Delayed Call

by Toni Aleo

  Vaughn was thankful he would be home soon because he needed to comfort Dawn. She blamed herself for his glucose since she had been the one feeding Rodney cake left and right. Plus, Vaughn wanted to help Brie, be there for her because he was sure she wouldn’t be able to handle leaving Rodney at his house after everything, even if it was all he wanted. Rodney was tired of being with people; he wanted to be in his own home, by himself, and Vaughn couldn’t blame the guy. Brie hovered like crazy over him.

  Vaughn loved how much she cared for everyone.

  And he couldn’t wait to see her. But first, he had to get through this practice.

  Why they were having practice when they had just gotten home was beyond him. Apparently, Coach didn’t want to have one tomorrow, give the boys time to rest before their home game tomorrow night, but Vaughn wished it were the other way around. He wanted to go to the hospital, see Brie, and then go fall face first in his bed. Yawning loudly on the other side of the ice, he watched as the third line went, running the play Coach had called out. Vaughn wasn’t the only one ready to fall out, but they all pushed hard, working on their three-on-three because they hadn’t won an overtime yet. They were sucking at them, and it was driving everyone crazy.

  Vaughn, most of all.

  They couldn’t fucking close, and that had to change. If they couldn’t win in sixty minutes, they needed to with the extra five. They needed the wins if they wanted the Cup, and that was everyone’s main goal. They were number two in the league. They were doing well, but the damn overtimes were getting them. It was really pissing Vaughn off and he wanted to shake some of his teammates, but they won as a team and they lost as a team. They were doing their best, and so was he.

  As the practice came to an end, Vaughn was the first to the circle for the end of practice talk, but Coach didn’t come to the circle. Instead, he stood behind the bench and looked out at his team that was scattered across the ice. When Vaughn noticed Elli standing there, his heart dropped a bit. What the hell was going on?

  “Boss lady has something to say before we end practice.”

  She was holding something, and Vaughn scooted closer to Jensen to see as she beamed out at them. “First, I want to say how proud I am of this team and how much I love every single one of you. You are all my family, and I care for you and your own families. I feel it in my bones. This is our year. The cup is coming home to Nashville, and I can’t wait.” Everyone tapped their sticks to the ice, cheering loudly and filling the empty arena. With a grin on her face, she held her hands up. “But before all that, we need to do a little something that I, for one, am I very excited about.” Clearing her throat, she looked up at them and said, “Benji, will you come here, please?”

  Benji looked a little out of place as he glanced around, confused. “Me?”

  “You.”

  He skated toward her, but out of the corner of Vaughn’s eye, he saw Jayden covertly helping his sister Lucy to the middle of the ice. Leaning into Jensen, he asked, “What’s going on?”

  “I don’t know,” Jensen said as he looked back to Benji as Elli handed a large poster-sized package to him.

  “I am very honored and blessed to be the one to present this to you.”

  Benji smiled as he laid his gloves down and then his stick before taking it from Elli. “What is it?”

  “Just open it,” Elli said, looking as if she was going to cry.

  “Am I being fired?” Benji asked, tearing the paper as everyone chuckled and Vaughn smiled, but Elli didn’t answer. When Benji had it unwrapped, he saw it was a picture of him with Lucy, his wife, and their daughter, Angie, behind them. Even from where Vaughn was standing, he could see that Angie was holding a sign that said, “You’re going to be a daddy, AGAIN!”

  Vaughn also caught the moment that Benji saw it. His lips pressed together as he placed his hand to his heart. “Is this real?”

  Elli was full out crying as she nodded, pointing to the middle of the ice. Benji turned, and Lucy was there, a huge grin on her face as the tears started down her cheeks. “You’re pregnant?”

  “I am.”

  Benji was across the ice before Vaughn could even suck in his next breath. As Benji took Lucy in his arms, picking her up off the ground, his mouth crashed to hers as their tears mingled together. When the tapping started on the ice, Benji pulled back, laughing as he shook his head, and she wiped his tears. “Don’t judge me for crying, you assholes, I’m-I’m-I can’t. I can’t believe this,” he called out, and everyone just started cheering, sticks tapping to the ice louder as Lucy and Benji embraced once more.

