The Hot Hockey Single Dad Is My Roommate

Chapter 5

Cole

I'm done. Completely done. I didn't expect to have a senseless, crazy woman living in my house. How did I even allow this in the first place? I shouldn't have said anything about one week. I should've thrown her out the moment she opened her mouth. Because how does a sane person bring a whole bag of kitchen utensils into someone else's house just because of a few rules?

Rules I set for a reason.

I don't like people touching my things. I don't like people acting like they own my space. This is my house. My order. My control. And suddenly, she's here, dragging bags around like she pays rent.

I ran a hand through my hair and let out a long breath. This was all Bernard's fault.

If he hadn't come up with that stupid idea about reshaping my image, none of this would be happening. If he hadn't threatened me, threatened my career I wouldn't be stuck dealing with her. Still, even with all that, I didn't regret what I did. I hated being cornered, but I hated losing control even more.

"Daddy?"

II looked down and realized Mia was standing right in front of me, staring up with those wide eyes. I had completely forgotten she was there. That alone made my chest tighten.

I crouched in front of her and forced my voice to soften. "Don't worry about that, sweetheart. Are you hungry?"

She nodded slowly.

"How about ice cream?" I asked.

Her face lit up immediately. "Yes."

That was enough to pull me out of my head. I stood, grabbed my keys, helped her into her shoes, and nodded toward the door. "Alright. Let's go."

I needed air. I needed space. And honestly, I needed to get away from Ivy whatever her name was because I was starting to think she wasn't mentally stable.

We drove in silence, Mia humming softly to herself. I stopped at the ice cream place down the street and got her favorite. She sat happily, focused on her cup, completely at peace.

I leaned back and scrolled through my phone.

Sports news everywhere. Chicago Blitz upcoming games. The opponent's lineup. Comments about the injured player apparently healing well, everyone suddenly acting like experts.

I scoffed under my breath. "Bunch of fools."

My phone buzzed. I glanced at the screen.

Bernard. Of course. Just when I was thinking about calling him. I slid my finger across the screen and accepted the call. "Mia," I said softly, lowering my phone, "Daddy will be right back, okay?"

She nodded, too focused on her ice cream. I stood up and walked toward the window side of the ice cream place, turning my back to the room. The noise dulled a little there.

"Cole," Bernard's voice came through, calm as always. "How are you doing?"

I stuffed my hands into my pocket. "Did you call because you know exactly what you did, or are you seriously asking how you think I'm doing?"

He chuckled lightly. "Relax. I'm asking as your field manager. It's normal for me to check in."

I scoffed. "Fine. You want honesty? I'm not doing okay. I want that woman out of my house."

There was silence on the line. "She's... living with you?" Bernard finally asked.

I closed my eyes, then opened them again, already tired. "Please don't act like you don't know what's going on. She literally moved into my house because I told her I wasn't interested in whatever strategy you people cooked up."

Then Bernard laughed. A full, amused laugh. Which irritated me more than it did when Ivy pissed me off earlier. "What exactly is funny here?"

"I really like what I'm hearing," Bernard said. "Now I understand why Harland said she's very dedicated. I can see it already. And I have a feeling she's going to deliver."

I let out a dry laugh. "Too bad. I'm not going to let her."

"I didn't call to argue with you. But remember our agreement. You're not getting back on the team unless you fix your ego. I'm done, Cole. I won't let Chicago Blitz have a reputation boost."

My grip on the phone tightened.

"I'm sure you've seen the news," he continued. "Kane is healing well. Before you know it, he'll be back on track while you're still stuck at home. That is unless you work on yourself. Swallow your ego."

I clenched my fists. My jaw locked. I closed my eyes for a few seconds, then opened them again.

"There's no point talking to you," I said flatly.

"Just so you know," Bernard replied, "I'm doing this for you. You're the star of Chicago Blitz. You've given years of your life to hockey. I don't want your career to go down the drain because of silly pride. Think about it. Next time we talk, I hope it'll be positive."

