Breaking Through the Past (Espen Jetties #3)

21. Jansen

21

JANSEN

Having dinner with the team was like having dinner with family. I loved every second of the rowdy, crazy shit that happened. Not everyone would be there, some were still traveling for the offseason, getting the most out of their time at home. But a good chunk of them would be.

Stephen was quiet by my side as we walked into one of the larger conference spaces at the arena. We used it for a variety of things, including pregame meetings. Today, there were tables set up inside for dining and more tables around the perimeter of the room filled with covered dishes with burners under them. The little flames danced slightly, drawing my gaze to them briefly. The room had a decent number of people already in it.

“You okay?” I whispered to Stephen.

He squeezed my hand. “Yes. It smells good in here.”

My stomach agreed as it growled. The scents wafting through the air had my mouth watering. The Jetties never skimped out on a good meal. I pushed that away so I could turn and face the man by my side. “If at any point you want to leave, just say the word and we’ll go. This is an informal dinner. Something Kasper likes to do to get us together in the offseason. It’s his way of checking in with us and the rest of the staff at the Jetties.”

“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. Have fun and introduce me to your friends.”

I grinned. “That I can do.”

We walked farther into the room. There were no place cards on the tables, no fancy shit outside of the nice dishes, glasses, and silverware. Kasper knew no one would want that, not for this meal.

King came toward us first. He smiled wide. His dark auburn hair had grown out more. And that beard he had for playoffs was still in place, though not unruly. “Kenna,” he greeted, pulling me in for a hug. “I’m glad your ugly mug could make it. I wasn’t sure you’d emerge from bed now that you’ve finally got some dick in your life.” He was obviously joking. This was King and how he behaved when he was happy. I still tensed, wondering if Stephen would see it that way.

“Jesus,” Hayes muttered, coming up behind him. Jaime Deary was there too, currently quieter than his partners. “Can you not be an ass the first time we get to hang out with Stephen like this?”

“I could be well-behaved, but where’s the fun in that?”

Stephen chuckled by my side. “It’s fine. I like this much better.” He extended his hand. “Stephen Forrester.”

King looked down at his hand and back up, then pulled him in for a hug. “You’re family now. We hug.”

Hayes grinned. “The Walkers love to hug. You’re getting a taste of it. Be glad the rest of them aren’t here or you wouldn’t be able to breathe from how tight they’d grip you.”

King pulled back. “Yeah, and then my ma would look at the food here and declare she could make something better and try to mother us all. It’s a good thing it’s Saturday and not Sunday, or she’d take issue with the three of us missing dinner.” King was lucky he had his family so close. I missed mine something fierce.

Devon and his partner, Lincoln, came over next. They weren’t lively like King was. Devon smiled and Lincoln shook hands with Stephen. I let them talk for a minute while I slung my arm over Devon’s shoulders and steered us away. It was easy to do since I was a little taller than him.

“How are things, D?” I asked. “You and Lincoln doing good?”

“We’re great, couldn’t be happier.”

“That’s what I like to hear.”

“So, how are things with you and Stephen? I’m surprised the media hasn’t caught on to him being Serilda’s father yet.”

I sighed and looked over my shoulder. Stephen and Lincoln seemed to be hitting it off. They were talking and Stephen laughed. Lincoln’s shoulders looked a little tight. This wouldn’t be his ideal scene, but I was sure he did it for Devon. “That’s Stephen’s biggest worry tonight. He thought all of you would think he’s wrong for me because he’s older, or that him being Serilda’s dad would be an issue.”

“That’s not us.”

“I know. He has to get used to you, then he’ll see you’re the most accepting bunch on the planet.”

We talked for a bit more before Stephen and Lincoln walked our way. Stephen leaned into my side. I loved feeling his weight there as I wrapped my arm around him. I saw Kasper making his way through the crowd. Kasper’s husband wasn’t here though. It was baseball season. Marcus was a busy man this time of year.

Lincoln and Devon eventually drifted toward Noah and his wife.

Stephen tensed beside me. “Kasper’s coming over here.”

I rubbed my thumb over his hand where I held it now. “You’ll see how great he is. The whole team is amazing.”

He gave me a small smile. “I’m glad it’s going well.”

“You’re doing great.” I pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “After we talk to Kasper, let’s get some food. I’m starving and don’t want King to eat it all.”

That got a chuckle out of Stephen. “He likes food, doesn’t he?”

“Yeah, and he cooks damn good too. He’s not all about eating. The man is talented in the kitchen.”

Kasper stopped in front of us. He had a big smile like everyone else did who greeted us. Man, I loved Kasper. He was the best to work for. He was involved but not overly so. He was supportive and always there if any of us needed him.

“Jansen, I’m glad you came. And you must be Stephen. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Kasper.” He extended his hand, and they shook.

