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Back then, the feeling was fleeting. Not long after, Taylor decided we needed a mansion and nanny and things that did not come cheaply. While I'd been successful by then, in order to maintain the lifestyle she wanted, I had to work hard and often, and our already strained relationship eventually broke.
Because I knew those moments of bliss were fleeting, I understood that what Betts and I had wasn't necessarily everlasting. But I also knew that I wasn't done seeking out the pleasure that she and I could bring each other when it was just the two of us and we let the world fall away. She was like a drug. In fewer than twelve hours after my last hit, I was craving more.
But I understood the situation she was in, and I promised her I wouldn't do anything that would hurt her reputation, which meant right now, in the owner’s box, watching the first hockey game of the season, I had to act like I hadn't spent last night with her having more orgasms in those few hours than I had in the entirety of my marriage. It wasn't easy, but I knew if she wanted to give me another night, I'd have to follow the rules, so I did my damnedest to keep my eyes focused on the game.
"What are you feeding that kid?" Reed, the Buckaroo’s owner, asked. He sat with his wife and the wives of the coaches, Analyn and Ruby.
I grinned and shrugged. "It must've been that wholesome Finnish fresh air."
When the game finished and we'd come out with a three to one win, I knew that despite all my false steps with Mikael, I'd made the right decision in bringing him onto the team.
"Great game, Todd." Reed extended his hand, and we shook.
"Thank you. Now I just have to hope he gets through the press conference." I didn’t think anyone knew how hard Betts and I had been working to get Mikael media ready. But Reed and the rest of them were good people, and I don't believe they hoped that Mikael would embarrass the team.
I turned toward Betts, who stood waiting for me. "We should go catch Mikael and get him settled for the press conference," she said to me. "I've already sent David down."
I nodded and went over to the door, holding it open and motioning for her to exit in front of me. As we made our way out of the room and took the elevator down to the locker room level, I wanted more than anything to grab her and hold her and kiss her. Fuck the press conference. I wanted to take her back to the hotel and drown myself in her again.
I shoved my hands in my pockets and played sports stats in my head to keep myself in check. As the elevator neared the end of its journey, I asked her, "When this is all said and done tonight, would you like to go get a drink?"
I chanced a glance at her, hoping I wasn't stepping over the boundary. After all, we were in private, and it wasn't like I was asking her back to the hotel to get naked. I’d do that later.
"Maybe." But her sly smile told me that she was interested. My heart did a dance in my chest. She wasn’t fighting this thing between us anymore.
The doors opened and we exited, heading toward the locker room. When we arrived, Betts went into full marketing management mode, checking in with Naomi and Connor, as well as Dylan and Mikael. Last year, most of the media interviews seemed to involve a reporter catching a player or coach coming out of the locker room. This year, I made sure the media was corralled into a specific room that we set up for interviews and press conferences.
I stood at the back of the room while Naomi, Connor, Dylan, and Mikael sat at the table at the front of the room. Over at the side door, Betts stood at the ready, prepared to intervene if anything went off kilter. I was grateful that this time, I wouldn’t be the one she’d interrupt if things went off the rails. I was also grateful when the first questions asked were directed at Naomi and her coaching. It was probably sexist that they asked about motherhood and coaching as if the two shouldn't go together, but Naomi took on the questions like the true trailblazer she was. She let the world know that all things were possible for a woman. She also gave props to her husband Pierce, who was an equal parent and her biggest supporter as a coach.
The next questions were geared toward Mikael, and I held my breath as I waited for something obnoxious to come out of his mouth.
My next breath came ten minutes later when the press conference ended and Mikael hadn’t said anything offensive. I waited until the press conference broke up and everyone was leaving before I went on the hunt for Betts. I found her in her office with her assistant, David. When she finished talking to him, he exited her office, and I stepped in.
"Mikael did good tonight,” I said.
Betts nodded. "He did."
Betts looked at me, and I noticed the wariness in her eyes. Was she changing her mind? Or maybe she was just making sure I behaved and kept our little affair a secret. I shoved my hands in my pockets to keep from rushing toward her and tugging her into my arms like I desperately wanted to do. My desire wasn't sexual, or at least not solely sexual. I'd had a really great night, and there was nobody else I wanted to celebrate it with than with Betts. I was determined that we would celebrate, but not here.
I was trying to decide whether I wanted to invite her out for just a drink or dinner. I considered dinner and dancing, but to be honest, all I wanted to do was go someplace where it would just be the two of us like it was last night.
"Todd." The voice behind me sent a cold chill down my spine.
I turned my attention toward the doorway. Taylor. Jesus fuck, what was she doing here?
I cast a quick last glance at Betts, who stared at Taylor in confusion.
I stepped toward Taylor, blocking her from Betts. "What are you doing here?”
"I've brought Dean. He needs to come live with you for a while."
I looked over her shoulder where my son was leaning against the wall, his attention directed to his phone.
"What are you talking about? You can't just show up here—"
Taylor got up into my face. "You won't talk to me over the phone, so I've come in person. He's been kicked out of school again, and I can't handle him. You abandoned him for long enough. Now it's your turn."
What the hell? “I didn't abandon him. You're the one who took him away."
