Chapter 15

Wade

"I'll take those, those, and those." I point at three different pairs of Converse. "And the Virgil Abloh ones."

"They all look the same," Kali mutters to herself.

I"ve enjoyed shopping with her today more than I thought I would. She's funny, knows everyone, and eats like a fucking horse. She ate two burgers at lunch, yet declared she was still hungry and ordered fries and onion rings. Then ordered dessert.

I gave her a fist bump for demolishing everything.

A fucking fist bump.

What I really wanted to do was kiss her pouty mouth.

She's the opposite of Amelia, who counted every calorie, choosing salads instead of burgers when we went out for dinner. Looking back, she wasn't much fun to be around, but Kali… I swipe a sneaky look… she's… different. Free-spirited and at the same time, she's demure, controlled, and fascinating.

She looks a million bucks in the simple clothes I ordered for her. Although they aren't simple; they cost me a fortune. I almost passed out when the concierge told me how much a pair of Givenchy jeans were. Two and a half grand. Worth it though. She's a fucking smoke show in them.

I point at the pairs of Converse I picked out that are all the same color. "Those are X Comme des Gar?ons, those are Stüssy and those are Chuck Taylor All Star 70 Hi Riri."

"I don't mean that." She steps forward in the heels she had on from last night.

Heels and jeans might just be my new kink.

Picking up a boot off the display, she holds it up to compare it against each pair I have chosen. "Black and white. Black and white and oh, black and white. Lots of variation there."

"And you're a ray of sunshine with your color choices." All I've ever seen her in is black. Black dresses with black heels. Black skirts, which I'm now imagining hiking up around her waist and ripping off that hot as fuck Italian lace and silk underwear she wears after getting an eye full of last night.

"I have blue on today." She looks down at her never-ending legs wrapped in the finest denim.

"And black." I wave my finger up and down in the air, motioning to her sweater, which was a thousand bucks. You can't blame me. One glance at her fine Italian underwear made me do it, plus I felt sorry for her after what Michael said to her. Fuck it, I can afford it.

Placing the boot back on the display, she chuckles, "You got me."

"Excuse me, can I get an autograph?" A little voice comes from below me.

Graham, Lola's fiancé was forced to lock the front door after news got out I was shopping in his store and the staff are only letting a few customers in at a time.

Dropping my gaze, the cutest little dude with my hockey jersey on smiles up at me, looking like I'm one of the seven wonders of the world.

"Absolutely." I look around and find his parents standing behind me who wave hi.

"He's obsessed with you." His mom, whose cheeks grow brighter than a strawberry, shares that information as his dad steps forward to shake my hand.

"Love you, man. Been following you since you were drafted."

"Thanks, man. I appreciate that." I'm a little lost for words and pleased to hear that not every fan hates me.

"You've been fighting a little too much lately, huh?" The dad asks me a question that isn't really a question.

"I'm dealing with it. Promise."

"Don't screw it up. My wife and I, we love you. Rory here thinks you're the world's best hockey player."

"That right? Best in the world? Wow."

Rory nods his little head enthusiastically, beaming up at me.

I ruffle his hair. "Okay, what am I signing?"

"My jersey." He points to his shoulder, and I bend down to his grasshopper height.

"I don't have a pen."

"I do." Kali jumps in and hands me one from over my shoulder. Our fingertips brush as I take it from her. I like that she's here witnessing this. The little touch of her fingers touching mine make me crave more. I wonder what it would be like to hold her hand and how her palm would feel wrapped around my dick.

Not now, Wade, there are children around.

"Can I take a photo for Wade's social media?" Kali asks, and I want to roll my eyes at her question. Her marketing mind is never off the clock. She's already taken video footage of the crowd and posted it online.

"Yes." Rory punches the air. "Can you mention me? I want to show my friends at school on Monday. It's Rory Allen," he says matter-of-factly, and I twist my neck and look back up at Kali.

"You get that?" I chuckle as Rory spells it out while Kali taps furiously against the screen of her phone, taking his information.

"Age seven," Rory states, dead serious.

"Got it." Kali smiles wide when she looks up from her screen.

"Seven? Wow, you are really tall for seven." I sign my name across his shoulder. "Are you sure you're not sixteen? You look it," I joke with him and wink up at his parents.

Grinning at me with a goofy smile, his two front teeth still growing in, he almost yells at me, "No silly, I'm seven today." He giggles. "It's my birthday," he states proudly, puffing his little chest out.

"Happy Birthday, dude." I playfully punch his shoulder.

"We're in to get new Converse for his birthday. Wanted to pick them out himself because you wear them and then I saw you were here."

