Page 39 of My One & Goalie
I set Charles down, satisfied he got the message. Jackson wanders up, grabbing Charles by the elbow.
“I’ll take you to Jett. And don’t try anything slimy, Charles. I saw the whole thing go down—Kovac didn’t hurt you. In fact, if I were him I would have cold-clocked you in your stupid face. Remember—I have his back, and Rachel and Jett’s. Not yours.” Jackson’s voice is flat and deadly serious.
“I should nail you both for assault.” Charles scowls. “But you’re not worth the effort. Take me to my kid.”
Jackson leads him away and I slump against the wall, adrenaline pumping hard through my veins. Hopefully, our little chat was enough to get the point across. Because I’m not sure I can confront Charles again without throwing a punch.
CHAPTER 16
RACHEL
“We need to talk. Alone.” Charles glowers at me the second I open the door.
“Hi, Mommy!” Jett bounces into the apartment, oblivious to his father’s bad mood. Maybe he’s numb to it, since it’s basically Charles’ entire personality.
“Hey, baby.” I reach down and squeeze Jett tight. “How was practice?”
“Now, Rachel. We need to talk now. I have to go.” My ex taps his watch impatiently.
“Fine, geez. Jett, go put your backpack in your room and wash up for dinner.”
“Okay. And practice was great—Coach Xander told me I’m going to be a better goalie than him soon!” Jett beams up at me with his gappy smile and my heart flip-flops at the mention of Xander.
Of course he gave my kid the best compliment in the whole wide world.
“Earth to Rachel!” Charles waves his hand an inch from my nose, snapping, and I huff out an exasperated sigh.
“That’s amazing, sweetie. Okay, scoot. I’ll grab you when dinner’s ready.”
Jett dashes off to his bedroom and I spin to face Charles, careful to keep a safe distance between us after our last encounter.
“What the hell’s wrong with you, having your hockey Yeti rough me up?” Charles growls.
“What?”
“Yeah. I went to the rink to pick up Jett and that ignorant Yeti had the audacity to threaten me.”
“You’re being ridiculous, Charles. Xander would do no such thing.”
“Ask your buddy Jackson about it. He was there. Saw the whole thing go down.”
My stomach rolls at the mention of Jackson. That detail makes the scenario seem more probable.
EvenafterI asked Xander not to go there.
Men, I swear.
I’m torn between being flattered Xander took it upon himself to defend me and angry that he stirred the pot with Charles, potentially putting his hockey career in a precarious position.
I decide to take a defensive approach. “What did he do? You look fine to me.” I fold my arms over my chest and fully assess Charles. He has no cuts, scrapes, bruises, and his face is still intact and smug as ever.
“I told you, he threatened me.”
“Did that hurt you, Charles? Is that fragile ego of yours bruised?” My tone tips up, mocking.
Charles’s face turns beet red, a vein popping in his neck, and I instantly know I pushed too far. He lunges at me, slapping me hard across the cheek. I stumble backward and crash into the coffee table.
“Listen, you bitch. Tell your Yeti to back off. It would be a real shame if the media found out he was threatening your ex, wouldn’t it?”