Chapter 46 Fuck Off, Morrison!!
Harper's Pov,
"No more waiting!” Crew's voice was firm.
“…The Titans just proved they don't actually value me. They're willing to match the money but they still want to control my personal life. Vancouver's offering me respect and freedom and a chance to start over without conditions." He looked at me.
"Unless you don't want to move. Then, I'll figure something else out."
"Are you serious? You'd turn down Vancouver if I wanted to stay?"
"Yes. Because this is our decision, not just mine."
I thought about Seattle.
About the past three months of legal battles and media attention and fighting wars I never asked for… Maya's apartment where I'd been living like a guest in my own life… the Titans and Morrison and all the people who'd tried to make us small.
Then I thought about Vancouver.
A chance of starting fresh somewhere new… Crew playing for a team that actually valued him… and maybe finally opening that clinic I'd dreamed about for ten years.
"Let's go to Vancouver," I said.
Crew's whole face lit up. "Really?"
"Yes, really. Let's get the hell out of Seattle and start over somewhere that doesn't know our history."
He kissed me hard, then pulled up Marcus's number and hit dial.
Marcus answered on the second ring. "Crew, please tell me you're calling with good news."
"I'm taking Vancouver's offer," Crew said, his voice steady. "Tell James I'm in."
Silence on the other end. Then: "You're sure? Because once I tell Vancouver you're committed, the Titans are going to lose their minds. Morrison's already calling me every five minutes trying to get me to convince you to stay."
"I'm sure. The Titans had their chance. They chose to value their image over me as a person. Vancouver's offering me respect and a fresh start. That's worth more than any amount of money Morrison could throw at me now."
"Okay then. I'll call James right now and get the paperwork started. Crew, this is the right move. I really think it is." Marcus paused. "And Harper? You're going with him?"
"I'm going with him," I confirmed.
"Good. You two deserve a city that doesn't treat you like a scandal." He hung up.
"I can't believe I just did that," he said quietly.
"You just quit the Titans."
"Exactly." He started laughing, this slightly hysterical sound that made me worried until I realized it was relief, not panic.
"I actually did it. I told Morrison to fuck off and I'm moving to Vancouver and I have no idea what happens next but I don't care because for the first time in years I made a decision that wasn't based on fear."
I hugged him because he was shaking and I didn't know if it was adrenaline or terror or excitement, probably all three.
"We're really doing this," I said into his chest.
"We're really doing this." He pulled back to look at me. "Harper, you understand what this means, right? We're both gambling everything. I'm betting my career on Vancouver actually wanting me. You're betting your future on moving to a city where you don't have a job or connections or any kind of safety net."
"I know."
"And you're still okay with it?"
"I'm terrified. But yeah, I'm okay with it." I grabbed his hands. "Crew, staying in Seattle means staying in a place that treated us both like problems to be managed. At least in Vancouver, we get to start fresh. That's worth the risk."
His phone started ringing again. Morrison. Third time in five minutes.
"He's not going to stop," Crew said, watching it ring.
"Then answer it. Tell him you're done negotiating. Make it final."
Crew answered and put it on speaker. "David."
"Crew, we need to meet. In person. Today. I think there's been a misunderstanding—"
"There's no misunderstanding. I'm signing with Vancouver. My decision is final."
"Crew, don't do this. We can work something out. The organization is willing to be flexible on the personal relationship restrictions—"
"No you're not. You just called and said you can't ignore the media situation with Harper. That means you're still trying to control my personal life, you're just willing to negotiate how much control you get. I'm not interested in that conversation anymore."
Morrison's voice got harder. "If you walk away from the Titans, you're making a mistake. Vancouver's a smaller market, less media attention, fewer endorsement opportunities. You're throwing away millions of dollars in potential income because you're too stubborn to compromise."
"I'm not compromising on this. Harper's not negotiable."
"Then you're letting a woman ruin your career."
Crew's jaw tightened. "Harper didn't ruin my career. Pills did. And you know what led to pills? Playing for an organization that treated pain as weakness and told me to just push through it. So no, David, I'm not letting a woman ruin my career. I'm leaving a toxic environment that almost killed me."
"That's not fair—"
"It's completely fair. And I'm done with this conversation. Good luck finding someone to replace me." Crew hung up.
This time when Morrison called back, Crew blocked his number.
"That felt good," he said, staring at his phone.
"That felt insane. You just burned a bridge with one of the biggest teams in the league."
"Good. I don't want a bridge back to a place that made me miserable." He tossed his phone on the couch. "Harper, I spent three years making myself smaller so the Titans would keep me. Hiding injuries, taking pills to play through pain, pretending I was fine when I was falling apart. And they didn't care. They didn't care until I overdosed and became a PR problem. So fuck them and fuck Morrison and fuck anyone who thinks I should be grateful they're willing to let me keep my job if I just hide the person I love."
I'd never heard him talk like this. Angry and certain and completely done with apologizing for taking up space.
"You're different," I said.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean thirty days ago you were terrified of losing hockey because you thought it was all you had. Now you're walking away from a team because they don't respect you. That's huge, Crew. That's growth."
"Rehab was good for something, I guess." He collapsed on the couch. "Now I just have to hope Vancouver actually follows through on their offer and doesn't change their mind when they realize how much drama comes with signing me."
"They're not going to change their mind. James said he wants you. Teams don't make seven point five million dollar offers they're not serious about."
"Yeah, but—"
My phone rang. Monica.
I answered immediately. "Hey."
"Harper, I just heard from the DA's office. They want to meet tomorrow morning. Something about new developments in your case."
My stomach dropped. "What kind of developments?"
"They wouldn't say over the phone. But Harper, this could be good news. Patricia Hammond doesn't schedule emergency meetings unless something major changed." Monica's voice was cautious but hopeful. "I think they might be dropping the charges completely."
"They already dropped the criminal charges."
"Right, but Brianna's civil suit is still active. If the DA's investigation into Robert Cross found evidence of corruption, that could invalidate her entire lawsuit. Without the criminal case to support her claims, she has no grounds for damages."
"So this could all be over?"
"It could be. But don't get your hopes up yet. We won't know anything until we meet with them tomorrow." Monica paused. "How are you doing? I heard Crew's leaving the Titans."
"He is. We're moving to Vancouver."
"Good for you both. Getting out of Seattle is probably the best decision you could make right now." She sighed. "Okay, I need to prep for tomorrow's meeting. I'll text you the time and location. And Harper? Whatever happens, we're going to handle it together."
After she hung up, I sat there trying to process.
The DA wanted to meet. Tomorrow. About new developments.
This could be the end of everything. The lawsuit dropped, the charges gone, my name cleared.
Or it could be another trap. Another way for Robert Cross and Richard to try to destroy me before I had a chance to rebuild.
"What did Monica say?" Crew asked.
"The DA wants to meet tomorrow. She thinks they might be dropping Brianna's civil suit."
"That's good, right?"
"Maybe. Or maybe it's Richard finding a new way to screw me over." I rubbed my face. "I don't know anymore. Every time I think things are getting better, something else happens."
"Then we deal with it. Together." Crew pulled me against him. "Harper, tomorrow you meet with the DA and find out what's happening with your case. The day after that, we figure out logistics for moving to Vancouver. And somewhere in the next three weeks, we show up at Joel's wedding and prove to everyone that we're still standing despite everything they tried to do to us."
"Oops! Joel's wedding. I forgot about that."