Trade Off

Copyright © by Cheryl Douglas

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, including photocopying, graphic, electronic, mechanical, taping, recording, sharing, or by any information retrieval system without the express written permission of the author and / or publisher. Exceptions include brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Persons, places and other entities represented in this book are deemed to be fictitious. They are not intended to represent actual places or entities currently or previously in existence or any person living or dead. This work is the product of the author’s imagination.

Any and all inquiries to the author of this book should be directed to
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Trade Off © 2012 Cheryl Douglas

Nashville Nights Family Tree

The Turners

Trey and Sierra Turner -
Nashville Nights, Book One, Shameless

Jared and Elaine Turner - Trey’s parents

Alisa Turner
- Next Generation, Book One, High Stakes

The Coopers

Josh and Lexi Cooper
- Nashville Nights, Book Two, Fearless 

Jay and Victoria
- Josh and Ashley’s son and daughter-in-law / Nashville Nights, Book Seven, Hopeless

Mike and Tori Cooper
- Josh and Ashley’s son and daughter-in-law / Nashville Nights, Book Eight, Careless

Aiden Cooper –
Josh and Lexi’s son / Next Generation, Book Two, Trade Off

Brianna Cooper –
Josh and Lexi’s daughter / Next Generation, Book Three, Game On

Eva Cooper –
Mike and Tori’s daughter / Next Generation, Book Eight, Blown Away

The Spencers

Luc and Marisa Spencer
– Nashville Nights, Book Three, Ruthless

Nikki Spencer
– Luc’s daughter / Nashville Nights, Book Five, Relentless

Ryan Spencer
– Luc and Marisa’s son / Next Generation, Book Three, Game On

Evan Spencer –
Lun and Marisa’s son / Next Generation, Book Four, Burn Out

The McCalls

Ty and Avery McCall –
Nashville Nights, Book Four, Reckless

Anna McCall –
Ty and Avery’s daughter / Next Generation, Book Five, Fast Track

Nick McCall –
Ty and Avery’s son / Next Generation, Book Six, Time Out

J.T. McCall –
J.T. and Derek’s brother / Nashville Nights, Book Five, Relentless

Nikki Spencer – McCall –
J.T.’s wife / Nashville Nights, Book Five, Relentless

Lauren McCall - 
J.T. and Nikki’s daughter / Next Generation, Book Seven, Face Value

Derek McCall –
J.T. and Derek’s brother / Nashville Nights, Book Six, Heartless

Ashley McCall –
Derek’s wife, Jay and Mike Cooper’s mother / Nashville Nights, Book Six, Heartless

Book Two – Trade Off

Professional hockey player, Aiden Cooper, should be happy. He’s been traded to Nashville. But going home also means he has to face the truth. The love of his life is married to his former best friend and new teammate, and there’s not a damn thing he can do about it.

When Sela Clarke finds out her former boyfriend, Aiden Cooper, is finally coming home, she panics. How can she pretend she’s still in love with her husband when the only man she’s ever loved is bound to uncover the lie that tore them apart?

Aiden Cooper dialed Josh’s number and listened to the sound of multiple rings pulsating in his ear, the adrenaline coursing through his body making them sound and feel louder. This was one call he hoped he’d never have to make. “Hey, Dad.”

“Aiden, hey, good to hear from
ya
, buddy. What’s new?”

“I, uh, just got traded.” Vancouver had been Aiden’s home since he started playing professional hockey eight years ago. Some may call him a coward for rarely going home to visit during the off-season, but the decision to stay away from the town he grew up in was a matter of survival for him. “To Nashville.”

“Oh my God.” Josh laughed. “Seriously?”

Leaving his family and friends had been difficult, but Aiden knew coming back would re-open wounds that had never fully healed. He told his agent that Nashville was the one city he didn’t want to consider, but apparently his opinion didn’t matter when millions of dollars and a team’s bid for the coveted Cup were at stake.

“This has been in the works for a bit, but I didn’t want to say anything until it was a done deal.” He kept hoping he would be able to get out of it somehow, but as one of the league’s top goal scorers, he knew they viewed him as a commodity, not a man with an opinion. “Trainin’ camp is startin’ soon, so I’m just tyin’ up some loose ends here. I need to get out there and find a house.”

“You want your mama to check out the market, see what she can find?”

His mother, Lexi, purchased commercial investment properties, but she’d recently joined the ranks of the semi-retired so she and her husband could spend more time traveling.

