Chapter Sixteen

Keely

I watch Reeve carefully as he maneuvers through the narrow row, his crutches clicking against the concrete. The stadium buzzes with energy, but my focus is on him, ready to offer support if needed.

"You good?" I ask, hovering close behind.

"Never better," Reeve grins over his shoulder, though I catch the slight wince as he eases into his seat.

As soon as we're settled, it's like a wave of recognition ripples through the nearby fans. Hands reach out, voices call his name.

"Reeve! Man, it's great to see you back!" One fan says.

"How's the knee, champ? You'll be on the ice again in no time!" Another fan calls out.

Reeve's face lights up, his earlier discomfort forgotten as he basks in the warmth of the crowd. "Thanks. Wouldn't miss this for the world."

I lean in, whispering, "Quite the welcome committee you've got here."

He chuckles, eyes sparkling. "What can I say? Hawkeyes fans are the best."

I begin to understand as I watch him chat animatedly with those around us. This isn't just a stadium; it's a second home. The way Reeve comes alive here, surrounded by the energy and camaraderie – it's a beautiful thing to witness.

"Hey," I nudge him gently. "I think I'm starting to get why you love this place so much."

Reeve's smile softens, and he squeezes my hand. "Just wait till the game starts. Then you'll really see the magic."

The roar of the crowd filled the stadium as Keely settled into her seat next to Reeve. The energy was palpable; fans decked out in Hawkeyes gear, buzzing with excitement for the upcoming game. Just as the announcer's voice booms over the speakers, a slender figure squeezed past them, blonde hair swishing as she took the empty seat on Reeve's other side.

"Rowan," Reeve nods, a hint of wariness in his voice. "Fancy seeing you here."

The woman's bright blue eyes sparkled as she tucked a sleek recorder partially out of view of the fans but visible enough that Reeve and I could both see it. "You know me, always where the story is."

Oh, I see, she's a reporter.

Reeve turns to me, "This is Rowan Summers, she's doing a piece on the team's championship prospects." He then gestured to me, "And this is Keely, my physical therapist."

Rowan's eyes widened with recognition. "You're the one Reeve saved, right? And then became his PT? Talk about a twist of fate!"

Keely shifts uncomfortably. "Yeah, that's about the gist of it."

Leaning in a little closer, Rowan asked, "Any chance there's more going on between you two?"

She catches me off guard and I just about choke on my words.

Reeve intervenes quickly, "The Hawkeyes skating into a championship is a big enough story, don't you think, Ms. Summers?"

Rowan's lips curled into a sly smile. "What can I say? Love or tragedy, every good story needs a hook. That's how we sell out stadiums and jerseys."

"Well, wait four more weeks and you might have your tragedy," Reeve says darkly.

I tense, wanting to protest, but Rowan presses on, "That's not what Sam Roberts says. He thinks you'll be back stronger than ever by Thanksgiving. Thoughts?"

Reeve's jaw set. "All I'll say is it's not over 'til it's over. I'm not ready to retire my jersey just yet."

"Can I quote you on that?" Rowan asks, her recorder inching upward.

"If it's good for the story," Reeve shrugs.

The stadium lights suddenly dim, colorful spotlights dance across the ice. Rowan stands, "I'd better get to the owner's box. It was a pleasure, Keely – that's K-E-E-L-Y, right? I want to make sure I spell it correctly for the story."

"That's correct," I tell her.

She thanks us both for our time and then as Rowan disappears back up the stairs of the stadium, I blow out a breath. "She's... intense."

Reeve chuckles and reaches over to squeeze my knee. The sensation catches me off guard, but the touch isn't unwanted. "Welcome to the big leagues, Doc. Ready for some hockey?"

Then he turns and sees the look on my face.

"You okay?" he asks, his voice low and concerned.

"Yeah, just... not used to being part of the story," I say.

Reeve chuckles softly. "Welcome to my world. You get used to it, eventually."

Maybe so, but I didn't sign up to get used to it.

After the game, I follow Reeve down to the underbelly of the stadium.

"Come on. I have to do media tonight and I have a group of girls for you to meet."

Girls?

My immediate thought is a group of female fans or scantily dressed puck bunnies. We're not together so I won't allow myself to be jealous. This is his job and he and I aren't together. He's free to do anything or anyone he wants, but it would be easier if I didn't have to see it.

"I'm not so sure I need to meet a bunch of women looking to score with you tonight, they might get the wrong idea about us and think that you're in a relationship. I can wait for you in the lobby," I say.

Reeve's eyebrows downturn at my comment—confusion on his face.

"What? No… not those kinds of girls. The girlfriends of the players I told you about. None of them got to meet you at the bar the night of the accident and they've been bugging me to make an introduction." Oh right. He mentioned that they usually watch the game from the owner's box. "But it's good to know that you get jealous too. I know I should play hard to get, but why should I when I already know what I want."

My heart squeezes at his proclamation, but heart squeezing is the only squeezing we can do from here on out. It's for his own good, or all of this that he loves could go away.

"We talked about this…" I warn, looking around to see if anyone is listening in to our conversation.

"Your issue with us is that you're my PT but you won't always be," he says, leading me further down the hall as I begin to see more and more press badges like Rowan's.

"And when Sam gives me the job?" I ask.

His eyes glance over to mine as we walk side by side. "I won't play hockey forever. I have to retire sometime."

"So, you're planning on what exactly?"

"I plan on running the long game."

