Bloodfeather

by Linz Lenay

  “Lex was here? He never hangs out with you 'older' guys.” Sari knows all about young new hockey players after a meet and greet we had a couple years ago. They all saw her as fresh meat and hit on her at every turn. They'd mention the 'old men' to her and she knew who they were referring to. Though I'm not old, still under thirty, the hockey world sees guys my age as seasoned and potentially on their way out. There's one guy on the Vegas team who's still playing at almost forty, but he's Russian and a major badass. I hear his son just got signed to their farm team and he's just as good.

  “Yeah, he was here hitting on me and I shut his ass down. I know I'm jumping ahead, but I really care for your brother, I'm all in, even though we've only known each other for a few days. There's no denying this connection and pull I have with him. We may live an hour and a half apart, but we'll make it work. He's worth making this relationship work.”

  Sari stares at Dasia as she speaks, eyes starting to soften at her words. I can see her guard dog stepping back, and I know that's her way of approving this without saying a word. She sips her coffee sitting down in one of the lounge chairs I have set up on the porch.

  “So, tell me how you two met? And Gaige, how the hell did you get a black eye this time? I watched the game the other night, and even though that asshole tried to get a rise out of you, you didn't take the bait. So what the fuck happened?”

  “Well that's actually how we met.” Dasia lets out a full belly laugh, making my mouth split into a grin.

  “Karter should be thanked for that, but he's still an asshole. He threw a pickup line at her and she turned around and tossed her fist. She caught me instead of him, broke my nose and giving me a black eye. She sprained her wrist and I swept her off her feet, right to the emergency room. I was an idiot and forgot to get her number though.”

  “It worked out, because he was playing against the Basilisk's the next night, where I'm their PR manager, and we found each other again. The guys on the team kind of bullied him, and I went to check on him during the last period. That's how he found out they were playing the big brother card and who I was. We both attended the after-game skate, and talked a bit. When one of the guys pissed me off, we left and went to eat. Kind of having our first date. It was simple and sweet. He talked me into coming down for his game yesterday since I have a rare weekend off, and that's where we're at today.”

  Sari listens to both of us tell our story without interrupting, which isn't like her, but I'll take it. I hope it means she accepts us together and won't cause trouble.

  “That's kind of awesome, kind of hilarious, and a perfect story to tell your future offspring.” Sari finally says, but I can tell she's baiting Dee with the children part.

  “It really is. Though I don't think we're ready for kids yet. Definitely someday, after a wedding in the far future, but I'd like for us to get to know each other much better, maybe say 'I love you' before planning babies. Though if for some reason fate was guided that way, I'd be terrified but okay with it.” Dasia says, sounding easy going.

  Sari has a satisfied smirk on her face, and though I'm close with my sister, it worries me. That smile could mean she has Dasia where she wants her, ready to snap her teeth closed around her jugular, or it could mean she's genuinely happy for us.

  “Thank god you're not a puck bunny or whatever they're calling the groupies these days.” Sari's smirk turns into a genuine smile and I breathe a sigh of relief.

  Dee's eyes soften at Sari, before responding.

  “Nope, not a stick hooker, a puck bunny, or a hockey groupie. And I didn't even know he played hockey until I saw him on the ice the night after we met. I still can't believe I punched him, but I'm kind of glad at the same time.”

  “Gaige needs a girl who can handle herself, not some simpering idiot who's going to be looking for him to fill her bank and not lift a finger, while prancing around behind his back.”

  “Well that escalated quickly.” Karter steps in, bringing his Gatorade to his lips, looking just like the guy from the meme.

  We all laugh except Sari, who's looking down into her coffee cup. Dasia moves to refill it for her, letting us change the subject while she keeps busy, knowing Sari is talking about my ex.

  “So, what made you trek all the way up here? Not that I'm complaining about the visit, but usually you let me know and there's always a reason.”

