Chapter 12

Twelve

Tanner

It's so fucking hard to keep my mind on the game when I know Maeve is sitting with her mom watching us. But I want to win this game, want to take down Ottawa, even though a few of my fellow Scotia Storm players are on their team.

With the score two to one for us, and thirty seconds left, I'm not worried about scoring, although it would be nice, I'm just trying to keep the puck out of the other team's hands. Blocking everything out, I follow the play and Felix gets the puck. I follow him down the ice and he shoots it to me. I wheel around, cut back, switch from forehand to backhand, and flick the puck into the top shelf, sealing our win. The buzzer goes off and everyone in the stands jumps to their feet cheering.

I hold my stick up in the air as fellow players come to congratulate me, my gaze slides to Maeve, and she's jumping up and down beside her mother. My heart does a little flip as she waves to me.

"Nice job, Tanner," Felix says, giving me a smack to the helmet.

"You too," I reply as the other guys practically jump me. A few minutes later, we shake hands with the opposing team and when I stop to chat with a few of my old schoolmates, cameras go off like crazy. The flashes remind me of Maeve—Christ, when am I not thinking of her?—and that she now avoids the camera. Back in the locker room, we all have a chat with the coach, then shower and change and head out to hit up our favorite pub for a celebration.

I don't expect Maeve to be at Winchester's. She said she had no plans to go. She'll likely go home with her mother and father and the thoughts of them seeing her home safely gives me a bit more comfort. I just wish I was the one taking her home, but she didn't ask me to do that, and dammit, I'm kind of bummed about it. Although she probably doesn't want to be seen leaving with me. We're faking it for my family, not the team.

Because I'm a loner, I jump into my truck instead of riding with some of the others, and head to the pub. I check my phone again after I park, a little disappointed that I've not heard a word from Maeve. Hell, she's probably already home in bed. I keep my head down as I head to the bar, but the local paparazzi know where the team likes, to go after a win, and are outside ready to take our pictures.

A few fans are standing there as well, and even though I have a hat on and my collar pulled up, they recognize me. I love my fans, I really do, but right now, I'm only in the mood for one quick beer with the guys and then I want to head home. I stop to take a few pictures with some girls, and give them my autograph.

I wave them off and head inside. The guys are laughing and many have their arms thrown around their girls. Some are their girlfriends and some are puck bunnies.

"Hey, Tanner," Sophie purrs as she sidles up to me, a glass of beer in her hand. It sloshes over the side, soaking her shirt and she giggles. "Whoops. Maybe you should take me home and lend me this." She tugs on my button-down shirt and I put my hand over hers.

"I'm just here for a quick one," I tell her.

She giggles. "I like quick ones."

"Maybe another time." I don't want to give her hope, but I don't want to be rude either. I gesture with a nod, toward Brent. "I think Brent has a cold one for you."

"Ooh, does he?" The next thing I know she's sauntering toward Brent and I breathe a sigh of relief. My days of one-night stands are long behind me. The only woman I want to be with is Maeve, and I'm going to enjoy what we have for as long as I have it.

Until this burns out.

As her words rattle around in my brain, I glance around and the second I see Maeve sitting next to her father and mother on a stool at the bar, my heart leaps.

She's here.

Play it cool, dude. Play it cool.

I walk up to the bar, and move in beside her. Electricity instantly arcs between us, and I really hope her father doesn't pick up on it. I try to breathe normally as I move a bit closer, my body brushing hers, and she turns my way. The smile on her face wraps around my heart.

She leans into me, her mouth by my ear. "Great game tonight, T."

I grin at her, and gesture to Jerry for the usual. He glances at me, slides a cold one my way, and says, "This one's on the house. Great game tonight, Bang."

I reach for my glass and Maeve moves her hands so our knuckles brush and heat flames through my body. Working to keep my hand from shaking, I lift my glass to salute Jerry as the highlights of tonight's game play out on the TV above the bar.

"I didn't know you were going to be here," I say to her.

"Mom wanted to come out for a drink."

I lean forward to see Maeve's mom and find her smiling at me. "Hi, Hannah."

"Great game, Tanner." She beams at me and I turn to Felix, who nods at me, and we both know I wouldn't have made that goal without his years of experience and expertise. Is he really thinking of retiring? I have no idea who could possibly take his place.

"Nice to see you guys out for a drink." Honestly, I suspect it has everything to do with watching over Maeve.

"We're not going to be here long. Drink up, Maeve," Felix says and Maeve toys with the glass of wine in her hand.

I spin on my stool and spot my teammate Jesse Campbell, who I also played hockey with at Scotia Academy. I've always liked him. He's with his wife, Josie, who is now a nurse. Jesse waves me over, and I lean into Maeve, putting my mouth close to her ear. I don't miss the quiver in her body. Fuck, I feel it too.

"I'm going to go say hello to Jesse. Do you want to come meet his wife, Josie? I think you'll really like her."

"Oh." She turns to take the couple in at the table. "Sure."

