Chapter Thirty

The girls came in laughing and teasing each other, with Amber in the middle telling a story. Sid greeted them at the back door, grinning from cheek to cheek. He was so glad that his hockey experiment had gone well. He couldn't even imagine what would have happened if Amber hadn't blown them away… he would have been in such big shit!

"Hey… have fun out there?" Sid asked the girls.

"Yeah, can you get Amber a pair of skates? Dad got us ice time tomorrow and she said she would come and play with us but she doesn't have any skates here…" Steph asked excitedly.

"Umm… yeah, I am sure we can arrange that," Sid shrugged looking at Amber for approval. He wanted to make sure that getting skates was actually a good idea, not just the excuse she used to get out of playing.

"Nathalie said to go get ready for dinner. It'll be ready in about twenty minutes," Sid instructed the girls, who quickly ran off together. Sid turned his attention to Amber, who was leaning against the door.

"You… you were fucking amazing out there," Sid offered, still blown away. "My dad was super impressed; everyone was cheering for you every time you got a goal."

"You were all watching?" Amber asked, a little embarrassed.

"Yeah, Austin and my dad were jammed up against the window trying to get the best view! It was pretty funny…" Sid admitted. "I would be lying if I said it wasn't a huge turn on as well…"

"Oh yeah… funny, cause you're not getting any of this any time soon… don't think that I have forgotten that you abandoned me out there!" Amber reminded him.

"Oh come on, it all worked out… you can't be mad at me…"

"Wanna bet? Three times today… three times… have you left me in the most ridiculous situations with a member of your family," Amber pointed out. Sid was glad that she still had a smile on her face, because he really would be up shit creek if this last stunt hadn't gone his way.

"Trial by fire…" Sid laughed, grabbing for her.

"I can't believe you!" Amber laughed and squirmed in his arms, making him hold on tighter. "Now if you will excuse me, I have to go get ready for dinner!"

"I'll come and help…" Sid released her from his arms and flashed her the smile that he knew she couldn't resist.

"Oh, you think so, huh?" Amber raised her eyebrow seductively at him, as he stepped in closer to her. Watching her play hockey had proven to have the same effect as an hour of foreplay on him. Amber stepped in closer to him and pressed her body against his, rubbing her leg along the inside of his and grinding herself into his hips, springing to life a painful erection that he had been suppressing for quite some time now. She ran her hand lightly down his chest and over his stomach, tracing the outline of his abs at the top of his jeans. She continued running her hand south over the top of his quad and then up the inside of his thigh until she reached the physical evidence of her effect on him which was pulling his jeans tight across the front. She leaned in and nipped at his bottom lip, looking into his eyes and smiling.

"Payback's a bitch…" She whispered then backed away quickly. Sid could barely stand, his legs like rubber, as he watched her walk away, adding extra emphasis to her strut. Her shapely ass looked damn fine in those jeans she was wearing. He threw his head back and moaned, then quickly followed behind her. There was no way that she could be so mean, as to leave him in this condition alone…

-.-

Sid rolled over on the bed and sighed contently. A tiny pang of guilt crept over him – as that was the first time he had ever broken pretty much the only house rule. Even though technically, he didn't break it 'cause the house rule stated "No overnight guests"… he just always assumed that it meant no sex, but it didn't actually say no sex, so he felt a little justified.

He propped himself up on his elbow as he watched Amber step out of the en suite, towelling off her hair. When she said she was going to take a five minute shower, she apparently meant a five minute shower – no joke. He debated also having a shower, as his hair was probably a little less then stellar after their quickie but he knew that both of them heading downstairs with wet hair was bound to set off some alarm bells. They had been so careful not to make any noise - Sid having to actually put his hand over her mouth when she came - that to blow it now would just be stupid.

Sid smiled at her, as she slipped into a pair of lacy black panties and reached for the matching bra. He loved watching her get dressed, almost as he liked watching her get undressed. The strip tease she had performed, not twenty minutes ago, had been one of the hottest moments of his entire life. Now watching her stand in front of him in black lace... well - he wasn't too sure how he was going to make it through dinner.

"What?" She asked, smiling back at him.

"You're beautiful," Sid offered, sitting up on the bed and reaching for her. She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, lowering her head to his.

"You need to get up and get dressed. We were supposed to be down for dinner by now…" Amber explained, holding her head just far enough away from Sid's lips that he couldn't reach.

"I know… I just didn't think I had met my compliment quota for the day…"

"Get up!" Amber rolled her eyes and pushed Sid back, then disappeared to the bathroom to finish getting ready.

