Chapter 25 Everett
EVERETT
Istand on the sidewalk and watch as Bea walks toward her building entrance.
There’s a part of me that screams to follow her, to make sure she gets in okay. But something shifted in her on the drive here.
She might have been checking me out like she wanted me at the beginning, but as we got closer to her side of town, she began to shut down.
I wanted to push her, to find out what was wrong, but then I remembered that we’re not actually friends. I don’t really know what we are.
We had a great evening together. She’s not like other women I spend time with. She doesn’t just want me for what’s in my pants and my pocket. She was talking to me like she genuinely wanted to get to know me. Not the hockey player, or the fuckboy. Me. It was a headfuck, but in a good way. I think.
I shake my head as her ass sways from side to side as she makes her way down the sidewalk.
My fists curl at my sides as I remember just how she felt beneath them. I couldn’t stop myself earlier. Her ass was right there in my face. I had to remember just how good a handful she was.
While my eyes are locked on her ass, she twists around.
My eyes jump, and the second I find a knowing look on her face, I bark out a laugh and hold my hands up in innocence.
She laughs at me before focusing back on where she’s going.
The urge to follow her, to invite myself into her apartment and spend the rest of the night with her burns through me. We wouldn’t even need to have sex. I think I’d be happy just to put a movie on and hang out on the couch with her.
Fuck. What has happened to me?
I drag my fingers through my hair, tugging until it stings.
She’s almost at the entrance when my cell starts buzzing in my pocket. I ignore it, wanting to see her safely inside before turning my attention to anyone else.
It rings off, but then instantly starts again.
With a groan, I stuff my hand into my pocket.
The second I see Parker’s face lighting up the screen, I hesitate. I haven’t spoken to her properly in a few days. She’s been too busy enjoying her vacation with Linc.
I glance up, and as I do, I catch Bea waving at me.
Lifting my free hand, I wave back before swiping the screen and putting my cell to my ear.
By the time I look up again, she’s gone, and I don’t realize I greet my sister with a disappointed sigh.
“Well, it’s nice to hear from you, too,” Parker teases.
“Sorry. I was distracted.”
“Tell me you’re not balls deep in a bunny.”
“Trust me, I’m not even close.”
“Good. So, how are things?” she asks. There’s birdsong and crashing waves down the line, and jealousy washes through me. I could really do with a little bit of that right now.
“Yeah, you know. Standard.”
“So I saw the other night.”
I groan as I walk back around the driver’s side of my truck. “I was just having a night out with the guys. Why is everyone making such a big deal out of it?”
“You looked pretty wasted,” my sister points out.
“Yeah, well. I don’t remember.”
“And there lies your problem. I know the end of the season didn’t go the way we all wanted, but it wasn’t meant to be. You guys made it to the Stanley Cup Finals. That’s epic, bro. And next year, you’re going to do it again, and you’ll claim it.”
My stomach twists up in knots, and my chest grows tighter and tighter at the mention of that night.
If it weren’t for me, they’d have won. I know they would.
I slump low in my seat and tip my head back.
“Yeah,” I agree, although it sounds anything but confident.
“It wasn’t your fault, Rett. The loss isn’t solely on your shoulders.”
“I know,” I lie.
“Embrace it. Use it to fuel your training for next year. Don’t allow it to fuck everything up.”
“Who says I’m doing that?”
“Well, firstly, I’m your sister. I know you better than almost anyone. But also, the internet. There are threads discussing whether you’ve got a future as a Viper or if you’re going to cause more drama than you're worth.”
My teeth grind at hearing what I already knew.
Hailee has been saying it for weeks. The organization wants me performing on the ice, not in clubs and hotel rooms.
But I don’t know how else to drown out the losses and the disappointment.
My eyes pop open when realization hits me.
I haven’t felt those things tonight. Being with Bea, the loss, the failure, it was all a distant memory. My focus was on her and our future as parents. For the first time, possibly ever, I put others before me.
Shit.
“Rett, are you still there?”
“Yeah,” I rasp.
“Did you hear a word I said?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“Please, think about what you’re doing. I don’t want to see you traded again any time soon. I like having you here.”
“I’m not hanging around so you and Linc can continue to play tonsil hockey in front of me,” I complain.
“Aw, you love it.”
I grunt a non-committal response.
“One day you’ll find a woman and return the favor.”
“Your best friend is already taken, and I’m not interested in the wrath of Rivers anytime soon.”
