Offside Hearts (Love and Hockey Book 1)

The following week, Noah calls a press conference, and I take a break from my work duties to be there to support him. A gaggle of reporters gather in the press room of the arena, and Noah sits at the long table at the front of the room with a microphone in front of him. I’m standing off to one side, flanked by Leo Sinclair, who handles PR for the team, and Ted.

Noah shoots me a quick glance and then leans down a little to speak into the microphone, addressing the reporters who are all watching him curiously.

“Thank you for coming,” he tells them. “I called this press conference because I wanted to set the record straight about a few things. Well, one thing, I guess. One very important thing.” He shakes his head, his expression darkening momentarily. “I’m sure you’ve all heard about the woman I supposedly had an affair with and got pregnant. Some of you have even written about it.”

He glances pointedly at a reporter who writes for a paper known for publishing more salacious articles, and the guy at least has the decency to flush a little.

“But the truth is, I’ve never met that woman. The picture that’s been circulating on social media and news sites isn’t one of me and Rachel Travers. It’s of her and my brother.”

There’s a low murmur among the gathered reporters, and a few hands shoot into the air as they call out questions to Noah.

“Before I answer any of your questions,” he says, putting a hand up for quiet. “I just want to take a moment to apologize to all my fans. I know that people were upset when they thought I had cheated on my girlfriend, and I can’t blame them. I was trying to show everyone that I’d changed, that I was growing, and then I let you all down in a misguided attempt to protect my family’s reputation.”

He glances over at me again, his expression growing somber.

“But most of all, I owe a public apology to the person who was hurt the most by my actions. Margo Lucas is the best, kindest, most incredible woman I’ve ever known, and the fact that I caused her even a moment’s pain is something that I’ll never fully forgive myself for. I love her with my whole damn heart, and I can only hope that one day I’ll be worthy of the love and forgiveness that she’s offered me.”

My eyes burn, and I blink rapidly to banish the tears that are threatening to spill over onto my cheeks. Several of the reporters are looking in my direction now, and a few of the photographers are snapping pictures of me as well as Noah. I press my hand over my heart as emotions threaten to overwhelm me, nodding as Noah and I lock eyes.

He holds my gaze for another long moment, and for once, the press room is almost completely silent as the reporters and photographers bear witness to our silent communication. Then Noah clears his throat, turning to face them once more.

“I’ll answer a couple questions,” he says. “But nothing too personal.”

An older woman in the front row holds up her hand, and when he nods in her direction, she asks, “You said your brother is the one who got Rachel Travers pregnant. But isn’t your brother married?”

He shakes his head. “I’m sorry, I won’t be answering any questions about my brother or family at this time. You’re welcome to follow up on that with him.”

A few other reporters chime in with questions about why he lied and what will happen now, but Noah sticks to his guns, making it clear he’s no longer going to be a part of that particular scandal. After a while, the questions shift away from affairs and babies and move on to things like how this has affected his game and whether he thinks the Aces have a shot at the playoffs this season.

Noah visibly relaxes as the topic returns to hockey, and after taking one last question, he holds up his hands again. “That’s all for today. Thank you all again for being here, and I look forward to talking to you after the next game. Hopefully after we take that W.”

There are scattered laughs among the gathered reporters, and a low hum of conversation fills the room as they chat amongst each other, packing up and preparing to leave. Noah stands up and makes a beeline toward me, wrapping his arms around me as soon as he reaches me.

“How did I do?” he asks, sounding genuinely nervous.

“You did great.” I rest my palms on his chest. “You’ve done tons of press interviews before, right?”

“Yeah, but never anything like that.” He shakes his head, grimacing. “Hopefully they all got the message that I’m done being part of this shit show.”

“I think they did. And you didn’t talk shit about your family, you just made it clear that you weren’t going to be a part of their drama or cover for them anymore. Whatever fallout might come for them after this, no one can say that you stoked the fire.”

“I agree,” Leo says, stepping forward and reminding me of his presence. “I think you struck the exact right note.”