Sid climbed out of bed and slipped back into the cloths that had been spread out in several heaps on the floor. Amber re-emerged from the bathroom, fully dressed, her hair pulled back and the slightest trace of makeup on. She looked perfect.

"Ready for dinner?" Sid asked, holding out his hand for her.

"Well, there is A LOT of things I would rather do, but we might as well get it over with…" Amber put her hand in his, as Sid pulled her in for a kiss.

"I know that these last two days have been far from easy but I want you to know how much I appreciate you doing this…" Sid said softly, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face.

"I knew it wouldn't be easy… but it might be worth it in the end…" Amber replied softly.

"I can guarantee you that. No one, and I mean no one, will ever love you as much as I do. You have no idea what you mean to me…" Sid pulled her face up to his and caught her lips in a deep kiss, the kind of kiss you never want to break away from.

"Mmm…" Amber sighed. "We really need to head downstairs…"

-.-

"There you two are! Do me a favour Sid grab an extra chair from the family room and take it into the dining room…"

"Sure," Sid quickly agreed, trying to not draw to much attention to the fact that they were late and headed off.

"What can I do to help?" Amber offered to Nathalie, who was busy digging in the fridge.

"Could you open those two bottles of wine and put them out on the table?"

"For sure…" Amber walked over to where the two bottles of wine were sitting and opening the drawers below them, looking for a cork screw. She dug out her weapon of choice then opened the bottles with ease. Sid walked past her with the chair and she followed close behind him with the wine.

"Sid… jeez watch out!" Amber would have crashed right into Sid, if she had been even an inch closer, as he came to an abrupt halt in the doorway of the dining room. She walked around him, and entered the dining room, looking up to find an empty spot on the table to place the wine. The dining room was full of people, shuffling plates and serving platters around, chatting loudly. She barely even noticed him, standing beside Mario, chatting with Troy, laughing like he belonged there.

-.-

Max knew when Mario invited him to dinner, that Mario knew something about the situation between him and Sid but didn't fully comprehend the extent of the problem. He knew it was not by accident that he had been invited and he had to guess that it wasn't as Mario had suggested, 'to support Amber'. Mario had only ever invited Max to his house once or twice before, mostly for large parties or celebrations, not intimate family gatherings. No that honour was reserved for the 'superstars' of which Max could only dream of being.

When Max had entered the house, Mario had led him into the kitchen, announcing to Nathalie that she was to set another place for dinner. Nathalie clearly knew Mario was up to no good, as her response was far from pleased. She glared at him and flashed Max a fake smile, through tightly pressed lips. When Nathalie had asked for a word in private with her husband, Mario refused and Max was sure that there was going to be a full out brawl.

Mario led Max into the dining room where he was greeted warmly by both of Sid's parents, of which he had spent quite a bit of time with over the years. The kids had paid little attention to him, when he came in, as they were all busy planning a hockey game they would play tomorrow. Taylor had given him a quick hug and a sincere thank you for a gift that he had sent her at the beginning of the summer and Alexi, potentially the sweetest kid on the face of the planet, had given him a huge bear hug but Max knew that it would be his last warm reception of the night.

When Sid walked into the room, Max immediately felt his blood pressure rise but he certainly wasn't going to be the one to start a fight in his boss's house.

"Eh, mon amie! Long time no see, eh?" Max smiled his best fake smile, as he watched Sid grind to a halt in the doorway. He then watched as Amber pushed her way past Sid, who stood frozen and looked around for somewhere to put the bottles in her hands.

"Oh good, wine! We are going to need lots of that tonight, no?" Max exclaimed, not being able to tolerate the fact that she seemed oblivious to the fact that he was there.

It had taken Amber a minute to compute that it was in fact Max talking to her and after a shocked stare, all she could manage was to ask "What are you doing here?"

"I invited him," Mario chimed in with a smug smile on his face. Max could tell by the tone in his voice that he clearly was not a fan of Amber. "I thought it might be nice to have someone help us get to know you…"

"Don't worry, I won't embarrass you too much," Max laughed in an attempt at lifting the tense mood that had formed. He walked over to where Amber was standing, leaning in to give her a little peck on the cheek. Max felt her flinch and then clench tighter then a two by four as he touched her skin. It pained him to think that she could ever be so upset with him, but he knew she would soon get over it. Hopefully by the end of this dinner, he could prove that she didn't belong in this room.

"Don't touch me," Amber hissed under her breath as Max lingered close her face.

"Oh, I think I can do what I want… you don't want to make a scene here…" Max whispered back to her with a grin on his face. "Time to put on a happy face, darling…"

"Fuck you," Amber hissed again quietly through clenched teeth, ensuring that only Max could hear her.