“It’s nice to meet you too. Thank you for inviting me.”

“Of course. You’re part of the Jetties family now. Hopefully we don’t scare you off. Some of us can be a bit much.” He said the last part louder which perked up King’s ears, who slid toward us.

“I know you weren’t talking about me.”

“You’re such a whore for attention,” I said and put my hand on his face to shove him away.

King being King licked my palm then pulled back while making a face. “I shouldn’t have done that. I don’t know where that thing’s been.”

“And I don’t know where your tongue has been. Keep that shit inside your mouth.” I dramatically wiped my hand on his shirt.

Jamie stepped close to take King’s hand in his with a wink before dragging him away.

“He’s good for him,” I said.

Kasper nodded. “Jamie’s a good guy. Both he and Hayes help balance King out. Stephen, I understand you’re the dean of EU. That must be a challenging job.”

“It’s nothing compared to what you do.”

“I love my work, even if some days are more difficult than others.”

Stephen nodded. “You have to love it or it’s not worthwhile.”

Being here with him, listening to him and Kasper continue to talk, I fell harder for him. Stephen was so damn smart, so damn good. I hoped some of it seeped into me. I didn’t think I was a bad guy, but I wasn’t Stephen. Our jobs were night and day, and yet we fit together perfectly.

We walked around the room, me introducing Stephen as we went. Everyone was warm and welcoming. I hoped I never got traded. I loved what I had here. Not only the team but Stephen too. Though I had to hope if I needed to move, he and I would still be solid.

We took our seats, sitting next to Noah and his wife, Emily, who was a teacher. I wasn’t sure why I didn’t think about it beforehand, but seating her near Stephen was smart. They talked and laughed throughout dinner while Noah and I lobbed insults at King and Hayes, who sat across from us.

I had to admit, I enjoyed watching my teammates with their significant others. Noah would talk to me, but he kept his hand on his wife’s. King, Hayes, and Jamie would occasionally give each other a quick kiss or a simple touch. It made my heart happy.

Now I had someone too. A man I’d fight for. Who I’d give everything I could to. Stephen was worth it.

Like he knew I was thinking about him, he placed his hand on my thigh and leaned close to whisper, “I like your friends.”

“I’m glad.” He was much more relaxed now that we’d sat down, and people didn’t keep approaching us.

I meant it when I called the Jetties’ organization family. We had each other’s backs. We celebrated when there was great news. We mourned together when something awful happened. That kind of support wasn’t easily found. I knew how special it was. How lucky I was to be in the middle of this room with some of the best people on the planet. If only my parents and brother were here.

Yesterday, I had a video call with them. We talked for almost an hour. I told my parents about Stephen, who was at work so I couldn’t introduce him. My family had plans to fly out for a game early in the season. They could meet Stephen then. And yes, I was planning to be with him for a long time. I didn’t want to consider the possibility of not being with him. That might be odd or seem too fast, but I didn’t care. When it felt this right to be with someone, I didn’t want to ever let him go.

There was a lot for me to be thankful for—my career, my family, friends, and Stephen. I sat back in my seat and took in the room full of people who were simply amazing.

God, I couldn’t wait for the season to start. I was ready to get back out there. Training during the offseason sucked. The regular season wasn’t easy either, but I thrived on the ice when we were breathing down the necks of the opposing team. My blood was pumping just thinking about it. To know Stephen would be at some of the home games cheering me on, I was going to perform better than I ever had before.

“What are you grinning about over there, Kenna?” King asked then threw a piece of a dinner roll at me. I caught it and put it in my mouth. He could have at least put some butter on it first.

“Just happy is all.”

“It looks good on you,” Hayes added.

“It does on you too.”

“You’re all gross,” Noah said.

Emily lightly smacked his chest. “You’re not happy with me?”

“You know I am.” He leaned toward her and kissed her hard. When he pulled back, Emily’s eyes were bright and only on her husband.

“I’m hot, not gross.”

“If it’s gross to be sappy about how fucking happy I am, then fine by me,” I stated with my smile still firmly in place. I turned to Stephen and pressed my lips gently to his. “Thank you for making me happy.”

“Never thank me for that. You do the same for me.”

I would have suggested we get out of here because my dick decided to enter the equation, and I really wanted my hands on Stephen’s naked body. Too bad dessert was brought out and interrupted our moment. That was okay. It was better not to be hard at a table full of my teammates and their significant others. I had plenty of time tonight to get Stephen naked and writhing beneath me.

His hand went to my thigh again as he put a bite of a soufflé into his mouth. His fingers gently rubbed over my leg. I had to still his hand, so I didn’t do something indecent like crawl under the table and blow him.

Instead, I licked the chocolate from his lips and whispered a promise of later. One I would certainly deliver on.