Fake Dating My Ex's Favourite Hockey Player Chapter 144

EMILIA

I squint at the screen. "How bad is it?"

"Really fucking bad," Toby says flatly, his face grim on the laptop balanced across Liam's knees. "They're already planning to put him in the next game. That's in two days."

"Two days?" I turn to Tessa, who's half-buried under a blanket, an eye mask shoved up onto her forehead, remote in hand as she flips through channels. "Isn't that too fast?"

"Not really," her voice is scratchy. "The public's on their side. No one's officially come forward with why the victim dropped the case, so everyone's running with the same tired narrative—she's a liar trying to ruin a promising man's bright future. Blah, blah, blah. You know how it goes. Chicago needs to take a stand, but no matter what, people will be pissed. At least this way, they make money. Tickets sell, the team gets attention, problem solved."

"Except for the girl who had to back down," Liam mutters next to me.

"I haven't been able to reach her," I say, checking my phone again. "What if his crazed fans got to her?"

"That's a possibility we should hope against," Toby says with a frustrated huff.

Tessa finally lands on a rerun of Chicago's last game. Liam and I both reach for the remote, but Aaron—who's been silent until now—gets there first.

"We're boycotting," he says, frowning.

Tessa scowls. "Yeah, but they lost this one. And the ten before it. Watching them choke at least dulls my urge to murder someone." She snatches the remote back before Aaron can argue.

We're all stuffed into Tessa's living room, half buried under boxes from a decluttering attempt that failed spectacularly. I moved in less than a year ago and somehow the place already looks like a thrift store after a rave. Liam and I came straight from the bakery; I wasn't surprised to find Aaron parked here. Tessa hasn't exactly been subtle about him—mentioning his stuff lying around, the things he forgets, the things he moves without telling her.

I put two and two together fast enough.

Liam, on the other hand, keeps trying not to laugh whenever Aaron looks his way.

When Toby hangs up promising to keep us posted, Tessa flops her feet into Aaron's lap. "Are we taking this too seriously?" she asks. "Why don't you call your psycho sister and have her feed Stone to her snake?"

"That's your first bright idea, Tessie," Liam snorts, but he squeezes my hand as he says it. When I look at him, the same worry I've seen since I told them about Stone is there — steady, raw. I smile and rest my head on his shoulder. I'm okay. Mostly.

Maybe because it feels like an eternity since the cruise, but the memory of Stone mostly leaves me angry rather than shaken. Still, there's a stubborn little knot of anxiety I can't shake: what if this gets brushed under the carpet? What if this attempt to protect other women ends up being nothing but noise?

I refuse to let my thoughts go there.

"I have an endless amount of bright ideas," Tessa says, grinning. "Wanna know where your girlfriend usually asks me to shove them?"

"Hopefully not in the kitchen," Aaron mutters — not quiet enough. Liam coughs beside me; I pinch him and it's already too late. Tessa scowls.

"You—"

"I'd rather not call Diana for anything," I cut in, watching Aaron. The last thing I want is Tessa proving him wrong by inviting him to one of her survival-cooking experiments. I still haven't forgiven that pasta. The thought makes me shudder. "And I'd rather she not commit murder, either. Besides, I always had a plan B."

"Em—" Liam starts, but I ignore him. I stretch my phone across the couch toward Tessa. Her hand snaps out, sees the screen, and her face drains.

"Hell fucking no," she breathes.

"Maybe you can talk her out of it," Liam says, exasperated.

Tessa glares. "Where did you even get this?"

I don't meet their looks. Aaron's eyebrow lifts, but he's still massaging Tessa's foot like a man who knows when to be present and when to keep quiet. "Céline said she had the footage," I say. "I asked Lacey to get Céline to send it. That's it."

"You can't be serious," Tessa spits. Then she turns to Liam. "Why didn't you stop her?"

He runs a hand through his hair and exhales. "I tried. God, I tried. She's determined. She wants to do this even if it hurts her. I can't make her back down."

Tessa lets out a long string of curses that makes me wince. She presses the phone to her palm, jaw clenched. "I have video from the cruise that proves what Stone did—" I falter, then steady. "Why would I let other people fight this when I can do it myself?"