I hastily take a step back from Noah, wanting to maintain an air of professionalism, but Leo doesn’t seem put off at all by the way Noah hugged me. It makes me hopeful that people on the Aces staff won’t just see me as Noah’s girlfriend, but will continue to see me as a member of the team in my own right despite Noah’s and my relationship.

“Good.” Noah nods, reaching out to shake Leo’s hand. “Thanks for the advice, and for helping me get this set up.”

“Of course.” Leo smiles. He’s in his late-thirties, with an affable personality and an impeccable sense of style, and although I haven’t worked with him as much as I have with Ted, I like him a lot. “You’re one of our most popular players, and people have gotten invested in your story. The fans will be behind you, especially after that interview.”

Noah lets out a breath, looking relieved. “Good. Then it’s done?”

Leo chuckles. “Yes, as far as PR cleanup is concerned, it’s done. You’re welcome to talk to the press or not about this subject in the future, but my recommendation would be to do what you did today and defer on any questions having to do with the scandal. As far as we’re concerned, it’s no longer your scandal. It belongs to the people who were truly involved, and it’s up to them to deal with it. Make sense?”

“Abso-fucking-lutely,” Noah says fervently, and Leo laughs again.

After a few minutes, Leo heads back to his office. The press room has emptied out by now, leaving just me and Noah. He tugs me back into his arms again, as if it’s his favorite place for me to be—and I wouldn’t blame him if that’s the case, because it’s my favorite place to be too.

Wrapping his arms around me, he rests his cheek on the top of my head, his ribs expanding under my palms as he draws in a deep breath and lets it out.

“That’s it, Sunflower,” he murmurs. “It’s done.”

“Yeah. It is.”

“I’m so fucking glad.” He squeezes me tighter, as if reliving the nightmare of the time we were apart. “I can’t wait to put all of that shit with my family in the rearview mirror and get back to doing my two favorite things in the world.”

“Yeah? And what are those?”

I feel his cheek shift against my head, and I’m pretty sure he’s smiling.

“Well, one of them is hockey. And the other…” He chuckles, dropping his head so that his lips brush my ear. “The other is reminding my girl how much I fucking love her.”

The deep rasp of his voice makes me shiver, and I close my eyes, letting myself bask in it for a second. Then I pull back, looking up into his gorgeous face.

“How about you remind me tonight after work?”

He grins. “My place?”

“Okay.”

“Good. Come over as soon as you get done here.” His grin widens, his hand sliding lower on my back until it’s dangerously close to my ass. “I’ll cook you dinner. And if you play your cards right, I might even do it wearing an apron… and nothing else.”

My stomach flutters, a spark of arousal lighting inside me. “Then maybe I’ll eat dinner wearing your jersey… and nothing else.”

The grin on his face vanishes in an instant, replaced by a look so heated and intense that it almost scorches me to a crisp. His hands tighten around me for a moment, and then he releases me and steps back, his eyes burning.

“You’d better get back to work, Sunflower,” he warns in a low voice. “Because if you don’t go right now, I’m gonna take advantage of the fact that we’re in an empty room together by bending you over that table and fucking you senseless, every single consequence be damned.”

I shiver, certain that he’s only partly joking. Or maybe not joking at all.

“Okay, okay. Here I go.”

Leaning up, I give him a quick kiss, then step away. He releases me reluctantly, and the two of us leave the room side by side. When we reach the stairs leading to the offices, we split up, and I head to the second level.

Ted is upstairs already, having left the press room shortly after the questions wrapped up, and he gives me a nod and a smile as I pass him before settling in at my desk. I get to work on the latest social media posts I’ve been working on for the team, combing through some old footage I have saved since I didn’t get anything new during the time I was out sick.

As I click through the old videos, I stop on one of Noah talking to Callie’s student, Maria. He’s grinning broadly, gesturing to various parts of the rink as he talks to her about what it’s like being a pro hockey player and how it’s a dream come true for him.

I watch the video three times, something warm blooming in my chest as a smile spreads across my face.

I’ve never met a man more passionate than Noah Blake. And I feel incredibly lucky that the two things he’s most passionate about are hockey…

And me.