Only One Night (Only One Series 3) Read online

  Only One Night

  Natasha Madison

  Contents

  DEDICATION

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Epilogue One

  Epilogue Two

  FREE BOOK!

  Books By Natasha Madison

  Acknowledgments

  Copyright © 2021 Natasha Madison. E-Book and Print Edition

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used factiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons or living or dead, events or locals are entirely coincidental.

  The author acknowledges the trademark status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/ Use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owner.

  All rights reserved

  * * *

  Cover Design: Jay Aheer https://www.simplydefinedart.com/

  Editing done by Jenny Sims Editing4Indies

  Proofing Julie Deaton by Deaton Author Services https://www.facebook.com/jdproofs/

  Created with Vellum

  DEDICATION

  DEDICATION: TO LOVE.

  Finding it. Fighting for it. Keeping it.

  Chapter 1

  Manning

  “Push, push, push,” I say to my son, Jaxon, who skates beside me. Holding his hockey stick in his left hand, he skates around to the other side. He looks over at me and smirks when he gets around without falling this time. “Good.” He skates until we do three whole turns.

  He stops by the bench where he put his water bottle when we got on the ice. Chest heaving, he takes off his glove and unsnaps his helmet to get a drink of water. I grab my own bottle and squirt some water in my mouth. “I’m going to set up the cones,” I tell him. “Then I want you to take the puck and zigzag through them.” When he nods, I feel my whole chest expand. This right here, this special time with him, is worth everything.

  Unlike my son, who started skating as soon as we could get skates on him, I didn’t start skating until I was six. I would alternate between forward and defense and usually didn’t know which position I was playing until I was told which side of the bench to sit on at the start of the game. When I turned twelve, my father convinced me to stick to defense. It also helped that I was growing like a weed as well as honing my skating skills and increasing my speed. I grew five inches in one year and was already six foot two at fifteen. By the time I turned nineteen, I was six foot five. I wish I could say I was drafted number one overall, but I was drafted number forty-nine to Nashville.

  Three years later, I finally made my NHL debut. That was also the year I met Murielle at an after-party. I wasn’t a big shot when we met, but as I started climbing the ladder and making a name for myself, the shy girl started to change. I don’t think I can pinpoint the exact time, but I knew the minute I saw it. She had just given birth to Jaxon and refused to let my parents stay in our house because I could “afford” to put them up in a hotel. That was the first fight we had, and it just went downhill from there. First, she hired a night nurse to get up with Jaxon if he would cry, then she hired a housekeeper. After that, it was a cook. And now, I can’t even tell you what she does all day. I also don’t care.

  “We have another hour left,” I tell him. “I have an event to go to tonight.” He nods his head. My son looks just like me, which makes Murielle even happier. His blue eyes are exactly like mine, and his brown hair is just a touch lighter. “Just like his daddy,” she always says, making me cringe. I’ve spent the past four years trying to get her to divorce me. Four years of convincing her that we aren’t good for each other, and four years since I moved out of our bedroom. Four years of me living in hell. The only thing that keeps me from moving out completely is Jaxon.

  For the next hour, he pushes himself harder, and when we walk out of the arena, he does it with a huge smile on his face. “I’m going to show Caleb my tricks tomorrow.” He gets into the back seat of the SUV, and I wait for him to buckle in before closing the door.

  “You have practice tomorrow,” I tell him, and he nods. “Then you have a game next week, but I’m going to be on the road.” I hate missing his games, but when I’m home, I’m in the stands cheering him on. At first, it was rough because people would hound me for pictures and autographs, but I would just smile and decline. I was here for my son, and they always understood that. But then Murielle would push me to take pictures, and we would end up in another fight. A fight that would have to wait until Jaxon got on the bus before I laid into her. I would never fight with his mother in front of him. I never wanted him to feel like he had to choose one parent over the other. Sadly, I was the only one who thought like that.

  “Can we have a boys’ night tomorrow?” he asks, and I smile at him.

  “That sounds like a great plan,” I say as we pull up to our house. I park the SUV and then wait for him to get out. I always walk with my hand on his shoulder. We open the door, and the house is eerily quiet as we walk through the grand foyer to the kitchen, where he opens the double Sub-Zero fridge. He grabs an apple and then looks to see what the chef left for the day. The sound of the basement door opening causes me to look over, and I see Murielle walking up with her trainer. He doesn’t even make eye contact with me as he walks out of my house. Last year, I caught them going at it on the weight bench. I don’t know what she expected from me, but I can tell you what she didn’t like. She didn’t like me turning around and walking out of the room.