"Don't be silly," Max laughed, back at full volume. "I am sure they won't mind rearranging a couple of spots, so we can sit together. It's been so long since we have had a chance to catch up… I am sure everyone will understand."

"No problem at all… why don't you grab the spot beside Amber there and Sid can sit on the other side," Mario smiled, obviously proud that his plan was having some sort of affect on his newest house guest. "Sid, why don't you put the chair down and come on in for a while?""

Sid shook his head and muttered something in agreement. He walked over to the table and gingerly placed the chair in front of the newly added place setting and then took his place as instructed by Mario, across the table from Amber and Max's assigned spots. He was careful not to make eye contact with anyone but he could feel that all eyes were on him.

-.-

Something was wrong. Trina could tell. It was the same feeling that she had whenever her son was injured on the ice, ever since he was little and would smash head first into the boards trying to score on his father. She could tell if it was serious, if he was really hurt or just taking his time getting up. Whatever was going on, it was certainly not good. She watched as Sid entered the room, staring at one of his best friends as if he was the anti Christ. As soon as Mario began talking, Sid lowered his gaze to the floor and had yet to look up. Amber too looked awkward and had shifted uncomfortably in her chair as Max draped his arm across her shoulders. Trina was under the impression that Amber and Max had been close friends but that was clearly not evident from the way they were acting tonight. She watched as Amber removed Max's arm, as if it was infected with a deadly disease.

"So Max, you never mentioned how you got that lovely shiner…" Trina asked innocently, while passing the mashed potatoes.

"Oh dat, just a little accident at the arena…" Max offered with a chuckle. "I guess I'll have to pay better attention to my surroundings this year, hey Sid?"

Trina watched as her son looked up and for the first time made eye contact with Max. The normal camaraderie between the two was replaced by dagger throwing stares.

"Yeah, you should probably watch out…"

"Oh yeah?" Max asked in a threatening tone, as if accepting the challenge.

"Enough!" Amber chimed in, making it the first time that Trina has heard her talk since arriving for dinner. "If you can't behave, leave." Trina heard Amber state firmly at Max. Max looked back at her and apologized under his breath, then reached up and brushed an errant hair off of Amber's cheek in a way that suggested that they were much more then childhood friends. Trina looked back at her son and saw that his fists were clenched on the table so tight that his knuckles were turning white. Trina exchanged looks with her husband, who it was clear had also noticed the intensity in Sid's body language.

"Sid, I just remembered, Nana Crosby sent me with a care package for you and I think there might be some perishables in it. Perhaps we should go get it…" Trina watched as Troy pushed his chair back from the table and tried to polity excuse himself. Sid remained seated, staring across the table. "Now!"

Sid broke from his stare and looked at him. Trina knew that the look on her husbands face was one that read 'This isn't an option…' He slowly lifted himself from his chair and followed Troy out to the hallway.

Trina watched as her son and husband walked out of the room and then turned her attention back to the table where Nathalie was starring angrily at Mario and Amber looked like she was on the verge of full out tears. What was going on? What was this girl doing to her son?

-.-

As soon as they were out of ear shot from the dining room, Troy turned to his son.

"What is going on with you and Max?"

"It's nothing, Dad. Don't worry about it…"

"It's clearly nothing… Does it have something to do with her?"

Sid collapsed against the wall behind him and ran his hands through his hair. "It's not her fault."

"What's not her fault?"

"I don't want you to hate her… you won't understand…"

"Try me. It's better then staying in there and adding more ammunition for your mom to hate her. She has a very active imagination… right now she is probably imagining a whole host of scenarios and I can promise you, that Amber is at fault in all of them right now."

Sid stared at his dad for a minute, debating whether or not he should tell him the truth. He hated keeping things from his dad but Amber had done a good job of winning him over earlier and he didn't want to risk losing that momentum. Sid debated the pros and cons. On one side, hearing the truth about the situation from him was probably better then hearing it from Max or, worse, Mario and especially over dinner. If his dad knew, he could help diffuse the situation. On the other hand, there was a chance that his dad would side with Max and then all hell would break loose. Again, it was probably better that he knew which side his dad was on out here in the hall then inside at the dining room table.

"Max thinks I stole her from him but I didn't even know they knew each other… and now he's causing shit…"

"What do you mean stole? How do they know each other?"

"They grew up together and dated and stuff… but they broke up when Max came here… its not like they were dating when we… you know… He just assumed that she was sitting around pinning away for him… its bullshit and he's being a fucking ass about it…"

"So why is he here?"

