Turning to Blue, I cup her chin and tilt her head back to look at me. “These people are beneath you.”
I get nothing back but a smile.
It’s neither grateful nor affirming. In fact, there’s nothing within it that has a thing to do with these people, but has everything to do with just me. I memorize the profound feeling of euphoria it stirs within me and turn back to Christina.
“Thank you for inviting us,” I tell her with a slight bow and a charming grin. My hand slides down to take Blue’s and I look over my shoulder at Ellen. “We’re going to go grab some drinks at the Sneaky Saguaro. Want to come?”
“Absolutely,” she beams back at us.
Bringing Blue’s hand up to my mouth, I kiss the back of her hand and release it. “You and Ellen head out to the car. I’ll be out in a moment.”
Blue doesn’t question me, rather turns and loops her arm through Ellen’s. “Come on.”
No one says a word as the women walk to the double doors. I turn to TJ, who’s eyes are now pinned on Blue’s ass. Once she’s out of sight, he finally turns his focus to me.
My fist is there to meet his nose.
One short jab because a full cross by me would seriously hurt the dude. But it’s enough to make his knees wobble as he screams like a little girl, cupping his bleeding nose. He sinks to the floor, crying.
Leaning in toward Christina, I murmur, “Got a real man there, didn’t you?”
I don’t wait for a response, but stride toward the door thinking this evening went better than I could have ever imagined.
Chapter 22
Blue
Winding my way through Erik’s house, I do a spot-check for any cups or plates that need picking up. I’m pleasantly surprised to find none, which means the rookies that are currently cleaning up after the meal have done a really thoughtful job.
Our Thanksgiving dinner went off without a hitch and was made easier by the fact that everyone that attended brought a side dish. Erik and I provided the turkey and ham as well as the desserts and booze. His dining room wasn’t big enough to handle all the guests, so people just spread out all over the house and found an available chair from which to eat. After the initial round of gorging was complete, the young rookie Vance Gather organized a cleanup crew and the older players retired to the area of house that I call Erik’s “play wing.”
I’m still not quite used to how big this place is. It’s only two stories but it is sprawling and there are actually wings. The top floor is nothing but bedrooms. Five to be exact with actually two master suites, one on each end of the house. The bottom floor is for living and playing. The center of the first floor houses a massive formal living room just off the foyer. The east side holds a casual living room, the kitchen, and dining areas. The west side is the “play wing” and has the billiard room, movie theater, and denlike area with plush couches and the massive big screen TV. The rooms all flow one into the other with wide open archways to pass through.
In the billiard room I find Dax and Pepper playing a game of pool. Leaning casually against the wall, I watch them for a moment. Pepper looks especially pretty today in an off-the-shoulder cream-colored dress that’s gauzy and flowy, cinched at her tiny waist with a wide leather belt. She’s wearing big hoop gold earrings that look perfect with her pixie haircut. The whole look totally fits her carefree persona. She’s ditched her sandals and is currently barefoot. I was surprised when she and Dax showed up almost an hour early today to help me with last-minute preparations. I thought that was incredibly kind and thoughtful.
I know others are wondering if Dax is finally settling down and has perhaps found someone he can be serious about. But I don’t think that’s the case at all. I watch them together and they are completely at ease in one another’s presence. They joke and laugh a lot. However, they don’t touch. There’s no physical affection. Just an easy camaraderie with each other, and that tells me they’re only friends.
Do I think that’s weird that Dax has developed a friendship with a woman?
Absolutely.
Do I think he has ulterior motives?
Absolutely.
While I believe he really likes Pepper and is genuinely friends with her, I think he brings her to team events to put her right in Legend’s line of sight. I think Dax gets some perverse pleasure in making Legend uneasy, or maybe his motives are a bit nicer, like he wants them to be friends since they’re neighbors. Whatever it is, I find myself enjoying the weird tension that exists between Pepper and Legend. After all, I’ve seen how well things can work out between two people that don’t get off to a great start.
I glance over at Legend. He’s sitting at one of the high-top tables that are scattered around, with Erik’s father, Pierce, who flew in last night. They’re watching football on one of the flat screen TVs Erik has mounted on the wall.
Leaning to the left a little, I’m able to see across the pool table and through the arched entry way that leads into the den. Erik is right where I left him fifteen minutes ago when I decided to check on how the rookies were doing on cleanup detail. He’s engaged in what looks to be a very exuberant Call of Duty battle with my brother, who’s wheelchair is pulled up beside the end of the couch where Erik’s sitting.
I can’t help but smile. Erik doesn’t pull any punches with Billy, barking out orders to him like he’s an actual general in the game. Billy just grins as he maneuvers his character on screen, shooting at all the bad guys. We picked Billy up first thing this morning and outside of taking half an hour to eat Thanksgiving dinner, those two have been immersed in that game. I didn’t mind, though, as it got Erik out of the kitchen since he’s not all that great in there, and it kept Billy occupied. I just hope he has some brain cells left when we take him back to the Cresson tonight.
