19. Devon
19
DEVON
The morning was spent in the Jetties arena with a meeting first, then warm-up, and finally practice. Sweat was pouring off me by the time we finished. I got a shower and the whole time thought about one person—Lincoln.
We had a lot of fun two days ago. My ass was still sore yesterday. I loved it though. I loved the reminder of what we shared together. Once I was cleaned up today, I wanted to surprise him at work with lunch. Mom wasn’t working so I didn’t have to worry about her watching every move Lincoln and I made to figure out if we were in a relationship. Once word got back to her that I was there to see him, she’d know.
I couldn’t wait to set my eyes on him again. I was becoming addicted to him and I didn’t mind one bit. There was something about him that was special. I cherished every minute we spent together, which wasn’t a lot given both of our jobs. But I had the afternoon free and wanted to see him, even if it was for a short period of time.
As I was putting my shirt on, King came over to stand in front of me with a grin. Since it wasn’t a game day, no suit required. Instead, I had on a long-sleeved shirt and a pair of dark jeans.
“What?” I asked.
“Whatcha doing when you leave here?”
“I have plans.”
Hayes chose that moment to come over. “Plans that involve seeing your boyfriend?”
I turned and reached for my shoes to put them on. “Why am I friends with you two?”
“Because you love us,” King replied, drawing out the word love. “Are you going to see him or not?” I told King the day after Lincoln and I talked that everything was going well between us. I kept it broad. He let me leave it at that. Until now.
“He has a name,” I replied.
“I know. I was given you some anonymity here.”
“Thanks, but I don’t need it anymore. We’re together. I’m just not blasting it all over social media. I trust our team. They know how to keep shit locked down. I don’t know if Lincoln is ready to be out there with me yet.” I honestly wasn’t sure and needed to ask him. Being with me wasn’t like being with a regular person. The media liked to follow me if I was out in public. And so did fans. I was young, single—as far as they knew—and at the top of my game. The Jetties were doing great this season. Eyes would be on me if I had someone special in my life.
“So, you’re in a relationship?” Hayes asked.
“Yeah, it’s new.” I peered over at him and saw the smile on his face. It felt good to tell them more about Lincoln. I could talk about him all day but that would probably come off as creepy as hell and that wasn’t me. I wasn’t a crazy stalker. I was simply a guy who was falling for someone.
King clapped me on the shoulder. “I’m happy for you, D. You deserve this.”
“Thanks. Now, if you’ll excuse me. I have somewhere to be.” I grabbed my keys, wallet, and phone and turned toward the door, but didn’t get far because King was still holding on to me.
“We want to meet him.”
I was waiting for Hayes to cut in and say only King was waiting to meet him, but Hayes grinned, and I knew if I didn’t introduce them to Lincoln very soon, they’d hound me until I did.
If they went with me today, I could keep the visit on the short side since Lincoln was at work. It gave me an excuse to get King and Hayes out of there. If I had them over to my home, that could go on for hours. I didn’t want Lincoln to ever be uncomfortable. And since I was springing this whole lunch thing on him, the time limit would work in my favor.
“Fine,” I relented. “I’m going to pick up lunch for us. You’re welcome to come and eat. But it will be at the urgent care so we can’t stay long, since Linc is working.”
“Lunch and a hot man to look at?” King asked. “You won’t get a no from me.”
“You don’t even know if he’s hot or not.” He might know the name from me talking about my mom’s work, but he’d never met Lincoln before.
That earned me a dramatic eye roll. “Come on, D. Don’t act like I don’t know you. Sure, you haven’t been in a serious relationship, but I’ve seen some of the people you’ve hooked up with. You have great taste. I have no doubt Lincoln is gorgeous.”
“Whatever. Just be on your best behavior.”
He made an X over his heart.
Hayes slapped him on the back. “That means nothing.” Then he focused on me. “I’ll help keep him in line.” King scoffed but didn’t say anything else. Instead, he and Hayes went to finish getting dressed while I asked what they wanted to eat and placed the order.
Before I left to get the food, I asked them to meet me at the urgent care but not to go inside. I must have stressed it four times. They were great men, and I had a feeling Lincoln would get along well with them, but I wanted to ease him into it instead of getting a lot of King all at once for a longer stretch of time.
