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I’m a tiny bit concerned because I have no idea what, if anything, she’s told Reid, and I can’t decide if I should get ahead of this or wait it out. So far, he’s been completely normal, and I get the feeling he doesn’t know we broke up. I’m a little concerned but I know Maya’s strong enough, and proud enough, not to throw me under the bus. And if she does, I’ll deal with it. Anything would be better than how shitty I’ve felt all week.

Tonight we beat the snot out of Washington. They’re a tough team, but Coach Teller has been switching up lines again because it seems to be working. We were undefeated on this last road trip before Thanksgiving, so I guess every night is going to be a surprise from now on.

The flight will get us home close to three in the morning, but at least we’ll be home for the holiday. Not that it means much to me. Coach Teller is hosting Friends-giving, for everyone who either doesn’t have family or can’t get to them. Technically, I could fly home to my mom’s or fly her and my sister out to me, but I don’t particularly care about Thanksgiving.

Since my divorce holidays haven’t been the same. My mom will fly out for Christmas, but that’s about it. The rest of the time I just hang out by myself. Maybe I am a grumpy, friendless recluse.

I should probably go to Coach Teller’s tomorrow, for some food, if nothing else, but my heart just isn’t in it. My heart isn’t in much of anything anymore. The two weeks since the breakup have been brutal, but I think I’m coming out the other side. If I could bring myself to get out there again, hook up with someone, get Maya’s pretty face and that gorgeous streaked hair out of my mind, I’d probably be okay.

But fuck if I can bring myself to even look at another woman. It kind of makes me sick to imagine being inside someone else. Eventually, my libido will override my heart, but right now, I’m absolutely not interested. All I can do is tough it out and take out some of my frustrations on the ice. I got in two fights tonight and won both. I didn’t even get ejected from the game.

That’s a win in my book.

I’m so lost in thought I don’t see the guys standing around my SUV until I’m almost on top of them. Then my step falters and I frown.

Ah, shit.

Reid must have talked to Maya.

But…why are West, Simon, Bodi and…Coach Teller there? Why are they all with him? Reid might want to kick my ass—hell, Coach Teller might want to as well—but Coach can’t possibly sanction something like this.

Well, I’ve been itching to fight, so I guess I’m getting my wish.

“We need to talk,” Reid says as I approach.

I scowl. “I get that you’re pissed, but you had to escalate this to include Coach?” I ask.

Coach Teller speaks before Reid can respond. “I’m here to make sure this doesn’t escalate. I’m neutral in this, but the team is important to me, so consider me your ref tonight.”

“When Maya and I were in high school, she started dating one of my teammates,” Reid says quietly. “I was seventeen, a little full of myself, and I didn’t like it. Or him. Or how he treated her. She came to me and we had a conversation. Unless someone put his hands on her in a way she didn’t want, or did something way over-the-top to hurt her, I would never, ever get involved in her personal life. Broken hearts are part of life, and she said I had to respect that—and her. And I always have. Until now.”

“I never laid a hand on her in anger,” I say quietly. “I’ll swear that on a stack of bibles.”

He nods. “I know. If you’d done that, there wouldn’t be witnesses to the beatdown you would have gotten. And I wouldn’t give a shit what Coach thinks.”

“Okay.” Now I’m a little confused.

“I can forgive you for breaking her heart. What I can’t forgive is that you broke…her.” He stuffs his hands in his pockets and meets my gaze. “And she’s protecting you because she won’t tell me the truth about what happened.”

“I…don’t understand,” I say, frowning. “I’m not trying to be a dick, but I truly don’t know what that means.”

“She came back from L.A. different,” he says. “She turned down the partnership with Shandy and Alexa Humboldt. She walked away from the movie in Vancouver next summer, and she told Sammy Jensen that right now she can’t commit to two years in New Zealand and she understands if he has to go with someone else.” He pauses. “Our younger brother has been with her all week. He said she’s different. Quiet. She spends her time when she’s not working either sketching or staring off at nothing. So, I need to know what you did. What you said. How you broke my sister.”

Maya isn’t broken.

She can’t be.

She’s the brightest light in the room. Always.

Until I broke her?

“There will be no repercussions, no hard feelings. If you tell me the truth, I can figure out what I can do to help her. I’m asking you, man to man, to give me the tools I need to fix what you broke. Because Maya is special. Even if you don’t think so.”

“Even if I don’t…” I shake my head and stop my train of thought. “I don’t know what you need. I told her I didn’t think I was ready to move on from my divorce. That’s it. I didn’t insult her, I sure as fuck didn’t touch her physically, and I did what a lot of us do, made it a whole ‘it’s me not you’ thing.”

Reid shakes his head. “If you did that, Maya would be fine. What else did you say?”

I stare at him.