Chapter 11
CHAPTER
ELEVEN
ZEKE
Addison’s curled up in my arms, warm and soft and exactly where I want her, while Roman’s being comforted by the one other person in this world who gets him like I do.
After everything that went down tonight, after the way Jasper took the lead and cracked something open between the four of us, I’m pretty sure I’ll never be okay with letting Addie out of my sight again.
Her heart is racing, her energy a mix of confusion and contentment, but there’s also concern. Jasper’s got Roman. I trust that, so right now, my entire world narrows to the woman in my arms.
I run my fingers through her short blonde hair and press a kiss to the top of her head. “You okay, beautiful?”
She nods against my chest, pressing closer. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For guiding me. I’ve never done anything like that before.”
“Neither have we.”
Her palm flattens against my chest as she lifts her head, those stunning stormy-blue eyes narrowing. “Never?”
I shake my head slowly. “The three of us, yeah, obviously. But never with someone else. Never like this.”
“You never… There’s never been another woman?”
I shake my head, holding her gaze, needing her to remember what we’d told her years ago—that it was only ever her.
“No, never.”
“Wow.” She bites her lip. “I guess I assumed you’d all need to find someone to fill that space.”
“We don’t need a woman to make us whole.
” When her eyes drop, I gently tilt her chin up, refusing to let her hide.
“The right woman would add to our happiness, not complete it. She’d be loved, cherished, and become part of what we are.
But we’re solid even if that woman couldn’t see herself with us. ”
She blinks, but I see the exact second it lands—when the meaning behind my words clicks into place.
If she could ever see a life with us.
“I think anyone would be dumb to give you three up.”
My heart stumbles, caught somewhere between hope and fear. She means it. But I know Addison—she’ll always hold a piece of herself back, especially with everything Roman’s still fighting.
We lie there in the quiet for a few peaceful minutes, her head tucked beneath my chin, when she breaks the silence. “Tell me about your life, Zeke.”
I smile, pressing a kiss to her temple. “What do you wanna know?”
“Everything. Hockey, your friends, Jasper, Roman… I wanna know it all.”
“Well, you already know playing pro was the dream, and honestly, sometimes it still doesn’t feel real that we actually made it.
” She hums softly, listening, so I keep going.
“It’s given us more than we ever imagined—careers we love, stability we didn’t all grow up with, and yeah…
stepping out onto the ice, hearing the crowd lose their minds?
That never gets old. It’s the kind of thing that gets in your veins and stays there.
You crave it.” I glance down at her. “Of course, it doesn’t feel great if we’re not winning—then we’re just three overpaid assholes who didn’t score enough goals. ”
“I was so proud of you guys when my dad told me. I wanted to reach out so many times, and then Mikey happened…” Her voice trails off, and I run my fingers through her hair, letting her know it’s okay.
“We felt the same,” I whisper. “Jasper almost got in contact once.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, but you know how he is. He doesn’t feel anything halfway, and Roman was worried about him opening a door he couldn’t walk through.”
“Is he okay?” she asks after a beat. “Because he always acts like he is, but I know he sometimes feels like he’s got to be everything for everyone.”
“Jasper’s just… Jasper. I know not being able to be open about us chips away at him a little more each day. He loves with everything he’s got, and holding all of that back? It’s just not who he is.”
“He shouldn’t have to hold back. It shouldn’t be like that.”
“He and Roman had a close call not long ago, nearly outing themselves to the entire team.”
“What happened?”
“Jasper went down after taking a bad hit and was out cold for a few seconds. I’ve never seen anyone move as fast as Roman did.
The guy’s a monster on the ice, but that was something else—he was across the rink and at Jasper’s side before anyone else even realized what was happening.
” I pause, remembering the rush of panic we both felt.
“I was right behind him, and for a second… all that love Roman tries so hard to hide, it was just right there, spilling out. I put a hand on his shoulder to ground him, and he caught himself. Jasper came to, laughing like a damn maniac, and the look he gave Roman? Swear to god, it was a challenge. Like he was daring him to kiss him right there in front of everyone.”
She bursts into laughter, her body shaking softly against mine. I wrap my arms around her, pulling her closer, and for a few perfect seconds, I let myself quietly hope we get more moments like this.
“So Roman’s okay? He’s doing good?”
“Yeah, beautiful. He’s doing fine.” I pause. “He hasn’t changed though. So what just happened between us? He’ll be overthinking it now.”
She nods, biting her lip. “I don’t want him to hate me anymore.”
“He doesn’t hate you.”
“He still hates me being near him.”
“Roman loved you, Addison. That’s all it is. When he lets someone in, he gives everything he’s got—he doesn’t know any other way.” She nods, her bottom lip trembling, and the urge to kiss her is instant.
I want to erase the hurt in her eyes, promise her we’ll figure this out, but with everything still so raw—Roman’s wounds still open—I can’t. Not yet. So I press my lips to her forehead, lingering there, and gather her back against my chest, holding her for all of us.
“Stay here tonight, yeah?” I whisper.
She nods, and I ease us both beneath the covers. I know when morning comes, she’ll be curled between me and Jasper, and that’s when shit gets real. Because whatever this was tonight, it’s not going away.