  “Hey guys,” she says, coming back from the front door, and I just look at her. “Did you guys have fun at the rink?” She walks to the sink and washes her hands. Her brown hair is tied on top of her head, and all the hard work she does in the gym keeps her body in perfect shape. That, and the many visits to the plastic surgeon. Her tits are done, her ass is lifted, her lips have been injected, and there is so much Botox in her face that, at times, I don’t even know if she’s smiling or frowning.

  “Yeah, Dad showed me a couple of tricks,” Jaxon says to her. I walk over to him and take out a meal for him, knowing he doesn’t know which one he should pick. He looks up at me. “I want the chicken.”

  Nodding, I walk over to the stove and put his meal in the oven to warm. “Go shower,” I tell him, “and it’ll be done when you come out.”

  He walks out of the room, coming back two seconds later to grab a couple of snacks from the pantry, stuffing them in his pocke
t while he holds the apple.

  “Don’t leave the wrappers in your bedroom!” Murielle yells after him.

  “What do you care?” I say. “It’s not like you walk around cleaning up.”

  “I don’t want him to live like a pig,” she says, leaning her hips against the counter. “What are we doing tonight?”

  I laugh at her. “We are not doing anything.” I grab a couple of things out of the fridge and start to make a protein shake. “I have a dinner.”

  “Should I come with?” she asks, and I just look over at her. “I’m just asking if you need me to accompany you.”

  “Murielle,” I say. “I don’t know how many times I have to tell you. I don’t want you by my side. Aren’t you miserable living like this?” She folds her arms over her chest, pushing up her tits, and I see the hickey that she now has. “Don’t you want to just live your life happy? Be able to do whatever it is you want to do without me?” I don’t wait for her to answer me. “I mean, you just had sex with your trainer in the basement. Where my kid plays.”

  “I have needs, Manning,” she says, her voice not even rising. “You obviously won’t entertain them, so I have to get it elsewhere.”

  “I’m not entertaining them because I don’t feel like that anymore. We’ve spoken about this for the past four years. You keep holding on to this marriage for what reason, exactly?” I start the blender. “So you can have the title of captain’s wife? What does that do for you?”

  “I’ve sacrificed my whole life for you. To make sure you had everything you needed.”

  I have to laugh at this. “What exactly did you sacrifice? I never stopped you from doing anything. In fact, I encouraged you to go back to school to get a degree or get a fucking hobby. All you cared about was wearing my jersey to the games. All the perks that came with being my wife got under your skin, so now here we are.”

  “What about Jaxon?” she asks. “How do you think he’ll feel about having divorced parents and going from one house to the other?”

  “You obviously don’t know your son,” I say, pouring my protein drink in my glass. “You think he doesn’t know we live separate lives? He knows I live on the other side of the house. He’s smarter than you think,” I say. Spinning, I walk out of the kitchen, leaving her with those words. After I climb the winding staircase, I turn right to go to my room. I walk into the bedroom and make my way to my en suite, locking the bathroom door. I had to start doing that after I walked out one day and found Murielle naked, getting ready to join me in the shower.

  After I shower, I walk into the closet, grabbing a blue suit and white button-down shirt. I run my hands through my hair, slide on my silver Rolex watch, and then make my way down the stairs. I find Jaxon playing his Xbox in the living room. “Hey there, kiddo,” I say, and he looks over at me. “Are you alone?”

  “Yeah, Mom said she has a migraine,” he says, and I look up at the ceiling.

  “Do you want me to stay with you?” I sit next to him, and he shakes his head.

  “I’m okay.” I mess his hair up and bring him to me, kissing his head.

  “Well, you call me if you need anything,” I say, and he nods without looking away from his game.

  I walk out of the front door and call Murielle on her phone. She answers right away. “Can you at least try to parent while I’m gone?”

  “He’s fine,” she huffs out. “He ate, and he’s playing his game.” I shake my head. “I’m in the house. It’s not like he’s alone.”

  “Whatever,” I say, disconnecting the phone and getting into my black Range Rover SUV. I slip on my gold aviator glasses and put the address to the restaurant in my GPS.

  The phone rings on my way there, and I see that it’s Becca, my agent. “Hello?”

  “Hey,” she says. “I know you have the meeting tonight with the people from Hauer.” She mentions the big hockey equipment chain that sponsors me. “Just so you know, this restaurant is a supper club.”

  “Ugh,” I say with a groan. “What, why? Why would they do this?”

