Defending Hayden (Second Chances #7)(29)

His eyes lit up. “So we get to meet her?”

“Unfortunately,” I grumbled.

Cooper rounded the corner. “She can sit with Kate, if you want. That way she’ll have someone to talk to.”

I held out my hand and he shook it. “That works perfect. Kate won’t mind, will she?”

He snorted. “Of course not. Now that Summer’s not here, she’s missed having a female to converse with.” Then he turned to Evan, slapping him on the shoulder. “How is your little one doing?” he asked him.

As much as I wanted to join in on their family talk, I couldn’t bear to listen to it. Instead, I blocked them out and concentrated on the game at hand. I had to play my best, not only for my team but for the fans. I had to prove that I hadn’t lost my magic on the field.

I was completely in my zone when a pair of socks hit me in the back of the head. “Looks like someone wants his ass kicked,” I growled, without turning around.

Chris chuckled and threw another pair but missed. “I can’t help it you were ignoring me. I called your name like five times.”

Evan looked at me and nodded. “It’s true.”

Rolling my eyes, I turned to Chris. “What do you want?”

“There’s a party tonight at my place. Everyone’s going to be there. Well, almost everyone except Reed. Even if he is part of the team, that f*ckhead’s not invited.” I glanced over at Jax, who glared at Chris and flipped him off before slamming his locker. Jax had never done anything personally to me like he’d done to some of the other guys, but I was all about teamwork. We all needed to get along on the field in order to win.

“That’s f*cked up, Waters. He’s part of the team, too,” I said. Evan stared at me as if I’d lost my mind. “I know you hate him, but he is one of us. I’m not saying you need to be friends, but we need to back him up professionally. Sometimes it’s his kicks that win us the games.”

Chris rolled his eyes and waved at Jax. “Fine, you’re invited, too. But if you so much as f*ck with any of us, you’re going down.”

Jax scoffed and walked past us. “Fuck off. I have better shit to do than go to your lame-ass party.” He disappeared out the door and I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the guy. I could tell that the animosity everyone threw his way was getting to him.

“Can’t say I didn’t try,” Chris said to me.

“Yeah, it was very heartfelt.”

He shrugged as if he didn’t care. “The cocksucker can go sulk and get the f*ck over it. The person I care about is you. We want you to come to the party.”

I shook my head. “Maybe some other time.”

Evan sighed and sat beside me. “Why don’t you bring Hayden? All the guys are going to be there. It’ll be a good time.”

“Are you and Cooper going?” I asked.

He slapped me on the back. “Wouldn’t miss it. And you know we always have a huge shindig the night of our first pre-game. It gives us good luck all year.”

“Please,” Chris begged, pouting. He got down on his knees and started crawling toward me.

I grabbed his dirty socks off the floor and chucked them at his face. “Fine, I’ll go.”

“Do you think Hayden will come, too?” Evan asked.

I shrugged. “I don’t know. All of this is new to her. Honestly, I don’t know if she’ll be able to handle my lifestyle.”

“There’s only one way to find out,” he said.

My phone beeped with an incoming text.

Hayden: Almost there.

“I guess so. I’ll be right back.” I met Cooper’s gaze. “Where’s Kate at? As soon as I get Hayden inside, I’ll take her there.”

Cooper nodded toward the door. “She’s down the hall, talking to Coach Joel.”

I pulled my jersey over my head and rushed out the door so I could get to security before Hayden drove up. The parking lot where I’d sent her was only for the teams and their special guests. When I got outside, people shouted and cheered my name. I’d missed that sound.

The security guard at the gate got to his feet and smiled. “Derek McLaughlin,” he called out. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?” According to his badge, his name was J. Reagan.

I shook his hand and patted him on the back. “I’m here to escort my guest inside. She should be arriving any minute.”

“I’m glad to see you here. It should be a good game today.”

“Yes, it will be.”

I waited for the dreaded question to come up, but it never did. There had been times when I’d be in public and someone would come up and talk about the accident. You’d think people would get a f*cking clue that it wasn’t something I’d want to talk about. The team knew not to say anything, and luckily, so did Hayden. I often wondered if she even knew.

Thankfully, Hayden pulled up in her little sports car with a bright smile on her face. “There she is,” I told the guard. “Her name is Hayden Hunter.”

“Hello, hello,” she greeted us happily. “It’s a madhouse here.”

The guard walked up to her and laughed. “It’s the first game of the season, my dear. Do you mind showing me your license, please?” She pulled out her wallet and gave it to him to inspect. “You’re good to go, Miss Hunter.”