Page 93 of Off The Ice

“No.”

“Damn it, Brynn, you have been a pain in my ass since the day you joined this team. And you know what? Some of the time, it’s worked for you. God knows why, but they ate that up. The hockey kid with an attitude. But now? Fighting with a fan?” He shook his head in disappointment. “You need to fix this.”

“I didn’tfightwith a fan,” I corrected, feeling like steam was about to come out of my ears. “I punched a guy who deserved it, and it wasn’t a random fucking fan. It wasprivate.”

“Well, you don’t get privacy at TD fucking Garden after you win a game! I mean, come on, Brynn! I thought you had a better head on your shoulders than that! Do you want to lose your career because you can’t keep it together?”

The answer was no. No, I fucking did not.

“I’ll keep it together,” I said through gritted teeth.

“I’m holding you to that.” Coach nodded, finger-pointing at my chest. “And you’re going to prove it at the auction.”

Fucking hell.

Chapter Thirty-One

Cassie

It was hard to know what feelings were real and which ones weren’t when I’d spent so long pretending.

Emotions had been dangerous growing up. It wasn’tminethat mattered, but my mother’s. I’d learned that early, when my tears would bring on her fury, claiming that I was doing it for attention.

Oh, your life is so horrible, isn’t it?

I’d then have to listen to how terribleherlife was, having to raise me on her own, with no money, no husband, no life of her own.

It saddled me with a guilt that emerged each time I felt any type of negative emotion for myself. I realized that usually Iwasbeing unreasonable.

Sure, my mom yelled at me sometimes, and sometimes her behavior could be a little unpredictable. Sometimes she passedout for entire days at a time, when she had promised me we’d do something together or she’d take me somewhere. But some kids had no parents at all. Some kids got hit or abused.

So, really, she was right. What did I have to cry about?

Now, thinking about the situation, it felt completely unreasonable, but even the knowledge of that wasn’t enough to push the feelings down.

I was upset, but I knew how to pretend I wasn’t. And that’s what I’d have to do to keep the peace. I didn’t want a confrontation. I didn’t want to fight. I didn’t want to get yelled at for feeling something I already knew I had no right to feel.

So, as I walked into Liam’s apartment, I told myself I wasn’t going to bring it up. Not the fight he got into, not the secret girlfriend he was hiding. None of it. It wasn’t my business. And I knew from experience that people didn’t like being questioned about their choices. I’d learned to keep the questions at bay.

But then I saw him, and every thought in my head went out the window.

“Hey,” he said, looking utterly and completely exhausted.

The air felt different. It always did when someone was upset. I had a sixth sense for that type of stuff, like I could absorb whatever someone else was feeling the moment I laid eyes on them.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, staring at him where he sat at the kitchen counter.

His head snapped up. “What do you mean?”

“You’re upset,” I said, that feeling of anxiety growing inside me like it did whenever anyone was in a bad mood.

But this wasn’t just anyone. This wasLiam.And I wasn’t scared of his bad moods. I was concerned for him.

He stared at me, green eyes blazing, before letting out the softest laugh that seemed to lighten some weight off of him.

“How could youpossiblyknow that?”

I shrugged, moving to sit on the stool beside him.

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