“Happy Thanksgiving,” I hear a booming voice behind me say and turn to see Bishop walking in. Brooke is beside him, holding a bottle of wine in her hand. They both ate dinner with Brooke’s father, but promised they’d stop by and hang for a little bit. I’m really happy to see Brooke as I haven’t had a chance to really talk to her since the whole fake relationship turned real relationship with Bishop broke all over the news waves. It’s going to be nice catching up.
Bishop greets Pepper and Dax, then goes over to sit with Legend and Pierce, his eyes immediately gluing to the football game. I hug Brooke and accept the bottle of wine on Erik’s behalf. She follows me over to the small wet bar that has a built-in wine rack, where I start to place the bottle. Brooke puts her hand on my arm. “No way. Let’s crack that thing open.”
“Great idea,” I say with a laugh and do exactly as suggested, pouring two glasses of the deep red Cabernet. I then lead her over to a high-top table on the other side of the room, where we perch ourselves on tall stools made of oak and wrought iron.
“How many of the single players did you end up hosting today?” she asks. “Saw some of the pups cleaning up the kitchen.”
“Nine total,” I tell her with a laugh. “There are a few hanging out by the pool as well.”
“Is Tacker here?” she asks as she looks around.
“No. Erik invited him but he declined.”
Brooke lets out a heavy sigh. “I hate to think of him being alone on a holiday.”
“Me too,” I agree wholeheartedly. It’s tragic that he’s suffered such a terrible loss and deals with it by secluding himself away from anyone that might give him a measure of comfort. Erik even tried to lure him here with the promise of being able to hang with Billy, but he was adamant that he wanted to be left alone.
Brooke leans across the table and asks with a slight nod toward the pool table, “So what’s the deal with Dax? Is that his new girlfriend or something?”
“I don’t think so,” I tell her in a low voice. “I think they’re just friends.”
“Interesting,” she says before
taking a sip of her wine, her gaze going back to them.
Pepper lines up a shot at the eight ball, taking her time. Dax stands a few feet away to her left, leaning on his pool stick and staring at the table.
Not at Pepper, and most certainly not at her cleavage that’s exposed when she bends over the table. My eyes slide over to Legend and I smirk to myself to see him staring at Pepper hard. She pulls her stick back slowly before sending a sharp jab at the cue ball. It clacks against the eight ball which shoots off toward the corner pocket, sinking in cleanly.
Dax reaches into his pocket, pulls out his wallet and hands her five dollars. “You’re such a hustler,” he mutters.
“I just like to bet,” she says with a laugh, accepting the money and shoving it into a pocket at her hip. Her eyes glitter with mischief as she looks to Legend, who is still staring at her. His face flushes and he jerks his attention back to the TV.
“Hey, Legend,” she calls across the room.
I wonder if everyone can see the ticking in his jaw muscle the way I can. He turns his gaze slowly back to her. “What?”
“Wanna play?”
“No, thanks,” he mutters and starts to turn toward the TV.
“I’ll make a bet with you,” she taunts him and his eyes slam back into hers.
“Like what?”
“If you win, I’ll take down all of my yard ornaments—front yard only, mind you,” she tells him.
“And if you win?” he asks.
Pepper taps an index finger on her chin, contemplating the stakes. Finally, she shrugs and says, “You can’t pester me about my yard ornaments for…let’s say…a month.”
“Just a month?” he asks suspiciously. “Not forever?”
She gives him a sly smile as she picks up the blue chalk to coat the tip of her stick. “Well, I wouldn’t want to take your joy away totally now, would I?”
I practically choke on the sip of wine I’d just taken and Brooke shoots me a grin, clearly enjoying the show as much as I am.
“Deal,” Legend says as he stands up from the stool and walks over to the rack on the wall that holds more sticks.
Brooke and I watch as Legend racks the balls and Pepper makes a clean break. She leans over and whispers to me, “There’s some major tension going on between those two.”
“Yup,” I agree. “And it’s kind of sexy, right?”
“Totally sexy,” she agrees.
“Babe,” Bishop calls to Brooke from his table. “Come here a minute…I want you to meet Erik’s dad.”
Brooke shoots me an apologetic look as she slides off her stool. “Be right back. We have a lot to catch up on, I know.”
“You’re fine,” I tell her as I also hop off my stool. “I’m going to just pop into the other room and check on Billy. But then I want to hear the entire story of what happened between you and Bishop.”
She grins at me and nods toward the wine. “We’ll finish the bottle and I’ll tell you all the dirty details.”
I’d first met Brooke on the team plane for the very first away game we went on. She was working in team services at the time and traveled with the guys. She was “dating” Bishop, a surprise to many since she was the coach’s daughter. Turns out, it was all fake and then they were outed by the same woman who sued Erik for sexual harassment. It all blew up pretty big and was all over the news, but then the next thing you know, Brooke and Bishop are a couple for real. I know it’s going to be a great romantic story.
I leave the billiard room and walk into the den, coming up behind the couch that Erik’s sitting on. He’s leaning forward, perched on the edge of the cushion and intently engaged in a firefight next to Billy. Walking around the couch, I stand to the side, not wanting to block the TV in any way, of course.
Erik sees me from the corner of his eye, shoots me a quick glance, then a grin before looking back to the TV. “What’s up, babe?” he asks.
