guys have a lot of women throwing themselves at them. The thought of that happening to Zach makes me feel nauseous.

He reaches across to me and lightly runs one of his tattooed fingers down my arm, zapping me with waves of energy I feel each time we touch. "I don't sleep around."

I act indifferent, though I'm far from unaffected. "I'm not judging. Everyone is free to be who they are."

He nods. "I know. I just want you to know. You might see me tagged with someone on social media, but that doesn't mean anything has or will happen."

I hate this conversation. It's like he's preparing me for when it does happen. When I head back home in a few days, I know I'll want to hide under a rock. I don't think I can stomach any of the images or videos, innocent or not. His lifestyle is a far cry from mine.

"You know that, right?" he clarifies.

"Yeah, of course." I try to sound as convincing as I can.

But he can be with whomever he wants, and technically, so could I, even if the thought alone makes me want to rip my heart out.

He rubs a palm over his face.

I quickly change the subject. "Luke messaged me earlier. He apologized for going off at us last night. He said it sucked, but he was out of line. Did you speak to him or something?"

Zach downs the rest of his water and nods, replacing the cap. "I stopped at his place on the way to the airport."

"What did you say?"

"In short, what I told him last night. That he doesn't have any hold over you. I was sorry he saw what he saw, but you two were over a long time ago."

My heart rate picks up— he defended me . "Thank you. But he didn't see anything last night. We were just messing around in the ocean."

A disbelieving smile traces his lips. "You really believe that Luna?"

No. "It's what I have to believe."

He nods and leans down, pulling at the lace on his sneaker and then retying it as he clears his throat a couple of times. I know he's buying a minute to gather himself and push back our reality. This summer is almost done, and somehow, someway, we have to move on with our lives, just as we did before.

I feel my eyes sting with unshed tears, and I blink rapidly to push them back.

Grabbing a menu card from the pocket of my seat, I throw him my best teasing smile. "They have a frittata on the breakfast options."