I grab my beer, push off the stool and wait for her as she says something to her father. I can't hear his response but the next thing I know she picks up her drink, and coat, and we're walking to the table together. When one of our teammates comes barreling past us, I put my arm around her and pull her close to protect her.

"Whoa," she yelps, her wine spilling on her very pretty shirt.

Goddammit. I turn to glare at Theo. He went to Kingston College in Nova Scotia—Scotia Storms' rival school. I didn't like him then and I don't like him now. I expect an apology, but he's already gone. Asshole.

"You okay?" She nods and I put my arm on her back and guide her over to the booth.

"Hey, Tanner. Great game," Jesse says when I reach him and I bend down to kiss Josie on the cheek. They both glance at Maeve, who is shifting a bit nervously. "Maeve, you know Jesse, and this is his wife, Josie."

"Hey Jesse," Maeve says, and turns to Josie. "It's so nice to meet you, Josie."

"You too." Josie greets us with a wide and friendly smile. "Sit with us."

I check in with Maeve and she nods, looking pleased by that. I pull her chair out and she slides into it, and I take my coat off and hang it over the back of mine before I drop into it. I shift a bit, pretending to avoid the table behind me, but let's face it, I just want to be closer to Maeve and when I catch Jesse's grin, it's clear the guy can see right through me.

Jesse's gaze goes from me to Maeve, to her father at the bar, and then back to me. His eyes are narrowed and full of questions, but he's not a guy to butt into anyone else's business, so he stays silent.

Josie, however, who likely doesn't know who Maeve's father is, smiles and says, "You two are the cutest. How long have you been dating?" Maeve and I both hesitate, and Josie takes a drink of her wine as she waits for an answer.

"We're…" Shit, how am I supposed to answer. I'm not sure how Maeve wants to play this fake relationship with the team. I wasn't smart enough to think that far ahead and she was dealing with her own demons after her scare.

"We're friends," Maeve pipes in, and Jesse and Josie give each other a knowing look. Yeah okay, I get it. There's enough friction between us to light up the entire block. We're not fooling them, which makes me wonder if we're fooling her parents.

"Maeve is the team's physiotherapist," I explain and lift my arm to rotate my shoulder. "She does wonders when she gets me on her table and goes to work on me." Wait, shit. That didn't come out right.

"No way," Josie says and I can already tell they're going to hit it off. That's nice, considering Maeve could use a friend or two. Sure, she has Kate, but she lives pretty far away. "I'm a nurse. Working at Boston General." Her eyes narrow and she leans in. "Wait, I know who you are now."

Maeve braces herself, and I put my arm around the back of her chair. "Maeve Carter. Jesse mentioned you. You travel with the team to away games."

Maeve relaxes. "That's me." She points to her father. "My dad is Felix Carter."

Josie claps her hands. "Oh, I love Felix."

"Hey." Jesse feigns jealousy, but honestly, Felix is a father figure to us all. He took Jesse under his wing when he arrived here a year before I did.

Josie leans into Jesse and nudges him. "Jesse wants me to work for the team." She winks at him. "He misses me when I'm working night shifts."

"I think that would be wonderful," Maeve agrees.

"I'm sure Jesse can pull a few strings," I say, and note the way Maeve stiffens again. Shit, what did I say?

"While I like that idea, and maybe it's something I can do down the road, right now, I really enjoy my work at Boston General, and I've made some really great friends."

Maeve gazes at her with a new kind of longing. "That's really nice. I've only been here a year, and working alone at headquarters has made it a bit difficult to meet people." What she's not saying is that she's afraid of everyone and everything, and that's understandable, but it hurts my heart. I want her carefree and having fun.

"We have a book club once a month," Josies says. "You have to come. You would love the girls and they'd love you."

Maeve puts one hand up and waves it. "Oh, no I wasn't suggesting?—"

"Of course you weren't, but the more the merrier, Maeve." I smile at Josie, loving her for this. "We'd love for you to join us. Honestly, it's more of a wine and whine night and every now and then we toss in a hockey romance to read."

"Hockey romance?" Maeve asks, intrigued.

Josie leans in. "One of the players who was on the Scotia Storms team is a romance writer."

"No way." Maeve's eyes are wide with surprise. "What's his name? I have to find his books."

"Brandon Cannon. I can lend you some of his books. I have them all."

"That's really nice of you."

Josie arches a hopeful brow. "So, you'll come?"

"It does sound like fun." Smiling, Maeve takes a sip of her wine, and I lean in.

"Another glass?" I ask and she nods. I love seeing her happy and relaxed like this.

"Good, because us Wags need to stick together," Josie says.

Maeve straightens in her seat. "I'm not a?—"

Now it's Josie's turn to lift her hand and wave it. "Right, sorry." She exchanges that knowing look with Jesse again and pretending Maeve and I are only friends around them is futile. I actually kind of like my buddy knowing.

