Mistletoe Face Off (Chicago Blizzard Hockey #1)

Chapter 18Holly

Chapter Eighteen

Holly

I lean back in my seat and blow out a breath, my shoulders sore from being in the same position for so long. I give them a rub and look over the words on the screen of my laptop, resting on my desk in front of the window that looks over the street below. I focus on the world outside my apartment, noticing that it’s snowing again, Christmas lights twinkling in my neighbors’ windows.

Satisfied with my hard work, I collect my empty coffee mug and pad across the floor to the kitchen, where I pour myself a fresh cup and ignore all of the dishes piled up since the story about Harry broke.

A lot has happened since Stephen, in all his slimy wisdom, decided to go ahead and publish the story. Harry was, rightfully, distraught, particularly when team management decided it was best he not play on the team until the furor blew over. I get why they made that decision, but it wasn't fair on him, particularly when his dreams of becoming the next team captain seemed to have been extinguished by one crummy article.

Confronting Slippery Stephen about what he had done was just as much of a waste of time as I had expected it would be. He went on about the need to provide a public service in sharing the story—aka providing sensationalist headlines to attract readers—completely ignoring the fact that he hadn't even tried to get Harry’s side of the story.

You know how they say never let the truth get in the way of a good story? Well Slippery Stephen is the poster child for that particular school of thought.

Knowing I wasn't going to get anywhere with him, I talked with Selena about whether I should go over his head and talk to our Editor-in-Chief, Kristina Albrecht. Her response was a resounding “Heck, yes!” after which I camped outside her office—much to her assistant’s irritation—until I managed to grab a few seconds with her, telling her what Stephen had done and asking her for her support in researching the story fully.

“Isn't Harrison Clarke the player you've been having these public spats with?” Kristina had asked.

“All fake. Well, other than the first one.”

She raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. “Fake?”

“You didn't know about this?” I asked, but the look on her face told me that she did not. “It was a plan devised by Blizzard team management to help get them more coverage for the team and their Christmas charity drive. Stephen agreed to it.”

“Did he now? So, what do you want?”

I told her and, with her approval, the very next day I hopped on a plane and flew across the country to Portland, Oregon, where I had lined up interviews with a whole host of people, people who shed much needed light on the whole story. I spoke to former figure skating competitors and officials from the regional contest where all the drama had unfolded.

What I found out not only corroborated Harry’s story, but revealed that Garth Gluckman had in fact pressured more than one of his prodigies into taking performance enhancing drugs, several of whom had done so and regretted it, and others who had refused. Although initially reluctant, a number of them came forward and spoke with me, sharing their stories of guilt and regret, all of them empathizing with the story that had broken about Harry.

When I called Harry to tell him what I'd found out, in typical Harry style, he reached out to all of them, assuring them of confidentiality, and created a support group of Garth Gluckman survivors.

Garth Gluckman refused to talk to me. No surprises there. But of course under the Controlled Substances Act, which I spent some time reviewing, it's illegal to distribute steroids in the United States, so it's probably not me that Mr. Gluckman will end up talking to about all this when the story breaks.

More like the men in blue.

I then returned to Chicago where I got to meet Harry’s mom. She told me she had pleaded with Garth Gluckman not to force Harry to take performance enhancers, but knew that it was falling on deaf ears.

My phone chimes on my desk and I dash across the floor to see who’s calling me. My pulse quickens when I read the name, and I answer straight away.

“Good morning, Ms. Albrecht,” I say brightly.

“Holly. Have you got everything you need?” she asks.

I glance at my laptop once more. “Oh, yeah. I've got everything.”

“Good. Send it over. It will be our lead story.”

I grin. I’ve written a lead story. Slippery Stephen’s smile will slide right off his face when he sees it. And I cannot say I feel sad about that. Not one little bit.

I do a final check before I press send, the sound my laptop makes when an email is sent sounding around my living room.

I check the time. Harry will be here in a few hours, and I cannot wait to tell him that everything is done, and that he will once again be headline news—only this time with the truth.

I close my laptop and run a bath, which helps me wash away all the stress of the last few days, and shift my mindset from journalist with a point to prove to the night before Christmas Eve date night with Harrison Clarke, my high school crush and the man of my dreams.

After a soothing soak in the tub, an alert sounds on my phone, telling me that a new article has dropped, and I climb out and towel off to see what it is.

Ice Cold Truth: NHL Star Harrison Clarke Cleared in Teen Skating Scandal

My heart leaps into my mouth. It's out.

