Chapter Twenty-Six
Beau
Two Weeks Later
Istared at the picture on my phone while I tried not to crack it in half.
It didn’t matter that Dean had told me he wasn’t interested in Jun.
It didn’t matter that he didn’t find him attractive or like him any other way than a friend.
The fact that he had posted a picture of the two of them on his Instagram with their arms around one another had me seeing red.
I wanted to hop on a plane to Austin, rip off both the K-Pop singer’s arms, and beat him with them. He was touching what belonged to me.
Dean was mine. MINE! And he needed to be taught a lesson.
“You look like you’re ready to spit nails.
” Jackson grinned as he slid into the booth across from me at the bar.
The Terriers had just won our fifth game in a row.
Hell, we had won the Eastern Conference Finals, and up until a few minutes ago, right before I had seen that picture, I was feeling fantastic.
I narrowed my eyes. “Go fuck yourself.” I grabbed my beer so I could drain it.
“Oh boy. Who pissed in your drink tonight? We just won. Why are you so angry?” He raised his brows at me.
I dropped my phone onto the table and slid it toward him. “This motherfucker.”
“Oh-kay.” Jackson shook his head at me. “From what Mav told me, Jun is harmless. The poor guy doesn’t know a single person other than his bandmates, and he was so happy to see Dean at that show. They’re just friends. If that.”
I bared my teeth. “I hate him.” I signaled to the waitress to bring me another drink. “I’m going down there.”
“Hate is a strong word, man. Like hell you are. How about, instead, you finish that second beer you just ordered and then call Dean? That sounds like the better plan.” Jackson sat back and dared me to say otherwise.
I wasn’t afraid of him. Just because he was a six-foot-six wall of solid muscle and twenty-five years old, that didn’t mean I couldn’t take him. I was still in the prime of my life. Maybe. Sort of. Whatever. It didn’t matter.
“Just let me sulk and feel bad that my boyfriend is taking pictures with pretty, young twinks.” I scowled.
“Boyfriend, huh?” Jackson chuckled. “Is that what the two of you are now?”
I rolled my eyes. “Fuck off, Jax.” I took a long swallow of my beer once the waitress dropped it off.
“I know you’re upset, but I’m not your enemy. And neither is Jun. You think Dean isn’t as miserable as you are right now?” Jackson tilted his head as he reached for the water in front of him.
I popped my jaw and folded my arms over my chest. “Obviously not.” Because he was with Jun. Stupid, pretty, purple-haired fucking Jun. I hated that guy so much. “Why, what have you heard?”
“We’re not playing that game, because we’re mature adults.” Jackson rolled his eyes as he smirked at me.
I dropped my head onto the back of the booth as I closed my eyes. “This is why I don’t date. Because now I’m thinking Dean is off with Jun, and I’m stuck here with you.”
“Gee, thanks, Beau.”
“No offense.”
Jackson snorted. “None taken. They’re not anywhere together. They happened to run into one another backstage and got to talking. That’s it. Do you know what Mulligan did tonight?”
I shook my head. I hadn’t heard from Dean. I figured he was too busy with Jun. Fuckhead.
“The five of them, which includes Matthias, sat in Maverick’s hotel room, watching our game.
Mav texted me a selfie of them.” Jackson held up his phone, and sure enough, there it was.
It was kind of cute how the four of them were squeezed in together.
Dean and Maverick were together on the bed while Blake and Killian were sitting together on the floor with Matthias on Killian’s lap.
“And they laughed, talked, and enjoyed themselves like when they were kids. They’re getting to know one another again. As adults.”
Now I felt like an asshole. “I’m a dick.”
“You’re not, but you should call Dean instead of just jumping to conclusions.” Jackson raised his brows and smiled at me. “It’s nice to see you like this, though.”
I grunted. “I don’t know. I kind of preferred it when all I had to worry about was my son. Instead of this weird jealousy thing that makes me want to commit murder.”
I glanced up as Asher and Wyatt walked by.
I still thought we should have said something to Coach about them.
