Chapter 31 Everett
EVERETT
“Who ya texting?” Killer asks when he drops into the lounger beside mine and offers me another beer.
I shake my head.
“You don’t want another?” he asks, looking confused.
“No, I’m good. I’m planning on driving home.”
His frown deepens. “Right, okay. So I shouldn’t be asking if you want to continue on after here, then?”
“Not tonight,” I state, my eyes on my cell, waiting for another message to come through.
“You already got plans? Maybe with the girl you’re messaging.”
“No. And who says I’m messaging a girl? It could be Linc or Parker.”
He barks a laugh. “I’d be very concerned if you were messaging Linc or Parker with a silly little smirk on your face. I know that look, and it’s not one you give your sister.”
“Whatever,” I mutter, getting annoyed that she isn’t replying.
“Who is it?” he asks, leaning closer.
I quickly hit the side button, putting my cell to sleep. There is no fucking way he’s reading those messages. Or more so, the name I’ve got Bea stored as in my phone.
“No one.” My chest tightens with the lie.
Bea isn’t no one. She’s…she’s someone.
I rub my chest, hoping to reduce the ache, but it does nothing.
“You’re totally messaging someone.”
“Well, I’m not sitting here talking to myself.”
“True. That’s more of a Monroe thing to do.”
My eyes find our rookie across the pool. He’s also on a lounger now, staring down at his cell. But he doesn’t look happy about it. If anything, I’d say he looks sad.
“What’s up with him?” I ask before I can stop the words.
It’s not really like me to poke my nose into my teammate’s business. I prefer to keep my head down and deal with my own shit. But there’s something about Hayden Monroe. He’s like an annoying puppy that you can’t help but like.
“No idea. He’s been weird recently. Up and down. He should be stoked. He’s had a great season,” Killer explains.
Killer’s own cell buzzes and he pulls it free, reading whatever he’s been sent.
“Ah, it looks like I don’t need you tonight to have a good time,” he announces. “Got someone hotter and way more fun to hang out with.”
“When have I ever been fun?”
“Oh, I don’t know. That night with the two bunnies was—”
“Forgettable.”
“Not what I was going for, but okay.”
He loses himself messaging whatever bunny is blowing up his cell, and I keep one eye on Monroe across the pool while Kodie stands with his hands on his hips, demanding, for the fourth time, that Sutton get out, showered, and ready for bed.
She pouts in the cute way all girls do in an attempt to get more time, but Kodie isn’t having any of it.
He might be a grumpy fucker, but there’s no denying that he’s a fantastic father.
I could learn a lot from him.
Everyone continues to enjoy themselves around me. Or at least everyone except Sutton, who is forced to say goodnight, and Monroe, who sits silently, drinking alone with his head in his cell.
Killer disappears, probably to meet the woman he was messaging. I should also make a move, although sadly, not to see the woman who hasn’t messaged me back.
Would she let me in if I were to go over there? I know her apartment number now. I could…
“Fucking hell,” I groan as I push to stand and shove my cell in my pocket.
“Donnelly,” Casey calls from inside as I pass the open sliding doors that lead to the kitchen.
“Watson,” I state as I poke my head inside.
“Can you do me a favor?”
“Uh…sure?”
“Can you take Monroe home? He drove here, but there’s no chance he’s getting behind the wheel.”
I rub the back of my neck. “Yeah, sure. Is he…is he all right?”
Casey shrugs. “He says he is, but he doesn’t look it.”
“I’ll go get him. See you soon, yeah?”
“Yeah.”
I turn to walk away, but I barely make it two steps when Casey calls my name again.
“Yeah?” I say, glancing back over my shoulder.
“Is everything…okay with—”
“Yeah, everything is good.”
“Okay, good. If you need anything, just say. We’re all here for you.”
“I appreciate it. I’m just…getting my head around it all.”
“Have you seen her?”
I can’t help the smile that twitches at my lips.
“Oh my god, you have? Are you hanging out with her?”
“Kinda. I don’t really know. We’re just…figuring it all out together.”
“Parker is going to be so excited. You’re telling her when she gets back, right?”
My stomach twists into tight knots. I might have somewhat gotten used to the idea that Bea is currently growing my child. But telling people…that seems entirely too real. Right now, despite knowing it’s happening, it almost feels like a dream.
But once everyone knows…once Bea starts showing…
Fuck. Then reality is going to hit.
“Y-yeah, I guess.”
“I want to say take your time, but there’s only going to be so much of that. How many weeks is she now?”
“Fifteen,” I mumble, feeling weird about the fact that I know exactly how many weeks pregnant Bea is and just how big our baby is and how it’s going to develop through the next seven days.
“Aw, listen to you. You’ve totally got this, Donnelly.”
“Here’s hoping, because it’s happening. I’m gonna go…” I point at Monroe as I walk away.
“Call me if you need anything. Either of you.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it,” I say before getting the hell out of there before anyone can overhear us.
With my eyes focused on Monroe, I make my way across Kodie and Casey’s backyard, grabbing my shirt and slipping my feet into my sliders as I go.
“Hey, Marilyn,” I say as I step up to his lounger.
He takes a swig of beer before his eyes lift to mine.
They widen slightly, just like they always do when I talk to him. It’s as if he can’t believe I’d want to give him any attention.
I get it when I’m talking to kids. I’m living their dream, and they’re in awe.
I remember looking at my dad and his teammates with the same look on my face.
But Monroe is here. He’s just played his first year in the NHL, and not only that, but he smashed it.
