Chapter 43 #2
They shift their bodies to face me. Milton’s hand settles on my thigh, and I look up into his eyes. “There’s something we wanted to tell you.”
Lincoln’s hand finds my knee, his thumb rubbing circles. But I don’t look away from Milton.
“Also, just so you know. Korbin and I… we’ve been talking with our agents. With the league.”
My heart stutters. “About what?” Fear about what the answer may be clutches at my chest.
Milton licks his lower lip before speaking again. “We’re hoping to get traded.”
“What? Why?” Confusion takes over. I feel like the world is spinning and I have no control over what’s happening.
“Because the Scorpions’ culture is toxic as hell,” he says plainly. “We’re tired of the constant fighting. The ego. The way they treat their players. The way they treat us.”
My eyes shoot over to Lincoln, who nods, eyes gentle. “They’ve been waiting for the right time. The right deal, which includes being traded to the same team.”
Okay, that sounds amazing for them. I can agree that the Scorpions suck.
“And…” Milton adds, turning my head back to him, eyes lifting to mine, “we want a home closer to you.”
My heart squeezes so tight I can barely breathe.
“I don’t care what jersey I wear. I don’t care what state I play in. I’ll go wherever you are,” Milton adds. “As long as you’re happy. And safe. That’s all that matters to me.”
My eyes burn from tears that want to spill. Tears of happiness. My chest feels too full, and my heat hums low and warm, no longer frantic—calmed by the certainty of them.
Korbin
Seeing the three of them together makes me want more with Bayleigh.
To have the closeness that they share. But there’s still an obstacle in our way.
Hearing her ask Milton to help her through her heat was a dagger to the heart.
Not because I’m not happy for him. No, it’s more because I want it too.
She didn’t ask me, and I felt like I was intruding.
What did that leave me with?
An opportunity to do the one thing I didn’t plan on doing today. At some point, yes. But definitely not today. It’s what I need to do, though. It removes the final barrier standing in the way of true happiness with Bayleigh.
I need to talk to Benton and squash this turmoil between us. And he just so happens to be downstairs. Well, at least he was the last time I saw him.
As I make my way back downstairs, I see his parents seated in the living room, snuggled up together watching a movie. No Benton in sight.
Heading into the kitchen, I see him leaning with his back against the counter, beer in hand.
The silence is thick enough to choke on.
Benton stands there, glaring at me as he takes a sip of his beer. He doesn’t speak, doesn't move toward me. He clenches his jaw hard enough to crack the enamel on his teeth.
I’m not much better. My alpha instincts coil tight. If we were on the ice, someone would already be throwing punches and we’d both end up in the penalty box.
But we’re not.
We’re standing in Bayleigh’s kitchen, and there’s a glowing “Do Not Ruin This” sign flashing over his head.
This isn’t about Gina anymore. This is about Bayleigh. And I want to spend the rest of my life with her. Bond her. Have her become the omega of our pack.
So I swallow my pride first. It tastes like gravel and broken teeth.
“I screwed up,” I say, voice low. “Years ago. With Gina. With you.”
His eyes snap to me. Shock flickers there, quick and sharp.
I push through the tightness in my chest. “She blindsided us both. She played both of us. Neither of us deserved what she did.”
His shoulders tense. Maybe he’s feeling the same as me.
“And I never meant to hurt you,” I add. “Not then. Not now. I just let my pride get to me, and acted out the only way I knew how.”
Benton blinks like he’s not sure he heard me right. “You’re really saying this? Now?”
“Yeah,” I mutter, rubbing the back of my neck. “Now.”
He lets out a sound that’s half a laugh, half disbelief. “You know how long I hated you? Really hated you?”
“Probably about as long as I hated myself,” I answer.
He shakes his head, pacing once, like his skin is too tight.
“I didn’t just hate you for Gina. I hated myself for letting it turn me into the person it did.
I always knew it was her fault, but I let it get to me.
She was the first woman I ever loved. But she didn’t feel the same.
I was just a stepping stone...” His voice drops.
“And I’ve been terrified—absolutely terrified—that you’d do the same thing to my sister, to get back at me. ”
This time, I flinch. Because I feel the fear that’s wafting off of him. I understand it.
“She’s not Gina,” I say quietly. “I thought I loved Gina; that’s why it angered me so much. But I was wrong. I realized that the minute Bayleigh stepped into our lives. I’ll never hurt her. I promise you that.”
The muscles in his neck twitch as he clenches and unclenches his jaw.
“I’d rather die than hurt her,” I add. “And if you still want to punch me for the past, fine. I probably deserve it. But you don’t get to use Gina as an excuse to keep Bayleigh from people who care about her now.”
Benton pauses as he studies me. His eyes burn a hole right through me. He’s full of focus, reminding me of how he looks on the ice when he’s in the heat of the game.
A full minute passes. And I start to worry that Benton’s approval of our courting Bayleigh—more specifically me—will never happen, only leading to continued tension between us.
Then he sighs, lifts his bottle to his mouth, downing the rest of the liquid in it.
Shaking his head, he pushes off the counter, tossing the empty bottle in the trash, and walks to the fridge.
He pulls out two bottles of Corona, handing one to me like it’s a ceremonial offering to the ancient hockey gods.
“We were idiots,” he mutters.
I crack the bottle open. “Yeah. But Bayleigh doesn’t deserve to have it carry over to her.”
“Agreed. It may take some time to warm up to you and all,” he says.
“Understandable.”
“But the three of you have my blessing to court Bayleigh. All I’ll ever want is for her to be happy. If any of you hurt her, I’ll kill you.”
“I fully expect that. But trust me, hurting her is not in my plans.”
We clink bottles.
It’s not friendship. Not yet. But it’s peace. And that’s a start.
We talk awkwardly, honestly. About Gina, about the Devils, about the stupid tension that calcified between us. We don’t laugh, not at first.
But then Benton tells me the story of how Gina once asked if hockey players got paid by the goal, and I choke on my drink laughing.
“She didn’t,” I wheeze.
“She did,” he mutters, but there’s a grin tugging at his mouth.
The tension that’s lived between us for years finally loosens its grip. Not gone, but not festering at the surface any longer.
“You and Milton are too good for that shit team you’re on,” he blurts.
“We know. We’re working our asses off to get traded to another team. Our main stipulation is that we go together,” I confess to him.
He just nods his head, but there’s something in his eyes.
Soft footsteps, followed by Lincoln’s deep laugh draws my attention.
Bayleigh steps back into the kitchen, cheeks flushed and hair a little mussed, with the guys right behind her. She freezes at the sight of us—two alphas leaning against the counters, laughing like friends and not the enemies we’ve been up to this point.
Is everything… okay here? Or…? She signs as Benton translates.
Benton bumps his shoulder against mine and speaks as he signs. “We’re good,” he declares. “Gina was a gold-digging mess. Her new man’s team, the Devils suck; and I’m done letting old grudges get in the way of your happiness. So we kissed and made up.”
I shrug one shoulder. “He’s not wrong.”
Her eyes shine with something soft, relieved.
You talked?
“More like confessed our sins,” I say, making sure she can read my lips even though Benton’s signing. I really need to take some classes.
“Spilled our guts,” Benton adds.
“And drank,” I finish, lifting my bottle.
Her smile blooms so bright it hits me straight in the sternum. For the first time, I feel like I can actually step toward whatever future the four of us are building…without dragging Gina’s ghost behind me.
And damn, that feels good.