  Vaughn, though, he couldn’t move.

  He was stunned in place as he fought for his next breath.

  He wanted that.

  But could he have it?

  After a very long afternoon celebrating Lucy and Benji’s news with the team and their families, Vaughn finally made it home to take a shower. He had wanted to go by the hospital, but Brie said she would come home that night so they could see each other since the doctors were in seeing Rodney. He was thankful because he missed his dog and he wanted his shower. He would have showered at the arena, but he was out of soap there and he was weird about the way he smelled. He liked his soap, and he didn’t care that Jensen called him a weirdo.

  When he opened the door to his apartment, Tricksie jumped up into his arms, and he laughed as he held her close. “My sweet girl! How in the world did you jump like that? You amaze me! Did you miss Daddy? Daddy missed you.”

  Tricksie barked happily as she kissed him all over his face, her little body wriggling as he carried her into the apartment while Jensen shut the door. As he fell back on the couch, cuddling his dog, a smile sat on his lips. Now, all he had to do was see Brie and things would be good. Real good. The afternoon was still weighing heavy on his soul. He couldn’t shake the euphoric looks on Benji’s and Lucy’s faces. He hadn’t thought he wanted kids yet or to hear that the person he loved was pregnant, but he found he did. With Brie. Not now, but one day soon, which made him smile. He used to think he didn’t want anything like that, but Brie changed all that.

  She’d changed him.

  “Did Wells just text you?” Jensen asked, just as Vaughn’s phone vibrated in his pocket.

  “I think so,” he said before pulling his phone out, though it was hard with Tricksie jumping and licking him. Looking at his phone, his brows pulled together. “He wants to talk to us?”

  “Yeah,” Jensen groaned, shaking his head. “I bet that dude asked him to marry him.”

  “Shit, I bet so,” he said as he hit Wells’s number and put it on speaker phone.

  When Wells’s voice rang over the phone, Vaughn couldn’t help it, he smiled. “Guys! Big news!”

  “What’s up?” Vaughn asked as Jensen sat on the table.

  “Need some best men?” Jensen asked

  Wells laughed loudly. “How’d you know?”

  Vaughn laughed. “You texted us, ‘Big news, get your suits ready.’ We aren’t dumb.”

  “Yeah, guess I gave it away. But he asked! Last night. We’re getting married as soon as possible, and you’ll need to be there.”

  “Give us a date, and we’ll be there,” Jensen said, a smile pulling at his lips. “We’re happy for you, dude.”

  “Yeah, man, this is awesome.”

  “Thanks, I’m so damn happy.”

  “That’s all that matters.”

  “Okay, gotta call Wren, but I wanted to call you guys first.”

  Vaughn scoffed. “You called us before your sister?”

  Wells laughed. “I did, she’s gonna kill me.”

  “She is,” Jensen chuckled. “I love you, dude.”

  “I do too, more than him, so I should be the first best man,” Vaughn teased, and Jensen rolled his eyes as Wells laughed out.

  “I love you both equally, and you’ll both stand beside me.”

  “I’m closer, though, right? I’m hotter.”

  That had all of them laughing, but
then Wells had to go, so Vaughn hung up as he cuddled his dog, kissing her head. “He sounds happy.”

  Jensen agreed. “He does. Worries me, though, that he’s rushing into this. He isn’t over Matty.”

  “Nope, but it’s his life.”

  “Yup.”

  “Plus, I’ve never been to a gay wedding. I bet it’s gonna be fun.”

  Jensen snorted. “I’m sure.”

  Vaughn handed Tricksie to Jensen. “Love on her, I gotta shower.”

  “Yeah, ’cause you stink, weirdo. Go use your special soap.”

  “Hey, when you have skin like this, you gotta take care of it.”

