Chapter 78

Carol’s POV

My head is swirling, and I can’t seem to shake the stupid grin on my face.

“You love me?” I asked, looking up at him. He bent and kissed me deeply, holding me firmly against his wet and naked body. He ran his fingers up my neck, soaking it with water and sending warmth throughout my body that I can’t help but shudder against him.

“I love you more than I can truly understand,” he confesses in a whisper against my lips.

My entire body is thrumming with adrenaline, and I rest my head against his chest, feeling at peace and utterly in love with my fated mate. How did this become my reality? How did I get so lucky to have someone as incredible as Aiden Cruz as my mate?

I never want this moment to end.

“Are you feeling any better?” He asks, ultimately making me remember that I made a complete fool out of myself last night and this morning.

My cheeks flushed at the memory which only made him chuckle.

“I can’t believe I got that drunk,” I murmured.

“It happens,” he says, shrugging. “Are you feeling up to going to work today? I can always call and tell them you aren’t feeling well.”

I shake my head.

“No, it’ll do me some good to get out,” I admit. “I need to do something and not sit around all day.”

He nods before he stands up, ultimately getting water all over the place.

“’Aiden!” I shriek, but I can’t help but laugh.

He gives me a sly grin and winks as he helps me out of the tub. After we dress, we go to the stadium where the team had already gathered in the locker room.

“About time you two showed up,” Coach Bower barks, folding his arms across his chest.

“Sorry, Coach. We had an issue this morning but it’s all good now.”

My cheeks flush and I hope that nobody asks him to elaborate. Coach mutters something about wasting his time before turning to the team and giving them his speech. I sigh in relief as I meet Aiden’s eyes. His eyes are sparkling with humor, and it takes everything I have not to slap him. But still, I can’t help but smile at him.

“Hey, Carol. Can I see you for a minute?” Mr. Whitlock says from his office before disappearing through the door.

My stomach tightens as I walk towards the office door, wondering what he would need to speak to me about. I take a deep breath, reminding myself that what happened last time isn’t going to happen again. The team already made a vow to me that they were going to have my back no matter what.

I didn’t need to walk on eggshells or be nervous around them; not anymore. I walk into the office and sit in one of the chairs in front of his desk. Mr. Whitlock looks stressed, but not angry.

“So, I know you had a run-in with your ex last night,” he begins, and my entire chest tightens.

“Um, yes, sir,” I say, trying to act as calmly as I could.

“It seems he knows some people in the media, and he was able to get a hold of them. They came here last night and took some photos of the two of you,” he says as he massages the bridge of his nose between his thumb and pointer finger.

And just like that, I felt like my entire world, the high ride I was on all morning, came crashing down around me as I gawked at Mr. Whitlock. Of course, I already knew that Zach called the media, but I didn’t know he had actual connections in the news industry. The paparazzi around this area were savages and they got news stories released quicker than I could blink. I shouldn’t have been surprised that something was already released about what had happened last night. But still, I find myself gawking at him with my mouth hanging open.

“I tried to get them to remove the story because it was on my property, and I didn’t give them permission to take photos. It’s still being looked at, but I figured I should give you a heads-up as of right now, it’s public.”

I feel like I’m going to get sick all over again.

I swallow the lump that formed in my throat and sit up a little straighter; I can’t let something like this bother me. This was the life of dating a famous hockey player. If I let this break me, then Aiden would think that I can’t handle this type of life. I love Aiden more than anything and if I had to deal with a little negative new report, then I would.

“Can I see it?” I surprised myself by asking.

He nods and pulls up the article on his phone before sliding it across his desk and in my direction. I take a deep breath before grabbing his phone and looking at the article.

Sure enough, front and center is a blown-up picture of Zach and me kissing. It looked like a very intimate moment when in reality, I was just so startled that I wasn’t sure what to do. Seconds after this photo was taken, Aiden appeared and pulled him off me. Not that I wasn’t going to pull him off me myself, but Aiden beat me to it. It took everything I had not to punch Zach in the face at that moment and I still might after seeing this photo all over the internet.

“Girlfriend of Statford Freeze Hockey Player Aiden Cruz seen kissing ex-boyfriend outside of the Freeze Stadium,” I read the headline out loud. “They can’t be serious…” I murmured.

“I’m doing everything I can to get this removed from all media,” Mr. Whitlock assured me. “I just thought you should know what’s been happening. I’m sorry I was the one who had to break it to you.”

I nod.

“Thank you,” I say as I slid the phone across his desk.

I stand and leave the locker room, only to find a few of the players still in the room. They were staring at their phones with their mouths dropped open and then when I entered, their eyes shifted to me.

Aiden was amongst them, and he did not look happy.

“I take it you saw,” I murmur, wrapping my arms around my body like I’m trying to hold myself together.

“I’m going to kill him,” Aiden said through his teeth.

“It’s just a rumor,” I assure him. “It’s not real.”

“Look pretty real to me,” one of the team members says, scratching the top of his head as he studies the photo.

“He forced himself on her,” Aiden growls. “He made it look like an intimate moment, but it wasn’t.”

The others look relieved to hear that it was just a misunderstanding; I’m relieved that Aiden knows that it was all a mistake.

“Why are you still in the locker room?!” Coach Bower growls as he storms into the room. “Get out there and practice!”

“Yes, Coach,” they all said in unison, instead of Aiden who was still fixed on his phone.

I closed the small gap between us and put my hand on his shoulder.

“Hey,” I say, giving him a small smile. “It’s okay; it’s not real. You were there, remember?”

He nods.

“I know,” he whispers. “It’s just hard to see.”

I stand on my toes and press my lips to his.

“I love you, remember?” I tell him.

His eyes sparkle as he wraps me in his arms and deepens the kiss.

“Oh, I remember,” he said, kissing the bridge of my nose. Then he kisses my cheek and I giggle against him. “And I’m going to show you just how much I love you after practice.”

I wiggle my brows at him playfully.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“Cruz!!” Coach Bowers bellows from the doorway. “Get out here, now!”

“Yes, Coach,” he says, but his eyes never leave mine as he bends and kisses me one last time before putting his helmet on and rushing after the others. I chuckle and follow after them as well.

I sit off to the side with Coach Bowers and I take out my phone so I can record some of the moves they were playing. I found some weak points I wanted to show them later, but for the most part, they are playing like champions, and I’m so proud of them.

I smile, admiring the way Aiden glides around the ice so effortlessly. Just as the thought surfaced, that same pink glow I had seen on different occasions in the past, returns. This time, it seems brighter and more vibrant. My mouth hangs open as I stare at the glowing man who skates around the ice.

I glance at Coach Bower to see if he notices it too, but he doesn’t look like he is seeing anything. My heart is pounding heavily in my chest as I continue to stare at Aiden; a small voice in the back of my head, resembling the voice from my dream whispered, “It’s coming! Your destiny awaits!”

I blinked a few times, trying to hold onto reality. Then, the glow was gone. I stared down at my phone and saw that I was still recording. I wondered if I could see the glow in the video. I stopped the video and then replayed it. As I stared at it, I held my breath, waiting for the moment that the pink glow would appear.

But it never did.