Mr. Swoony (The Nest #3)

Chapter 36

Thirty-Six

Conor

After we arrived at the campground, we had time to set up our tents, then go to the store and grab some items none of us thought to bring before it got dark. Henry started the fire because he runs shit like a dad, and we’re all his kids. I guess that role is hard to put on pause just because your kid isn’t around. Not that any of us have a clue what we’re doing.

But it’s Eloise I’m most concerned about. She’s been acting weird ever since we arrived. Jade keeps poking fun at her about their trip to the bathrooms. She definitely seems out of her element.

Before we join everyone by the fire, I grab Eloise by the wrist and pull her to the back end of the SUV, giving us as much privacy as possible.

I lean my back against the truck, anchoring her to me with my arms. “Talk to me.”

She bites her lip.

“I’m going to pull those teeth from your lip.”

She shakes her head.

“Are you betting I won’t?”

She stops biting her lip, and her forehead hits my shoulder. “I’m not sure this is for me.”

I chuckle and tuck her in my arms. “What did you expect when you wrote it on the list?”

Her shoulders lift. “Romantic stuff. Stars and bonfires.”

“You’re about to get those things.”

She draws back, and her expression reads more embarrassment than dislike. “I swear I’m not some snob, but…” She lays her hand on my chest. “We can’t have sex tonight.”

Oh, it all makes sense now. “You got your period?”

“No.” She covers her mouth from laughing. “I have an IUD, so I haven’t had one for two years.”

“Really?” I’m sure I look fucking excited because although it doesn’t bother me to sleep with a woman while she’s on her period, some women don’t want to.

“You thinking about how you don’t need condoms anymore?” she asks, raising her eyebrows.

“Actually no. I’ve never done it without one.”

She pats my chest. “Well, until we both get tested, we need to use them.”

“But after?”

She nods. “Sure.”

My dick twitches, but I force myself to focus on the topic at hand. “So, if not your period, then what?”

She inhales and looks off into the darkness around us. “I feel dirty.”

“I like dirty.” I grin at her.

She pushes my chest. “I’m being serious.”

“So am I.”

“But—”

“But nothing. Just enjoy yourself. If we get into the tent, and you don’t want to have sex, no big deal. I’m a big boy.”

“Really?”

“I do know how to masturbate. I’ve become quite the expert at it since we met.” I wink at her.

She tilts her head. “Conor.”

I pull her toward me so there’s no space and kiss the top of her head. “I’m serious. There’s no pressure on that kind of stuff at all. But there’s a bonfire happening and look up.”

She tips her head up, and so do I. The dark sky sparkles with stars. It’s so much better than that time at the lakeshore.

“Oh, it’s beautiful,” she says, but I tilt my head down to look at her.

“Yeah, it is.”

She lowers her head, catching my eyes. “Smooth.”

“I thought so.” I chuckle, kissing her cheek. “But in all seriousness, nothing is as beautiful as you.” I slide my hand down to hers, capturing it. “Now let’s go have fun with our friends.”

“Thanks for talking me down.”

I stop her right before we walk by Henry’s truck and into view of where they’re all laughing and carrying on around the fire. Pushing her back against his truck, I keep our hands entwined behind her back. “It’s my job.”

She smiles. “But?—”

“I want the job. I want to be the one to calm your fears, to empower you, to be the one you seek out to find refuge.”

She sighs, and her eyes lock with mine. “Where did you come from?”

“Chicago.”

Her forehead falls to my chest again, and I lay my hands on her cheeks, lifting her head so she looks at me.

“Do we have a deal?”

She nods.

“Good.”

I lead us to the bonfire where everyone else has a drink in their hands and is shooting the shit. We sit in the two unoccupied chairs, leaving me next to Tweetie and Eloise.

“Sorry, Rowan, but it’s the one thing that comes with you that I hate.” Kyleigh turns off the screen on her phone and puts it in the drink holder on her chair.

“Me too, but most of all I hate that you have to deal with it.” Rowan frowns.

“What am I missing?” I hand Eloise a seltzer from the cooler beside me and grab a beer for myself.

“A picture that Rowan put up with him and Kyleigh yesterday got swarmed by the puck bunnies.” Tweetie cringes.

“It’s all passive aggressive bullshit. That he must be a great boyfriend because I’ve put on some pounds since we started dating.” Kyleigh gulps down a good amount of her seltzer.

The reason I almost didn’t move into the Nest was because the puck bunnies linger and hang around there, but I’m done being in hiding and not living my life. They don’t have access to me beyond the gate.

“One person congratulated me on my pregnancy.” Jade rolls her eyes.

“Are you serious?” Eloise looks as though she can’t believe someone would do that.

If she only knew.