Josie puts both hands on the table and pushes to her feet. "I need to go to the little girls' room. Join me?" she asks Maeve, who nods and stands.

"You two be good," Josie teases, and tucks her arm into Maeve's and I grin at the cuteness overload.

Before they head off, Maeve glances at Jesse. "Oh, when I get back I want to hear all the stories about Tanner from your college years."

"Oh, no you don't," Josie says with a laugh.

I watch them go, unable to take my eyes off Maeve and once she disappears, Jesse's voice pulls my attention back.

"I take it she's the reason you never come out, or take a bunny home?"

"What? No. Shit, Jesse. She's off limits, you know that." He nods and I take a moment to explain what we're up to and as I lay out our fake dating plan, I realize how ludicrous it sounds. Shit man, Felix was right. Nothing good can come from this.

Once I'm done, he gives a shake of his head. "Fuck, man. That's pretty messed up."

"I know."

He scoffs and shakes his head. "You got it bad, man."

I laugh and give up pretending otherwise. "That easy to tell, huh?"

"Yeah, been there and done that." He takes a sip of his beer. "Listen, I know about her past. Most guys on the team do. I don't think Josie has realized who she really is yet, but I'll tell her, and tell her not to make a big deal out of it, okay?"

I clap his shoulder. "I appreciate that, buddy." We chat about the game for a few more minutes, until I catch the women coming from the bathroom. "I think they're going to be good friends."

"Good, they can hang out in Santorini while we get Jay drunk."

I spin back to see him. "You're going?"

He grins. "Damn right. Santorini in the winter. I'm all over that."

I'm sure that was the selling point for Maeve too. I nod at Jesse, pleased, and it gives me a measure of comfort to know he'll be there and have my back if anything goes down. Not that I think it will. It's a private event in Santorini and I plan to make sure Maeve has the time of her life.

Maeve sits, and as Josie says something to Jesse, I lean in. "Missed you." She grins and that's when I spot someone standing over her. I lift my head and a jolt of anger courses through me when I find the asshole himself standing there.

"What the fuck are you doing hanging with Felix's hot daughter?" Theo Wagner blurts out and gives a low slow whistle. Is he drunk already? "You're either a brave motherfucker, or you have no need for your nuts." Before I can say anything, he sidles closer to Maeve. "Hey, Maeve."

My blood boils just hearing her name on his lips. I hate the motherfucker. Spoiled little rich douche bag who thinks he can have anything or anyone he wants. Hell, back in college he put his girlfriend Jami up in a bet. Fortunately, she ended up with my good buddy Kai, and the two are now married.

"Hi," she answers, leaning forward, her shoulders curling in on herself, a clear sign she's uncomfortable and I'm not having any of that.

"What are you doing with this dick?" Before I can say anything, he pumps his fist together and asks, "Wait, don't tell me you're banging our Bang brother." Maeve gasps and, unsteady on his feet, Theo moves until he's behind her chair.

I jump to my feet, coming face to face with Theo. "What the fuck did you just say?"

Theo laughs, and I step closer, nudging him back, further away from Maeve. "What?" He throws his hands up. "I thought players were off limits to this beauty. How many magazine covers were you on, Maeve? Did you do Playboy?"

Jesse shifts, ready to jump in, and I note the way Josie moves closer to Maeve, taking her hand.

"Back the fuck off, Theo," I growl.

"Whoa, Mitts, just having some fun. Don't get your panties in a twist, or better yet, go home and knit me something."

I work to calm the rage inside me. I'm an even-tempered guy, most times, but this…this is fucking unacceptable behavior and no one, not even a team member, is going to get away with talking to my girl like that.

My girl…

"Tanner," Maeve calls weakly, and I register the fear in her voice.

I move so I'm standing between her and Theo, blocking him from her sight. From the corner of my eye, I notice Felix sliding off his stool, and I shake my head no to let him know I've got this. No one is going to fuck with Maeve when I'm around, and when I'm not around, all she has to do is call me and I'll be right fucking there.

I poke Theo's chest and he stumbles again. "Go have your fun somewhere else, and if you ever disrespect Maeve again, I'll break your fucking face." I press my nose to his. "You have my word on that."

He snorts. "Yeah, right and there goes your career, fuck face."

"Try me, Theo."

He laughs again, but it's nervous and cautious, and that's when I notice the sudden silence around us. Fuck. I'm sure Coach will be talking to me about this tomorrow. He wants the teammates getting along, on and off the ice, and fighting isn't tolerated. But Jesus, how could he blame me for this?

He walks away, and I put my hand on Maeve's shoulder. "Want to get out of here?"

She nods, and I don't miss the way she pulls away from my touch. Shit. I snatch her coat off her chair and hold it out. She slides into it, and I grab my own.

"Come on."

She backs up. "I came with my parents. I should probably leave with them."

She walks away from me, and not only is she physically distancing herself, but she's also emotionally distancing herself as well. My heart sinks into the pit of my stomach as I stare after her.

What the fuck did I do wrong and how can I make this right again?