Chapter 13
THIRTEEN
SUTTON
- Present Day -
“ O h my gosh! Don’t let this go to your already over-inflated ego or anything, but you were incredible out there!
” I launch myself into Jonah’s outstretched arms. He hugs me back, holding on for dear life as I wrap my arms around his neck, squeezing tightly.
His first official game of his NHL career and he absolutely killed it.
“Thanks, Baby Girl. It wouldn’t have been the same without you here.”
Without letting go, I pull back slightly so I can see his shining eyes, the proud smile on his face.
“I know I give you crap for it, but you really are incredible, Jonah. I’m glad you made me come tonight.”
With that, I lean in to kiss him on the cheek, both as a thank you and an apology for giving him a hard time earlier about attending the game.
My heart races, and I fall into Jonah’s comforting embrace, my head resting against his chest as I let his heartbeat soothe my frazzled nerves.
I didn’t want to come tonight, didn’t want to risk being here and seeing him , especially after all this time.
But deep down, I knew there would be no avoiding it.
I knew when I agreed to move back here with Jonah, to help fend off all the crazed fans - both men and women alike hoping for a chance to get into his pants - that being in the vicinity of his teammates, and therefore running into Cal, was all but inevitable. It was only a matter of time.
Still, I wasn’t prepared for what happened on the ice earlier.
There I was, celebrating the win with the rest of the crowd, cheering on Jonah after his fantastic block in the last seconds of the game, and in the blink of an eye, my whole world came to a screeching halt.
It was like the years that had passed were non-existent, the electrical currents coursing through me at his nearness just knew.
And then, there he was. Our eyes connected from across the crowded arena and it’s like the rest of the world no longer existed.
For that one brief moment in time, it was just Callum and me.
Years upon years of youth hockey games, of cheering him on, wearing his jersey, connecting with him from across the crowd to wait for his grin of acknowledgement that he saw me .
It all came crashing back in an instant.
But in the next second, security was there, requesting that I follow them to the hall where the families of the players meet up with the team after the game.
Jonah had arranged it ahead of time, and I knew that he wanted me to be there.
It wasn’t enough to pretend to be his girlfriend, showing up at the game in his jersey and cheering him on.
No, it would be expected for his girlfriend to be there waiting for him after the game, too. More than that though, I’m his closest friend, his person , so of course he would want me to be here to support him during such an important moment for his career..
And so, pushing aside the years of hurt, the memories, the longing, I tried desperately to ignore the overwhelming, fatal attraction that had threatened to drown me in the past; I turned my back to the ice without a second glance and I refused to look again. I couldn’t.
“Hey! There’s the man of the hour!”
“Way to go, Newbie!”
A few players pass us by, slapping Jonah on the back as they move down the hall.
Jonah just keeps holding me, hugging me closer, and at this point, I’m not sure if it’s for his comfort or my own. Either way, I both think we need it.
“My man!”
A hand is suddenly on his shoulder, mere inches from my head, and reluctantly I pull away. Not wanting to let me go, Jonah’s arm slides down my back in a causally possessive gesture that sends shivers down my spine, before grazing against my hand and locking our fingers together.
“Adamare!” Jonah grins, “You remember Sutton, right?”
“Remember her? How could I forget!” Bash’s smile is infectious and I can’t help but smile in response. “So good to see you, beautiful. And it’s Bash.” He leans over, giving me a brief hug.
“Sutton, you remember Bash. Have you met Nate?” He nods at the man standing to the right of Bash.
Tall, chin length blonde hair with a matching scruffy beard and chiseled jaw that can’t be hidden, despite the facial hair.
The man looks like the living embodiment of an old Norse viking.
No, I’m pretty sure I’d remember if I had met anyone that looked like that . Silently, I shake my head.
Nate just grins in response, holding out a hand, and reluctantly, I disentangle my fingers from Jonah’s so I can return the handshake.
“I’m Nathan O’Connor. But my friends call me Nate. Well. . . or O’Connor, I guess. Feel free to call me whatever.”
I grin. “Ok, whatever. Nice to meet you. ”
Nate grins back, shaking his head. “Alright, that one’s on me.”
I laugh in response. “Really, though. It’s nice to meet you, Nate. I’m Sutton.”
“Awesome to meet you, too. So, are you guys. . .” His voice trails off as he looks between Jonah and I, but before I have a chance to say anything, Bash interrupts.
“She’s Jonah’s girl. Obviously.” He rolls his eyes, but catches sight of something behind us and an almost blinding smile crosses his face.
“Hey, Buddy!” Bash’s whole face lights up as they walk closer to our little group.
Walking shyly from behind me is a beautiful woman and a little boy, who can’t be more than five or six.
Dark hair, and a pair of the most intense dark eyes to match.
He’s wearing a pair of bright blue noise-cancelling headphones, his small hand tucked inside the woman’s as he leans shyly into her side.
But Bash quickly leans down, picking up the little boy and placing a kiss on his cheek.
“Sutton, this is my wife, Quincy. And our boy, Wolfie.”
Wolfie tucks his head down, snuggling into the crook of Bash’s shoulder, eyes wide as they take me in.
