Chapter Ten
Dean
Isat down on the balcony outside Jackson’s apartment with my phone in my hand.
Maybe it was time I started to think of this place as Jackson and Maverick’s, because I was pretty sure that my brother was never going back to California.
He was so much happier here. Happier with Jackson.
That meant two of my friends, my bandmates, had settled down.
Half the band was in California, and half on the East Coast. A part of me was jealous.
I wanted that. I wanted to be happy and in love with someone, giving up everything to be with them.
Maybe that was what I had wanted all along and didn’t realize until I met Beau.
Helena Hampton’s face greeted me as the video call connected.
Her chestnut brown hair was pulled up into a messy bun, and she smiled at me when she saw my face, dark circles under her eyes.
I knew she had been working a lot more at the hospital where she was a nurse, but did she ever take any time off? Maybe get some sleep?
“Dean Frost, as I live and breathe,” she teased.
She raised her iced coffee to her lips to take a sip.
“How’s Boston? Better yet, how the hell did we not know Jackson and Maverick were in love and doing the dirty?
They were together all the time. Wait a second, why is your hair white?
It’s kind of messing with my brain right now. ”
I chuckled. “It makes sense, though, right? Now that you think about it. They were inseparable. Even sleeping in the same bed together even when they were eighteen.”
“You’re ignoring the question, Dean. Your hair?” Helena’s eyes were wide.
I dragged a hand through the strands. “I was going to dye it pink, but I never got that far. Mav had a panic attack, and I just haven’t gotten around to finishing it.”
“A panic attack? Is he okay?”
“He’s much better now.”
Helena stared at me, her blue eyes searching my face like she could read my mind through the phone. “He’s got Jackson now, so of course he’s okay.” A smile spread over her face. “I have to admit, it’s weirding me out. You look a lot like your brother.”
“Why does everyone keep saying that to me? Am I hideous?” I balked and reached for my cup of coffee.
I was sitting out on the balcony of Jackson’s apartment, and even though it was a little chilly, it was nice.
Different from being outside in California.
I wasn’t sure I missed it much at all. Maybe I could move here. I would miss the beach, though.
Helena tilted her head. “It’s different. I don’t remember the last time I saw you like this.”
“I guess I’d better dye it back.” I sighed and remembered Beau had said his sister was a hairdresser. Maybe she could help. Would she? “How’s Ryan?”
Helena’s face instantly changed, turning all lovesick and happy.
“He’s amazing.” And then she launched into all the things her boyfriend had done for her recently.
Starting with making her breakfast to cleaning the house while she was at the hospital.
Ryan worked there, too, as a respiratory therapist, which was how they had met.
God, I wanted that. That look that my ex-girlfriend was currently wearing.
The constant state of happiness and glee.
I wanted someone to take care of me when I was too busy to do it myself, and I wanted to be able to do that for them, too.
And oddly enough, even though I didn’t know that much about him, I wanted that person to be Beau.
He made me happy. And the fact that he was sexy as fuck didn’t hurt.
“Helena, I met someone.” I blurted it out like word vomit. Oops.
Helena stopped talking, her mouth hanging open.
“Did you just... Dean! Why didn’t you start with that?
Oh my goodness! Tell me all about her! What’s she like?
How did you meet? What does she look like?
Do you have a picture? Who is she? Is she a relative of Jax’s teammate?
Wait, she’s not a groupie, is she? Does she know who you are? Spill all the tea.”
“Um, so...” I gripped the back of my neck and let my gaze travel over the city below me.
I watched as cars passed by the building and listened to the car horns as I tried to tell her what she wanted to hear.
Might as well just rip off the band-aid.
“His name is Beau Whitlock. He happens to be teammates with Jax, the captain of the Boston Terriers, and he has a sixteen-year-old son named Cole.”
When I finally looked back at my phone, Helena’s eyes were so wide I thought they might pop right out of her head. Her mouth was moving, but no sound came out, and I wasn’t sure if she was surprised, upset, or both.
“Say something,” I whispered. “Jesus Christ, you’re my best friend. Did I break you?” My stomach twisted into knots. Was she horrified by what I just told her?
Helena broke into a giant smile. “Tell me how this happened.”
“What?” I wasn’t about to go into details. We were close, but not that close.