  Jensen rolled his eyes as he lay on the couch, cuddling with Tricksie while Vaughn went to his room, jumping in the shower. As he washed up, he had a smile playing on his lips. First a baby, and now a wedding? It was like the powers beyond were telling him something because, with each event, all he thought about was Brie. Shaking his head, his lips were curved because they had always thought that Jensen would marry first, settle down with some girl. And he’d done a version of that, however short-lived it was. But they’d also always thought that Vaughn would knock someone up first. If things keep going well with Brie, he could be next. That freaked him out. Yet, it was still funny how things changed. How life had fascinating little twists and turns.

  Chucking a little bit, he washed his hair as he heard Tricksie barking like mad. Jensen was probably playing with her, which was good; she missed them while they were gone. Wren had dropped her off this morning before her hair appointment. Thinking of her, he decided he needed to go see her. Maybe throw a pregnancy test at her or something. He wasn’t sure, but he needed to figure out what was up with that girl. Washing the soap out of his hair and then off his body, he shut the water off and grabbed a towel before stepping out.

  “Woo-hoo, show me your dick. I got dollar, dollar bills!”

  Startled, he looked to the bedroom where Brie lay with Tricksie on the bed, petting her as she checked Vaughn out. “You.”

  “Me.” She smiled a bit shyly, going up to her knees as he came over to gather her in his arms, kissing her hard on the lips. Holding her, he felt his heart going crazy in his chest as his eyes drifted shut and everything tingled. Parting, he kissed her nose then her chin before her lips once more, melting against her. When she smiled, he smiled as he opened his eyes and pulled back.

  “I missed that.”

  She was still smiling. “I missed you.”

  Pressing his nose to hers, he fell onto the bed, pulling her down with him, thankfully, not on his dog who was now jumping on him and trying to wiggle between them as they kissed and clung to each other. When Tricksie got to them, licking them like crazy, they parted, laughing as Brie wrapped her arms around Tricksie, kissing her hard on the nose. “How is the baby? I missed you too! I did. Aren’t you the sweetest?”

  He watched her, and his heart ached as he pushed her hair out of her face, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “How’s Rodney?”

  “He’s good. He’s being released tomorrow for sure, and his pacemaker is doing great. It looks promising.”

  “Awesome,” he said in relief, and she grinned.

  “Yeah, he kicked me out.”

  “Did he?”

  “Yeah, I offered to help him in the bathroom, and he told me to leave now.”

  Sputtering with laughter, he shook his head. “You hover.”

  “I do. Badly,” she agreed, leaning her nose into his chin.

  “Lucy told Benji she was pregnant today,” he murmured against the spot between her eyes. “It was sweet.”

  “Aww, awesome. Did he cry?”

  “Like a baby.”

  “Sweet,” she gushed, kissing his chin as he exhaled hard, his eyes closing. “I brought dinner.”

  “I love food.”

  “I do too. Pizza too.”

  “A girl after my heart,” he said, but then he paused, kind of regretting it, but she didn’t miss a beat.

  “Yup, figured we could go at it and then go eat, then come back and go at it again,” she said with a waggle of her brows.

  He paused. “Here?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Why don’t we go to your apartment?”

  She was getting up then, though, grabbing Tricksie and carrying her out of the room before locking the door. “Because I want you here.” He watched as she turned on the radio, nineties R&B filling the room before she pulled off her shirt, then her jeans, mouthwateringly naked under her clothes as she came to the bed, a sexy little smirk on her face. “Where you can’t run,” she said with a wink, pushing the towel off his lap and taking his cock in her hands.

  He went to protest, but then his cock was in her mouth, and, yeah, he was done for.

  They ate.

  They made love.

  They watched a movie.

  Made love some more.

  And as they lay there, her body tangled with his, all he could do was think of a way to get her out of there. He felt awful for it. He wasn’t sure he could do this, but she wasn’t going anywhere. Blinking in the darkness, he felt her breathing softly, but he knew she wasn’t asleep. “You don’t need to get anything from your apartment?”

  “So you can lock me out? Nope.”

  That made him chuckle. She knew him too well. “I wouldn’t do that.”