I felt like whatever the two of them were doing was going to end in disaster, but I had let Jackson convince me to let it go.
That it wasn’t any of our business. But as I caught the way Wyatt beamed happily at Asher, the look of pure love and devotion written all over his face, I knew it was going to end in heartbreak for him.
“I know,” Jackson muttered. “I tried to talk to Wyatt, but he didn’t want to listen to me. Said he knows what he’s doing, and he’s fine. That he and Asher aren’t serious.”
I shook my head as I watched the two of them walk up to order drinks from the bar. “Wyatt might want to tell himself that. He looks at Asher like he hung the moon and stars.”
“Wyatt’s been in love with Asher since the day he walked into the Terriers locker room.”
“That kid is in trouble.”
Jackson sighed softly. “I just hope he can handle it when it blows up in his face.”
“We’ll both have to be there for him. What else can we do?” I said just as Wyatt threw his head back and laughed at something Asher said.
Wyatt leaned into him. He whispered something into his ear that had Asher nodding his head and Wyatt’s cheeks burning pink.
If anyone else had been watching, they might just think they were just two buddies hanging out, but Jax and I knew better.
Maybe we should have said something to Coach.
Even it wasn’t any of our business. What if they broke up, and it ruined how they played together?
What if they ended up hating one another and fought all the time?
I wasn’t aware of any other teams having this problem, but I was sure it had happened before.
Jackson nudged my leg. “Hey, I’m going to head home and call Mav before it gets too late. We have an early start in the morning.”
“I should probably go check on Cole.” And maybe reach out to Dean. He had texted me earlier about our win, but I didn’t want to seem too needy or clinging. And I was still pissed about the picture with Jun.
Jackson smiled. “Call him, Beau. You know he’s waiting for you. Don’t be like that and hold back. Dean’s into you.”
“You know that for a fact?” I asked as I watched Jax climb out of the booth.
He leaned down so that his face was inches from mine.
“Yeah, man, I do. Remember when you stopped talking to him? That just about broke his heart, and if you try to pull that shit again, you’ll have to deal with Maverick again.
He’s small but feisty when he wants to be.
Especially when it comes to his brother.
Call Dean when you get home. Let him know you’re thinking about him.
And stop worrying about Jun.” Jackson stood up to his full height. “See you in the morning.”
I sat there for a few more minutes. I flipped through Dean’s Instagram, glared at the picture with Jun again, and that’s when I noticed he added the one Jackson had shown me.
The one of the band in the hotel room. They all looked happy.
Maverick was leaning into his brother, both of them wearing identical smiles.
Killian had his arms around his fiancé, and Blake looked happy but almost like he was hiding something.
I ran my finger over Dean’s beautiful face before I liked the picture. A text popped up a few seconds later.
Dean: I miss you.
I couldn’t stop the smile that spread over my face.
Beau: The feeling is mutual, Pink.
Dean: I saw you liked the picture and wanted to text you.
Beau: You all look happy.
Dean: Mav’s already on the phone with Jackson, so I’m back in my room. Can we talk soon? I understand if you’re busy.
I hit call on my phone, and when Dean answered, my stomach twisted at the sound of his voice. “Beau, hi.” He sounded so happy to hear from me.
“Hello, Pink baby.” I could picture him in his hotel room.
Dressed in one of my Boston shirts, his green hair spread out on the pillow.
My cock stirred in my dress pants, and I suddenly wished I was with him.
That I was retired and could be with Dean any time I wanted. But that was crazy, wasn’t it?
Dean sighed happily into the phone. “I know it’s late there, so I won’t keep you. I just wanted to hear your voice. Congratulations, by the way. You were amazing tonight.”
“I can’t believe you watched the game.”
“I’ve been watching all of them.”
And for some reason, that made my eyes burn with tears. I coughed softly as I tried to gather my thoughts together. “You think you might want to come to a game next season?” It was the only thing I could think of to say in that moment.
“I’d love nothing more,” Dean whispered.
And that made my heart sore.