Her hands ball into fists. For the first time the anger slips, and worry claws at her. "Isn't this going to be triggering for you?" she asks, softer now.

I twist my fingers together. The memory hits in flashes, but the heat behind my anger is fierce and clear. "Yes. It will be. But every time Stone walks free, that's a trigger for everyone he's hurt. If we don't try—because it's messy or painful—then nothing changes. I won't be part of another silence."

Liam's voice is low, steady. "I know, love." He moves closer, taking my hand. "I wish you didn't have to do it. Not even a little. But I'll be with you. Every step."

His fingers are warm against my skin; that small, solid contact steadies me. "Good," I say, a hard little smile. "Because I want to do this."

Tessa's face softens a fraction. Aaron squeezes her ankle; Liam's jaw tightens, already making lists. The room fills with a different noise now—plans, not panic.

"I had to be sure it was the right one."

Her eyes soften. "Oh, honeycomb..."

Liam's breath hitches, sharp and pained. "You didn't need to do that, love."

The room thickens with quiet. Heavy. Suffocating. I shove myself off the couch. "Alright, that's enough. Tess and I need to finish packing, and you two have morning practice."

Liam narrows his eyes. "You can't get rid of me that easily."

For once, Tessa comes to my rescue. "I support her. As the homeowner, I have the right to revoke your make-yourself-at-home privileges. And no, Emilia isn't staying at yours tonight either."

I blink. "I'm not?"

"Of course not. Girls' night. Now help me throw these oafs out."

It takes fifteen minutes to wrangle them out the door. Liam keeps circling back, concern radiating off him in waves. I swear I've reassured him a hundred times before he finally relents, pressing a kiss to my cheek. "We'll talk about this later."

I shake my head, smiling. "I know. Just... don't be too mad, okay?"

His eyes narrow, and I know he's going to be exactly that, but he only sighs and kisses my temple. "Call me before you go to sleep."

"I will."

"Don't forget."

"I won't. Promise."

The laugh he gives tells me he doesn't believe me for a second. I'm still deciding if I should be offended when he says softly, "I'll miss you."

Heat climbs my cheeks. "Me too."

"Oh for fuck's sake." Tessa groans, knocking on the doorframe to break us apart. "You'd think she was deploying to war, not spending the night with her favorite person."

Aaron stands beside her, faint smile in place, arms full of plastic containers. Hopefully not leftovers Tessa's guilt-tripping him into hauling home.

I slip out of Liam's orbit while he and Tessa bicker, and sidle up to Aaron. I peek into his hands. "Is that... Tessa's food?"

He nods, lips quirking, though his gaze stays fixed on the argument unfolding across the room. I catch Tessa snapping something about clingy and koala bear.

"She tried a new recipe," Aaron says.

"And you're the guinea pig?"

His eyes flick to mine, amused. "You're both having it for dinner."

A shiver crawls down my spine. "Excuse me?"

"She said you love rice, so she made something with it. Said it's your first proper dinner together in a while." His smile softens as he looks at the containers. "She's not bad at boiling rice."

I narrow my eyes. "It's just boiling rice."

He shrugs, unbothered. "It's kind of adorable, honestly. She knew you'd mock her, but she still did it. Do you know how hard she worked on this batch? She kept watching tutorials, asking if she was messing it up. Just so you'd have a homemade meal."

I realize this might be the longest conversation we've ever had—and it's about Tessa. I study him, something new sparking in the way I see him, and smile. "You're good for her."

His head jerks, startled. Eyes wide. "What?"

I shake my head. I have no authority to weigh in on Tessa's taste in men—not after Zane. Then again, I glance at Liam, warmth flooding me, maybe I do. But never in a million years did I expect her to go from a Lyle... to an Aaron.

"Are you really going to eat that?" I tease instead.

The tips of his ears flush red. He doesn't protest. "It's not that bad."

They really are made for each other. I'm about to remind Tessa she was mid-eviction when Aaron stops me.

"You're really brave," he says quietly. His eyes meet mine, steady and unflinching. "For doing that. However it ends with Stone, no one can take it from you."

I don't notice my hands trembling until I follow his gaze. My throat tightens; my eyes sting. His expression shifts, worried he's gone too far.

"Thank you," I whisper. "I really needed that."