Holy shit, this is a buzz and a bit of a head fuck. While I have been deep in the depths of my misery, lashing out and not considering my actions, I forgot that I'm a role model and kids Rory's age are looking up to me. I really need to do better.

Kali's hot, breathy voice dusts the shell of my ear. "Wade." A shiver unlike anything I've ever felt weaves down my spine, my cock twitching, begging for her attention. I turn my head to where she is, our noses almost touching. She blinks, and I don't miss her gaze dropping to my lips and back up. Blinking again, she says quietly, "Offer to buy them for him."

Mouth dry, I can't speak and blink back. We're caught in a moment as time feels like it's standing still. I could look at her forever.

"It's rude to whisper," Rory pipes up cheekily, snapping us from our trance-like state.

"Get in here." I beckon him to move closer, and without hesitation, he does, and all three of us huddle in.

I love this little guy, big expectant eyes, and excitable smiles. He can barely stand still. "Want to know a secret?" My voice is low.

Rory nods his head a little too enthusiastically, making him look like a bobblehead. "Kali and I were talking about what I'm going to buy you for your birthday." I'm fucking hemorrhaging money today.

He gasps, then turns around to look at his parents. "Wade's buying me a birthday present," he yells over his shoulder even though they are standing beside us, unable to contain himself.

I roll my eyes, pretending to be mad. "You are terrible at keeping secrets."

"Oops." He covers his mouth with his hands, giggling, with Kali joining in.

"C'mon, let's pick a cool pair to make everyone jealous." I push myself up to my full height, place my hand on his shoulder, and guide him over to the kid's section. "That okay?" I ask his parents as we walk by, and Rory is already skipping away.

They both nod furiously. Rory's mom's eyes look a little glazed with emotion. "Thank you." She reaches out and squeezes my forearm. "He's had a tough year with friends."

I hate hearing that. He's too young to have any worries. "Bullies?" I take a guess.

"Yeah," she confirms.

That makes me mad, my nose flaring in response. I'm going to make that kid's entire year.

Clapping my hands, I rub them together and walk confidently over to him. "Okay, what are we thinking?"

"Black ones, like yours." He points to my feet, even more giddy now. "The high boot ones. Would that be okay?" Looking unsure as if he's just asked me to buy him the moon.

"Great choice. Pick another pair. What about the same style but these ones?" I pick up an All Star Chuck Taylor Low Top.

"Two pairs?" His little jaw drops open.

"It's not every day you're seven." I justify my reason, although it's not that. I like this kid. He's cute.

"Thank you. I'm gonna be the coolest boy in school."

"Oh yeah, you are. Now let's get your size." And before we know it, Rory has two new fresh pairs of kicks and is as happy as a clam.

"Thank you for everything." Rory's father clasps both his hands with mine.

"No problem, it was a pleasure." I feel like I did something worthwhile today. Maybe for the first time in a year.

"We have an issue." Graham sounds panicky.

"We do?" I ask.

"Oh, wow." Kali gasps and I follow her line of sight.

"Oh." I seem to have drawn a bigger crowd than before; it's grown by at least ten times from the last time I looked through the store windows.

"No one else is getting in," Graham confirms, adding, "You can leave through the back."

"I'm capturing this for social media." Kali pulls her phone out again. She's already had Rory and his parents pose for photos, taken Rory's parents" details, as well as having them sign a media waiver allowing us to publish Rory's photos.

She's nothing but thorough and her mind is never off the job.

Because that's what I am. A job.

She's being paid to make me look better.

Nothing more.

Which is a real fucking shame because she's sexy as hell and if she wasn't so hung up on the age difference, I would ask her out on a date. Something I never do.

Through the glass, I can hear Kali's name being called as well as mine. I haven't drawn a crowd, we both have.

"We're not going out the back," Kali says coolly.

"No?" I'm confused and worried.

Taking the back route has become my only option lately, and it protects me from being verbally abused.

The boos and disappointed jeers from fans have been chipping away at my self-confidence for months. As much as I hold my head up high and pretend it doesn't affect me, it does.

"Will it be safe?" What if hate mail mutates into something more serious? I never considered this while smashing people's faces in and trying to find the answer to my grief at the bottom of a bottle.

"You'll be safe. Don't worry." Grinning at me, I know Kali has a plan. She always has a plan which settles the nerves in my stomach. Holding her phone to her ear with one hand, she holds the pointer finger of her other hand up, asking for a minute.

"Hey, Max. Are you close by?" She smiles down the phone. I've never met anyone as organized in my life. Well, that is, except for Lola. Marcus knew what he was doing when he formed my team. He hired nothing but the best.

