Chapter 20 #2
Once I’d finished, Georgia said, “Okay. Now that we’re all caught up, enough stalling.”
I laughed. “I know. And I’m sorry for being vague and for making you wait so long,” I joked, as if it were a huge hardship. “But it’s not entirely my fault.” I gave her a pointed look.
“Yes. Yes. I was out of town.” She waved a hand through the air. “And we had to wait for Logan.”
“Plus, I had work, and I haven’t even been back that long. I’m pretty sure I’m still jet-lagged.”
“And yet you had time to go buy an entire nursery worth of plants.” Georgia gestured to the back door and the garden beyond. Logan and Georgia shared a look.
“What?” I asked, annoyed that they seemed to be having a private conversation about me without ever saying a word.
“Did something…happen?” Georgia asked in a gentle tone. “Something…bad?”
“What?” I glanced between them, trying to determine where they’d gotten that idea. “No. Why would you think that?”
“Because you’re totally dopamine loading,” Georgia said as if the answer were obvious.
“With the garden?” I asked, brow furrowed. When they nodded, I said, “I’m not dopamine loading. I’m doing a project.”
“To avoid uncomfortable feelings? To make yourself feel better?” she asked. I appreciated her honesty and concern, even if it was unwarranted this time.
“I’m not doing it to avoid my feelings. I’m doing it because I’m sick of looking out at that sad excuse for a garden and thinking of what could’ve been. It’s time for a change.”
“So let me get this straight. You come back from a vacation where you and Frasier pretend you’re dating, and you have a sudden and intense desire to grow a garden.”
“Maybe it seems sudden,” I said, knowing that I could just as easily be talking about my feelings for Frasier. “But I’ve been wanting to make a change for a while, and something clicked on the trip.” Now I was definitely talking about Frasier. And myself. My journey with my grief.
“Clicked…how?” Kylie asked. “Clicked for you, or between you and Frasier?”
“Both,” I said, fiddling with the stem of my wineglass. I rolled my lips between my teeth, trying not to smile too hard.
“Oh my god.” Georgia gasped. “You had sex with Frasier, didn’t you?”
“I…” My cheeks heated. “Yeah.” The word came out as more of a squeak.
Logan arched one brow. “Details, please.”
So I told them everything. Well, not everything.
There were some things I wanted to keep between just Frasier and me.
But I told them about truth or dare, eliciting whoops of delight about my burlesque number.
I told them about cliff diving and our first real kiss.
Our conversation the morning before we came home.
“Damn,” Logan said, blinking a few times as if to process it all. “That was a lot to pack into one trip.”
“Yeah.” Georgia shook her head. “I mean…I know I told you to lean in, but girl, you jumped.”
“It was scary,” I said. It still was. “But it felt right.”
“I’m happy for you,” Kylie said. “Truly, Bryn.” She gave me a hug.
“Does this mean we get to attend home games again when I’m in town?” Logan asked. Because, of course, she was thinking about how this affected hockey.
I laughed, though her question certainly gave me pause. I hadn’t thought about that until now. But the season would be starting before we knew it.
“I don’t know,” Georgia said. “Is Levi going to be pissed if you start attending his rival’s games?”
Logan lifted a shoulder. “It’s not like it would be the first time I’ve gone to a Hawks game.”
Georgia leaned forward. “I was referring to Kovalsky, not the Hawks.”
“Yeah,” I said. “What’s the deal with those two? Your brother seems to really hate Carson.”
“You’re never going to believe this,” Logan said. “But they played together in Juniors, and Levi even lived with Carson’s family part time.”
“What?” Georgia gasped.
“I know, right?” Logan shook her head. “It’s difficult to believe it now, but for a while, they were actually really good friends.”
We all stared at her, stunned, but it didn’t seem as if she was going to elaborate.
“Back to Bryn.” Kylie polished off her wine before refilling her glass. “Regardless of whether you want to attend the games, we should probably work on a plan.”
My skin felt tight. “My family knows. My friends know. They’re the only people who matter.” Besides, we’d just started dating; there was no way I was ready to announce it to the world.
“I get that.” Kylie gnawed on her bottom lip. “But wouldn’t you rather have the story come out on your own terms?”
I’d rather not have it come out at all. Not because I wasn’t proud of Frasier or our relationship, but it was really no one’s business.
Georgia nodded. “She’s right, Bryn.”
“We’ve been together for a little more than a week,” I said, feeling as if it was all happening way too fast. “We want to keep it quiet for now.” I was trying not to get too ahead of myself or get too in my head. “We’re just enjoying being with each other.”
Frasier already had enough on his plate with the preseason starting. Not to mention the situation with his brother. I was relieved that he’d hired Hudson Security.
“I get it,” Kylie said in a gentle tone. “I’ll work on some options for when you’re ready.”
“Thanks, Ky.”
Selfishly, I wanted to keep our relationship a secret as long as possible.
Part of me worried about what people would think—the media, the fans, the staff and players of the Hawks.
I didn’t want to care what anyone thought, but I also wasn’t ready for our new relationship to be dissected under a microscope.
I’d just reclaimed my happiness, and I wanted to enjoy it for as long as I could.