“Yeah, he’d kill you.”
“Whoa, I could take Rivers.”
Parker laughs down the line before my best friend’s rumbling voice chimes in. “You could totally take Rivers.”
“Thanks, man,” I say appreciatively.
“Don’t fucking mess with Casey, though. I prefer you alive.”
“But you just said…”
Linc’s laughter echoes down the line.
“You’re an asshole,” I mutter, finally reaching out to start my car. “So, how’s paradise?”
“Fucking insane. I could get used to this private complex shit. Your sister is sunbathing butt naked right the fuck now. She—”
I hang up and throw my cell into the passenger seat.
“Asshole,” I hiss before pulling out into traffic and heading home.
I don’t get much sleep. But that’s not unusual for me. Instead, I lie there staring up at my blank ceiling with my head spinning, images of what my future could look like flicking through my mind like a movie. And for the first time in my life, there’s a woman who features in nearly all of them.
Of course, I barely know her. But that doesn’t matter. We might not have a future together; we might be completely incompatible. But we’re connected now, whether we like it or not.
She will be at my games because I have every intention of having my kid there in a little Vipers jersey with my name on his back.
We’ll be at parent–teacher conferences because I want to be involved in what they’ll be learning.
I’ll be at Christmas plays and sports games, recitals, and whatever else they might get involved with.
I might not have a lot of confidence in my abilities as a father, but I do know one thing: I’m going to try as hard as I can, because that little baby who didn’t ask to enter this world deserves everything.
And Bea…yeah, she deserves a hell of a lot too, for not only growing my kid but also for putting up with me for the next eighteen years.
By the time the sun begins to rise the next morning, I’ve managed a few hours of sleep. It’s nowhere near enough, but without the physical toll that hockey takes on my body, followed by a night out to burn off that final bit of energy, I struggle to force myself to switch off.
I end up scrolling on my cell, and before I know what I’m doing, I’ve found The Bea Hive Salon page.
I scroll through, looking at all the photos of pretty nails and sleek hairstyles. Honestly, I have no idea what I’m looking at, but it seems impressive to me.
I might have grown up with a little sister, but she was more likely to be found shooting a puck into a goal or bouncing a ball around our driveway than painting her nails and curling her hair.
I pause on every image that has Bea in it. In every single one, she’s smiling so wide it makes my chest ache.
It’s a smile I haven’t seen in person in our handful of meetings, but I can’t deny that it’s one I want to experience. It lights up her entire face and makes her eyes twinkle. And that’s through a lens. I can only imagine how it might look in real life.
Once I get to the end of the page, I switch to the about section and take note of the opening times.
A smile twitches at my lips as I think about her being the kind of person who is always early for her shift. She seems to love her job way too much to be even a minute late. And this morning, she doesn’t have a car because we left it there last night.
I throw the covers off and swing my legs over the edge of the bed long before I’ve realized that I’ve made a decision.
I throw myself into the shower, brush my teeth, and pull on a pair of sweats and an LA Vipers T-shirt.
My hair is still wet as I grab my keys from the bowl in the hallway and head for the elevator.
In only minutes, I’m in my truck and heading across town to where I dropped her off last night. I make a quick diversion through a drive-thru coffee shop to grab some supplies before I pull up outside her building.
I look up at the modern building. It’s made up almost entirely of glass. The apartments must be flooded with natural light.
It suits her. The thought of her living in an apartment that lets the sunshine in from every angle makes a smile twitch at my lips. It’s not the kind of place I could ever imagine myself living in. I need shadows and darkness, but Bea? She’s all light and happiness.
Pulling my cell from the center console, I find her contact and tap to send her a message.
Rett: Good morning. I figured you needed a ride to work. I’m outside.
My thumb hovers over the send button as doubt floods through my mind.
What if she’s already left?
What if she doesn’t want to see me again so soon? She might have said she wanted me in our baby’s life, but she’s never specifically said she wants me in hers.
“Fuck,” I hiss, dragging my fingers through my hair.
This is why I don’t get involved with women.
They fuck with your head. Make you question yourself.
There are no expectations if all they’re getting from me is a handful of orgasms before we part ways. But this…this is so far out of my wheelhouse.
I’ve even bought her fucking coffee.
What is this woman doing to me?
I drag my hand down my face as I try to convince myself that it’s because of what Hailee said about fixing my reputation. But is that the only reason I’m here?
“Fuck it,” I finally mutter, hitting send.
What’s the worst that can happen?