"Reeve!" A woman with long dark brown hair comes in, wrapping her arms around Reeve's shoulders and pulling him for a hug. "Oh my God, they told me that you would be available for media tonight but I wasn't sure if Sam finally let you back through the doors."

As soon as she pulls back, I recognize her. Tessa Tomlin—Brent Tomlin's sister and the media manager for the team. I've seen her occasionally on TV when she pops in to answer questions from media when they ask if a player will be interviewing. The social media posts are all curated by her, which sometimes have her in the video shot or her voice making fun interviews with players during practice. It's also common knowledge that she's dating Lake Powers, the Left Wing and captain of the Hawkeyes.

"He only let me back in because he saw it as a good PR move to have me talk to the press," Reeve teases. We all know that Sam cares. He wouldn't have spent all night and early morning in a stuffy hospital waiting room calling specialists and approving Hawkeyes funds for me to take care of Reeve if he didn't.

"You know he loves you. You're like the son he never had," she says "But I'm glad you're back in the stadium. We all missed you."

"I brought someone along with me that you've been begging me to meet," he says, his eyes turning to me.

"Keely! Finally," she says, reaching out with her hands to grab mine. "We saw you two sitting in your seats. The girls are all itching to meet you. Penelope wanted to run down to your row and pull you up to the owner's box to be with us, but we figured you needed to stay with Reeve," then her eyes move back to Reeve. "And holy cow… the fans loved seeing you in those seats. I think the cameraman panned to you two a hundred times. Our social media feed blew up when I posted a short reel, and Lake said it was a huge morale boost for the guys in the locker room to see you back."

"Thanks, Tessa, it's good to be back," he says and then smiles down at me.

"Okay, well, I need to deliver you to media," she says, looking at Reeve, and then turns back to me and squeezes my hands, "And the girls are already waiting over there to meet you," she says.

I nod, "We don't want to keep anyone waiting."

"Okay," she says, dropping my hands and then turns to walk back down the crowded hall. "Follow me."

People pat Reeve's shoulder as we walk by, and he receives smiles from people who are all so happy to see him back.

This is where he belongs, and I will make sure he stays here.

As soon as we get to the room where media is set up for the guys to come in for interviews, Tessa sends Reeve in as Briggs Conley comes out. Reeve gives me one last look before he dips in and my heart flutters because I'm the last thing he looked for before he went in.

Tessa doesn't waste any time as she pulls me down a different hallway but it's not long before I see three women standing together laughing. As soon as we get close, they notice us approaching.

"Look who I found?" Tessa says.

At first glance, I recognized Penelope Roberts.

Her long blonde hair, sweet smile, and the same gray-blue eyes that her father and GM for the Hawkeyes have. Plus, I saw all of her pictures in his office.

"You're Penelope, right?" I ask, reaching out a hand to shake hers. "You got me the interview with your dad and my apartment. I can't tell you how much I appreciate both of those things."

Her smile is bright and inviting as it beams back at me. "No need to thank me, I was just doing my job. I'm glad that Reeve is getting the help that he needs. The reports are that he's doing really well."

"He is. I really think we'll make the deadline for getting him back on the ice," I say and then my eyes move down to the next.

Autumn Daughtry.

She and Briggs Conley were all over social media last year as the "it" couple who weren't supposed to end up together because Briggs is her brother's best friend. And I love how they started a charity that helps young kids with childhood cancer.

"You're Autumn," I say, reaching out a hand to shake hers.

"Yeah," Autumn beams. "It's great to finally meet you. Next time you come to watch a game, let us know and we'll get you a pass for the owner's box."

I nod and then turn to the girlfriend, but then I realize that she's familiar too.

"Hi, I'm Isla," she says, swaying softly, and that's when I realize that she is very pregnant.

"Wait, I know you, don't I? You own Newport Athletics, right? I own like twenty pairs of your leggings," I tell her.

Her face falls just slightly and the rest of the girls eye her quickly. She recovers her smile quickly, though, and nods.

"Yes, I used to, and it's always great to meet people who love the brand. I actually sold off my shares of the company last year and started a new sports line."

"Wow, that's impressive. Congratulations," I say.

Penelope leans in. "And all while juggling a pregnancy and the cutest toddler that you'll ever meet. Isla is a superstar."

"And a toddler?" I ask.

"Berkeley, my three-year-old, is up with her grandmother in the owner's box, probably devouring every cookie in that place."

"We're missing a couple of other girls in our group. Brynn is on a book tour. She's dating Seven Wrenley. His daughter, Cammy, is somewhere around here, but on nights like these, she is always really busy."

I nod. I met Cammy when I came in for an interview with Sam.

Suddenly a warm hand slides across my lower back.

"Hi, Reeve," the women all say in unison.

"Hey, did you all meet Keely?" he asks.

"We did and we already adore her," Autumn says.

"Good," he says and then slides to my side. "I finished with media. Are you ready to go back to the apartment? My leg is getting tired. But you can stay if you want—"

"No, that's fine. I'll head back with you." I say, now realizing that he probably did overdo it, and now I want to make sure he gets ice on it asap.

When I glance back, all four women are watching us intently, smirks on their faces.

"It was nice to meet you all," I say.

They all smile and share the sentiment.

I turn around and start following Reeve back the way that Tessa brought me.

"Hey, Keely?" I hear one of the women say. Reeve and I both turn to glance back at them. "I have a feeling you'll be seeing more of us," Penelope yells and then winks.

When I look back at Reeve, he's already watching me.

Why does Reeve's world have to come with all the bells and whistles?