  “Well, there is a reason, and I did call, but before it went through, my cell phone cut out and I didn't try again, but I'm here so that's what matters. Uh, Oliver and I have some news.”

  I look at her with an incredulous look that says, don't leave me in suspense, just spit it the fuck out.

  “You're going to be an uncle.”

  Dasia squeals, forgetting the coffee and runs to hug my sister. I'm not far behind, but she's quicker, so I shake Oliver's hand and give him a good back slap in congratulations. Then Dee and I switch. I bear hug my sister letting her know how happy I am that she's going to be a mama. Ever since we were little, she's always been the mother hen, taking care of us all, even with her being younger.

  “You're not mad or going to give me a lecture about not being married?” Sari says through happy tears.

  “Why would I do that? You can raise a child together without being married, plus you plan on that anyway. You're smart and have always wanted to be a mother. You're going to do amazing. Who do I have to fuck up that said that?”

  Oliver has a grim look on his face, and I almost think that he said something about it, but I wait for him to explain.

  “My parents didn't take the news well. They're already upset that we moved in together when we got engaged, but now that we have a little Deger on the way, they're even more upset. They said they wouldn't support it or us. It's been tough with them being the only grandparents the baby would have, but we've tried keeping our spirits up about everything. It's their loss, because this little one is going to be cool as hell.”

  Dee goes to my sister and hugs her hard, shedding a few tears of her own, before taking her hand and guiding her down the hall to the guest bathroom. I don't know what they do in there, but a few minutes of angry silence, for the situation, later they come back with smiles and dry faces. I pull Dasia to me, giving her a grateful look and a kiss on the forehead.

  “Unfortunately we still have to tell Oliver's brother and sister-in-law, but they're on vacation so we want to wait for them to get back and tell them in person. That is, if Greg and Georgia don't call and tell them before we get the chance.” Sari says with a somber face.

  Dee grabs the forgotten mug of coffee and reheats it in the microwave, before placing it in front of my sister.

  “I'm only a phone call away if you need me for a shoulder to cry on. I know we just met, and you're unsure of me, but I'd like us to be friends either way.

  Sari gives her a look of gratitude and nods her head, tears silently flowing down to the smile she's trying to keep on her face for us.

  “You know I'm here, too.” I say at the same time as Karter does. I give him a weird look, but then realize that he's thought of Sari as a sister as long as he's known me. Protecting her and having my back doing so as well.

  She laughs, which makes us all smile.

  “Thank you all. This is one of the reasons I wanted to tell you in person though. I knew you had off today, and both Oliver and I took time off tomorrow for a baby appointment, so it was a good time. I think I didn't try to call you again once I had service back, was because I was so nervous. I know you, Gaige. You'd never hurt me, and even if you weren't happy with a situation I put myself in, you'd support me and guide me through it. You wouldn't yell and tell me how stupid I was or that I was going to hell for my sins. We've always been there for each other and I'm glad that we're both getting our happiness in life.”

  I look to Dasia and smile, knowing exactly what Sari is trying to say. Without words, she's approving of Dee and my attempt to find that never-ending love everyone seeks to have in life.

 
Chapter Seven

  Dasia...

  Meeting Sari was terrifying, especially when she hinted that I was trying to use Gaige. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to say anything that would please her, but she seems to be approving of our relationship now. After coffee and our talk, I invited them to stay for lunch and if they wanted we could go out for dinner. Both she and Oliver agreed, saying that it was only a three hour drive back home and they didn't need to be up too early for their appointment.

  Us girls talk as I prepare a light lunch of fruits and tuna wraps, while the guys shoot the shit on the back porch. The sun has stayed out, keeping the day warm, but I'm still in leggings and a long sleeve off the shoulder sweater to keep the breeze at bay.

  “So what happens if this becomes serious? You live an hour and a half away and just started your PR job, plus there's always a chance of Gaige getting traded. Aren't you worried about being so far away from him or having to possibly pick up everything and leave?” Sari asks me over the virgin Bloody Mary I made her.

