Chapter 7
CHAPTER
SEVEN
ZEKE
Once we were back in Colorado, it took us less than five minutes to figure out where to find Addison. Not that we needed to dig too deep—we’ve all kept tabs on her over the years.
Waiting until the award ceremony to see her was never going to happen. The three of us were wound too tight. We knew it’d be better to break the ice now, on our terms, than to play out our reunion in front of half the town on her father’s night.
Of course, there was always the very real possibility that Addison wouldn’t give a flying shit that we were here. She’s married now and supposedly happy with the kind of simple, uncomplicated life her father always wanted for her.
The good daughter who fell in line.
But I know better the moment those navy eyes collide with mine.
Addison was always an open book to those who knew how to read her, and five years haven’t changed that. Every emotion plays across her face like a movie I can’t look away from.
Lost.
Confused.
Hopeful.
Anxious.
Happy.
Cornered.
Her energy pulses through the store, raw and real and so fucking intoxicating it makes my chest ache.
She’s drowning in an oversized sweater, covering a body that was never meant to be hidden. The glasses she used to only wear when she was too tired to care what anyone thought are perched on her nose, and her hair’s loose around her shoulders—soft, touchable… familiar.
And yeah, she might be married to Mikey King, but the way she’s looking at us right now isn’t the look of a woman who’s living the dream she chose. This is the look of a woman seeing ghosts she never managed to bury and realizing the past isn’t done with her yet.
Jasper’s the first to greet her—no surprise there.
He’s never met a silence he didn’t feel the need to fill, nor has he ever managed to find a filter between his brain and his mouth.
He’s got all the subtlety of a wrecking ball and the self-restraint of a kid in a candy store.
But now, watching him break the ice while I’m still frozen in place, I’m grateful for his inability to shut the hell up.
Jesus, she’s more beautiful than I remember.
Her hair’s shorter now, brushing just past her shoulders instead of spilling down her back, and there’s something different in the way she holds herself.
“How did you know where I was?” Her voice is steady, but her fingers twist in the hem of her sweater, a nervous tell she never outgrew.
“Small town,” I answer, watching her reaction. “People know everything about everyone. You know that.”
“Don’t just stand there. Get your ass round here.”
She circles the counter, and Jasper pulls her into a hug that looks so easy, like muscle memory, but I can see the way his hands tremble slightly against her back before he lets her go.
When she steps back, I take my turn, wrapping her petite frame in my arms. She melts into my embrace like no time has passed at all, and when I finally release her, she turns her attention to Roman.
“How are you?” she asks softly.
He just nods, rubbing his jaw as he takes her in.
“I can’t believe you’re all really here.” She laughs, but it’s got an edge of hysteria to it, like she’s still trying to convince herself we’re real.
“We wanted to come see you before the weekend,” Jasper says.
“I’ve been thinking about it a lot, and… yeah. I’m glad you found me. Of course it’s good to see you all.”
“How’s Coach?” I ask, resting my hip against the counter.
“He’s living his best life, knowing all the fuss is going to be about him for once.”
I let out a low laugh, shaking my head. “I guess it is his turn.”
“Where’s your husband?” Roman asks, blunt as always.
I reach for him instinctively, running my hand up and down his back. I have no idea if he can even feel my touch through his coat, but I don’t stop.
“Mikey is…” Addison pauses, clasping her hands together before lowering them. “I actually have no idea where he is. You’ll see him over the weekend though.”
“Awesome,” Roman mutters, his mouth twisting around the word. “Can’t wait to catch up.”
“Still can’t believe you married a King,” Jasper chimes in, grinning in that shit-eating way that only he can get away with. “What were you thinking, angel?”
“I was drunk when I agreed,” she says, and we all laugh, too loud and too long. “So, where are you guys staying?”
“In a cabin up at the lodge,” Jasper announces, sprawling across Addison’s counter like he owns the place.
“They’re really nice,” she replies, offering a smile that’s a little too tight. “Spacious.”
“Perfect, because we take up a lot of room.”
There’s a hint of curiosity in her eyes, but she swallows whatever she was about to say.
“What?” Jasper calls her out instantly, cocking his head, daring her to say it. “Come on, angel. You’re dying to ask. I can see it all over that pretty face.”
Addison shifts, her fingers knotting together before she finally exhales. “I guess I was wondering…” She trails off. “I take it you guys are still—”
“Still fucking each other’s brains out?” Jasper cuts in without a shred of shame. “Yeah, baby. Every goddamn day.”
For a second, she just stands there completely frozen, pink flushing across her cheeks and spreading down her neck.
I reach out and grab Jasper by the back of his coat, yanking him off the counter hard enough to make him grunt.
“What the hell’s wrong with you?” I growl at him, even though I’m half laughing because this is just who he is—wild, unapologetic, and way too much. But fuck, I love him for it.
“What?” Jasper just shrugs, grinning like the chaotic bastard he is. “Come on, you know she was desperate to ask. Weren’t you, Addie?”
“Not quite the words I would’ve used,” she mutters, her voice unsteady but her mouth twitching like she’s fighting a smile.
“Doesn’t make it any less true,” Jasper fires back.
“You really haven’t changed, have you?” She laughs, and that’s when I hear my big guy speak up beside me.
“Have you?”
“I like to think so,” she answers softly.
I snort, tightening my grip on Jasper’s neck before finally letting him go. “Yeah, well, as you can see, this one’s still fucking trouble.”
