Page 57 of Power Play

“A power what?”

CHAPTERNINETEEN

levi

My palms areclammy as hell as I help Tyson cut the pizza. I know we won’t be eating much, but we had to keep up the facade for when Thad gets in so he doesn’t think it’s an ambush. And Coach C. has no idea what’s coming. And I am feeling really fucking guilty about that.

“Are you sure we shouldn’t have given your dad any kind of heads-up?” I ask him. Tyson shrugs.

“I don’t know what kind of heads-up that would really be. None of us should have to tell him. Pretty Boy Thad should have to bear the blow,” he says. I nod. I know he’s right. I just feel so protective of all of them.

I play my last professional hockey game in two days, and I don’t even give a shit right now. I don’t care about anything but her and Harper. I want this night to end. I want to take the blow with her, then help pull her through it. I want to be the one who picks up the pieces and helps her truly move past the worst thing that ever happened to her. And then I want to be the best.

A few minutes later, I hear Lo calling goodbye to Tate and Harper and closing the door. Coach C. is coming down the stairs just as the doorbell rings, and I lock eyes with Lo.

“I’m right here,” I tell her. “I’m not going anywhere.”

She nods slowly, and Tyson takes a breath. He walks through the kitchen toward the foyer, and I walk toward Lo, putting an arm around her.

We hear Coach C. greet Thad. We hear the hug, the laughs. We hear Thad’s smooth, sultry voice. Immediately, her spine goes straight next to me. I bend down and kiss the top of her head.

“Hey,” I whisper, “just one night. It’s almost over.”

She nods just as Coach C. comes around the corner, Thad and Tyson in tow. Tyson’s eyes are red like he’s on some sort of drug. And I know he’s where I’ve been for the last four years. Trying to keep his composure. Trying not to go to jail. I catch his eye and nod. He nods back, and I see him take a breath.

“Well, I am just so glad you had time to see your old coach before you’re a big ol’ NFL star,” Coach C. says, and every word makes me cringe a little bit more. Thad looks around at each of us, pausing in his tracks when he sees me—and looking even more confused when he sees me with my arm around Lo.

“Levi?” he asks. “I didn’t know you’d be here.”

“Ah, yes, Levi Buck is a staple in the Calway house,” Coach says with a hearty laugh and a slap to my shoulder. “Even though he’s a big hockey star, we’re still lucky enough that he comes around every now and then. Well, I guess, he’s really the lucky one. You remember my daughter Lola?” Coach says, smiling from ear to ear. This poor man. “Y’all probably haven’t seen each other since graduation. But I keep her updated on all the big things you’ve been doing at Graver.”

I squeeze her hand. She doesn’t say anything. She just nods slowly. Before anyone can say anything else to make this the most uncomfortable situation known to man, Tyson takes over.

“Hey, uh, before we eat, let’s all take a seat,” he says. “We have a few things we want to discuss.”

The expression on Coach’s face changes, his eyes bouncing from his kids to me. He nods slowly, then follows Tyson to the table. He sits at the head. Tyson is on one side, and he holds out his hand for Thad to take the seat on the other. I pull out a chair for Lo next to Tyson, and I sit on the other side. I throw my arm around her chair, and I lean back in mine, narrowing my eyes on Thad. He’s wide-eyed now, and if I’m not mistaken, he looks a little bit nervous.

I’m not sure if he remembers exactly what he said to me at the club. But I know he’s racking his brain right now, trying to figure it out.

“Do you want to say anything, Lo?” Tyson asks.

Lo looks at him, then shakes her head. I squeeze her hand, letting her know it’s okay. Tyson nods, then looks at Coach C.

“Dad, I know—the whole town knows—that Thad is one of your biggest accomplishments. One of the kids you are the proudest of,” Tyson starts. Coach C. nods, smiling nervously as he looks to Thad, then back to Tyson. “But there is something you should know. And something that I’m going to give Thad here a chance to tell you himself.”

Tyson and I both glare at him across the table, and he swallows, clasping his hands on the table. Lo clears her throat, then lifts her eyes to meet his. I’m so fucking proud of her.

“I’ll give you one chance, Dietrich,” Tyson says. Thad smiles nervously and holds his arms out, feigning innocence.

“I mean…I’m not even sure what you guys are…”

Before he can mutter any more bullshit, I slam my phone on the table, making Lo jump. I slide it up to unlock it, and press play.

“So you’re close with Coach Calway, right?” I say.

“Oh, dude, so close,” Thad says. “He’s like a father to me.”

“You know his younger daughter? I think her name is…Lola?”

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