Quickly, I scan the article, even though I know exactly what it says. After all, I'm the journalist who wrote it.

With trembling fingers, I copy the article URL and send it to Harry with a bunch of emojis: a heart, heart eyes, and the closest emojis I can find for “vindication,” a raised fist and a party popper.

I’m pretty sure he’ll get what I mean.

I dry my hair, put on some makeup, and slip into my evening dress, a Christmas-themed red dress with white fur trim. It’s much like the one I wore when I was Mrs. Claus at the Community Center that time, only a little longer so that less of my legs are on show. Looking at my reflection in the mirror in my bedroom, I apply some red lipstick, because tonight deserves red lipstick.

Who knew writing an exposé on a cheating figure skating coach could be so very satisfying?

Right on time, the intercom buzzes, and I open the door for Harry. He looks breathtakingly gorgeous in his black tux, his green eyes sparkling with that infectious smile of his.

“Hi,” I say, feeling inexplicably shy.

“You look incredible,” he tells me, his eyes sweeping over me, and I swear wherever they land I begin to tingle.

I hold out my skirt and do a little curtsy. “Where's your Santa suit?”

“It's at the cleaners,” he says as he brushes a soft kiss against my cheek and I breathe in his delicious scent, a potent combination of his aftershave and him, my Harry.

“Is that Harry?” Macy asks as she bounds over to us. She's wearing a figure skating dress in Christmas colors—red with a white trim around the skirt, a lot like my own dress tonight. But unlike me she's also wearing her tiara and princess shoes.

“You look beautiful,” Mom says as I drop my lipstick into my evening purse.

“Thank you, and thank you for sitting Macy tonight,” I reply.

“Of course. She's my granddaughter and I love her,” she says brightly before she leans closer to me and says in a hushed tone, “Harry is good for you.”

I look at her in surprise. “Really?”

She smiles at me, winking. “So much better than the last one.”

I smile back. “I wholeheartedly agree.”

In a competition between Phil Channing and Harrison Clarke I know who would win hands down every single time. Hint: it’s not Phil.

Macy leaps into Harry’s arms, and my heart squeezes at the sight of them together, my daughter gazing fondly at Harry, and him grinning at her as he holds her tight.

“Macy. You look like Mr. and Mrs. Claus had a figure skating kid,” he says, his eyes flashing to mine.

“Christmas figure skating princess . Isn't that right, honey?” I say as I tickle Macy’s side.

She shrieks with laughter, and squirms in Harry's arms.

“You want me to put you back down?” he asks, and Macy shakes her head, her little hands holding on tight to the lapel of his jacket.

“I’m so tall up here!” she exclaims.

“Want to join the Blizzard? We could do with a tall Christmas figure skating princess. For some reason team management forgot to draft one this season.”

“No! Hockey’s dumb,” she replies.

“Thank you,” Harry says on a laugh. “Hi, Cindy,” he says to my mom as he places Macy back on the floor.

“I am so glad you’re in a tux! You look much better in your tux than your Santa suit,” Mom declares, and I have to agree with her. Harry looks nothing short of incredible in his tux.

“Now, off you go. I've got everything under control here. We're going to make popcorn and watch the Barbie movie,” Mom says with a smile. “Again.”

I kiss her on the cheek, “Thanks, Mom.” I scoop Macy up and plant a kiss on her cheek, too. It leaves a red mark that I wipe away with my fingers. “See you on Christmas Eve, kiddo.”

“See you on Christmas Eve!” she chimes back.

A few minutes later, we’re in Harry's car on our way to the Blizzard Christmas party at Dan Roberts’s house, which is a short drive from my apartment into the leafy area of town with the big impressive houses.

“So?” I lead, grinning.

“So, it’s snowing again,” he replies.

“You know what I’m talking about!”

“The article?”

“Of course the article.”

He takes my hand in his, his other firmly on the steering wheel. “I thought it was amazing, and I don't know how I will ever repay you for what you've done for me.”

“I have some ideas,” I say, and it’s my turn to waggle my brows at him.

“Then I will definitely be taking you up on them.”

He drives the rest of the way holding my hand in his. Just as well his car is an automatic.

“Are you ready for tonight?” I ask as he pulls his car up outside the entrance to Dan’s house.

“I'm as ready as I'll ever be,” he says as he switches the ignition off.

“Man, this house is the size of the White House!” I exclaim, staring out the window at the sheer enormity of the place. “It’s even bigger than yours.”

