Chapter 31
Three months later
June
LEVON
It’s beautiful out tonight as I rock in the giant swing Miles recently put together, and Caelia is curled up beside me. She’s sleeping soundly, while I listen to the sounds of the spring night. Crickets sing loudly, competing with the far off music in the distance.
Smirking, my fingers play in my omega’s hair as I rock slowly back and forth. It’s been a long season of away games and missing Caelia, but I’m glad it’s over. May is the beginning of nights at home, date days in the city, and a few endorsement deals.
One of the endorsements means that I’ll be in New York City, and I already talked Caelia, Santo, and Miles into coming with me.
We’ll stay for the week and go to Broadway shows, visit the museums, and walk the city.
Caelia squealed when I mentioned it, immediately telling me that this was the right choice.
Santo steps outside, closing the French doors, two beers in his hand. Miles will be joining us soon, he has a late phone call with the owner of the team. I keep waiting for our vigilante stunt to blow back on us, but so far it hasn’t.
Riley Barry and Luis Meyer are both facing felony charges along with Seth McCreuger.
I’m completely shocked McCreuger didn’t sing like a goddamn canary after Miles and Caelia beat the shit out of him, but something tells me that it wasn’t worth the effort.
Seth’s added charge is attempted rape, something he absolutely deserves.
As long as they’re off the streets, in prison, I’m willing to put them out of my mind.
Santo glances at Caelia worriedly when she whimpers, and I purr to help her sleep. For the last few months, she’s been having nightmares. It makes me wish that I’d been able to fuck up McCreuger, but that’s not what Caelia needed at the time.
I have a wicked temper, I know this. I usually work my shit out on the ice so I can be a better man and alpha. However, I can admit in hindsight that going after an unconscious man isn’t my style. Did I make sure to bump McCreuger into every corner I could while dragging his ass back to the SUV?
Absolutely. My pettiness knows no bounds. However, I’m not going to put my omega at risk to do it.
“She’s still having nightmares,” I confirm, taking my beer from him as he settles beside me. It’s the reason I suggested that we sit out here.
It’s peaceful, and it’s not a bed. This is the best she’s slept all week.
“Those stupid fuckers,” Santo grumbles.
One of the things that truly brings a smile to Caelia’s face is her art. The alpha who commissioned her to do the work for the sports museum, also asked if she does portrait work. His daughter is dying of cancer and he wanted a family portrait done.
This has led to a surprising amount of work from people he’s spoken to. She’s booked out for several months at this point.
“I don’t want to hide from what’s happening, but I think we should go see Caelia’s dad soon,” I say. “He’s able to push in ways we can’t.”
“I’m free for the summer,” Santo shrugs. “Let’s go see him. We can rent a place.”
It suddenly hits me that we may be getting closer to her next heat, making me curse under my breath.
“Are you thinking about her heat?” Santo asks, smirking as I nod. “We could be getting closer to it. The last one took her by surprise, so I wouldn’t be shocked if it does this time too. Since she’s been cranky from the lack of sleep, it’s hard to know what to attribute it to.”
Miles slips out of the house, padding over with his own beer, and sits across from us with a sigh.
“Is she good?” he asks.
“She’s twitchy,” I admit. “I was just talking about going to visit Curtis now that the season is over.”
“I think we should,” Miles agrees. “Caelia doesn’t want to go to a therapist, and somehow these monsters follow her into her dreams despite the fact that they’re behind bars.”
“My dad is friends with one of the prosecutors in Nashville,” Santo says. “He’s keeping tabs on the case for us outside of what’s in the news.”
Blowing out a breath, Miles nods. The scandal has rocked the hockey community since they were on three different teams. Caelia’s name is being kept out of the news which I appreciate. Now, if only that’ll continue.
“Thank him for us,” Miles says. “I’ll find a rental house this time so we can have space and stay awhile. Caelia keeps insisting that she’s fine, but—”
“She’s not,” I chime in. “Sometimes she’ll lose herself in her art and it’s as if there's nothing wrong with the world, but I can tell when the shadows begin to creep back in.”
“There’s different ways to handle trauma,” Santo muses. “Remember when we went to the rage room?”
“That’s not a bad idea,” I say. “Caelia holds her emotions together in a very different way than I do. If I’m angry, the world knows, while our girl will stew.”
“She does,” Santo says. “Fuck, I really want to call her dad to ask for advice. Is that wrong?”
“Call him,” Miles says, handing me an already ringing phone.
“You’re an asshole,” Santo mutters while Miles smirks.
“Oh I know.”