  “We've sort of talked about that. We said that if we got serious, we could find a place halfway between that way we'd both be sacrificing our places and starting new. As for him getting traded, he has three years left on his contract and his agent slipped in a no-trade clause, so they'd have to buy him out first. The only exception he told his agent he'd take was if he were to be traded to a close team, like the Basilisks or Firebirds, but he wanted to stay close because of your grandmother. The schedules work for us, just because the majority of the time he's busy, I'll be busy. As for when we'll get to see each other, it'll be random and planned, unfortunately, but we have technology on our side and can video chat or talk on the phone when we have downtime. Although, I'm not sure I'm going to be able to pull Monster away from his new girlfriend when I head home tonight.” I end with a laugh.

  “Good, I'm glad you talked about things at least. Baily hated the schedule, but refused to get a job to keep herself busy. She claimed she wanted to go to school but never enrolled until after the semester was started, so they'd tell her that she could take certain classes at a time with what they had left over, but she didn't want to take those. Instead, she sat at home and went out with her friends all the time. When they first got together, we became good friends, but as soon as they went off to college and Gaige was drafted, she pushed me away and started hanging out with more of the rich crowd. It pissed me off, because she didn't come from money, but she was acting like she was full of it. I wasn't poor, but we weren't flowing in money either. Love was our richness, and there was plenty to go around. Gaige focused on hockey, poured himself into it so he could change that for our family, but before he even went off to college, our parents passed away, leaving me to live with my grandmother, since none of their siblings wanted to take us in. My dad only had one brother, and he travels too much to raise a child, and my mother's sister is one of those women that hops from man to man, looking for the next rich guy to feed her bank account, so of course a kid, even a teenager, would dampen her style. My gram wasn't in that great of health, but we only had each other left. Gaige came home on the weekends when he could, I got a job for after school, another on the weekend, and learned to function on very little sleep. I worked hard for my grades and earned scholarships so I could go to college. I wanted to be able to support my grandmother, too. I got into a school where I live now and did the same thing there, got jobs that would work around my school schedule and tried to get home as much as I could, while sending any extra money I had into Gram's bank account. Gaige was making good money by the time I got into college, but I still felt I shouldn't let him handle it all on his own; that wouldn't be fair. Now that I have my degree and a good job, I can help with Gram's care without worry, while still taking care of myself. I've been very successful marketing for all kinds of companies on freelance.”

  “I'm so sorry about your parents, I imagine that was really hard on your family, but I'm also glad to hear that things worked out for the best. It's always great to hear stories where you can take a tragedy and turn it into a garden of flowers with the compost. Gaige mentioned your parents passing, and he's talked about Baily, but I don't like pushing him for information. I want him to come to me with it, I'd rather not force it.”

  “That's good, Gaige doesn't trust easily after Baily and Gary, so pushing him for information, would probably just make him close up and push you away. And thank you. I've never heard it phrased that way, but I like it.” She smiles at me as I finish up the tray of wraps and start grabbing drinks for everyone. I've filled a metal tub I found in the laundry room with some ice to keep some of the drinks cold, and start putting bottles of water and Gatorade in it. I also grab my own virgin Bloody Mary and add to the tray of food I've put together. I ask Sari to grab the back door, once I have the tray balance on the tub and we head out to the guys.

  We find them playing bean bag toss, Oliver and Karter against Gaige. Watching them take turns tossing the beanbags at the wooden board, aiming for the hole in the top center, Sari and I set up things on the low table in front of the outdoor fireplace, surrounded by wicker furniture and cushions. The guys are chirping at each other, mostly Oliver and Karter poking fun at Gaige. He's ribbing them right back, and they're all taking it good-naturedly, having fun with the game and together. I'm really glad the weather is nice and we can do this outside, instead of being stuck in the house.

  The guys finally notice we're back and put their game on hold, coming up to the porch and grabbing a wrap and picking at the cut up fruit. We enjoy a nice lunch and chat about nothing in particular.