Harry laughs as a man in a black coat and gloves approaches the car.

“He has a valet ?” I choke out.

“Only for the party.” He pulls me into a soft kiss that makes my entire body hum. “I’m the luckiest guy in the great state of Illinois to have you in my corner.”

“I would do it all again if I had to. For you.”

“Thank you.” He brushes another soft kiss against my lips. “Shall we do this?”

“I think we shall,” I reply with a smile.

Snow is still falling as we walk up the path to Dan’s house, where we’re greeted by a grim looking bouncer who looks Harry up and down as though he's considering whether or not to let us in. Which eventually he does, without any trace of a smile.

“Close call,” I say as we check our coats. “Good thing you could take that guy if you wanted to.”

Harry laughs, and it's a sound I've missed these past days since Stephen’s story broke. But I'm confident that it has all been at least explained in my article, if not fixed altogether.

I can tell Harry is feeling nervous by the way he holds tightly onto my hand. I whisper into his ear, “You've got this,” giving his hand a squeeze.

He shoots me a grateful look, and together we enter Dan’s huge living room, in which I could fit my entire apartment probably a couple times over. I try not to stare, but it's hard not to when the room is filled with Blizzard players and their wives and girlfriends, everyone dressed up in either cocktail dresses, tuxes, or Christmas themed outfits. The overall atmosphere is festive and fun, and a few people turn to look at us.

Chase is the first to greet us. “Harrison Clarke and his beautiful date,” he says, pumping Harrison’s hand before he drops a formal kiss onto the back of my hand, like some kind of prince in a movie.

“Who said you could kiss my girl?” Harry says.

“I figured she deserved it after what she did for you today,” he replies.

“You read the article?” I ask.

“Of course I did. I can do more than push a biscuit around the ice, you know,” he replies with a grin. Placing his hand on Harry's shoulder he adds, “I'm real sorry you went through that, man. You're a good guy and you don't deserve that kind of crap in your life.”

“Thanks, man,” Harry replies.

Before too long, a bunch of the Blizzard team have greeted us and talked about the article, everyone positive and supportive—other than Lorcan and a snarly looking guy everyone calls Celine.

But those two don't matter. What matters is the rest of the team supports Harry, and watching them together, it's hard not to let my heart swell.

I might have been the one to write the article, but these guys have totally got Harry's back.

A pretty blonde woman in a gorgeous pale green cocktail dress introduces herself as Keira Johnson, Dan’s girlfriend.

“Your boyfriend sure has a gorgeous home,” I tell her.

“He has great taste, but I can't wait ‘til we’re back in our hometown,” she replies with a smile, and it's clear to me how much she loves him.

“Where's that?” I ask as I take a sip of the drink Harry handed me.

“It's a little town called Maple Falls in Washington state. It's pretty small, but it's home to us and we love it. We were high school sweethearts, you know.”

“Is now the time I admit that I knew that? I'm a journalist,” I reply.

“You're not just any journalist, Holly. You're the journalist who cleared Harrison’s name. We all read your article, us girlfriends included. What you did for him? Wow. You must really love him.”

That four letter word sets my heart racing, and I look over at Harry. He’s talking with some of his team mates. His eyes find mine, and a soft smile lights up his face, a smile I know that is only meant for me. It sends a jolt right through my body, and in that moment it hits me like a slapshot to the chest.

I'm in love with him.

I’m in love with Harrison Clarke.

The man I had a crush on all that time ago.

The man I started arguments with, entertaining the public and creating a bond between us.

The man who arranged the most perfect date at an art gallery because he knew I liked art.

The man who speaks to my heart like no man ever has.

My Harry.

The realization is nothing short of exhilarating. This man, with his fierce loyalty and gentle heart, has slowly lowered my defenses, wiping away my fears and dispelling memories of Phil and his lack of loyalty and commitment.

In this moment, his ocean green eyes on mine, I know he's my endgame, and I don't ever want to be apart from him again.

“Holly?” Keira asks and I drag my attention from Harry back to her to see a soft smile playing on her lips. “Oh, yeah. I know love when I see it.”

I cast my eyes down, embarrassed. “It's pretty new.”

“But when you know you know. Right?”

I smile back at her, my heart telling me it knows. “Right.”

Abby Sinclair joins our little group of two, dressed in a very glamorous gold dress that shows off her gorgeous figure to perfection. “Hello, ladies. If you're not talking about hockey, I would love to join you.”

