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#Chapter 11 If It’s Not One Thing
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56
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Hockey Billionaire's Hat Trick #Chapter 12 If You Can’t Take the Heat
“I’ll teach you.” I couldn’t find the words to object. Honestly, I didn’t want to, either. “Okay. So, how do I start?” I said instead. He motioned to the padded block at one end of the machine. “Sit here.” I obeyed. “Put your feet here.” I put my feet where he indicated and strapped them in. Barnett bent over me and checked the straps on my feet. My heart fluttered at the smell of his sweat and the feel of his arms as they wrapped around me. This felt just like when Barnett coached me in hockey, except somehow more…intimate. “Good. Nice and tight.” Like the back support belt, I said in my mind. “Now, I want you to grab this.” He leaned over me and handed me what looked like a pole on an elastic string. “And we’re going to turn this on to keep track of your progress.” Again, he leaned over me to press some buttons on the monitor by my feet. I tried to pay attention to
Hockey Billionaire's Hat Trick #Chapter 13 Get Out of the Kitchen
“You mean…you knew?” “You think?” “I…well…” I was a bit distracted. I would never admit that out loud. By your words…your actions… “Did you think I wasn’t observant enough to see the camera set up right there?” I blushed even though Barnett couldn’t see me. His tone during the workout had been its usual forceful one, but something about how he had conducted himself, about what he said, how close he was to me when he said it—it was too much for me even now. “Well?” I shook my head, realizing I had lost myself in my thoughts. “No, I guess…I don’t know what I thought. I’m sorry.” “Don’t worry about it. Just remember that other people might not be as cool about it as I am. Okay?” “Okay.” “And in the future, I don’t mind being in your videos, any time you need me.” “Okay,” I said, a bit surprised. “I am your trainer, after all.”•* * That night, I dreamt of a memory from
Hockey Billionaire's Hat Trick #Chapter 14 The Tangled Web We Weave
I had no idea what was going on, nor did I want to know. I had too many problems of my own at the moment to want to be dragged into anyone else’s, so I decided to leave as quickly as possible. It wasn’t worth the few bucks I’d save on gas to wait for Barnett’s ride.I took a couple steps toward my car, determined to leave Barnett to handle his own marital problems, when I felt his arm wrap around my waist. He pulled me close to him. “Julia, this is my new girlfriend, Anna,” Barnett said, sticking his chin out proudly. My eyes widened, and my jaw dropped. I couldn’t even enjoy being so close to Barnett with the shock I was in. Tears welled at the edges of Julia’s eyes. Her cheeks turned bright red, and the color crept up the back of her neck to her ears. “How dare you!” she screamed. “You cannot treat me this way. I planned to give up my modeling career so we could start a family, and you found someone else?” “Oh, no,” I said. “I—”
Hockey Billionaire's Hat Trick #Chapter 15 Haters Gonna Hate
I checked my social media accounts more often that day than I ever did. I wished I hadn’t. Everything, even my workout vlogs, were swarmed by Julia’s fans. They had nothing but abuse and death threats for me. Who does this b*tch think she is, getting in the middle of a happy couple like that? Just because she couldn’t keep her marriage together, she had to ruin someone else’s? Barnett’ll dump her in a week. A week? I give them a day! How did a fat cow like her manage to catch a 10 like Billionaire Barnett anyway? The comments went on and on. Some went so low as to suggest that I was only in the relationship for Barnett’s money; others went even lower and said that if Barnett were to pay someone to be with him, she’d be a lot hotter than me. Ouch. By the time I got off work, people had made compilations of my workouts with Julia’s runway videos. Titles included “Beauty vs. Beast”, “Fab vs. Fat”, and the eve
Hockey Billionaire's Hat Trick #Chapter 16 Paparazzi
I muted the TV and answered the phone.“Hello?”“Hello, Anna? It’s Barnett.”“Hi, Barnett.” I paused. “You’re calling a bit late.”“Yeah, I know. I was just looking through my social media, and I wanted to apologize for everything.”My heart fluttered. “You don’t need to apologize.”“Don’t I?”He almost sounded angry. At me? At himself?“No. You didn’t do anything.”I waited for him to respond, but Barnett remained quiet. The silence between us stretched to an almost uncomfortable length when he finally spoke again.“Well, it’s getting late. I should probably let you get to sleep.”“Yeah. Thanks for calling.”“No problem. Good night, Anna.”“Good night, Barnett.”•* *When I fell asleep, Barnett filled my dreams.He stood in front of my bed. His eyes narrowed as they roved over my body. Chills ran up my spine at the hunger in his stare.I looked down to see that I wore nothing but a pink, lacy, see-through nightgown. My instinct was to cover myself from Barnett’s gaze. Instead, I foun
Hockey Billionaire's Hat Trick #Chapter 17 One Little Slip
