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Chapter 19 - Tatum Reid
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Tatum POV
“Grace, come on baby, put your shoes on,” I shout from the living room while I put my apron on top of the black dress I wear for work. I look at my reflection in the mirror and shake my head. I hate my job. My boss is a prick, and he keeps trying to get on with me.
“I’m ready,” Grace says and I smile as I watch her walk into the living room in her uniform. Fred got Grace the scholarship and I finally don’t have to worry about paying for school. It was like God finally looked at me and blessed me.
“Come on, we’re going to be late,” I say as I wrap my jacket around my body and rush Grace out of the house. Tomorrow Thatcher will be in New York and he wants to take Grace to watch his game. I still don’t know how I feel about that because he will be playing against Fred.
After dropping Grace at school, I rush to work, and when I arrive, my boss is already waiting for me in the changing rooms
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Tatum POVThe game is today, and I am not working. I asked for the day off and it was a nightmare to get it. I had to lie that I had a doctor’s appointment and that I needed to take my daughter to have some vaccines after. Obviously, the filthy and disgusting man who manages the housekeepers didn’t believe me, so I had to go to hotel management.I know he won’t be happy that I did this, but he left me with no other choice. The man is disgusting and he won’t allow us any breaks or time off. I can’t let Grace go alone with Thatcher because I don’t want her sitting alone in the middle of an enraged man watching hockey with their beers and cursing in front of a child.I look at my reflection in the mirror and I can’t help but smile. I am wearing Thatcher’s jersey, but underneath, I have a smaller version of Fred’s. It’s hidden, and only the two of us know I am wearing it. The doorbell makes me jump and I ru
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Fred POV“Are you sure you’re okay to drive?” Jude asks and I nod as I look at him. We’ve been using the gym in his house every day and I feel like it’s the best thing I have done. The adrenaline of fighting him makes the blood move in my body and I feel a lot more relaxed. Obviously, he takes it easy on me because I don’t have his skills, but who knows? I might get there someday.“I’ll be fine. I’ll see you after the game?” I say and he nods and I grab my stuff before leaving his house. I should be leaving my house right now, not leaving him. I still need to get my stuff and I know I will get a massive told off for being late. But I am okay with that.Arriving one hour later at the stadium was definitely a mistake. My teammates are all ready to go warm up while I am still shoving stuff into my locker. “Ashford, get your ass in here,” the coach says and I take a deep breath, slamming the loc
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Tatum POVAs we get to our seats, I can see that Grace is agitated. She keeps biting her nails and Mara is super excited. “I never knew there was so much testosterone in a place like this. I am loving it,” she says and I shake my head as I watch Thatcher stretch in the ice. I remember the first time I watched him do this. It drove me insane how the other girls looked at him.The way their hips move as their legs spread almost looks sexual if your mind turns that way. Grace stands near the glass and watches as her father laughs while he stretches. When he is done, he skates around for a little while and then he stops in front of her and he smiles.“Hey baby girl,” he shouts, and she smiles as he passes one puck through the top for her. I grab it and give it to her as other fans gather around us, banging on the glass to get Thatcher’s attention. He smiles and waves around while Grace holds onto the puck.“Come on, let&rsq
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Fred POV“I need you all to stop behaving like brats. What the fuck is wrong with you?” The coach shouts as I rest my hand between my hands. I take a deep breath as I raise my head and his eyes lock with mine.“What the fuck was that all about Ashford? Are you really going to fuck your career over a woman?” The coach asks and I stay quiet while Thomas rests one hand on my shoulder. “You are professional athletes, behave like it, not like children that are playing field hockey. This is your career, your life,” the coach says and everyone nods.“And you stay the fuck away from Hill,” the coach says, pointing at me.“He fucked us up. He sent Moore to the hospital and you expect us to stand around and play nice while they provoke us. They talk about our girlfriends, kids, wives, and mothers. While they tell us how they are going to fuck our wives tonight and we’re gonna watch?” Corey says as he
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Tatum POVThat game was my worst nightmare and now, here I am, sitting in Thatcher’s room with Grace next to me while she holds her daddy’s hand. Her eyes are threatening to close as she gets tired. Today has been very emotional for everyone, especially for her little heart. Watching her daddy play and then get hit like it wasn’t easy on her. Thatcher has two black eyes and a broken jaw that didn’t need surgery. And let’s add a broken nose to everything else. Obviously, he will be okay, but I can’t wait to get the fuck out of here and go find Fred.I still don’t know what happened to him and what the damage is. I haven’t been able to find anything in the press. It seems like the team hasn’t done a formal release informing their fans of what is going on, neither with Fred nor Moore. I shake my head, trying to push those thoughts away. I am not the PR anymore and I shouldn’t be worrying about the press release.
