Changing the Game

CHAPTER ONE-1

CHAPTER ONETalia

Talia’s stomach rolled ominously. Another trip to the bathroom seemed likely, as the next wave of nausea swept over her.

The curtains were closed, but it was clear that it was dark outside, and the world was going on without her. How long had she been sleeping? She rolled over in bed, but that started the room spinning.

Clamping her eyes closed, she waited until the movement calmed. This flu was really taking a toll.

Yesterday at little Willow’s party, she’d thought she was over the worst of it. Instead, the noise and chaos of everyone celebrating her niece’s birthday had made her head spin, and her usual love for all things party-food disintegrated, leaving her stomach churning.

She’d been mortified to be so sick in front of a house full of her Renegades hockey family, especially as her brother was the captain of the team.

She’d been so ill that her Renegades player husband, Harrison Dash, had had to bring her home early. She didn’t remember much after that besides curling up in bed, and eight hours later she still hadn’t left her bed.

Talia was not one to sleep for days at a time, even while sick. But the fact that she had slept the day away was further proof that she wasn’t going to make it to her restaurant, The Sin Bin. Luckily, she had Jordan, her very competent manager. Talia was confident that Jordan would be able to handle things for one day without her.

“Hey, babe,” Harrison whispered, as he quietly opened the bedroom door. He carried a tray to the bed. “I brought you soup, crackers, and tea. How are you feeling?”

“Miserable.” She sat up on her elbows, just enough to see what sat on the tray. “Where’d you get the soup?”

“I made it,” Harrison said, with his usual sexy smirk.

“I may be sick, but I’m not delusional. I love you, babe, but I know you didn’t make that.” Her husband was no chef; he wasn’t fooling anyone.

“You know me too well.” He chuckled, put the tray on the nightstand, and sat down beside her on the bed. “Trina brought it over after the party. She wanted to see how you were feeling after running out of the party. She also brought cake for when you are feeling better.”

Talia nodded. Normally the mention of cake would have her mouth watering, but she was so miserable that instead, she simply prayed that the nausea would stay away. “That makes more sense. Maybe later, call the restaurant and order something substantial for yourself to eat.”

Talia was the owner of a restaurant called The Sin Bin, and it was located right across from the home arena of Harrison and the Renegades. She knew she could at least count on her chef to feed her husband if she couldn’t.

For a second, she almost felt like herself. At the sight of her handsome husband sitting there grinning at her, she had the urge to snuggle into his arms.

Talia and Harrison were still in the honeymoon stage, even after two years of marital bliss. A drunken Vegas wedding may have been an unusual way to start off their life together, but their whole relationship had been less than traditional.

She’d hooked up with him as a one-night stand, and then found out that the guy she’d picked up at the bar was actually a professional hockey player—who also happened to be her brother’s teammate. She never did anything halfway.

She let herself relax for a moment, thinking that maybe her sickness was on its way out, as she swooned over her handsome hubby. The aroma of the chicken soup wafted her way, and it smelled delicious—at first. Suddenly her stomach flopped, and the sour taste of acid rose in her throat.

“Not again,” she groaned. She jumped off the bed, hurried to the bathroom, and slammed the door shut.

She hadn’t eaten anything for hours, but having an empty stomach apparently didn’t keep the nausea away.

After few splashes of water on her face, she started to feel better, and her stomach settled. Catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror, she had to admit she was a scary sight. But she had been sleeping for half the day. That was a legitimate excuse. Right?

Taking a deep breath, she swallowed and prayed that everything was going to stay put, before she walked slowly back to bed. Harrison was gone.

The sweet man that he was, he had taken the soup away but left the crackers and tea. As terrible as she felt, her heart soared when it came to that man. He was everything and more than she ever could’ve asked for.

“Hey,” he whispered, as he walked back into the dim room. Looping his arm with hers, Harrison helped her back to bed and placed a kiss on her head. He ran his hand through his wavy brown hair, his brow furrowed. “Tal, I’m worried about you.”

“It’s just the flu,” she answered. But it was unlike any flu she’d ever had. The waves of nausea came and went. Sometimes she was ready for a greasy cheeseburger, and other times she was hugging the toilet.

Harrison shook his head, his dark eyes shadowed with concern. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen flu like this.”

“What do you mean? I’m sure it’s just a bug.”

He brushed his fingers by her cheek, pushing the matted hair out of her face. “Nothing. I just want to make sure that you’re okay.”

“I’m certain I’ll be fine. Rest helps.” Only because when she was resting, she didn’t feel nauseous, and the room wasn’t spinning.

She got settled under the covers, expecting Harrison to return to the living room.

“Okay. Well, I’ll lie here with you, if you don’t mind.” He flashed her his best puppy dog eyes.

“You don’t have to come to bed. Isn’t it still early? And I don’t want you to catch what I have.” Talia had no idea what time it was. Her cell phone was in her purse, and that was in the living room where she left it.

“It’s not as early as you think. And I want to be with you.” His lips did a half-smile thing that immediately told her he was worried.

Talia knew she wasn’t going to win, so she gave up protesting. She slid down until her head was on the pillow, and then a wave of nausea hit her out of nowhere. The room spun, even with her head on the pillow.

