27. Game Misconduct
Chapter 27
Game Misconduct
Cece
If my father doesn’t scare Dev off, he’s unshakable. Even Beau looks more thrown off by our dad than usual tonight, and he’s the clear favorite.
“How did you know about Dev’s family?”
Beau’s question leaves me cold again. Does he suspect? “Oh, I don’t know. You must have told me.”
“I wouldn’t do that.”
“We talked about it at the vet. It was a long night.” Dev is making a habit of saving me when my mouth gets me in trouble.
“Oh, yeah.” He still sounds a bit distant, but I think that’s more a reflection of everything else tonight rather than suspicion.
“Why is spending a single day with them so...” I’m yawning around the last word.
“Because they’re terrible.”
That wakes me up. Beau knows, but he usually doesn’t talk about it so bluntly. Maybe it was all the talk of going pro. Dad was really driving the nails home on that one.
There’s nothing I want more than to spend the night in Dev’s arms, but I’m not sure how to make that work. Asking him to sneak out of the house in the middle of the night is probably a terrible idea. He’ll set off the alarm and the police will show up or something. I could sneak into his room, but that’s risky.
By the time I get home, I have the perfect solution. Beau drops me at the guest house, and I slip in, checking on my pets. Everyone looks good, although Loki is awake and annoyed that he can’t come out to play. I slip him a couple of extra treats along with his food as an apology.
Then I gather up a few things, stuffing them in a big tote bag before I slip across to the main house. I type in the code, resetting it after I get inside, and slip up the back stairs. The good thing about a house this large is it’s easier to avoid people when you want to.
I tiptoe up the stairs, checking the hall, and then sneak into my old bedroom. No one can get mad at me for sleeping in here. It is my room, after all. It’s only my pets that aren’t welcome in the house.
I shoot Dev a quick text, leave my door unlocked and hit the bathroom to brush my teeth and get changed. Disappointment sinks when he hasn’t replied by the time I’ve finished my routine .
I slide under the thick comforter, sinking into the pillow-top mattress when I hear a soft knock.
The covers go flying when I leap out of bed and over to the door. I pull it open, yanking him through, and shutting the door behind him.
“Did anyone see you?” I ask.
“No. That’s why it took so long. Beau was out in the hall the first time I tried to come. He came in and we chatted for a bit before he went to his own room. Then I waited a bit and tried again. All clear this time.”
“It was a tough night. I needed you.” It makes me realize how much I’ve started relying on him. For comfort. For confessions. When I see something funny, he’s the first one I tell. When I’m feeling upset, he’s the one I want to reassure me. It’s so much more than a fling, but can it really be anything meaningful when we can’t even tell the one person closest to both of us?
“I needed you too, Cupcake.”
He settles beside me on the bed, and I wrap myself up in his arms, inhaling the comforting smell clinging to him.
“I’m glad you’re here,” I mumble into his chest.
“Me too.”
He pulls back the blanket for me to get settled, then slides beside me, dragging the thick blanket over us both and rolling over to pull me tight against him. His lips land on my head.
I snuggle back, content to be in his arms. In this moment I don’t need anything else. Just him.
“Cecelia!”
My mother’s shrill screech rips me out of the deep sleep I was enjoying.
I jerk upright, my heart pounding so hard I can feel it thumping against the wall of my chest.
“What are you doing with that boy in your bed?”
No, no, no, no. This can’t be happening. I could have sworn I locked the door last night. I did, right? Or maybe not. It doesn’t matter. I’ve got to stop her before she brings the whole house in here.
My feet stumble under my frantic attempt to get up, but I pull myself back up, racing for the door.
“Joanne. Could you not.”
“What’s going on?” My father’s voice booms down the hall as he comes racing up the stairs.
“She has that boy in her bed. Under our roof. It’s disgraceful.”
“What?”
He storms over to the door to my room, jerking it open. Dev is yanking a pair of sweats over his boxer briefs, but he’s still all shirtless and ruffled. It’s obvious he just climbed out of bed. My bed.
My father’s face deepens from a blotchy red color to a purple shade that I’ve never seen before. The vein in his neck is pulsing.
“We didn’t do anything.” The defense sounds weak, even to me .
“Cece? Are you okay? What’s wrong?” Beau comes tearing in wearing a similar outfit as his friend. His eyes narrow when they land on Dev. “Lucy? What are you doing in here?”
“He was in your sister’s bed, Beau. What do you think of that?”
“This is why playing hockey is no good for you. Puts you in the path of unsuitable people. And your sister too. Did you know about this?” Dad steps toward my brother.
Unsuitable. What a bowl of crap. What a complete asshole.
“I’m a twenty-one-year-old woman. What I choose to do is nobody else’s business. Get out of here. All of you.”
“This is my house, Cecelia. You don’t get to tell me to leave this or any other room.”