I finally pulled up to the urgent care and parked my truck. King and Hayes were waiting in King’s car and got out when they saw me. Food in hand, I walked over to them.
“Behave,” I said like a stern father talking to his kids. And that was just how King took it. I shouldn’t have been surprised.
“Yes, Dad. If we’re good, can we go for ice cream after?”
“It’s too cold for ice cream.”
“That’s not true. Ice cream is good year-round.”
“I disagree.”
“Disagree all you want but mint chocolate chip never gets old, even in the dead of winter.”
Hayes laughed. “You two are arguing like you’re really going to get ice cream after we leave here.”
King shrugged. “We just might.”
I couldn’t help but smile. This was one of the many reasons I was friends with these men. During a game, they were fierce and so damn good at what they did. When relaxing, they were fun and caring and just all around amazing. I hoped Lincoln thought so too.
I snapped my fingers. “Okay, kids, let’s go.”
King slung his arm over Hayes’s shoulders. “I hope we like Dad’s boyfriend. He could become our stepdaddy.”
“You know we’re both older than Dev, right?”
“Why do you have to ruin my fun?”
“This conversation got weird and needs to end,” I cut in.
“Agreed,” Hayes stated.
We walked through the front door causing Donna to look up, thinking we were patients. The second she saw us, she smiled. “Look at you boys. All three of you. This must be a special occasion.”
“Donna, you look lovelier every time I see you,” King greeted. It wasn’t the first nor would it be the last time my friends came in here with me. Usually, it was to stop in and see my mom with me. I was surprised Lincoln had been spared meeting them until now.
“And you become more of a charmer every time I see you .”
King grinned. Such a ham for the attention.
“What can I do for you?” she asked. “Your mom isn’t working today, Devon.”
“I know. I’m actually here to see Lincoln. If he’s free. If not, that’s okay too. We can wait. Or leave food for him. I brought him lunch.” For fuck’s sake, shut up!
Why was I still getting nervous where Lincoln was concerned? It was ridiculous. Maybe it was because this was outside my house and his apartment and I had King and Hayes with me. I wasn’t sure.
The urgent care was quiet. There wasn’t a single patient in the waiting room. I needed to calm down.
“One second. Let me see where he is.” Donna winked then left to look for him.
King’s hand landed on my shoulder. “Damn, D. You’re smooth as fuck.”
“Eat a dick.” I elbowed him in the ribs, causing him to bend over at the waist and feign an injury.
“Did you see what he did, Hayes? I don’t think I can play tomorrow night. I might have a cracked rib.” He straightened slowly and sucked in a breath then winced. “Yup, that hurts. You’re going to have to tell Coach. We’re going to lose without my immense talent.”
Hayes rolled his eyes. “You’re an asshole.”
“Yeah, but you love me.”
“Idiot,” I muttered.
When I glanced up, Lincoln was standing there in his scrubs, leaning against the counter like he didn’t have a care in the world. He had a small smile playing on his lips, the one I loved so much. Damn, he was gorgeous.
“Hey,” I whispered but it was just loud enough for King and Hayes to stop their fun and focus on us.
“Hey, yourself.”
“I brought lunch. I hope you haven’t eaten yet. Oh, and I brought King and Hayes because there was no leaving without them coming along to meet you.”
Lincoln stepped forward until he could place his hand on my hip and leaned in to give me a too quick kiss. I wanted so much more but I had to remember where we were. “Lunch sounds perfect.” He pulled back and glanced at the guys behind me, who I was sure were wearing matching grins.
“Kingston Walker, but you can call me King,” King said before extending his hand.
Lincoln took it in his. “Lincoln Newland. Pleasure to meet you.”
“Hayes Garner,” Hayes introduced himself and shook Lincoln’s hand as well.
I should have introduced them. Maybe I could have if I hadn’t gotten lost in Lincoln’s lips on mine.
“Where can we eat?” King asked. He was never shy. Never one to leave a conversation hanging and silent.
“Follow me,” Lincoln told us before turning. I would follow him anywhere he wanted to go if I could look at that ass while doing it. Even in scrubs he was hot.