  After an awesome and relaxing afternoon, we decide to go to a local pizzeria for dinner. They have these amazing wood-fired personal pizzas that you can have made any way you want. They have all sorts of healthy options that aren't just salads, too. Gaige orders the Veggin pizza, which has veggies galore on the top and is plant based, and I order the cauliflower pizza with bacon and cheese. Karter gets a Garbage pizza, which pretty much means every topping they have, then Oliver and Sari both decide to get a chicken spiedies one with extra chicken. What's really cool about this place is that you get to watch them make your pizza right in front of you.

  We each get drinks and sit down to wait for the pizza's to finish baking while we chit chat. I learn how close Sari and Gaige are, they were each other's best friend's growing up and barely fought, which is rare for siblings. I had a cousin I was close with and we fought often whenever we got together for family outings. Not always, there were plenty of times we got along, but we fought more than not.

  When our pizzas come out to the table, we all dig in, the conversation stopping with how delicious everything is. I try Gaige's vegan pizza and he tries my cauliflower, but takes off the cheese that he can. It's amusing to watch him try it, but he turns out to like it. He still sticks to his own, though.

  When we're stuffed full, we chat and wait for boxes to take home the leftovers. Sari and Oliver are going home right after this and we've exchanged numbers, so that we can keep in touch. Karter is heading to his place too, so that leaves Gaige and I at his house by ourselves until I decide to take off myself. I don't want to leave, but I know I have to work tomorrow, and even if it's just from home, it will more than likely be an early morning. I'm super tempted to stay and just drive back in the morning, but Gaige also has a morning skate and I don't want to be a distraction from his routine.

  As we're on our way back to Gaige's place, he speaks up.

  “Just stay, Bloodfeather. I can see the indecision in your eyes and I don't want you to leave either. It's not like you have to get back for Monster, since he's here. I get up around seven and do a preworkout before morning skate, so you can just get up with me and drive home when I start in the gym.”

  “Okay.” I relent. It does make sense, and I tell myself that it's a good decision to stay with him.

  “That was a lot easier than I expected.” Gaige laughs.

  “Well, you're right. I don'
t want to leave, I doubt I will in the morning either, but tomorrow sounds better than right now.”

  “I promise that you're not making a mistake. We need to take advantage of all the time we have, because the schedules will pick up and soon we won't get enough of seeing each other.”

  “Yeah, so let's go home, and cuddle on the back porch in front of a fire. How does that sound?”

  “Perfect.”

  So we do just that, after we take the pups for a short walk around the block and back.

  The next morning is hard. We get up at seven and take a shower together. It's intimate, but we don't have sex. When he heads to the gym, I load up Monster, who doesn't want to leave either, since he tugs on his leash and mopes when I finally get him in the car. It's at the end of Gaige's street when Monster starts howl-singing. His way of letting out his emotional pain. At the stop sign, I video him in the backseat and send it to Gaige for him to see when he's done with his workout. And that's what I listen to until we're about halfway home, when Monster falls asleep on me.

  When we arrive at my house, I take him for a quick walk before getting to work. What I don't expect while looking around all the social media pages and posting for the Basilisk's is an article about Gaige to pop up. And there I am with him. It's hash-tagged with NHL, which is why I find it while scrolling. It's a flattering photo of him and I at dinner with Cat. He's looking at me lovingly with a huge smile on his face, while I laugh at whatever has been said. Cat's back is to the photographer, but I know it's her. The caption is “Rozen settling down and taming the gay rumor mill all in one night.”

  It doesn't seem that they know who I am right now, but it won't be long before they find out. I immediately call Gaige, getting his voicemail since he's at practice, and leave him a message to call me as soon as he can. Then I call Cat. If we tag team this and get ahead of them figuring out who I am, it shouldn't spiral into anything bad. Not that it would, but it's better to be safe than sorry. She picks up on the first ring.