“Just want to see if you two need anything?”
Billy doesn’t even give me the time of day as he maneuvers his controller and his player on the screen shoots an automatic weapon with a loud rat-a-tat-tat. A huge barrel of fuel explodes and takes out three enemies.
“I’m good,” Erik says without looking at me.
“Billy?” I ask.
He ignores me, completely focused on the game.
“He’s fine,” Erik tells me, taking an actual moment to ignore the TV and turn to me. “I helped him with the bathroom a little bit ago.”
My chest cavity seems to restrict, or perhaps it’s my heart swelling, but it touches me deeply that Erik would take it upon himself to help with Billy’s toilet needs. A wave of emotion hits me hard and I suck in a deep, calming breath so I don’t start crying like a baby.
“Blue…you okay?” Erik asks, the game now completely forgotten and his expression slightly worried.
I smile at him and laugh, completely lying to him. “Yeah. My mind drifted. I forgot to take some extra Cool Whip out of the freezer for second rounds of pie. I’ll go do that now.”
Erik watches me closely, perhaps sensing the lie, but he finally smiles. “Okay then.”
His attention goes back to the TV but I feel like I’m starting to sink into an undertow of more emotion. I quickly make my way back through the billiard room where thankfully Brooke is still talking to Bishop and Pierce, and through the main living area. Rather than heading to the kitchen, I cut left and walk through the foyer and out the front door for a breath of fresh air.
I’m not being weighed down with sadness or fear or responsibility.
On the contrary, I’m being overwhelmed with joy, happiness, and a sense of belonging. Sometimes it’s too much for me to take in…process…accept. Erik stepping in to do something intimate for my brother without even thinking twice about it, affects me in such a profound way that I fear I might splinter apart from all of these wonderful but intense feelings.
I’m startled when the front door opens and Erik steps out. He pulls it shut, his eyes roaming over my face. “What’s wrong?”
So intuitive. So damned perceptive.
I think about lying but why should I? There’s nothing shameful in the way I feel, and perhaps I just need to celebrate it with someone. Erik would be that person.
“I just got a little overwhelmed in there,” I admit to him.
Erik steps into my space, hands to my cheeks and bends his head to stare at me closely. “Want me to get rid of everyone?”
My hands latch around his wrists and I give a soft laugh. “No. It’s not like that. Overwhelmed in a good way.”
He doesn’t say anything but I can tell he doesn’t understand. He doesn’t understand because Erik doesn’t think what he just did with Billy is a big deal at all. I don’t want to call him out on that, though, because I don’t want to embarrass him.
Rather, I explain it in a better way. “I didn’t realize how afraid I’d been over the last several months since my parents died and I took over Billy’s care. But I don’t feel scared anymore. It’s gone and it’s such a relief.”
Erik smiles, but his expression is still confused. “That’s great and all…but not sure I’m following you.”
“It’s gone and I think that has everything to do with you,” I tell him, and his eyes soften with understanding. He presses his lips to my forehead. “And sometimes, realizing that…it just overpowers me. In the very best of ways, but to where I might need to collect myself for a few moments before I find myself sobbing with joy or something. And that’s why I’m out here.”
Erik’s arms wrap around me, and he pulls me in tight for an embrace that embodies everything about how secure I feel with him.
Resting his cheek on the top of my head, he tells me, “If it makes you feel any better, you overwhelm me too. Like you said, in the best of ways.”
Chap
ter 23
Erik
I’m not going to be able to figure out what happened until I can see the game footage, but as the net is dislodged and I watch the two players grapple on the ice, I know our chances of winning this game against my former Demons team are down the drain.
We had a chance to tie it up. We were down 3–2 with a minute and ten left on the clock. Coach Perron waved Legend off the ice and the minute he cleared it, we put an extra forward out there. With our net empty, we were up a man in their zone and we were working hard to put the puck in the net so we could tie it up and force overtime.
Dax, Tacker, and Bishop have provided as good an offensive line as you can find in the league these days. I take the right-side point and our other defenseman, Carter Frost, positions himself in front of the net as a screen. The extra forward, a young rookie by the name of Guy Demere, also sets up in front of the net where a vicious pushing match ensues to clear line of sight for the Demons goalie.
Tacker moves to the right side just below me, while Bishop takes the center position near the blue line. Dax takes the left, and as anticipated, because Tacker is our best player, the Demons line as a whole drifts right when he gets the puck rather than hold their positions.
From here, the play is simple and we’ve practiced it together hundreds of times. Tacker should pass to Bishop, who passes it right back to Tacker, keeping the Demons defense right-side heavy. It would then go back to Bishop who will quickly unload it left to Dax.
If all goes according to plan, Guy is screening the goalie and Dax is already winding up his slap shot when Bishop starts to pass it. If it’s done fast enough, it should rocket into the net with no Demon being the wiser.
But that’s not what happens. One of the Demons defensemen, Lars Nilsson—who is actually a good buddy of mine as we played three years together—rushes Tacker and starts a shoving match with him. He cross-checks Tacker in the chest. Tacker gives it right back to him. It disrupts the play, causing us to shift over to the left side until Tacker can sort that shit out.
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