I scrambled into the car. My seatbelt was scarcely buckled before Barnett booked it out of the parking lot. The paparazzi soon disappeared from the rearview mirror.“Why are you here?” I asked as I settled into my seat. “Don’t you mind being photographed…with me?”Barnett didn’t look away from the road. “I don’t know why I’m here. In fact, I’m missing a very important morning.”I shriveled in my seat. “I’m sorry.”“Why apologize? You didn’t do anything wrong.”“I…”“You don’t always need to be concerned with other people’s feelings. Anna, your mistake was that you intruded on my dreams last night. So, when I woke up, I decided to come to you.”My eyes widened in surprise. “What-what did you say?”Barnett pursed his lips and didn’t respond. The muscles in his neck and jaw tightened.I didn’t dare to say anything else. Even if I wanted to pursue the question, I couldn’t. He obviously wasn’t in the mood to talk.I decided that I must have heard him wrong. We couldn’t have dreamt about ea
Hockey Billionaire's Hat Trick #Chapter 18 Awkward
I heard Rebecca talking with one of Arthur’s dog walkers.“I can’t believe she actually finished putting that makeup on him,” the dog walker, John, said so loudly that I was obviously meant to hear it.“What was she going to do? She was running out of time.” Rebecca’s mocking tone cut me to my core.“It’s just so hideous. She shouldn’t have even kept it in rotation.”“We all make mistakes. None usually so big, mind you…”The two share a laugh. My first clenches as I resist the urge to punch them both.“I doubt that even Arthur’s favorite will get away with this one,” Rebecca continued.I should have known that they hated me for how gentle Arthur was with me, especially when the rest of them had been working for him for so much longer. It wasn’t my fault that I had made friends with my boss. Still, even I doubted that this seeming favoritism would get me out of trouble this time.“That’s enough.”I turned to see Arthur step out from behind the folding room divider. I died a little insi
Hockey Billionaire's Hat Trick #Chapter 19 Crazed and Confused
I couldn’t believe I had heard him right at first. “What about who pretending to be my what?” I asked.“Me. Pretending to be your boyfriend. Do you need me to?” That time, I knew I had heard him right. “No, I don’t think so.” Arthur’s smile faltered, but it never disappeared. “Are you sure? With this whole Barnett and Julia situation, I figured that a fake boyfriend would be the perfect cover to throw the paparazzi and Julia’s crazy fans off your scent.” “That’s really sweet, but I couldn’t impose on you like that.” “Of course not. You’re too considerate to impose on anyone.” He took my hand in both of his and ran his thumb along the top of it. Heat flooded my cheeks. His smile seemed to grow wider. “I…It’s getting late, don’t you think?” Arthur didn’t answer. Instead, he merely called the waitress over and paid the check. I hoped that would be the last time we would mention the subject.•* * I ha
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Hockey Billionaire's Hat Trick #Chapter 80: The Hat Trick
9 years later… I sat down in the first row, my coffee cup balanced in my hands. The rink was cold, and I was bundled up in a sweater and a winter coat. Beside me, Lily sat with my daughter on her lap. Winnie was just three years old, and she was already asleep on Lily’s shoulder, the hood of her pink parka pulled up over her head. The sight of them together warmed my heart.“Damn, she’s getting heavy,” Lily said.I smiled. “I know. They grow up fast.”She nodded. Lily didn’t have kids, and I didn’t think she ever wanted to. She was happy being Cool Aunt Lily, and I thought that was amazing. She still traveled all over the world, bringing exotic gifts back for her niece and nephews.“She asks about you all the time now,” I said. “She calls you ‘wi-wy.’”“Adorbs.” Lily hugged her closer. “We’re going to be besties when she’s older.”“For sure.”“Scratch that. We’re already besties.”The first period was about to start, and I sat up straighter. Both teams were on their benches. I could
Hockey Billionaire's Hat Trick #Chapter 79: Journey's End
“I’m the father,” he repeated.I nodded. “That’s why I was trying to find you. I wanted to tell you, but after what Julia said, I thought you never wanted to see me again. If not for Lily, I would have continued to think that. Still, I’m sorry you’re only finding out now.”A sad look crossed his face, and he put his head in his hands. “God, I’m sorry.”I stood up and walked around the desk. His muscles tensed, but he didn’t look up as I ran my hands over his shoulders. “You’re here now,” I said.“I should’ve been with you the whole time.”He swiveled around in his chair and hugged me, his face resting lightly against my stomach. I ran a hand through his soft blond hair. “I’m so sorry,” he said. He looked up at me and gave me a wide smile. My heart skipped a beat. “I’m really happy, Anna.”“You are?”“You have no idea.” He still hadn’t let go of me, but I didn’t want him to. I never wanted him to. If I could have stayed in his arms forever, I would have.“I’m happy too,” I said, tears
Hockey Billionaire's Hat Trick #Chapter 78: The Father
Barnett gestured for me to sit down, and I took one of the plush armchairs across from his desk.“Can I get you anything?” he asked. “Water or something?”I shook my head. “No, I’m alright.”He nodded and sat down in his leather chair. “Either Lily is clairvoyant, or she convinced you to come here,” he said after a moment of awkward silence.“She’s adamant that we talk.”He just nodded again.Another long stretch of silence ensued as I searched for something to say.“You look great,” he said. I wasn’t used to this awkwardness between us. It seemed to squeeze at my throat, preventing the words from rising. So much time had passed, and he felt both familiar to me and completely a stranger.“I heard about your father,” I answered, ignoring his compliment completely. That felt like dangerous territory. “I’m sorry he was sick. Is he doing better now?”“He is,” he said. “It was tough going for a while, but he’s doing a lot better now. Good enough to kick me out, anyway.”“He sounds like a c