"Great, can you come to Box'd Fresh, please?" Quiet for a second, she then says, "Wade is going to meet and greet the crowd outside. We just need a few of you for crowd control. We'll wait inside. Bring Lewis, Brandon, and Trevor, too. Be quick." Then she hangs up. "Sorted." Looking at Rory and his parents, she adds, "I think you three should go out the back though, just to be safe."

"Agreed," Rory's parents both say at the same time.

"I wanted to go out the front so everyone could see me with you." Rory looks up at me, his face full of disappointment, his voice trailing off to a whine.

I force my laughter down and make an instant excuse. "But what if they try to steal your new sneakers?" My eyes widen.

He hugs his bags with his new prized possessions inside against his chest, protecting them. "I'll go out the back way," he agrees.

"Great idea." I wink at his parents, and we all say our goodbyes before they head out back. "Hey, Rory," I shout, just as they are about to disappear through the storeroom. "Want to come to the game next week? Be my guest?"

"Yeah?" His eyes light up brighter than a Christmas tree. "Can my mom and dad come too?"

I nod.

"And one of my friends?"

"Make it two friends." I hold up two fingers.

Rory runs at me, and I drop to my knees just in time as he flings himself at me, his bags banging off my back. I let out a humpf sound as the sharp edges of the boxes dig in.

"Thanks, Wade," he says, sounding happy.

He's maybe my smallest fan, yet in some way, he's had a bigger impact on me in the last thirty minutes than anyone has in the last year.

"Kali has your mom's email. She'll contact you this week." Rory's parents are hugging each other as Rory's father mouths a thank you. I pat Rory's little back. "Time to go, buddy. See you next week, yeah?"

"Wave to me?"

"Absolutely." I hold out my fist for him to bump. "Stay cool, buddy."

He skips away and looks back, grinning, then gives me one last wave.

Rory's made me realize hockey isn't just about the game, which it's become for me, it's about little dudes like him. Time for me to be a better role model. And if Marcus is injecting his money into a support team to help me, then I have to show him I am willing, able, and someone worthy of his effort.

Because everyone is watching.

"So, who are Max, Lewis, Brandon, and Trevor?" I push my arms above my head as I stand up again and give my back a good stretch, my shirt hitching slightly as I move. I had a game on Thursday night, then a grueling session with Ash yesterday afternoon, and my muscles are screaming at me.

"Security." I catch Kali checking out my abs, then she wipes a tear away.

"Are you crying? What's up?" Worry makes my spine bristle.

"I'm fine." Looking away, she hides her face.

I capture her chin in my hands, turning her face back to me. "Did something happen?" Blood pumps faster around my heart. "Who upset you?" I will kill them with my bare hands.

Big dark watery eyes stare back at me. "You." Her chest lets out a little sob.

"Me? Why?"

"That was really something quite special, Wade. You're nicer than you let people see."

I"ve heard that a couple of times in the past week, I might start believing it soon.

I use the pad of my thumb to wipe away the big fat tear that rolls down her cheek. "Yeah?"

"One hundred percent. I think you've forgotten who you are."

I step closer to her, as close as we were on the dance floor last night. "Will you help me to remember?"

Chest to chest, breath for breath, we stand like this. My hands on her face, our mouths so close, yet so far away. Unable to resist, like the gravitational pull of the earth, our lips ghosting each other. She sucks in a breath, and I wait for her to make her move. I want this, whatever this is with her, and need it to be right, need to know she wants it too. I think she does. She said so last night but was tipsy, and I haven't exactly been the best at making decisions or good judgment calls lately. I don't trust my instincts, so I could be wrong, but I've seen the way she looks at me.

"Security's here," Graham shouts, walking back into the store from seeing Rory and his parents out the back safely.

I step back in a flash, dropping my hands from her face and shove my hands into the pockets of my sweatpants.

Flustered, Kali runs her hands down her thighs as if she's straightening herself out. There's no need. She's perfect.

"Great." Kali touches her face where my hand was and slips back into business mode, listing what happens next as if I haven't done this a hundred times before, except she is using this as a publicity opportunity and wants it to be perfect. "Sign autographs, take photos. About twenty or thirty will be enough to satisfy them, and you might get lots of customers today, Graham." Combing her hands through her long jet-black hair, she fluffs it up with her fingers to give it a little extra volume.

Stunning.

She walks with confidence behind the four security guys. "Let's do this." She rubs her hands together. "Ready, Wade?"

For the fans? Yes.

Ready for her?

I'm just a contract for her to fulfill and I'm starting to think that whatever I imagine is happening between us is all in my head.

My mother was always quick to remind me of the vivid imagination I had.