Chapter 20 #2
“Did you guys have a good cruise?”
“We did. We saw and did a lot. Your mom hasn’t stopped raving about it.” Even after all these years, seeing Steven Barnum smile was a shock to the system. A completely different man than you’d see coaching the Toronto Knights, that was for sure.
“I’m glad you guys were able to go.” They had talked about going on a cruise for ages, so it was nice they finally went.
“There was something the two of us wanted to talk to you all about,” Steven said, shifting on his feet beside me, eyes darting to the others in the room. Before I could prod into what he wanted to talk about, a sudden cry interrupted.
I turned to see Jayden a few feet away, head thrown back as he let out a loud wail. It took me four strides to reach him. I scooped him up into my arms, balancing him on my right hip.
“What’s wrong, little Jay?” I peered at his tear-stained cheeks, his brown eyes so similar to Josie’s. I rubbed his back as I softly bounced him.
“I wanted to play.” He cried even louder, making me wince. A quick look showed Wren playing with what looked like Legos scattered on the floor.
“We can all play,” I tried to soothe him. “How about I sit with you and you can teach me how to build stuff?”
The tears dried as fast as they came. Jayden gave me a swift nod. Using my thumb, I gently wiped the tears off his chubby cheeks before I sat him down. I took a seat beside him and Wren, facing everyone before reaching for the pile of Legos.
“Are you okay to sit on the floor in your clothes?” Josie asked, as if I cared if my clothes got ruined or not.
“Yeah, it's fine.”
“Big man with money now,” Trevor teased, gesturing to my expensive clothes I thought everyone else would be wearing but weren’t.
“Says the man in a ten-thousand-dollar watch.” I looked at the sparkly piece on his wrist.
“First off, it was a gift from my sponsors. And second, thanks for noticing.”
“Tasha.” I sent her a look. “You picked him over me, really?”
She gave me a helpless shrug. “If only you had been a few years older at the time.”
I stayed on the ground, playing with Legos.
Kai joined while the grown-ups, something the guys kept teasing me about, stood around talking.
I joined in on the conversation here and there while playing with the kids.
When I built a Lego man, Jayden clapped his hands at me with a wide grin.
It made me feel like I had just scored a touchdown.
When a waiter from the restaurant in the hotel dropped off a huge cart of drinks and asked for everyone's order, I took that as my moment to get up, leaving the kids to their fun. I rattled off my usual steak order before I made my way to the drinks.
With the first game of the season starting tomorrow, I opted for a glass of apple juice, likely meant for the kids but tasted delicious.
I stood off to the side, sipping my drink as I looked out at everyone.
I couldn’t help my thoughts from wandering to Emmie.
I could have brought her with me tonight.
I did ask if she wanted to come, but she pointed out that tonight was about family.
I appreciated it, but part of me wished she was here.
Maybe it was too soon for her to meet my entire family, but they were a part of who I was. My family came first, then football. I wanted Emmie to see that, and maybe if she wanted to, become a part of it.
I knew for an absolute fact Josie and the girls would welcome her with open arms. My mom would take her under her wing and treat her like a daughter she never had.
There was no way Emmie wouldn’t be welcome in this family, even if, god forbid, things between us went nowhere, she’d still have a spot in the group.
As if on cue, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out to see her nickname on my screen—Firecracker.
Firecracker: Hope you’re having a good dinner with your family. Call me later if you want.
I grinned like a lunatic at her message. I went to reply when a voice beside me made me jump in surprise.
“What has you smiling at your phone like that?” Josie questioned.
“Jesus, when did you learn to sneak up on people?” I raised an eyebrow at her.
“Since you looked so engrossed in your phone.” Her brown eyes looked down at the device then back up at me. “Is it about the game tomorrow?”
I hesitated a second too long as curiosity grew on Josie’s face. I could try and lie, but I knew her. She would ask until I answered. I wasn’t strong enough when she gave me her puppy dog eyes.
“I…” I wasn’t sure where to start or what to say exactly.
“Are things okay?” Josie lowered her voice to a whisper, shifting closer so only the two of us would hear what was said, curiosity quickly turning to concern.
“Yeah, things are fine. Great, actually.” I cleared my throat, glanced at the dimmed screen, and back to Josie. “I need you to promise to keep this between us for now, please.”
Josie didn’t even hesitate for a second to put her pinky out. “Pinky promise.” I latched mine through hers and shifted closer until our sides were pressed together.