She giggled. “How you ended up with a man, Dean, not the gory details of the cum and blowjobs.” Then she exploded into laughter. “Your face! You’re so red. I’ve never seen you look so embarrassed before!”
I had never wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole before, but here we were. “You’re hilarious.” I gritted my teeth and shifted on my seat, moving my phone to the opposite hand.
“Oh, shit. You really like this guy,” Helena whispered. “Hold on a second.” She climbed to her feet and walked into the office she shared with Ryan. She flipped open her laptop and then I heard her typing. “He’s cute. Thirty-eight, huh? You like your men older, Dean. I can see why.”
I rolled my eyes. “Stop Googling him.”
I wondered what else was out there but shut that thought down before it got out of control.
There was probably a lot of shit out there about me, too, that Beau didn’t want to know about.
Like the time I got so drunk, I stripped off all my clothes and streaked through the hotel in Toronto before jumping into the pool.
I was lucky they hadn’t arrested me for that.
But pictures were taken, and even though I paid a lot of money to have them taken down, the internet is forever.
People got a good look at the goods, if you know what I mean.
“You two are following each other on Insta already? And is that his son who tagged you in a picture?” Helena was fast as she scrolled. “Start telling me how this happened between the two of you.”
So, I did. How Beau approached me at the bar, exchanged numbers, and Jackson’s freak out.
Helena got a big kick out of that. Finding it sweet, too, that he wanted to protect me.
And then I told her how I had reached out to him, intrigued and curious about his interest in me.
I told Helena as much as I could without getting into the sexual details.
Because that’s what she had done when she met Ryan.
Because we were always open and honest with one another.
“You went to him?” Helena gasped. “Have you always been bi-curious?”
My throat suddenly felt too tight, and even though I was outside in the cool New England air, I was sweating. “Y... yes,” I stuttered. “I have.”
“And how does Beau feel about you? Because if I have to come up there and kick his ass, I will. Just say the word. I’m not scared of him. Just because he’s six-foot-four and two hundred twenty pounds, I don’t care. I’m a nurse. I’ve seen scarier things than some hockey player.”
I stood up to go back inside the apartment. “He’s not out, and he isn’t ready to be.”
“Fuck that guy,” Helena spat. “You deserve someone who wants to be with you, no matter what.”
I sighed. “His son is his number one priority, and I can respect that.”
“Then maybe Beau shouldn’t go sticking his dick in my best friend.” She narrowed her eyes as I felt a flush creeping up my neck.
Sometimes I forgot she was Killian’s sister and then she reminded me when she said shit like that.
“He hasn’t. Done that yet.”
“But you want him to.” Helena leaned back in her chair and waited for me to deny it. “Damn, you really are into him.”
The sound of the front door opening had me nearly jumping out of my skin. Maverick walked in with his arms loaded with bags. He beamed at me when he saw me, placed the groceries on the counter, then dashed over to see who I was talking to.
“Helena! Hi!” He gushed happily, waving into the camera. “You look lovely. Tired, though. How’s life as a nurse?”
Helena smiled. “It’s good, thank you. Maverick, you look... Well, hell, you look like you’re madly in love. And where is that sexy goalie of yours? I haven’t seen Jackson in forever.”
“He’s on the road right now, but I’ll tell him you were asking about him.” Maverick turned cherry red. “We’d love to have you come visit sometime.” He bumped me lightly with his hip. “And bring that new boyfriend of yours.”
Helena nodded. “I’m sure that Ryan and I could swing a trip to Boston some weekend. It’s only a couple of hours’ drive. I’m so happy for you, Mav. You’re glowing.”
Maverick giggled and ducked his head. “Thank you. I’ll let you two finish up.” He squeezed my shoulder before saying goodbye to Helena and walking back into the kitchen.
It was amazing to see the change in my brother.
Because of Jackson. And I wanted what they had.
If Beau wasn’t ready to give that to me, then I would have to find someone who would.
Man, woman, I didn’t care. I was ready to settle down and be happy.
No more partying all night and sleeping all day for me.
The rockstar lifestyle had grown old. I wanted to be like Killian and Matthias, Maverick and Jackson, Helena and Ryan.
I wanted to find my soulmate.