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Tatum POVAfter dropping Grace at school, I decided to quit my job at the hotel. I have the uniform inside my bag and with a smile on my face I walk through the double doors at the front and I can tell the receptionist is not happy.“What are you doing? You need to use the back door,” she yells and whispers at me at the same time and I smile as I rest my bag on the reception desk and retrieve the horrible dress washed and ironed. I put it in front of her and she scrunches her nose as if disgusted by the material. I know. I hate it too.“Take that thing from here, the guests will see it,” she says and I smile as I look around the lobby which is completely deserted.“Don’t worry, I won’t take long. I am just here to drop this off and…” I say as I stop grab the white envelope from the bag and hand it to her.“That is my resignation letter, effective immediately,” I say, and her eyes gr
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Tatum POVMy heart is beating so fast I think I might have a heart attack. I sit in my chair with my face between my hands. Why is Fred doing this to me? I close my eyes and take a deep breath, trying to steady my beating heart and my breathing. The way he makes me feel is more powerful than I ever thought possible.I shake my head, pushing those thoughts away and trying to focus on the task at hand. I need to release the press statement for Moore that will be released from the hospital soon, but won’t return this season. His injuries are serious and might even make it impossible to play again. Obviously, the team is not happy because he is the captain and without him, things will go downhill.The team is not doing great this season because of all the scandals and everything that happened to the players. Their focus was lost, and they were not even on the top five teams of the country. That’s a first and I have to say I am worried about them. This mi
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Tatum POV “I am not letting you leave this apartment on your own,” Fred says, and I cross my arms as I stare directly into his eyes. “Get out of my way Fred, I am being serious, this is about my daughter, and if you don’t understand I have to go alone that’s not my problem, you don’t have kids, you don’t understand, I would do anything for my kid, now move out of my way,” I say and Fred shakes his head. I can see the fear in his eyes, but I honestly don’t care right now. “Grace needs me. If you don’t move right now, I will end our relationship. I can’t be with someone who doesn’t understand my need to save my daughter,” I say, and now he is angry. I can see is in his posture as his entire body stiffens. “Are you for real right now? I just want to go with you. That woman is crazy and I would never forgive myself if anything happened to you,” Fred says, and I take one step toward him. “Are you going to forgive yourself if anything happens to Grace because you are being stubborn and
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Tatum POV“Come, I want you to meet my mother and my brothers officially,” Fred says, and I look at him with horror plastered all over my face. We have been fucking for hours on end inside this room and I bet they know that and he expects me to meet them right after a full-on sex session?“Are you sure now is the best time for us to do this? This room smells of sex, and so do we. We haven’t even showered. I have dry cum down my legs and you expect me to meet your mother?” I say and he chuckles as he lightens up a little. He doesn’t look as sad as he was, but he doesn’t look like his old self as well.I know what happened took a big toll on his life, and I know he will never be the same person he was before. Events like these tend to change a person, and the way it happened is bound to leave a mark on him. Fred will always be associated with Caroline’s suicide. He decided to keep her letter private. He prefers to be seen as the bad guy than to expose her. He is a brave man, a good man,
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Tatum POV Julien sent me the address to Fred’s mother’s house. That’s where I am supposed to meet him. The coast is clear there because she is with him and the press won’t be around the house, not when they are not there. His family has been through the scrutiny eye of the press and everyone around them. The amount of scandals they have been going through is unbelievable. Their father is one of the biggest fuck ups in their lives, and I can’t even imagine how they all feel about him, what I read about the man he is a piece of shit and he uses their name and money for many fucked up things. Fred never really talks about him, and when he does, I can hear the hatred in his voice. The man is terrible. The Uber stops at the gate and presses the button, and I lean forward to speak. “How can I help you?’ I hear someone say. “Tea Time,” I say as the code word that Julien told me to say. The gates open and the Uber driver takes me to the front door. The house is gigantic, and I never thought