“So I-I met someone,” I whispered. Josie’s eyes went comically wide but, she didn’t gasp or make any noise to draw attention to us. “Her name is Emmie, and she’s amazing, Jo. She’s beyond gorgeous, sarcastic as hell, funny, doesn’t take any shit.”
The words spewed from my lips without pause. Emmie’s face flashed through my mind as I continued. “She’s a figure skater, like an incredible figure skater, who is so far out of my league, it’s insane.”
“Maty.” Josie’s voice was hushed, but I heard the underlying adoration. “You sound like you like her a lot.”
I gave a small nod, the corner of my lips pulling into a soft smile. “I do, I really do. I’ve…” I met her eyes. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone.”
It took her a moment to respond. “I feel like there’s a but coming.”
“She’s my coach’s daughter,” I murmured.
“Oh.”
“Yeah,” I sighed.
“Is that against rules or anything?” Jo asked.
“Emmie was worried there was, but there isn’t. She said she was going to tell her dad soon but…” I trailed off.
“You’re afraid he’ll be angry and won’t approve, and then Emmie will leave.” Josie said the words for me. I hadn’t said them out loud yet. I didn't want to give the small fear inside of me any attention before I needed to.
“I am.”
“Are she and her father close?”
“There’s been tension between them for a few years, but I think he’s been trying to be closer the last month.” I heard a little bit of what Emmie’s coach said a week ago at the rink about her dad. Plus, I saw the way Emmie’s shoulders tightened whenever his name came up.
Josie let out a hum, staying quiet beside me as the two of us watched the others in the room. I chugged the rest of the apple juice before Josie spoke again.
“The question you need to ask yourself is—if he doesn’t approve, is that going to stop you from being with her?”
The answer came without a second thought. “No.” Even if it pissed Coach off to no end, I would still be with his daughter.
“If this Emmie is as special as you say she is, then she’s worth fighting for. If her father gets mad, then he gets mad. He can’t control her or you.” Josie squeezed my arm, drawing my gaze to her.
“It’s okay to go after what you want, Mateo. You can’t please everyone. Trust me, I’ve been there.”
“I don’t want her to have to pick between us,” I whispered.
“The Boone men—always so selfless.” Josie shook her head. “You can’t make that decision for her, Maty. You need to let her decide if that’s a possibility or not. I can guarantee you will lose her if you do that. Wyatt almost lost me because he tried to do what he thought was best for me.”
Her words churned in my head. She was right, of course. It was pointless for me to worry about any of that right now. I’m getting ahead of myself, we haven’t even said we were boyfriend and girlfriend yet. It would be stupid to stress when we weren’t official.
“It’s cute how concerned you are. Haven’t seen you this way about a girl before,” Josie mused.
“Never thought you’d see the day, huh?”
“Oh, I knew it would come eventually. Like I told you years ago, I knew you’d be a great boyfriend.”
“You’d know if you would have chosen me over my brother,” I joked.
“The timing wasn’t right. Plus, then you wouldn’t have found Emmie,” she pointed out.
I was quiet for a moment before I spoke again. “She’s going to be at the game tomorrow. Her seat is next to everyone's. Would you… Would you keep her company for me?” I asked.
“Of course I will. I’ll make sure to tell her all the fun stories about you, too.”
My head fell back as I groaned. “Please, no. I want her to still like me.”
“Sorry, I can't make any promises. You shouldn’t have put her next to us.” Josie shrugged, eyes flashing with amusement and ideas she would no doubt tell Emmie.
“Is it too late to resend your tickets?” I mused.
Josie just laughed. “Nope.”
My brother Wyatt sauntered over, Jayden in his arms. “And what are you two laughing about over here?”
“Just convinced your wife to leave you and be with me instead.” I draped my arm over Josie’s shoulder with a smirk. Wyatt’s eyes narrowed like he was contemplating if he should hit me or not.
“Get your arm off her.”
“Aw, just like old times.” I pulled her in so I could kiss the top of her head.
“Mateo.” Wyatt’s tone was sharp, but it stopped being scary when I was ten.
“Thanks, Jo,” I said, squeezing her shoulder one last time before I let her go, and stepped toward my brother. I reached out and pulled Jayden into my arms, chubby hands grabbing my cheeks. “Your dad is a grumpy pants.”
Jayden laughed like he agreed. Beside me, Wyatt tugged Josie into his side, kissing her forehead. My heart twisted in my chest at the sight of them. I couldn’t deny I wanted something like they had.
Everything was still too new and fresh between Emmie and me. But maybe, just maybe, it wasn’t that unrealistic anymore.