She tried to keep her eyes open while Harrison snuck out to the living room to shut off the lights, but overcome by exhaustion, her eyes grew heavy, and she couldn’t fight it any longer. With the nausea getting worse, all she wanted was relief. Even before Harrison got back to the room, she gave in to sleep, and her eyes fluttered shut.

The next morning, Talia woke to her husband snoring and the sunlight streaming in through the window. She felt refreshed as she sat up and looked around. Maybe she had finally kicked this bug. Noticing that her phone was now on the nightstand next to her, Talia grabbed it and texted Jordan to check in with the goings-on at the restaurant.

“Good morning,” Harrison said, in his husky morning voice that she always found so sexy. He slowly sat up. “How are you feeling?”

“Well, the room isn’t spinning yet, so that’s good.”

Harrison placed a kiss on her head, as he had been doing since she’d fallen ill. She couldn’t blame him for not kissing her lips. This virus was something she wouldn’t wish on anyone.

Her phone buzzed. Jordan assured Talia by text that everything was fine at the restaurant and that she needed to take care of herself first.

“A text from Jordan?” Harrison asked.

Talia nodded. “I was just checking in.”

“Well, Jordan is extremely capable. Why don’t you rest a little longer? I’m going to jump in the shower then go start coffee. Oatmeal sound okay?”

“Actually I’m feeling better, and I’m starving. So maybe something with substance?” Oddly enough, she felt willing to take a chance on real food today. Maybe she was finally kicking this virus to the curb.

Harrison nodded. “I can do that.”

Talia curled back up in the soft sheets and closed her eyes, while Harrison got ready. She must’ve drifted off, because the next thing she heard was the clanging of pots and pans from the kitchen.

She hurriedly cleaned her teeth and brushed her hair. One last glance in the mirror and she was feeling like herself again. She had energy, and her stomach was behaving. Finally joining Harrison in the kitchen, the aroma of breakfast being cooked made her stomach growl and her mouth water.

She sniffed the air before joining Harrison at his side and seeing breakfast on the griddle. Her stomach growled at the inviting scent. “French toast?”

“I took a chance and made some bacon and home fries. Hope you’re feeling up to the grease.” He briefly abandoned his chef duties and pulled her into his arms. Taking a minute to stare at her, he stated, “You look like you feel better today.”

“I really do,” she said with relief, as she took a seat at the table. Greasy food was a far cry from oatmeal, luckily it smelled wonderful. Not even a sink full of dishes that he somehow managed to use just making breakfast could sour her mood. The last few weeks had been miserable, and she’d almost had forgotten what relief felt like.

Harrison placed her plate in front of her. It all smelled delicious. She took a bite of the French toast—heaven. She hadn’t been hungry in days, and the sugary syrup hit the spot. The crispy, greasy bacon lingered on her lips and was delicious.

Talia loved potatoes. Taking a bite of the home fries, she expected to enjoy them as much as the bacon—instead, she had barely swallowed her first bite, when her stomach lurched. It wasn’t the starchy potatoes that made her gag; instead, it was the onions. The familiar feeling made its way up her throat. She made a beeline for the bathroom and shut the door behind her.

Harrison knocked on the door, asking if she was okay, but she couldn’t answer yet. She knew if she let him help her, he would. He had proved that in the past when she’d had too much to drink. But being in this state was not sexy, and she was feeling too vulnerable to let him witness what a mess she was.

“Harrison, give me a minute,” she called through the closed door.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice full of concern.

“I’m good. I’ll be out in a minute.”

She brushed her teeth and splashed her face with water once more. Staring at her pale complexion in the mirror, she thought she looked like a corpse. But at least the nausea was easing.

Taking one last deep breath, she opened the bathroom door and a waft of bacon hit her. She braced for another wave of nausea, but instead, her mouth watered.

This illness made no sense.

“Do you want me to help you back to bed?” Harrison offered, as he rushed to her side.

“No, I feel okay now.” Even though she had just been sick, now her stomach growled for more bacon. She flashed a reassuring smile at her husband.

Reclaiming her seat at the table, she munched on a piece of bacon and warily tried a sip of coffee. It seemed to have a weird aroma, and it tasted even worse. Had Harrison bought a new brand? She winced, knowing her stomach wouldn’t thank her for drinking any more of it. Looking up from her mug, she found Harrison staring at her, shaking his head.

“This doesn’t make any sense,” he said. “I mean, when I’m hungover, some foods make me want to yak, but greasy foods are easy on the stomach. So, yeah, I can down a greasy cheeseburger like nothing.”

Talia hummed at his words. “A cheeseburger sounds delicious. Maybe we could do that for dinner?”

“Tal, something isn’t right with you. You’ve been nauseated for over a week and spending a lot of that time in bed. And today, you’re gagging at the home fries but enjoying the bacon.” He took a bite of potatoes and shrugged. “See? They’re fine.”

Harrison froze, his fork still in midair between his plate and his mouth, and he stared at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Babe?” she asked, eating another piece of bacon, wondering what he was doing.