We walked into the break room where there was another person who I had met before and knew was a doctor here. He came over to shake my hand and ask how I was before excusing himself and giving us the room.
“I’ve never had lunch with a bunch of professional hockey players before.” Lincoln chuckled while I pulled food from the bag.
“And we’ve never met anyone D was in a relationship with before because it hasn’t happened until now.”
I turned toward King. “Thanks. Subtle.”
He ruffled my hair and I swatted him away. It was obvious how happy he was meeting Lincoln. King might treat me like this when we weren’t playing, but when we were or when I needed his full attention in the locker room, he never wavered. He always treated me with respect since I was his captain.
Hayes shook his head. “Ignore King. Or don’t, if you enjoy this. Most people lean heavily one way or another.”
“What about you?” Lincoln asked. I was happy to hear him joining in the conversation. Not that I thought he wouldn’t, but I wasn’t sure how this would go. Every horrible scenario possible played through my head on the drive over here.
“I ride the King line right down the middle. It’s hard to ignore him since I live with him, though it is possible when he’s pissing me off. But I do enjoy his company. He’s my best friend and one of the most loyal people I know.” Hayes took a seat and opened his food. I didn’t expect him to say that. Not that it was a lie. King had a heart of gold, even if that heart led him to clubs, bars, and beds with random people.
Lincoln quirked an eyebrow in my direction. I shrugged since I wasn’t sure what to say.
We took our seats. Hayes was on one side of me and Lincoln on the other, which meant he was next to King, who shoved a steak fry in his mouth while he glanced at Hayes. I guess I wasn’t the only one not sure what to say.
King was quiet for a bit after that while we dug into our food. Hayes and Lincoln started talking. It went from Hayes asking if Lincoln was from here, how he liked being a nurse, very light conversation. In return, Lincoln brought up hockey, which was an easy way to keep the conversation going since Hayes loved talking about it. I was glad Lincoln didn’t bring up Hayes’s family. Not that Hayes would shut down, but it was one of those subjects he didn’t openly talk about until he really knew someone. His past was something both King and I knew well.
King tossed his napkin on the table. “That was good. And since you’re done talking about hockey, let me ask you something, Lincoln.” Ah, hell. This wasn’t going to be good. “Do you want to hear a story about D that’s embarrassing? I have a bunch of those.” He chuckled. “Or I could give you one where you’ll want nothing more than to scoop our friend up and hug him. He’s so cute.” King pinched my cheek before I could duck away. “The third option would be a story about how D is fucking awesome when he plays and it’s a damn pleasure to be able to be at his side out there.” Now I was blushing.
It was Lincoln’s hand on mine that had my gaze moving to his before he replied, “Embarrassing.”
I groaned loudly and dropped my head back to stare at the ceiling. “Of course.”
“Kidding. Let’s go for option two. I’ve seen Dev play on TV, so I know how good he is, and I don’t think he wants to be embarrassed at the moment.”
“He doesn’t,” I added, focusing on King.
“Two it is,” King stated.
He then proceeded to tell Lincoln about one time when we were on the road. When we got into the elevator at the hotel we were staying at, there was a little girl in there all alone with tears running down her cheeks. She told us she had been playing hide-and-seek with her brother and thought to sneak out and get into the elevator so he couldn’t find her.
No older than four, she was scared when she realized she was by herself and didn’t know how to get back to her room, let alone what the number was. We took her to the lobby and sat with her until her brother, who was probably around sixteen, came racing from the elevator toward us and picked her up. When he focused on us to thank us for helping her, he saw who we were and was stumbling over his words.
We ended up following him up to his room where he had one of my jerseys. He was on vacation with his family, and they were catching the game that night. King, Hayes, and I signed it and spent the next half hour playing hide-and-seek with them.
It was hard to do considering the size of us, but we managed to find some good spots in their suite. As we were about to leave, their parents showed up, heard the whole story from their son, and thanked us profusely for our help.
That day started out filled with worry over the little girl and ended on a great note.
The whole time King talked, Lincoln smiled, glancing over at me every now and then, all the while rubbing his thumb over my hand. It wasn’t going to be long before I was completely head over heels for this man.