Hockey Billionaire's Hat Trick #Chapter 77: Lovers Meeting
“Barnett, open up!” Lily called.Barnett sighed and got out of bed. It was still early in the morning, early enough that he wanted to yell at her through the door and tell her to go away. He hardly slept as it was. The last thing he needed was an early morning wake-up call.He pulled on his robe and stomped over to the door.“Barnett!” she called again.He yanked open the door and scowled down at her. “Do you know what time it is?”She smirked and shoved past him into his apartment. At least she had two coffee cups with her. She handed him one and he took a sip. It was still hot, and it burned his tongue.“It’s a beautiful day,” she said.“Is it?”He sank down onto his couch and pulled his robe tighter around him. Lily didn’t sit down, she just started pacing back and forth in front of him. He was much too tired to deal with all her energy. Lily wasn’t much of a morning person either, but today she was clearly on something.“Did you sleep at all last night?”“Like a baby,” she said, h
Hockey Billionaire's Hat Trick #Chapter 76: Setting Things Straight
I’d been home for nearly a month, and people were still talking about my ‘relationship’ with Arthur. It was really starting to drive me crazy. To the point where I knew I’d have to set the story straight if I ever wanted the rumors and speculation to stop.The nursery was mostly finished now, and the rest of the rooms were looking better, too. I had my office set up with a desk and some of my filming equipment. I planned to use it mostly for behind-the-scenes stuff, but it would work if I needed to film a quick video like I did now.I decided to just film a sit-down video. I’d been filming my vlogs at the gym in my building, and while that was going well, I’d avoided addressing everything with Arthur.I knew people were still talking about it because the comments on my videos were mostly about our relationship. People wanted to know why we weren’t traveling together more. If we were going to get married. What we planned to name the babies.Everyone seemed convinced that they were his,
Hockey Billionaire's Hat Trick #Chapter 75: The Nursery
I wiped my hand across my cheek, realizing at the last second that I had blue paint on my fingers. I rushed over to the bathroom and laughed when I caught sight of myself in the mirror. There was pale blue paint smeared across my cheek, dotted across my white t-shirt. There was even a bit of paint at the ends of my hair that I would probably have to cut off.Deciding to decorate the nursery myself might have been a bad idea, but I couldn’t deny I was having a lot of fun. As much as I was making a mess, it felt meaningful to do it myself. To pour all my love and hope into that one little room.The cribs were arriving in a couple of days, and I already have a tall, white dresser to put in there for all the baby clothes. I bought a changing table from a lady online and it was already up and waiting in my new office. There were still quite a few things I needed before the babies were born, but I was finally on track.After arriving home, I decided that the first thing I needed to do was f
Hockey Billionaire's Hat Trick #Chapter 74: Unhealthy Obsessions
He couldn’t stop looking at the pictures. He knew he needed to, but Barnett couldn’t turn away. They were all over the internet. Everywhere he went, the photos and videos of them taunted him. They were holding hands on a sailboat. Sitting together on a rock, their faces red from their hike. Having dinner beneath the stars in some far-off place with just trees and mountains for miles, looking far more intimate than Barnett would have liked.One headline caught his eye as he scrolled, and he sucked in a breath.PREGNANT FITNESS INFLUENCER ANNA LEONARD TRAVELS WITH FAMOUS BOYFRIEND ARTHUR STARDUSTHe finally forced himself to put down his phone. Agonizing over it wasn’t helping him. Anna was happy without him. He just had to accept that somehow and move on, even if it seemed like an impossible thing to do. She was clearly in love with Arthur.Just as he placed his phone down on his desk, it rang.He picked it up without checking the Caller ID, half-convinced it was Anna calling. That he’
Hockey Billionaire's Hat Trick #Chapter 73: Miscommunications
Lily found Barnett at his apartment. She had to knock a few times before he finally came to the door, a slight scowl on his face.“So, you’re back,” she said.He stepped aside to let her in. She closed the apartment door behind her and trailed him into the room. “How was Egypt?”“It was fine. Saw the pyramids.” He looked interested, but she wasn’t there to talk about Egypt. “Have you been online recently?”
Hockey Billionaire's Hat Trick #Chapter 72: Anna’s Letter
I stopped in front of the mirror and pulled up my shirt. A few months of filming later, and I was really starting to show. I kept having to buy new clothes as my size changed. Those jeans I worked so hard to fit into didn’t even make it past my thighs now.I dropped my shirt and looked over my outfit. I had on a pair of workout leggings, sneakers, and a form-fitting pullover that showed off my protruding belly. Arthur and I were hiking today for our segment. My hair was up in a high ponytail, and I had some natural makeup on. Without it, I had dark circles under my eyes from all the early morning shoots.