  “I know, and I just searched it,” she says. “Anyway, I booked you a room in the adjoining hotel just in case you get wild and let loose tonight.”

  I chuckle. “The last time I let loose was . . .”

  “Next to never.” She laughs. “Yeah, I know. Anyway, I got you the suite. The key will be delivered to the hostess desk for you.”

  “You think of everything,” I say.

  “No, I just don’t want you to get caught drinking and driving, and lose all the money that I make off you,” she says. It’s my turn to laugh. “Anyway, I have to go. Have fun and let loose. Just, you know, don’t make it onto SportsNet.”

  “I’ll try my best,” I say, parking the SUV in the valet spot and disconnecting the phone. I get out of my SUV, and the valet guy notices me right away. “The keys are in the SUV,” I tell him, and then I take a deep breath and walk toward the door.

  Chapter 2

  Evelyn

  “You’ve been home for a week, and you already have plans on Saturday night,” my sister-in-law, Veronica, says over the phone with a laugh. “And you didn’t know if you should move back home.”

  I laugh as I walk through my new house; the smell of paint still lingering. “I’ve been gone for fourteen years,” I say as I make myself a green tea. “Who comes back home at thirty-two?”

  “Well, I know we are all glad you came back,” she says, and I smile.

  “I have to be downtown at seven,” I say. “Remind me again why I agreed to this.”

  “Well, she’s one of your best friends, so it’s only normal you would be her bridesmaid,” Veronica reminds me, and I roll my eyes while I sip my hot tea, walking back to my bedroom.

  “I mean, remind me again why I thought a bachelorette party was a good idea?” Entering the en suite bathroom, I turn on the bath. “The last thing I want to do today is get all dressed up and go out.”

  “You need to get out there,” she says. I hear the water running in the background and then hear the plates clink together. “Drink a bit, dance a lot, and if you end up going home with a guy, we can call everything a win-win.”

  I laugh now. “I have never in my life had a one-night stand. Not even in college, so I doubt I’ll do it in my thirties.”

  “How are you getting there?” she asks.

  “I was going to drive, but then I thought about it, and I’m just going to take an Uber. I think she said the girls are renting a room in the adjoining hotel, but I’m not sure I want to stay out all night. Besides, if I get home drunk, it’s always better to wake up in your bed in the morning.”

  “Okay, well, can you promise me one thing?” she says, and I almost groan. “Have fun.”

  “I will. Kiss the kids for me,” I say and hang up. I put my phone down on the white marble countertop and then change my mind, opting to take a shower instead of a bath. If I take a bath, I’ll want to slip into my pjs, and that will be the end of the night for me. Sliding off the robe I was wearing, I step in and close my eyes.

  Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would come back home. When I turned eighteen, I packed up my room and left to go to school in Chicago. Since I was a little girl, it was my dream to move there. I don’t know what it was, but I just thought if you lived in Chicago, you had made it. I was caught up in the hustle and bustle of Chicago and loved it in every sense of the word—from walking down the Magnificent Mile to getting out on the lake each weekend.

  I pushed myself hard in school, and it’s where I met Dex, Joshua, and Ally. The four of us took to studying together. My relationship with Dex grew without us even knowing. Then we found out Joshua and Ally also started dating, so the four of us were always together. We all got jobs as soon as we got our master’s degree. We each built our portfolios until we decided to take a leap and start our own financial firm.

  We were growing so fast we had to hire people, and it was my dream come true.

  Until I walked in on Dex an
d found him balls deep in Joshua while Ally sat on his face. The three of them were snorting coke off each other.

  They didn’t even notice I had walked in or out. When he came home five hours later, he was shocked to see my bags at the door. I asked him one question before I left: How long? It was the only answer I really wanted to know, and I was shocked when he said it’s been since we all started hanging out together. I mean, it was right under my nose the whole time. I walked out and then came back to pack the rest of my stuff.

  It was a bit sticky since the four of us owned a company together. I sold them my shares, and now I’m basically starting over, though not from scratch. Luckily for me, my family works in finance, so I just joined their financial firm. My father was over the moon when I asked him about it. My brother, Timothy, was even happier. He hated Dex, so my returning was a win-win for him. I also left with my portfolio, and most of my clients had agreed to follow me.

  As soon as I flew into town, I bought my house. I had already chosen it online, but the minute I stepped in the front door, I knew it was for me. I made sure that the house had a new coat of paint on the walls before moving in, so when I went furniture shopping with my mother and Veronica, my whole house was furnished in a matter of three hours.