“It’s evil, I tell you.” Jade glances at Henry. “You’re worth it, don’t get me wrong, but I can’t say I won’t be happy when you retire, and I don’t have to deal with those women.”

“Just tell me when it gets too much. You know where I stand on the issue,” Henry says.

I believe that if Jade wanted him to, Henry would retire tomorrow. He has everything he’s ever wanted now. Sure, he’d miss the game, we all will when the time comes, but I think Henry will ease into retirement easier than the rest of us.

I grab Eloise’s hand because the thought of her having to go through what they are scares the crap out of me. At this point, everything is going so well between us. I don’t want anything to mess it up.

“Do you ever say anything back?” Eloise asks.

“No,” Kyleigh and Jade answer at the same time.

“It’s not worth it. They come back harder and more vicious.” Kyleigh gets up from her chair, but leans over Rowan, pinching his cheeks. “You’re just lucky you’re so damn adorable.”

He grabs her and swings her into his lap. I inwardly roll my eyes, but I understand it now because I’d love for Eloise to be in my lap right now.

“Conor better watch himself.” Kyleigh takes a pull from Rowan’s beer, pointing the top of the bottle at me. “I have a feeling he might not hold back when it comes to you, Eloise.”

“I can handle myself,” she says, looking at me.

“Come here,” I mumble and tug her arm lightly.

Eloise obliges and stands. I pat my lap, and she happily sits down, wrapping her arm around my neck. I just want her close to me during this shitty conversation about the hazards of my job.

“Oh, looky here. Am I the only one who sees empty seats around?” Kyleigh says, ribbing me because I’m always on her for sitting on my friend’s lap.

I flip her off behind Eloise’s back.

We all sit and talk bullshit about everything but hockey. Tweetie tells us a funny story about when he was with the Florida Fury at a team building event, and Kane and Jana Burrows were secretly a couple. Jade and Henry tell a story about college, and we all share stupid shit we did as kids.

Eloise lays her head on my shoulder, and I kiss her forehead. “Let’s go to bed.”

“Okay.”

She climbs off my lap, and I stand. “See you guys tomorrow, we’re going to bed.”

We say our good nights to everyone.

“Can you walk me up to the bathroom quick?” Eloise asks.

“You can go in the woods,” I say, but she shakes her head.

After grabbing our flashlight, we trek up the short hill to the white building.

“Okay, stay here.” She pushes open the door, tiptoeing in. The automatic light turns on, meaning no one else is in there.

I hear the stall door shut and the shuffling of clothes.

“Pretend you don’t hear me. This isn’t how I imagined this going,” she calls.

“Just so you’re aware, I do know you pee.” I chuckle.

“Knowing and hearing are two different things.”

I shake my head at her concern.

A minute later, I hear the toilet flush, and the stall door opens. Then she screams, and I push through the door. Eloise is jumping from one leg to the other.

“Rat!” she shouts, jumping into my arms. I catch her but drop the flashlight on the floor. “Kill it!”

“Okay, first of all, calm down. I’m sure it’s just a mouse or something.”

“I don’t care what it is.” She buries her head in my neck. “I told you. I’m not meant for this.”

I smooth my hand over her back. “Relax, I got you.”

I bend down to get the flashlight, and she clings harder, her fingers digging into my back. We walk out of the bathroom, and I carry her down the hill, the flashlight guiding the way.

“Sorry,” she says. “It scared the crap out of me.”

“I know.” I can’t deny it, I would have flipped out too.

Once we’re a safe distance away, she has me set her down. We round the two SUVs and see that everyone has gone to bed, except Tweetie. He picks his head up from where he’s looking at his phone.

“Oh, hey, guys.” He pockets his phone quickly, and there’s a look on his face I’m not sure I’ve ever seen.

“Everything okay?” I ask.

“Yeah, always.” He smiles, but it’s forced.

I walk Eloise to our tent, unzip it, and wait for her to get in. I scan the flashlight around to make sure there’re no critters or anything inside.

“Do you mind?” I nod back toward the fire.

She shakes her head. “Just zip me in.” She crawls over to me and presses her lips to mine. “He’s your friend. Go make sure he’s okay.”

“Thanks. I won’t be long.”

I zip her up and walk back over to the bonfire. Tweetie has his phone out again, as if he’s reading something.

“Who is the text from?” I ask.

He shuts the screen off and places it in the cupholder. “No one.”

I sit in the chair next to him. If he doesn’t want to tell me, I can at least sit here for a while because something is bothering him. We’re both silent for a minute, and he surprises me when he speaks.

“I’m sure you’ve heard the stories back in Florida,” he says, his voice low and quiet. “Tedi Douglas?”

I lean back in the chair and get comfortable, knowing the time has finally come. Tweetie is about to let me in. I have no idea why he’s chosen now, but I’m not going to question the why. I’ll be here for my friend and listen.