“Uh no, that’s okay, I’ll take care of it. I know she’s busy plannin’ for that cruise you’re takin’ her on for your anniversary next month.” He knew of one real estate agent who could help him find his dream home: his ex-girlfriend, Sela. But she was the biggest reason he didn’t want to move back to Nashville. “I just wanted to let you guys know what the deal was before you heard it on the news.”

“You don’t sound too happy about this, kid. What’s goin’ on?”

“You know I love you guys, and in a lot of ways I’m lookin’ forward to comin’ home, but…”

“But you’re not lookin’ forward to playin’ on the same team with Michaels again, huh?”

Neil Michaels had been his best friend throughout high school. They played on the same hockey teams as kids and shared the dream of playing in the big leagues someday. But Neil stole Aiden’s biggest dream when he married Sela two weeks after his best friend signed a deal to spend the next four years in Vancouver. 

“I don’t know how the hell I’m gonna do it, but that’s what bein’ a professional’s all about, right? You gotta play the hand you’re dealt.” The day Sela called him in tears because she’d married someone else came flooding back.

“You know you’re welcome to stay here until you find a place.”

“Thanks, I just might take you up on that.”

“You know when you’ll be here?”

“Just gotta arrange the packers, movers, and put the place on the market.”

Aiden looked around the five-million-dollar house that had never felt like home. He looked forward to leaving some things behind, like his relationship with Monica. After a year together, she was encouraging him to let go of his past so they could build a future together, but every time his team returned to Nashville and he had to face off against the man who stole his first love, he realized he may never get over losing Sela. No matter how much her betrayal hurt him, he feared she may always have his heart.

“All right, well if you need anything, you just let us know, okay?”

“Will do.”

“And, Aiden?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m happier than hell that you’re comin’ home, son.”

Aiden smiled in spite of his foul mood. “Thanks, Dad. I’m lookin’ forward to catchin’ up with everybody.” Maybe not
everybody
, but he’d already put off the inevitable eight years too long
.

Sela cringed when her husband slammed the front door. His bad moods were becoming more frequent.

“Have you heard the big news?” he shouted, passing her in the family room on his way to the kitchen. He pulled the fridge open and reached for a beer.

Sela set aside the offer she was reading so she could give her husband her full attention.

He took a long pull of the beer as he leaned over the granite counter in the kitchen and glared at her, sitting on the couch. “Your boyfriend’s comin’ home to stay.”

“What are you talking about? You know I don’t have—”

“Aiden’s just been traded. He’s comin’ home.”

Forcing air into her lungs suddenly became a monumental task, as she tried to pretend her husband’s words hadn’t cracked the foundation of her world. “When did you hear that?”

“Management just called a meeting to let us all know. They’re callin’ him our best shot at a Cup. Thirty mil over five years. Can you believe that?”

Sela clasped her hands to hide the subtle tremble. Knowing Aiden lived thousands of miles away was the only thing that had prevented her from reaching out to him over the years. Now that they would live in the same city, how would she have the willpower to resist the urge to see him, to explain the decision she made eight years ago?

“Aren’t ya gonna say anything?” Neil asked, staring at her intently, as though he was trying to read her reaction by imagining the words she was not willing to say.

She cleared her throat. “I don’t know what you want to hear.”

He narrowed his eyes. “You happy about this, or what?”

She felt a myriad of emotions: elation, fear, dread… hope. “Why would you ask me that? You know I haven’t seen or spoken to Aiden since…” The last conversation, when she’d broken his heart.

“Have you ever been tempted to call him? The truth. I won’t get mad.”

They agreed a long time ago not to discuss Aiden or the reasons they decided to marry. It was too painful to remember and too hard to forget. “Have I ever wished I could make him understand what happened?” She shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe. Don’t we all wish for a do-over now and again?”

“I thought you didn’t want him to know. That was your secret to keep, and I’ve respected your wishes.” He looked at her and she could see fear in his dark eyes. While their marriage was far from perfect, she knew her presence was a lifeline for him. “You know he’d hate you if he found out the truth.”

That was the bitter reality. If Aiden ever found out what prompted her to marry Neil, there was no way he could see past the truth to the pain and fear that had incited her actions. “I know that. I have no intention of telling him. Do you?”

“Hell no!” He set the beer aside and walked into the family room to join her. He sat down on the large upholstered ottoman at her feet and leaned forward to take her hands. “Look, I know I haven’t always been the best husband, and lately things have been…” He drew a deep breath. “Tense between us. But I love you, baby. Don’t ever doubt that.”