Page 123 of The Draft
“Besides, I know Dash wouldn’t act on his feelings with you unless he was serious. Don’t hurt him. He’s been through a lot.” I tipped on my toes, holding back a squeal of excitement because his words sounded a lot like acceptance. Raising his finger, he said, “That does not mean I’m happy with the way any of this went down or that you can come gallivanting in here whenever you want. In fact, you’re banned. I only want to see you outside or at games. No sleepovers because I will vomit if I have to hear things. I already need to look into how to bleach my ears because I’m pretty sure I’ve already heard things I didn’t want to.”
I bit down on my bottom lip, holding back a smile. “Okay. That sounds like a reasonable request.”
“Good.” Tight-lipped, he closed his eyes. “Now, get changed. Let’s go.”
Chapter 29
“I seriously can’t believe that happened,” Erik said, recounting the story as if we all weren’t there. The dude loved drama, and this entire morning was satiating his appetite. “Honestly, out of all the guys on the team, I really thought Madison would have boned Brooks before Dash.”
“Watch it,” I warned. Sure, my teeth might have felt a little out of line, and I wasn’t able to breathe properly, but I was ready to fight anyone if I needed to. Especially if they were trying to pass my girlfriend off to other teammates.
Erik raised his hands and laughed nervously. “Sorry, man. I didn’t mean to say anything. It’s just, well, you know Brooks. Everyone loves him, and no one knows you. You just sit in the net with so much padding you look like a giant grizzly bear.”
“Brooks never had a chance. Madison’s been in love with Dash since she was a kid,” Scotty explained, whacking him upside the head. “Now, if you’re not going to say anything useful, you can go out in the waiting room. I didn’t drop my name to get VIP treatment so we could hear you gossiping all day.”
“How much longer do you think it will be?” Alex asked. “We’ve been waiting three hours, and there’s still no sign of a doctor.”
“That’s because my injuries aren’t that bad,” I grumbled. “I didn’t need to come here. My face would have healed on its own.”
Scotty sucked in a breath. “I mean, if that’s the nose placement you want moving forward, who am I to judge?”
Alex sighed. “It’s just that I can’t stay much longer. I’m going to be late for my tutor, and she loves roasting people’s balls for tardiness.”
“Then go. We’ll take it from here.”
As Alex walked out, he slowed down and let out a sarcastic chuckle. “Looks like you might not need me anyway. Dash, you’ve got some more visitors.”
When Madison stepped in the doorway, I could have sworn my heart nearly dropped. I wasn’t worried that Cade would do anything to her, but I didn’t think he’d ever allow me to be alone with her again. So, the fact that she was here probably meant that she’d somehow evaded him.
“Dash.” Her voice immediately made the pain go away, and when she rushed in to hug me, I let her. Sweet strawberries. Madison was here, but how? She didn’t drive, and everyone who knew what happened was in the room with me. “I’m so glad to see you.” She drew back from our hug, and her eyes darted across my face as she took me in. “You look like shit,” she said with a smile on her face and glanced over at Scotty and Erik. “Why haven’t either of you offered to get him a paper towel from the bathroom so he could at least wipe the blood off his face?”
Erik shrugged. “I guess we thought the doctor needed to see what his injury looked like in its entirety. Cleaning him up might give them the wrong impression.”
She shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Idiot.”
“Are we talking about Dash? Because yes, I can confirm he’s an idiot. The biggest one I’ve met, actually.” Cade walked into the room with his hands in his pockets, looking annoyed to be here. “Hey, guys. Did I miss anything?”
Scotty and Erik immediately stood in front of my hospital bed, acting as a barrier between me and Cade.
“Cade, if you’re here for anything other than an apology, then you needto leave right now.” Scotty pointed at the door and used his height to try to intimidate him. “Because there is no way I’m letting you anywhere near our goaltender again when we are so close to playing Southern Collegiate. Who fucking beats up their goalie during a Frozen Four run?”
“Relax,” he said, pulling his hands out of his pockets and raising them. “I come in peace.” He glanced over at me and smiled. “Dash, I’m not sorry for hitting you. You deserved it, but I promise I won’t do it again. Unless you deserve it, of course.”
Cade was telling the truth, I could tell from his voice, but his facial expression was a mix of nonchalance and pissed, so I didn’t know what to think.
Without looking at me, Madison gripped my hand and squeezed it in an act of reassurance. The fact that Cade hadn’t growled at the move suggested that they’d talked about things.
“Madison, we’ve confirmed he’s alive, now can you and the rest of the guys please give Dash and I some privacy? We need to have a little chat.”
Everyone turned to look at me, seemingly wanting to get my permission. I sat up on the bed and pulled my feet over the edge, so they were on the floor. Even though I believed that Cade wouldn’t do anything, that didn’t mean I wanted to be in a vulnerable position if he did. “It’s fine. Cade and I need to talk.”
Madison’s thumb rubbed across my palm, and she kissed my cheek, ignoring the dried blood that flaked off as she moved away. “I love you,” she whispered so only I could hear.
“Aww,” Erik said. “That’s so cute.”
I pinned him with a glare, but with a face that bore a striking resemblance to a charcuterie board, I assumed I looked less than menacing.
“Erik,” Scotty griped, knocking him gently as he ushered him out of the room.