He’s got an incredible future ahead of him.
There are millions of kids out there right now who would look at him with those eyes. But he can’t see it.
“You ready to head out?”
He looks back down at his beer before lifting it to his lips and draining what’s left.
“Yeah,” he mumbles before slowly climbing to his feet. “Oh shit,” he gasps as he trips over his own shoes.
“Easy,” I say softly, grabbing his upper arms to steady him. “I’ve got you.”
A manic kind of laugh erupts from him.
“Everett Donnelly’s got me,” he mutters to himself.
I smirk.
I haven’t told Monroe, but I like him. He’s a good kid, and a great teammate. And, of course, his obvious hero-worship of me helps. My ego loves it.
“You’re wasted,” I point out as he stumbles ahead of me.
“I’m sorry,” he says, regret filling his tone as I step up beside him to stop him from tumbling into the pool.
“Bro, you don’t have to apologize to me. I’m just gonna take you home to make sure you’re safe. We need you in one piece, ready for next season.”
“You need me?”
“We all need you,” I say, reaching out and messing up his already messy hair. “Best second line D man I’ve ever had.”
Pride fills his face as his smile widens.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” I say, clapping him on the back as I direct him to my car.
He climbs in, thankfully without needing any help. I might be more than willing to help hoist Bea up into my truck, but there’s no way I’m putting my hands on Monroe’s ass.
I join him seconds later, and no sooner have I got the engine running than he has his head back and his eyes closed.
He looks exhausted, his skin pale and the shadows under his eyes dark, almost like two bruises.
Something is going on with our rookie.
I put some music on and let it fill the cab quietly as I back out of the driveway.
“Uh, I don’t know where you live,” I point out when I get to the intersection at the end of the street.
His eyes pop open, and he blinks a couple of times before I point at the screen, awaiting his address.
“Put it in there and then you can sleep.”
He reaches out with an unsteady hand and pokes at the screen but misses every time.
“Shit,” he curses.
“Just tell me.”
So he does, and the second I hit go, my heart lurches. He doesn’t live all that far away from Bea.
I grit my teeth as I try to tell myself not to think about it. Not to try and picture her at home alone. I wonder if she went for that bath I suggested. Is she thinking about me and the night that led us to where we are now?
I’m so lost in my own thoughts, driving on autopilot, that I jump when Monroe suddenly speaks.
“Are you missing Parker?”
“Uh…yeah. I guess.”
For the last few years, I’ve lived my life with my sister only on the other end of the phone for most of the time.
So her being away right now feels almost normal.
And of course, I can’t deny that it’s a relief that I’m not having to endure my best friend grabbing her ass and shoving his tongue down her throat, among other horrifying things.
I swear, the two of them only do it to drive me to the brink.
I drag my hand down my face as I think of them. As much as I might not want to think about what the two of them get up to, I can’t deny that both of them are happier than I’ve ever known. And really, that’s all I want for either of them.
“You’re close, right?”
“Less so in the past few years. But growing up, yeah. We were pretty tight.”
“Must be nice having her back in your life.”
“Yeah, it is.” I don’t think I realized just how lonely I was in Seattle until I was back here with my two best friends.
My teammates were great, but there was always something missing. But here, I feel whole. Like that missing piece of me has found its home.
“I wish I could have my sister here,” he confesses quietly. “I miss her.”
“It sucks being so far apart from family. I bet she’s proud of you, though.”
“Yeah,” he mumbles. “She couldn’t come to our last few games. I wanted her in the crowd like she used to be.”
“That’s okay. She didn’t need to see us lose in person.” I try to say it lightly, but the crushing disappointment and the weight of fucking up that night makes it hard.
“She wouldn’t have cared. She never cares if I win, just that I get to live out my dream.”
“That’s sweet. She sounds awesome.”
I swear a choked sob erupts, but he quickly covers it with a cough. “Yeah, she is. But what if she doesn’t get to see me play again?”
“Of course she will. And I don’t want to put myself out of a job, but you’ll be first line before you know it, and she’ll be so fucking proud.”
He grunts but says nothing else.
I glance over at him every few minutes to find his eyes closed again, and his mouth turned down at the corners.
I want to ask more, to find out what’s really eating him. But also…I’m not that guy. I don’t worry about other people’s issues. Hell, I can barely deal with my own. But there’s something about Monroe.
Before I can talk myself into offering to listen to whatever he’s going through, we arrive at his building.
While we might not be all that far from Bea’s place, this area is nicer, his building a little more maintained.
“We’re here,” I say, but Monroe doesn’t so much as flinch. “Monroe,” I shout. “We’re here.”
He sucks in a sharp breath, his eyes fly open, and he sits forward in a rush. “Fuck,” he gasps, his chest heaving.
“It’s okay, man,” I say, reaching over and squeezing his shoulder.
He hangs his head, pain radiating off him in waves.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what I said but—”
“It’s okay,” I repeat. “Whatever it is, we’re all here for you. You need us, you call us, yeah?”
When he looks over at me, his eyes are full of unshed tears.
He nods once before throwing the door open and jumping out.
“Careful, you don’t want to—fuck,” I breathe when his legs buckle beneath him and he crashes to the floor like a baby giraffe. “That’s going to hurt in the morning.”
“I’m okay,” he tells me as he climbs to his feet. He pulls his keys from his pocket before waving at me as he shuffles toward the entrance.
I sit there staring at the door he disappeared through way longer than necessary. I need to go home, but I can’t ignore the two other options that spin through my mind.