Overtime Read online

  “No, and neither do you,” he snapped and Jordie groaned.

  Silence fell over them and Jordie nearly choked on the tension. Pulling his phone out, he checked his Facebook and noticed that Karson was doing the same.

  That was until Kelly said, “So…um. Sir, um…er, I mean, Mr. King, I’d like to speak with you. In private, please.”

  Both their heads popped up and Jordie looked at Karson, confused. What the hell did Liam want to talk to Karl about in private?

  Karl’s face scrunched up in annoyance. “Whatever ya gotta say to me, ya can say in front of these two. I’d tell them anyway.”

  “Oh,” Kelly said, nervously moving his hands together, and Jordie’s stomach dropped. What the hell was he doing? “Well, you see, I’ve been dating Kacey for a while now with the permission of Karson,” he said, nodding his head to Karson, but Karson didn’t acknowledge him. He only stared as Kelly swallowed hard, his nerves visible. “Um…and well, we are really happy, and there is really no one I’d rather spend the rest of my life with. So, um, I’d like to ask her to marry me. But first, I’d like your permission.”

  What. The. Fuck.

  Kelly plastered a huge grin on his face, and Jordie wanted nothing more than to pound his fist into Kelly’s face, but he was stunned to silence. His jaw actually dropped, and when he glanced at Karson, his had too. Karl though, he was stone-faced, his eyes picking Kelly apart before his head slowly started to shake.

  “What? It’s only been a month or two,” Karson blurted out and Kelly looked over at Karson, nodding.

  “When you know, you know,” he said, his voice shaky.

  “But she doesn’t love you!” Jordie said, his heart picking up in speed. This douche was going to offer Kacey what she wanted. What if she said yes?

  “You don’t know that,” Kelly said dryly, his eyes cutting Jordie’s, which was surprising. The dude didn’t have a mean bone in his body. The guys teased him all the time because he never got a penalty, never got into a fight because he was too busy saying sorry or excuse me than actually fighting for the puck. If he didn’t have a sick-ass shot, Jordie would have questioned Elli on her decision to keep him on the team.

  “I actually plan to love her and never hurt her,” Kelly said then, and that made Jordie scoff.

  So she’d told him about them.

  He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or bad.

  And before Jordie could tell Kelly exactly what he thought, Karl cleared his throat, bringing the attention to him.

  “Liam, I can call you that, right?”

  “Why, yes, sir,” Liam said nodding, his grin directed to Karl.

  “Liam,” he started, but then he paused, sitting up and then back before leaning onto his knees, his eyes meeting Liam’s. “Not even no, but hell, fuck no, you can’t marry my daughter.”

  If Jordie were a man-kissing man, he’d kiss Karl King right at that moment.

  Sputtering, Kelly went to say something, but Karl stood, holding his hand up as he shook his head. “Marry her. The fuck? Cold day in fucking hell.”

  He then walked to the door, slamming it open before hollering, “Kacey Marie King, it will be a cold day in fucking hell before I allow you to marry this idiot!”

  “Oh shit,” Karson said, hopping up to follow as Kelly ran in behind Karl.

  Jordie slowly stood, a grin on his face as he headed toward the show.

  He only wished he had time to make some popcorn.

  Kacey saw the whole thing go down.

  She wasn’t too comfortable with Liam going out to hang with the guys but he was pretty persistent, and she had to say he’d been acting a little weird since he got there. He was holding her a little too much and kissing her and being really nice even though every other word out of her father’s mouth was the f-bomb. Liam seemed to like him though, so when he got up to go out, she didn’t stop him. Even though Jordie was out there, looking utterly delicious despite the done-up hair and beard job he had. Shelli and Posey must have gotten ahold of him and, of course, that made her want to aww.

  But she didn’t.

  She couldn’t pay much attention to him though. Because soon her father’s face twisted up when Liam turned to talk to him. Then Karson’s and Jordie’s jaws dropped and they both said something that Liam just waved off. When her dad stood, throwing his hands up over his head as he yelled violently, she knew it wasn’t good, but she didn’t think it was what she thought her father just said.

  Shaking her head, she jumped to her feet along with her mother and cried out, “What?”

  He pointed at her, his brows touching as his face filled with anger. “You aren’t marrying this guy! No! Over my dead fucking body!”

  “Karl!” her mother yelled as Kacey stood there, shocked. Her eyes cut to Liam as he stepped in front of Karl, his back to Kacey

  “I’m sorry, sir, but I’d like Kacey to—” Liam started, but Karl wasn’t backing down.

  Not that she’d expect him to.

  “I said no! You hear me? Get out of my face,” he said, pushing past Liam while Regina took ahold of his arm, trying to stop him. But he just dragged her along with him. “Let go of me, Regina. Do you hear what is going on? They’ve only known each other for a couple months! She don’t even love him!”

  “Karl, hush! You don’t know that,” Regina yelled back.

  “I’d really like to talk to you privately, Kacey.” Liam tried to be heard over all the yelling, but Kacey couldn’t even move.

  Was this really happening?

  Was she dreaming?

  She looked to Karson for help, but he was standing there, his mouth gaping open, no help at all. She looked to Lacey, but she was holding Mena, her eyes wide as she looked back and forth to each person who was yelling. When his eyes met hers, Jordie just grinned in a slow, very condescending way. Almost like he found this not only hilarious but downright stupid. She could read him like a book; it was easy for her, even with him holding back so much of himself. But sometimes, he opened up, and when he did, she absorbed everything he said and stored it in her heart for later. Now though, she wanted to smack him as his arms went over his chest, his eyes watching her so intently.

  Waiting for her next move.

  Asshole.

  Not that she wanted his help, but Jesus! Could someone help out here?

  “I won’t allow it, Kacey Marie King! I refuse to!” her father yelled, bringing her attention to him.

  “Allow it?” she muttered, her eyes narrowing angrily. “Daddy, I’ll do whatever I please.”

  “The hell you will! You don’t even like this guy! Better yet, love him!” he yelled at her, his nose flaring, and she really didn’t understand why he was so mad. Yeah, he was right, but why did he feel the need to make a scene like this? Her daddy was overdramatic, but even this was a little crazy.

  “Kacey, can we go outside?” Liam asked, but she held her hand up, stopping him.

  “In a second,” she said sharply, her eyes never leaving her dad’s. “Why are you so mad?” she asked him then, trying to keep her cool even though she was beyond embarrassed.

  “Because I don’t like him.”

  “But what if I do? What if I want to marry him?” she asked and Karl basically shot steam out of his nose.

  “What?!” he said, along with Karson and Jordie.

  Jordie came off the wall, his aloofness gone as his eyes burned a hole in her head.

  “You can’t be serious,” Karson said then. “You just met him.”

  “You sure as hell don’t love him,” Jordie added as Karson nodded.

  “You don’t know that,” Liam shot at him and Jordie laughed.

  “Dude, I know her and she don’t love you,” he snapped back and Liam glared as Karson nodded.

  “Yeah, what he said,” Karson agreed.

  “Kacey, maybe you should think about this,” Lacey said then.

  “What the hell, Lacey!” Jordie yelled and she shrugged.

  “Hey, don