“Don’t pretend you two don’t fucking love it.” He flashes a smile that’s all teeth, while Roman lets out a deep rumble of laughter beside me.
“How long are you guys staying?”
“We’re heading back to Boston on Sunday. We’ve got some time to catch up if you’re free. Maybe we could grab a drink tomorrow night?”
Before she can answer, Roman’s phone starts ringing. When he mouths the word “coach,” he’s already moving toward the door, slipping outside to take the call.
“How is he?” she whispers, like she’s not sure she’s allowed to care this much anymore.
I glance at Jasper, and he's already looking at me, the same thought written across his face.
She still feels something for him.
“He’s still Roman. He still carries everything like it’s his alone. But this is a lot for him. It’s a lot for all of us.”
She nods, picking up what I’m saying without needing it spelled out. “I suppose we could do something tomorrow,” she offers. “But I’m guessing you’re still keeping your relationship under wraps?”
“For now,” Jasper answers before I can.
“Then why don’t you come to my house? You don’t have to hide who you are there.”
“Are you sure about that, angel? Last time we were all a little wasted in a house together, we ended up making out.”
“I’m pretty sure we’re all adult enough to know the past isn’t an issue anymore.”
Jasper laughs just as Roman steps back inside, pocketing his phone, his eyes immediately finding hers.
“Addie’s invited us over tomorrow night,” I tell him, watching his face carefully.
“Yeah, hard pass.” He runs a hand through his hair, clearly uncomfortable. “No offense, Addie, but I’m not spending the night anywhere near Mikey. I know he’s your guy, but I can’t stand that dick.”
Addison doesn’t flinch. She just cocks her head and fires right back. “You could be one too, once.”
Suddenly I’m not standing in her bookstore anymore. I’m standing five years in the past, watching Roman and Addison dance around each other like they weren’t already on fire.
“Oh, I’m still a dick. I just don’t hide it behind a fake smile and a snake’s personality.”
“Well, you’ll be glad to know he won’t be there, so the invitation stands.”
Roman goes quiet, staring her down, and the silence stretches between them, charged with all the history they’re pretending doesn’t exist. There’s still something there. We can all feel it, even if he’s too damn stubborn and she’s too married to admit it.
“How about you come to us instead?” Jasper cuts in, pulling out his phone and holding it out to her. “Give me your number, and we’ll figure it out.”
I watch as she punches in her number, her fingers steady even though I can see her pulse fluttering in her throat.
Addie, baby, you really have no idea what you just did.
Because she doesn’t know what it means to give Jasper an inch when he’s been starving for a mile.
The man is relentless on a good day—on the ice, in bed, in every part of his life, and now that he has her number, he’s not going to leave her alone.
“It was good to see you, Addison.”
“You too, Zeke,” she says, her smile touching something deep in my chest. “All of you.”
With one last look at her, we turn and walk away, the bell over the door chiming behind us.
The bitter December wind whips around us, and I hear Roman take a shaky breath as we start walking.
“Are you okay?” I ask, fighting the urge to pull him close.
“Yeah, just seeing her again… It’s a lot.”
“Made you realize you still feel something for her?” Roman nods, and Jasper slides an arm around his shoulders, casual but grounding him with the contact I know he needs.
“Well, you’re not the only one, Captain, which is good.
Means you’re still just as stupidly gone for her as we are, right, Zeke? ”
“Yeah,” I breathe out. “She hasn’t changed at all, has she? Five years, and she still looks at us like we never left.”
“Let me grab some dinner,” Jasper says, his thumb stroking Roman’s shoulder. “You two head back. Take a minute to—”
“Don’t go.” Roman cuts him off, and I see that spark of need between them—that instinct to reach for each other when shit gets heavy. His fingers find Jasper’s coat, holding on. “The restaurant up at the lodge is fine.”
“Come on.” I shove the keys at Roman because we all know he needs to move; he needs to do something before he combusts.
We had to book the largest cabin with enough rooms for all three of us to keep up the lie. I hate living like the best thing in my life is something I have to hide, but I don’t see another way until we can all walk away from hockey for good.
Coming out would be like handing ourselves over to be ripped apart. The media would have a field day. The sports networks would dissect it, and fans would spit their opinions across every screen they could reach, as if loving each other somehow cancels out everything we’ve achieved on the ice.
I close the cabin door behind me, and Roman’s on me like a starved animal.
His big hands fist my hair, yanking my head back as his mouth crashes onto mine.
His tongue forces my lips apart, taking what he needs, and within seconds, both our shirts are off.
I bend to run kisses along his shoulder, tasting salt and skin and marking him with my teeth.
“On the bed,” Roman growls as I strip off the rest of my clothes.
I watch him from the corner of my eye—watch how his muscles flex under tattooed skin as he yanks his pants down.
He doesn’t bother waiting for me. He just drops onto the mattress and sprawls back against the headboard, fist tight around his cock, stroking himself. My eyes lock on the silver barbell glinting at the head, slick and swollen, his need for me already dripping from the tip.
“What do you need, baby?” I ask.
“I just need you close.”
I crawl onto the bed, climbing straight into his lap, straddling him, wrapping one arm tight around his shoulder.
When I spit into my palm and bring our foreheads together, I grip us both, working us slowly.
Roman’s hands bruise my back, pulling me impossibly closer as his hips snap up into my fist like he’s lost all control.
“How long?” Roman pants against my mouth.
“He’ll be quick. You know he’ll be climbing out of his skin to get back to us.”