He paused, then added, "Actually, I don't even need to talk to you directly. I'll get my updates from your PR."

The line went dead. I lowered the phone slowly. If anything, I was furious. Trapped. I hated that there was nothing I could do to fix this right now. The only way out was the one-week grace I'd given her. One week. She'd get tired, give up, resign and Bernard would have nothing to hold over my head.

That was the plan.

I turned back toward the table. Mia had ice cream smeared all over her mouth. I sighed and walked over. The anger drained from me the moment I knelt in front of her.

"Hey," I said softly. "You're a big girl now. This is how you clean your mouth."

I gently wiped her face with the tissue, and she giggled.

Just like that, everything inside me softened. No matter how angry I was, one look at her and it all faded. She was my life. I still didn't fully understand how everything had happened, or who her mother really was but the DNA test had been clear. She was mine.

"Alright," I said, standing. "Let's go home."

"Daddy," she said quickly, tugging my sleeve, "I want to see dinosaur."

I raised a brow. "Dinosaur? Where did you see a dinosaur?"

"In my storybook," she said proudly.

I huffed a small laugh. "The zoo is far away, Mia."

Her face scrunched up. "I want to go."

She crossed her arms and stomped her foot.

I sighed. "Mia—"

"I want to go!"

I closed my eyes. Of course.

"Fine," I muttered. "We'll go another day but I will take you to a beautiful garden,"

She instantly brightened.

By the time we got home, she was jumping up and down, clutching the toy she'd begged me to buy for her on our way back even though she already had too many toys in her room. She was happy. That was all that mattered.

I opened the door, stepped inside and was met with a weird smell and smoke.

I frowned, scanning the house. "What is going on here?"

"Mia, stay here." I said to my daughter pulling her aside.

I followed the smell toward the kitchen. The moment I stepped inside, I nearly choked.

Smoke filled the air. Ivy turned toward me, holding a spatula, eyes wide with a disastrous frying pan in front of her. . The kitchen looked like it had survived a small war.

"What the hell is this!" I ran over and opened the window. "Are you trying to burn down my house!"

Ivy stared at me, a sheepish grin on her lips.

"I—uh... I was trying to make something," she started, her voice tight, eyes darting between the smoke and me.

"Something?" I echoed, waving the spatula up like a weapon. "Something? Ivy, the entire kitchen smells like it's on fire! The frying pan is practically screaming help!"

She swallowed, and for a second, I thought she might actually apologize. But no her smirk returned, that stubborn little curve of her lips that immediately grated on my nerves.

"Relax, I've got it under control," she said, her tone far too casual, like the smoke and chaos were just background noise to her perfect little plan.

I stalked closer, hands clenched. "Under control? Ivy, you've got me seriously questioning why I let you step foot in my house! You can't even handle the simplest—"

"—kitchen task?" she finished, cutting me off with a roll of her eyes. "Oh, please, Cole. It's just a frying pan. Chill. You're acting like it's the apocalypse. I know how to cook. It was just a one time mistake ."

I exhaled sharply, trying to calm the rising heat in my chest. This woman... she had no respect for anything I cared about. No boundaries, no fear, no sense. Just... chaos.

I grabbed a towel, and carefully lifted the frying pan off the stove. "Chaos, huh? That's what you call this? Ivy, my daughter could have gotten hurt!"

Her expression softened for the briefest second, guilt flickering in her eyes. Then she shook it off.

"But she didn't because you guys weren't even at home. And if you're really worried, maybe you should supervise more."

"Excuse me?"

She straightened, planting her hands on her hips, staring me down. "You heard me. Maybe you should check what's going on before you blow up. Just a thought."

I exhaled, massaging my temples. This woman...I shook my head and muttered under my breath, "This is going to be a long week."

Ivy, of course, grinned.

"Oh, don't worry, Cole," she said, leaning casually against the counter, "I'm not going anywhere. One week or not, I'm winning this little game."

My eyes lingered on her in disbelief at her boldness. At that moment, I realized something. It's either I make her go crazy or we both go crazy. It's one way or the other.