CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO #2
Tom passed a hand over his short tightly curled hair and sighed. “I don’t fuckin’ know. Tell security and Gavin, I guess?”
“Yeah,” Connor said, his brow furrowed. “That’s good. But we’re not letting you go off on your own while we’re here, okay?”
When Tom merely nodded, Luke wondered exactly how off the rails this woman was. If she had Tom spooked like this, it must be pretty bad.
After that, Jesse coaxed Tom into ordering some tacos and they all sat around and shot the shit while he ate them. No matter how freaked out, no hockey player ever turned down good food when it was offered. And Tom did look more relaxed by the time he’d polished them off.
Luke resisted the urge to text Sebastian and tell him about what was going on.
He didn’t, partly because Tom’s personal life wasn’t his to share with anyone. And also because Tanner had been eyeing him suspiciously every time he pulled out his phone lately.
Luke supposed he had been on it more often and now that he and Sebastian were texting rather than talking on the app, he couldn’t afford to have Tanner get nosy. The messages weren’t exactly hidden the way they’d been with previous hookups.
But Sebastian wasn’t a hookup anymore, was he?
What he was, what Luke wanted him to be, was still up in the air. They hadn’t really had time to figure that all out.
The thing was, Luke had never really cared much about what anyone thought of him. He’d just done his thing and moved on. But Sebastian mattered for some fucking reason and at some point they were going to have to figure out what that meant.
But not right now. He’d deal with that shit once he got back to Boston.
Luke stood and everyone at the table looked at him.
“I’ve just gotta piss,” he said gruffly.
When Luke left the bathroom. He found Connor and Jesse deep in conversation, blocking his path.
They looked pretty serious and Luke leaned against the wall, trying to stay out of the way until they were done talking about whatever that had them speaking in low, urgent tones.
“Wait, you don’t want to date Viv, do you?” Connor asked.
Jesse’s eyes bugged out. “What?”
“I mean, you two have been getting along well lately and the stuff with Tom and Kady made me wonder …” Connor shuffled awkwardly.
“No. Dude. Connor. I love you. Viv is great. Glad we’re pony shopping together for Maura and shit’s going well with kid stuff in general between us, but I don’t want to date your ex-wife.”
“Well, you don’t have to say it like that.” Connor looked almost offended now.
“Like what?” Jesse’s expression turned confused.
“Like she wouldn’t be someone worth dating.”
“Oh my God, Connor. Do you want me to tell you that you have good taste in women? Yes, Viv’s hot, she’s smart, and she’s really stepped up for Nolan in the past year. In the past, I’d totally have been into an older woman like her. But I don’t want to date her! Do you want me to date her?”
“Fuck no!” Connor huffed. “I don’t want to share you with anyone. But, like, I thought I should check.”
Jesse sighed and leaned his forehead against Connor’s. “Very thoughtful of you, Captain Growly, but I’m happy just the way we are, okay? I like the life we have together. I don’t need to change it.”
Connor said something quietly and then they were kissing, and Luke looked away.
Jesus, this was altogether too much personal shit. Why the fuck was this team like this?
After they finally let him through with apologies—and a red face from Connor—the guys who’d eaten lunch together split up to shop, find dessert, or leave the Grand Central Market entirely.
Luke had been planning to go to the hotel, but he noticed Tom hesitating, glancing around warily.
“You need something?” Luke asked.
Tom shrugged. “I’d planned to go to a candy shop in here before I headed back to the hotel. My girls loved it when we lived in L.A. and I was planning to bring home some stuff for them but maybe I should skip it just to be safe.”
“I’ll go with you, if you want,” Luke offered.
“You sure? You don’t have anywhere you need to be?”
“Nah,” Luke said. “I was just gonna go back to the hotel and chill, but I don’t mind a detour.”
“Okay. Yeah, let’s do it. We can just share a ride back to the hotel after, if that’s cool with you.”
Luke nodded. “Lead the way.”
As they passed Connor, who was talking to a couple of the rookies, his gaze met Luke’s as if to say, ‘keep an eye on things.’
Which was exactly what Luke intended to do.
“Honestly, I probably am making a big deal out of nothing,” Tom said as they headed upstairs to the candy shop.
“Maybe. But why risk it?”
“I have been in a fight or two myself over the years.” Tom pointed to a nose that was definitely going to need surgery after his career was over. “I can handle myself. Though I can’t really imagine punching Darla anyway …”
“Your crooked-ass nose just tells me you can’t block for shit, dude. Besides, how many fuckin’ times do I have to tell you guys, I don’t want our goal scorers throwing punches at anyone?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Tom said but he bumped Luke’s shoulder as if to say thanks.
