The Puck Secret (Fairfield U Book 1)

There are so many articles in front of me that I’m not really sure where to keep my focus. Hallie has spread out the newspapers across the coffee table, set up her laptop to show the college forum, and is scrolling through social media posts on her phone and reading the comments aloud. She is in full Thorne take down mode, while I sit quietly on the sofa not really sure what to do with myself. I haven’t heard anything from my father yet, and Josh’s phone is off, and until I talk to either of them, I can’t be sure this is over.

I mean I know my father, I remember how things were when his affair with Diana was exposed. I remember the reporters, the articles, the scathing comments, he barely remained in office. Vultures he called them, yet he hasn’t hesitated in using them to his advantage since then, spinning tales of affairs forgotten, and happy families united together. It’s bullshit, and if I know him like I think I do, I know that waking up to all of this will change everything. Or at least I hope it will.

My intended is no longer the upcoming star of the football team set to take over his father’s business. In fact, I’d be certain his father is about ready to blow a gasket for all the bad press his son is about to bring to his company. It’s been no secret that Brad’s dad has been prepping him to take over one day, he bragged himself about the deals he was going to land in the new year. I bet he isn’t bragging now, not that I care about him. I hope the NCAA throws the book at him, and if FU has any sense they will toss him out on his ass.

No, my only focus is on what this means for me, for the deal my father made with his, and for the third time this morning, I reluctantly dial my father’s number. It rings and rings, and I know he will be within hearing shot of it, yet for the third time this morning, he rejects my call.

Fuck.

“Still no answer?” Hallie asks, not looking up from her phone, still a little smirk permanently etched at the corner of her mouth since the second she saw the news. I think she hates Brad more than I do.

“No,” I sigh in response. “And I’m not sure if that’s a good or a bad sign.” There has to be a reason he’s ignoring my calls, but is it because he is doing damage control for his deal, or because he is already searching for Brad’s replacement? I’m not sure I like the idea of either.

“Relax, Wendy, everything is going to work out, I just know it.” She finally glances up from her phone giving me her full attention. “Have you tried Josh again?”

Just as she says that, my phone rings in my hand, my brother’s name across the screen and I look at her suspiciously. “That’s him now.”

“Speak of the devil and he shall appear,” she smiles, holding her hands up in a surrender.

I take one of the cushions from behind me and toss it at her head as I answer his call. “Hello.”

“Mads, it’s me,” he starts, like this isn’t the 21st century and caller ID isn’t a thing. Of course I know it’s him.

“Yeah I know, where the hell have you been, I’ve been trying to call you for like two hours, what the hell is going on?” All morning, ever since Hallie burst in my room, the only thing I could think about is Josh’s words from this week.

You’re not fucking marrying Bradley Thorne, if it’s the last thing I ever do.

“Josh, what happened?” I ask again, his silence stretching out between us. “What did you do?”

He sighs, “I did what needed to be done, what I should have done the second I found out dad was forcing you into marrying that prick.” Hallie and I share a look, her ears peak as she listens in on our conversation while picking at the skin around her fingers absentmindedly. “Look, I can explain everything, I’ll be there soon, okay?” Now it’s my turn to sigh, too anxious and tired to want to wait for the full explanation of what he did, and what all of this means. “Okay, Mads?”

“Fine,” I relent, shaking my head at Hallie in annoyance. “I’ll see you soon.” I hang up the phone before he can say anything in response, too panicked and stressed to talk anymore, and when my phone instantly starts ringing again, I groan, answering the phone on the first ring. “I said okay, Josh!” I snap.

“Maddie,” a voice that is now becoming all too familiar says, and Hallie frowns in confusion, which I’m sure mirrors the expression on my own face. “It’s Archer.” I have barely thought about what happened last night with everything that is going on this morning, so to have him calling me again has my spine snapping straight for the second time in twenty-four hours.

“What happened, is he okay?” That same panic I felt when he called last night comes tumbling back, as I wonder what troubling situation Nova could have gotten himself into now.

“Nova’s fine,” he says hesitantly, sort of like he doesn’t really mean it, or believe it, before he quietly adds, “It’s his mom.”

I blink back trying to compute what he is saying. “His mom? Diana? What happened, is she okay?” I mean of course she is okay, I just saw her, we had dinner together, we caught up, we had fun, she has to be okay.

“She’s in the hospital,” he mutters quietly into the speaker, like he is trying to hide what he is saying. “I know I shouldn’t be calling you again, but I think you should come.”

Just like last night, I am already up and searching for my shoes. I’m still in the clothes I went out in last night, but I don’t care. Something has happened to Diana and I need to get to Nova and make sure they are both okay. I don’t care what is going on with me, what Brad’s exposé means for me. No, the only thing I care about is Nova.

“I’m on my way,” I tell him, ending the call and frantically searching for wherever I dumped my keys when I got home last night.

“Josh is on his way over,” is all Hallie says as she watches me search, even though I know she knows I have to go.

“I know but,” I pause, not really sure what to say, as tears start to gather in my eyes. Please don’t be bad. “I have to make sure he is okay,” I gasp out. “Just occupy Josh until I get back.”

“Occupy him?” she scoffs in disgust, “He’s not a dog.” Her nose wrinkles as if she is imagining him as such, but I can barely concentrate on anything she is saying as I finally locate my keys and slide into my shoes.

“Just use that charm he loves so much to keep him distracted until I get back,” I mutter, grabbing my bag, purse, and jacket and stalking towards the door.

“Okay but don’t blame me if you come home to your brother bleeding on the floor at my feet,” she calls out to my back, and I almost smile at the image.

“He should be so lucky,” I call back to her, before slamming the door behind me and rushing to my car. For the second time in less than twenty-four hours, one of my guards is quick to follow as I pull off the drive and navigate my way to Fairfield Hospital.

The whole way there I can barely focus, both hoping for the best and preparing for the worst, and by the time I am storming through the halls of the hospital, I am so worked up that I can barely breathe. Which only gets worse when my phone rings in my hand yet again, and I look down and see my father’s name. Rejecting the call immediately, I find the waiting room that Archer texted me about, and push through the doors, happy to find him waiting.

When he sees me, he smiles sadly, rising to his feet to greet me. “I’m sorry about this,” he starts, but I cut him off as I throw myself at his chest and pull him into a hug.

“Thank you for calling,” I say, muffled into his chest, and after a couple of seconds of frozen shock, his arms engulf me into a warm and steady embrace.

“I didn’t know what else to do, he was in a bad way,” he grumbles into my hair, the panic for his best friend and his mom clearly evident. I pull back as he continues, “I knew Diana was sick, but I didn’t know how bad, he didn’t tell me.”

“Where is he?” is all I say in response, I don’t ask what is wrong with Diana. If Nova wanted me to know, I would, and if he wants to tell me he can, but my focus is on him right now and what he needs.

“He went back to her when we got here, I haven’t seen him since, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave, not without knowing if they are okay.” I nod, understanding him completely, I can’t even begin to imagine if this was Hallie and her mom, how hard it would be.

So instead, I pull his hand into mine and force that perfectly practiced smile to my face. “Everything is going to be fine, we’ll just wait here for news together.”

With that he nods, and we both take a seat in the waiting room side by side, and I silently pray that what I just said was true. My phone rings again, and when I spy my father’s name for a second time, I shut my phone off without a second thought. I have no interest in whatever he has to say, not now, not here, and not again. If I am realizing anything right now, it’s that life is short and we need to grab every bit of happiness we can.

I just hope it’s not too late.