“The guys are all talking hockey?” Keira asks.

Abby grins. “What do you think?”

“I think that would be a big ole yes,” Keira replies with a laugh.

“Nice article, Holly, even though I for one am sorry you two have buried the hatchet and will no longer be entertaining us with your arguments,” Abby says.

“I heard you argued over what the best Christmas movie is,” Keira says. “Is that true?”

“We differ on the important things in a relationship,” I reply with a smile as I think about all those staged arguments and how much fun they were. “I mean, we all know Die Hard is not a Christmas movie.”

“You got that right, girl,” Abby agrees. “I figured you two were dating when you walked into the room on Harry's arm, but is that right? You two are in a relationship?”

I cannot stop the smile from claiming my face. “It's all very new. We haven't put a label on it yet.” I look over at Harry once more, and just as he did before, he looks back at me with those gorgeous soft eyes of his, and my heart skips a beat.

“I'm not sure you need to label it,” Abby replies. “I wonder what your celebrity couple name will be? Holly and Harry is a little tricky too pushed together. Hally? Horry?” She laughs, shaking her head. “Nope. Horrible.”

“What about you? Are you here as one of the guy’s dates, or as the team PR person?” Keira asks.

“Definitely as the team PR person,” Abby replies a little too forcefully. “There’s no way I would date one of those neanderthals.” She realizes what she’s said and quickly adds, “Not that Dan or Harrison are neanderthals, of course. But some of the guys sure are.” Her eyes flash to a couple of the team members standing nearby, Fletcher Steele and Hunter Adams, and I wonder whether she’s referring to one of them—or both.

The sound of someone clinking a glass gets our attention and I look over to see Harrison holding a glass and fork in his hands.

This is it. This is his moment.

“I hope no one minds if I say a few words,” he begins, and several people call out encouraging things. “As a lot of you will know, I've had a pretty interesting month.”

“Yeah, you have,” Casey calls out.

“About that,” Lorcan begins, but he's cut off by Chase.

“You'll get your chance. Let the guy speak.”

Harry throws Chase a grateful look before he clears his throat and begins. “I never thought I'd be standing here, talking about the past I kept hidden for so long. It was something I carried with me since then, and although it's meant that I've had to temporarily step down from the team, in some ways I'm glad it's out there. I was a sixteen year old kid with dreams of figure skating Olympic gold back in Oregon when I was faced with a choice to cheat. Luckily, I had the best mom in my corner. She taught me the value of integrity and honesty, and those are two values I carry with me to this day.

“My coach at the time offered me performance enhancing drugs to help me win a competition. Although it's been reported otherwise, I turned them down, and that decision cost me my skating career, my name, and almost my love for the ice. But it also taught me who I am and what I stand for, and that's a valuable lesson for anyone.

“You see, I carried that secret since then, afraid people would only see the scandal, and I've realized that by hiding my past, I wasn't just short-changing myself, I was also short-changing all of you. You deserve the truth, and that's why I wanted to give it to you tonight.”

A round of applause travels through the group, and a couple of the guys call out their support.

“And now onto the topic at hand,” Harry begins, looking lighter. “It's no secret that I want to be captain of the team next season when Dan steps down. To me, leadership isn't about being perfect. It isn't about being the best out there on the ice. It's about being honest, especially when it's hard. It's about facing your mistakes and learning from them. It's about integrity every single day, both on and off the ice.

“I want to be that leader for you, and I hope you will consider me when it comes down to the vote. I want us to be men we're proud of, on and off the ice. Thanks.”

There's a moment of silence before the room bursts into spontaneous applause—with the obvious exceptions—whooping and cheering, and patting Harry on the back.

I excuse myself from Abby and Keira who both throw me knowing looks, and I make my way through the party goers, finally reaching him.

“How did I do?” he asks.

“Have you ever considered a job in politics?”

“Definitely not,” he replies with a laugh.

“You were amazing, Harry. I'm so proud of you.” To my surprise, tears spring to my eyes and I sniff them back. “It's been a lot.”

“Thanks for your help with my speech, Holly. My love.”

My heart leaps at the word, and as I look up at him, it's plain to see the love he has for me in his eyes.

“I love you,” he whispers into my ear, his warm breath sending a tingle down my spine.

“I love you ,” I tell him, and as I gaze up at his sparkling eyes, I know this time I’ve fallen for the very best of men. My heart is safe in Harry’s hands, and I cannot wait for a new chapter to begin. Together.