"I don't know… Mario invited him… he's never invited him here…" Sid glanced back towards the dining room and shook his head. "I don't think he likes her much either…"

"Oh Jesus…"

"It's not fair Dad… He doesn't know her. He hasn't even given her a chance."

Sid watched as Troy stood back and then took a couple of paces down the hall and then walked back to his son. "So your mom, Mario, Max… How much are you willing to loose for this girl? You seem to be making a lot of excuses for her… what is it about her that makes her different then all the others?"

"How much time do you have?" Sid smiled a half smile and looked down at his feet.

-.-

"Max, I think it's a good idea that you and Sid trade spots," Troy declared as he walked back into the dining room. After listening to his son go on and on about Amber he decided that he had to do the thing nobody expected of him - be nice to her.

Troy felt it had become his duty to help his son – to a point. He would side with Sid against Max at dinner and work to get Trina to cut them some slack until he could have a proper conversation with everyone. He wanted to talk to Amber one on one and he wanted most of all to talk to Mario, to see what he knew about the situation, to get his take and understand why he had gone out of his way to put his son in this position. Mario was a decent guy with a good head on his shoulders. Troy respected him and the way he conducted himself and knew that there must have been a damn good reason for the situation he had caused, seemingly on purpose, over dinner.

Troy watched as Max slowly rose from the table and walked to the other side of the room, plopping himself down at his newly assigned seat. At least he had the decency to not argue the switch. Sid took his place next to Amber and she quickly grabbed his hand, as if it was a life raft and she was drowning.

"What were we all talking about?" Troy asked, as he too took his place at the table next to his wife.

"Max was just telling us all about Amber's amazing talents…" Nathalie answered, flashing a fake smile through tightly pursed lips.

"Oh is that right? And what are some of those talents?" Troy asked, filling his plate with food that had already been passed around the table while he had been in the hallway with his son.

"It turns out that Amber was quite a hockey player when she was younger…" Trina added, knowing that that was probably the only thing her husband cared about.

"I could tell by watching her out there with the girls… its not easy getting a shot past my daughter," Troy laughed. "Did you play in university?"

"Um… no I had a scholarship to play at Carlton but I got hurt in a car accident before I started school and couldn't play anymore… drunk driver…" Amber admitted shaking her head, as if she was ashamed. "They let me keep my scholarship based on my academics, if I helped coach and manage the team… so that's how I got more involved with the management side."

"A car accident? That terrible… were you driving?" Nathalie asked sincerely.

"No…" Amber shook her head and looked at the table, pushing her peas across her plate.

"Well I hope the driver of the car knows that he ruined a potential star… watching you out there was something," Troy offered, while spooning a heap of mashed potatoes into his mouth.

Amber looked up and across the table at Max. "Yeah… I hope he does too."

Troy watched as it was now Max's turn to shift uncomfortably in his seat. All eyes were on him, as it was clear that Max was the one to be blamed for the situation. Troy glanced over at his wife, who's mouth had dropped open.

"Thanks for dat," Max snapped across the table. "Qu'est-ce qui ne va pas avec vous?"

"Desole, je ne voulais pas en parler, mais vous l'avez commence. Je ne vais pas m'asseoir ici et laissez-vous me mettre dans l'embarras," Amber hissed back.

Max laughed and leaned back in his chair, "Je n'ai pas commence a vous embarrasser encore."

Amber felt Sid squeeze her hand. She quickly changed her tone and switched back to English for the benefit of Sid's parents, who, she was pretty sure, were the only people at the table who didn't know French. "It was a long time ago," Amber quickly added in attempt to change the mood. "We moved past that…"

"You guys stayed friends after the car accident?" Lauren asked innocently. "For real?"

"I would never talk to him again!" Taylor added.

"Hey, I'm right here!" Max snapped again. "It's clearly in the past. It was an accident, she forgave me, we moved on. Can we talk about something different?"

"I think technically you brought it up," Taylor reminded him. "You couldn't expect us to have a conversation about Amber being an awesome hockey player without asking her why she doesn't have a gold medal…"

Troy was proud of his daughter for having the balls to stand up to Max and could see that Sid too was enjoying the fact that he didn't have to say anything himself. Max glared at her and Taylor held her ground. It was pretty clear that he was not impressed with her honesty.

He was pretty surprised that Amber had clearly won Taylor over, considering how earlier it seemed that her and Stephanie had been plotting her demise. 'Teenagers, so fickle…' Troy thought to himself.

"Perhaps it is better if we talk about something else…" Troy suggested.

"Yes I think that is a great idea," Nathalie chimed in. "So Max, how was your summer?"

"Fantastic. Found out my best friend was fucking my girl. How was your summer?"