“Hi, Wolfie. My name is Sutton. It’s so nice to meet you.” My smile is genuine as I look at the trio, though I keep my gaze locked on the little boy.
He doesn’t respond, and I glance instead over to his mother, smiling in acknowledgement as I let out a quick “It’s nice to meet both of you,” before turning to look at the little boy once more.
Wolfie still doesn’t say anything, but he doesn’t take his eyes off me either. I smile at him and nod in his direction, while pointing at my own head as I continue to speak.
“I really like your headphones. Blue is one of my favorite colors, too. And it’s so smart to have headphones like that. It does get kind of loud in here sometimes, huh? I know it can be too much for me, as well.”
At this, I get the tiniest nod of acknowledgement, but he still doesn’t speak.
“Yo, man.” Bash nods as Theo and another woman walk over, and Quincy interrupts.
“He doesn’t always say much, but I can tell he likes you.” She smiles at me. “He’s a really good judge of character.”
“Well, of course you are.” I speak directly to Wolfie, leaning a little closer and talking in a fake whisper, as if we are sharing a secret that the others can’t hear.
“I bet you are the best at knowing people. I can see it in your eyes. You don’t have to say much to be able to watch and learn from the people around you. Want to know a secret?”
His wide eyes are expressive, full of curiosity as he cautiously nods in agreement.
“I didn’t like to talk much when I was younger either.
But I did really like watching everyone.
And I liked to write about all the things I saw.
Sometimes, I would even play pretend in my head.
I liked to imagine that the things I saw were stories in a book, and then, when I was alone I could lay down and read the book and remember all of the things I saw and people I met. Do you like to read books, Wolfie?”
He nods silently once more.
“Me too. Maybe next time you come to another game with your Momma, if it gets too loud we could just sit together and I could read you stories? Would you like that?”
He doesn’t nod or respond, but this time, I see a hint of a smile cross over his features as he shyly tucks his head all the way in Bash’s shoulder, hiding his face from view.
“See, I knew I liked you!” Bash grins, turning to look at Quincy before wrapping his free arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to his side. “Didn’t I tell you? She’s a good one! ”
With a soft laugh, the woman with the beautiful curly red hair that is standing next to Theo pipes up. “Yes Bash, you did tell us all, repeatedly, that she’s a ‘good one’ that we were all going to love.”
She rolls her eyes, a grin on her face as she leans over to give me a hug, not bothering with the formalities of a handshake.
“I’m Danica, Theo’s -”
“Wife.” Theo chimes in before Danica can finish getting the words out, but she smacks his chest, shooting him a fake glare.
“You have got to stop telling people that. We aren’t even engaged.” Her voice is exasperated.
“Yet. We aren’t engaged yet , il mio passerotto. But make no mistake, we will be soon. And girlfriend isn’t a good enough word to describe what you are to me. You are so much more to me than that. So yes, I will continue to call you my wife. Because if I had it my way, you already would be.”
She sticks her tongue out at him in annoyance before turning, but there’s mirth in her eyes as she looks back at me.
“Don’t mind this brute of a man right here. So far, he’s all talk. I’ve yet to see a ring.” She grins, winking at me before she raises her left hand, wiggling her fingers in front of his face as she throws out, “proof, or it didn’t happen, Giovanni.”
With a growl, he leans down, playfully nipping her ear before placing a kiss on her neck, and I feel my cheeks flush. The moment feels too intimate for everyone to have seen, but the rest of the group must be used to it because they don’t even bat an eye at the very public display of affection.
“Oh, hey! Dude, get your ass over here!”
Another man walks over to our group, circling around from somewhere down the hall behind me and a thick sense of awareness fills me; even before I see him, I know.
Bash nods at me with a grin on his face. “You missed out the other night, my friend.” He looks over to me. “This fine man here,” he throws a nod in Callum’s direction, “is my boy, Callum Robinsky. Robinsky, this beauty with the voice of an angel that you missed out on meeting the other night is-”
And my heart stutters, before picking up speed until it’s galloping like a racehorse.
He doesn’t let Bash finish the introductions, as he interrupts.
It’s been years since I’ve been this close to him.
Years since I have heard his voice. But my body, the well-oiled machine that it is, immediately bursts into flames as he directs the full weight of his attention on me.
“Shorty.”
Bash frowns, his brows furrowed. “What? No, this is Sut- wait a minute! Do you two know each other?”
Without hesitation, Jonah pulls me closer once more, folding me into his warmth; my back rests against his chest, his arms wrap protectively around my front as I’m brought crashing back to reality with an unpleasant jolt at the sound of that voice.
After years of painful memories, years of longing, I’m finally standing in front of Cal, surrounded by his friends and teammates, and I’m wrapped in the arms of another man.
Not just any other man, one of his teammates.
I try to speak, but I can’t get the words out.
My mouth flails uselessly, but Jonah once more comes to my rescue.
“Yeah, they go way back.” I can feel the tension radiating through him, his arms are tense as they tighten a little more snuggly around me in a protective gesture.
Bash’s eyebrows, which had been furrowed in confusion shoot up in surprise, but it’s Danica’s voice that interrupts.
“Oh, shit! You’re that Sutton?”