“Hello?” Curtis Freedman answers. The phone is on speaker, allowing the three of us to listen to the call.
“Hi, sir,” Santo says, sitting up straighter as if the alpha can see him. Poor guy.
“Is there something wrong? Is Cae alright?” He asks.
“I was calling for some advice,” Santo explains. “She's been having nightmares since McCreuger ambushed her. We’re concerned—”
“Cae is stubborn,” Mr. Freedman grunts. “Bring her to me. I’ll sort her out.”
“But how will you sort her out?” Santo asks.
“In my way,” he says. “I know my daughter.”
The three of us stare at each other because there’s really nothing else to say, and we just said that Caelia’s dad might be the best person for her to see.
“We want to take a trip out to see you. Is next week too soon?” Miles asks, leaning forward.
“No, I don't think so. I’m not doing anything. Are you staying with me?” Mr. Freedman asks.
“Rental,” Miles replies. “I want to be close enough that she can walk over if she wants, so I’ll start looking tonight.”
“That would be nice,” he says. “I think Caelia needs some more exercise in her life. Endorphins help her sleep better, clear out the bad thoughts in her mind. Are you up for it?”
“I need to stay in shape or Miles will fuck me up when we get back on the ice,” I say, shrugging. “I’m in.”
“Good. In the next couple of days, she could break. If she’s been holding things in, it could get violent. Caelia isn’t usually the type to hit or break things, but it could help,” Mr. Freedman says.
“Rage room it is,” Santo says. “She hasn’t had a panic attack, it’s more internalized.”
“Hmm,” Mr. Freedman mutters. “Nothing Caelia did the night of the hockey game was her fault. Sometimes, she can overthink things. Keep reminding her that she didn’t ask to be attacked. McCreuger is an asshole.”
“I never realized it when we used to play together,” Miles muses. “How did I miss that these guys were rapists?”
“They hid it well, and the owner helped cover it up,” Mr. Freedman says. “That's why I walked away. Hockey will never be more important than my daughter to me.”
“Caelia is everything,” I say automatically.
“Is your dad still fucking with my boss, Santo?” Mr. Freedman asks, chuckling. “Friedrick has been avoiding me.”
“Dad’s about to close on a pretty large settlement for Caelia,” Santo grins. “She wants to go back to school for art, and I think she should. It’s been lighting her up. If she’d let us pay for it, we’d enroll her ourselves.”
“She has the money for it,” I remind Santo. “A part of me thinks that she’s worried about her ability to get into art school.”
“Bah,” Mr. Freedman spits out. “My Cae is talented in many ways. She simply chose the path of least resistance and went into graphic design. I think art school is perfect for her. While you’re here, she can work on her portfolio for it. I’ll insist that she apply.”
Damn, why didn’t we call him before this?
“Thank you, sir,” Santo says. “We’ll see you next week.”
Mr. Freedman hangs up the phone after saying goodbye, and I can tell why he’s such a good father and coach.
“Feel better?” Miles chuckles.
“You knew he’d know what to say,” I accuse.
“I’ve known him for a long fucking time, despite our perceived differences,” he says. “Caelia is going through some shit. There’s nothing wrong with needing her dad to help. My mom doesn’t live far from New Orleans, maybe we can see her at some point.
“I think we should meet Caelia where she’s at. I can’t explain how freaked out I was when I heard her scream in that hallway. I was scared to death that we were going to lose her.”
“We could have,” I say, my fingers rubbing the soft strands of her hair.
“Caelia fought back,” Santo says, sipping his beer. “I pulled her off of McCreuger. She was beating the hell out of him, and her stun gun was getting well used. I hope his dick is broken after how many times her boot met with his junk.”
“If not from her, then I definitely mangled it,” Miles says.
Caelia is sleeping so peacefully, we stay outside talking long into the night, and end up falling asleep with her. If we have to sleep out here every night, we’ll get an outdoor bed made.
I don’t fucking care, as long as she’s okay.
CAELIA
Three months later
September
Jogging next to my dad, I breathe hard as I push to get in the last mile. We’ve been living in New Orleans two houses down from Dad in a long term rental. The guys thought that it was important for me to be closer to my dad, and I think they’re right.
I feel strong, there are less nightmares, and I’m taking self defense lessons downtown. I’m in a much better place than when we first got here.
“Damn, baby. Look at you go,” Levon says, whistling as he jogs with us. Miles and Santo smirk as they go along for the ride, as they have for the last four miles.
Do I still hate running? Not as much as when I first started. I think it’s growing on me, and the runner’s high can’t be beaten.