“Fine then. I’ll leave.” The righteous anger pushes me toward the door. “Dev?” I turn back to him, hoping he’ll follow, but he’s standing there frozen in place, looking at my horrified brother.
“You’re not going anywhere, Cecelia, but you. You can leave, Mr. Connell. I didn’t invite you into my house to take advantage of my daughter.”
Dev nods, trying to step around my brother to make his escape, but Beau won’t allow it. He yanks his arm back, winding up to send his fist crashing into Dev’s nose.
It’s like it happens in slow motion. There’s a thumping noise. I scream at my brother. Dev’s hands whip up to cover his face, while bright red blood oozes between his fingers.
Tears well up in his eyes, and he backs away, hands held out in front of him. Beau steps toward him again and my body finally unfreezes. I leap in front of Dev.
“Beau. Stop it. Leave him alone. We weren’t doing anything last night. I was upset. I asked him to come.”
My brother doesn’t even turn to look at me, eyes still locked on his friend. “Last night? How long has this been going on? How long have you been sneaking around behind my back?”
I shake my head. This is not the time or place for this conversation. I’m standing here all vulnerable, with my legs exposed beneath my short PJs. The entire family invading my room, and my boyfriend bleeding behind me. That’s right. He’s my boyfriend. Not some fling.
“Beau don’t. Please. We can talk about this later.”
“What’s there to talk about?”
My fingers are going numb, and my legs are turning to jelly, but I stand my ground. Beau will regret hurting his best friend. I know he will. I’m not going to let him make it worse.
“Cece. I can’t believe I have to do this again, but that’s it. You’re leaving that school. You can stay until the end of the semester, and then you can finish your education elsewhere. I thought I could trust Beau to keep you safe, but I was wrong.”
“What exactly did I do?” I’m swiping at the angry tears streaking down my face. “Have a mature, consensual relationship with a fellow adult?”
“You call it mature to sneak around with your brother’s teammate behind his back? Sleep with some nobody. He’s only in it for your money and status. ”
“Why? Because nobody would be into me for my personality or my looks? Am I that unappealing? Gee, Dad. Thanks.”
“That’s not what I was saying. You just have to be careful, Cece. With our family name, you can’t be spending time with just anybody. Especially after what you did last summer.” And there it is. Another reminder that underneath it all, I’m an embarrassment to the family.
“Is this how you feel about it, Beau? I’m too good for your best friend? Or do you think he’s too good for me?”
Beau moves in closer to me, but I shake my head at him. “Neither. But I trusted you both, and you’ve been lying to me. I can’t believe either of you would do that. I asked him to look out for you. Not fuck you.”
“Beauregard! Language.”
My brother winces at his full name.
“News flash. I’m capable of making my own decisions. This isn’t the nineteenth century. I’m not some heiress you can sell off to the highest bidder.”
“But I’m still your brother and I still have to look out for you.”
“Honey. Let’s let these two figure this out. I need to look after the party details.” I’d almost forgotten my mother was in the room’s been so quiet since she started this mess with her screams.
“Fine. But this isn’t over. I mean it, Cecelia. You’re done with that school. ”
Dev. I’ve been so wrapped up in this argument I forgot to check on him. He’s bleeding. In pain. I spin around to find he’s vanished and rush out of the room ahead of my parents.
“Dev!” I call out, racing into the hall. He’s not there. I take the stairs two at a time, but there’s no sign of him. The house is as empty as my heart.
Thundering footsteps echo through the foyer, and Beau skids to a halt beside me.
“He’s gone, Cece.”
My knees give out and I sink to the floor. I can feel his presence when he joins me, but I refuse to look at him. My chest heaves with silent sobs.
“I’m sure we can figure this out. You don’t have to leave Lakeview if you don’t want to.”
“What’s the point?” I sniff, dragging a hand across my face.
“You’ve got friends there. You don’t want to start over at another school for your last semester.” He drops a hand on my shoulder, but I shrug it off. The sight of his fist connecting with Dev’s nose is still replaying in my head.
“Yeah, but I can’t have Dev, so what’s the point?”
The only sound in the large room is him clearing his throat, and when he talks again, it’s in a low tone as if he’s scared of frightening me away.
“He means that much to you?”
“Yes.” I hiccup. “I... I... love him.” It fills me up, and I know the words are true. I don’t want this to be temporary. I want him by my side, but why would he want to be with me? My family is so unbearably fucked up. They’ll never accept him. Beau hates him now. I’ve screwed that up too.
“Wait... you love him?” I’m too tired to shrug off the hand that lands on my shoulder this time. “Does he love you back?”
I shake my head. “I don’t know. We’ve never talked about it. We spent so much energy keeping it a secret from you.”
“I’m sorry, Cece.”
“It’s fine.” I sniff, leaning into his comfort. My heart is in a million painful pieces, but I’m sure they’ll mend. Eventually. One day.