  “Sure.” Silence fell once more as she trailed kisses along his chest. “Go to sleep. I know you’re tired.”

  He was. “I’m not tired.”

  “Liar.”

  Swallowing hard, he cleared his throat. “Oh, I didn’t tell you, Alex proposed to Wells.”

  “Aw, that’s nice.”

  “Yeah, wanna be my date?”

  She scoffed against him. “You don’t want to sleep with me right now, but you want me to go to a wedding with you? Will we get separate rooms?”

  He groaned. “Brie.”

  “What?”

  “Fine. I’m sleeping.”

  “Good because I would love to go.”

  He smiled. “Good.”

  “Great.”

  But it wasn’t great, he was having a panic attack, though she was right. What would he do? Expect her to sleep in a different room? That was stupid. He’d want to be with her, so what was the problem? Biting his lip, he let out a long breath. He could do this. It was time. He wanted to do this.

  “I don’t really cuddle.”

  She shrugged. “Me either,” she said, kissing his jaw and then his lips. “Goodnight.”

  She rolled over, her ass on his hip, but he couldn’t move. As the silence stretched between them, he finally said, “Brie?”

  “Vaughn.”

  “I can’t sleep.”

  She rolled over, and he could see the grin on her face as she looked up at him. “We’ve slept together. In the hospital.”

  “That doesn’t count.”

  “Why?”

  “It just doesn’t,” he said, the nerves wracking him. “I don’t know.”

  “I swear, this isn’t as weird as you’re making it. Just think, if you wake up in the middle of the night with a boner, all you gotta do is roll over and put it in. Boom, we’re banging.”

  He thought that over. “That is very convenient.”

  “It is. Now go to sleep.”

  “Or I can put it in.”

  “Or you can sleep ’cause you’ve already yawned during sex once.”

  “Sorry about that.”

  “It’s okay. I bit you, and you were awake for the rest.”

  A smile pulled at his lips. “But what if I roll on you?”

  “I’ll kick you off me.”

  “What if I snore?”

  “I’ll smother you.”

  “What if I fart?”

  “Then I’ll fart on you.”

  He couldn’t hold it in, he laughed, shaking the bed as she did too. Rolling on top of him, she cupped his face as his hands instantly came up to cup her ass. “I don’t want to lea
ve. I want to sleep with you. Feel you. I’ve missed you for nine whole long days, and I just want to feel safe, and I do when I’m with you.”

  It was too much to handle; he needed an out. He swallowed hard, holding her gaze. “I wear a retainer.”

  Her brows pulled together. “Huh?”

  “A retainer. That’s why I don’t want to sleep with you because I don’t want you to see it and laugh at me.”

  She just blinked. “Like full headgear?”

  “Yeah, I got hit in the mouth with the puck, and they’re trying to strengthen my teeth back.”

  “Are you serious right now?”

  He groaned. “No, I just wanted to scare you off.”

  Snorting with laughter, she kissed him hard on the lips between their laughs. “I’m not scared off that easily.”

  “Really? What if it got caught in your hair?”

  “Then I would have pulled it out. It wouldn’t matter because we would have laughed through the whole thing.”

  His lips quirked. “You’re right.”

  “I know, and, Vaughn, I’m not going anywhere. I don’t know why you’re so worried about it because, dude, I’m in this. Really, I am.” His heart skipped a beat as she held his gaze. “Now smack my ass, kiss me goodnight, and go to sleep.”

  But he didn’t move. Instead, he found himself whispering, “Promise?”

  “Huh? What?”

  “That you aren’t going anywhere.”

  Her shoulders fell as her face filled with compassion. “Yes, Vaughn, I’m not. Promise. It’s Vaughn and Brie official, remember? I, I love—” She paused and then smiled. “I love that title, and I won’t ruin that.”

  She was about to say it. He knew she was, so he kissed her. He kissed her firmly as he held her close. Pulling back, he smacked her ass, hard, as she yelped and a grin burst on her face. “Goodnight, Brie.”