“Besides, I’m not gonna fucking punch a woman unless she’s coming at me with a weapon. And even then …” Luke grimaced.
He didn’t like to punch anyone significantly below his weight class. It just felt fuckin’ wrong. So unless this Darla woman was an …
“I don’t think she’s violent,” Tom said. “Just … mixed up. We tried to get her some help but … it just kept getting worse.”
“Fuck,” Luke said. “That sucks.”
“Yeah. I cared about her too, you know.” Tom stuffed his hands in his hoodie pockets.
“Gonna be honest, I don’t get the poly thing,” Luke admitted. “Course, I usually don’t get relationships with one person either, so …”
“You really don’t date or fall in love?” Tom asked, his gaze curious.
“Date? No. Love … that’s … I mean, I love other people. Love my family, love the team. It’s not like I can’t love anyone. I just don’t … romance for me isn’t … fuck. I don’t know. It’s just that I never—well, hardly ever—meet anyone who makes me think, ‘fuck, I want them around more,’ you know?”
Tom nodded.
“Besides, what I want isn’t usually the same as what other people want.”
“What do you want?”
“I don’t fuckin’ know,” Luke admitted. He knew he didn’t want the white-picket-fence life everyone else seemed so eager to lock down but that didn’t mean he had a clue what would be right for him.
Tom huffed. “Makes it hard to figure it out with anyone else then, I guess.”
“Tell me about it,” he groused.
Because that had always been his issue. The rare times he did meet someone who made him want more, they always wanted too much.
Luke thought about Sebastian as they walked through the crowded halls to the candy shop.
They’d both admitted there was something there, but Luke still didn’t know what that meant for them. What it would look like. Or if Sebastian could handle what Luke wanted.
Once inside the shop, Tom wandered off to pick out stuff for his wife and kids. Luke kept an eye on Tom as he browsed. Luke didn’t have much of a sweet tooth, other than liking chocolate from time to time, and he wondered if Sebastian was the same.
He pulled his phone out of his pocket and pulled up his text app. Do you like candy? he sent, then immediately felt foolish. Especially when Sebastian didn’t answer.
Still, he wandered the store, collecting a variety of things like chamoy mango—the sweet, salty, sour and spicy seasoned dried mango that Luke did really like—along with trail mix, chili pistachios, plus assorted chocolates and sour candies he thought Sebastian might be into.
He got a bag of pork cracklings for himself too, which the team dietician would hate and that Tom made a face at when they stood at the counter, comparing their loot while they waited in line to pay.
They made one more stop in the market so Tom could get a boba tea.
When he offered to buy one for Luke, he shook his head. “Nah, can’t do it. It’s a texture thing. Tanner made me try it once, and I almost gagged.”
Tom shrugged and paid for his before requesting a ride to the hotel.
Thankfully, they left Grand Central Market and made it back to the hotel without incident. They rode up to their floor in silence and Tom thanked him before they went their separate ways to their rooms.
“Yeah, no problem,” Luke said, his tone easy. “You need to go out anywhere while we’re in L.A., you message me, okay?”
“Okay,” Tom said. He looked tired now.
“Sorry you’re dealing with this shit. That’s really gotta suck,” Luke said with a frown. “Caring about someone who—who is doing this kind of crap.”
“Yeah,” Tom agreed with a sigh. “It’s been a lot for us. But I appreciate you having my back.”
“Sure. Any time,” Luke said.
“Good luck with your … thing.”
“My thing?” Luke asked, confused.
Tom looked surprised. “Oh, I assumed you—that there was maybe someone you were seeing. That’s why you talked about the whole relationship thing. Maybe I got it wrong.”
Luke hesitated. “There might be … someone. I don’t know. Still figuring shit out. Don’t say anything to the other guys though, please. I don’t wanna deal with everyone getting nosy and Tanner being all up in my face about shit and …”
With a chuckle, Tom clapped him on the shoulder. “Dude, I get it. Nobody wants Tanner up in their business. Your secret is safe with me.”
“Thanks, man,” Luke said gratefully.
“Any time. You know, I’ve played for a couple of teams now and it was great to see my buddies from L.A., but I’ve gotta say. There’s something special about the Harriers.”
Luke nodded because he could feel it too.
There were a lot of reasons he didn’t want to play anywhere else. The team, the city, and now Sebastian, were at the top of the list.