15. Silas
CHAPTER 15
Silas
“ D id you talk to Payton this morning?" Tate asks as he walks into the kitchen, and for the first time in months, he's not hungover. He looks better, I just hope it stays this way.
"Yeah," I answer as I shove another spoon of cereal into my mouth.
I still can't believe that I've found her again, and now I'm not going to see her for at least three months. "What's going on with you and Bianca?" I was fucking shocked when I saw the soft look on his face as he was talking to her. Bianca's nothing like the women he usually goes for, but the way he was staring at her, I'd say he's falling fast for the pretty model.
He sighs, scrubbing his hand over his face as he comes to sit opposite me on the island. "I fucked up."
I shake my head, "You think? Did you actually call her fat?"
When Bianca walked out of the club, Payton went instantly on alert, her body tensed, and she was watching Tate with caution. When Bianca told her what the jackass said to her, my baby had her hackles up, she stood in front of her friend ready to face down Tate. It was cute as fuck, but the snarl that came from Tate had me stepping in.
He has the decency to look contrite. "She thinks I did, but I didn't."
"So you didn't say that you thought models were thin?" I ask just as Caston comes into the kitchen and goes in search of coffee.
Tate winces at my words, "I didn't mean it like that."
"Sorry to say this, bro, but only one way a woman is going to take that," Cas injects as he pours himself a cup. "Need a refill?" he asks, and I nod, he pours Tate a cup too. "You like Bianca?" he asks Tate as he slides him his coffee.
Tate doesn't even hesitate, "Yes, she's gorgeous, didn't you see her?"
Cas chuckles, "Silas wouldn't know, he only had eyes for his woman."
The tightening of my chest isn't there anymore whenever someone mentions Payton. Thank fuck.
"What the hell happened last night anyway?" Tate asks.
Cas smirks. "I went to find Silas, after he did a disappearing act, and found him in the alleyway with Payton. Let's just say they were making up for lost time."
I roll my eyes at the little shit.
"Dude, what the fuck?" Tate growls, "Did anyone see?"
I frown. "I don't think so."
He shakes his head. "You're both fucking famous, asshole. Anyone could have seen that and what if they took a picture?"
Oh fuck. I didn't think of that, I was so wrapped up in trying to stop her from leaving and then having her, that I didn't stop to think about anything else.
"Who would have thought that it'd have been Tate to have some common sense?" Cas quips. "No one saw, you're all good. You just have to be careful in the future."
I nod, he's right. "Yeah, I've just got her back, the last thing I need is shit to hit the fan."
"What about you, Romeo?" Cas says to Tate with a grin. Have you finally pulled your head out of your ass?"
I continue eating my breakfast as I watch Tate's face closely, pain slashes through his features, and I'm wondering what the hell happened. I know Kayley left him, but now I'm thinking that something more may have happened.
"Yes," he replies after a couple of moments. "Kayley fucked up, and in return, I did. I've realized that we were both to blame for what happened and not just me. I'm sorry that I've been a fucking ass these past couple of months."
I shake my head. "It's not us you need to apologize to. You came close to screwing up your career."
He sighs, "I know, that's what pulled my head out of my ass. Watching you two play while I'm on the sidelines sucks, but I only have myself to blame. I also know that it's going to take some time before I'm able to prove that I'm not going to self-destruct again."
Damn, it's fucking good to hear he's got his head back in the game. I just hope that he keeps it this way.
"Do we have Bianca to thank for this?" Cas asks, and I watch as the corner of Tate's lips twitch. "I'll take that as a yes. Tate, you want her, you're going to have to do a hell of a lot of groveling."
His jaw clenches, "I didn't call her fat."
Now I sigh, does he think it's going to be easy? "You didn't have to say it, it was implied. You hurt her, Tate, and I think it's going to be a while before she forgives you."
He rests his face in his hands. "Fuck," he growls.
My cell beeps, and I glance down and see it's from Payton, I can't help the smile that forms.
"The woman of the hour," Cas, says slapping me on my back.
I reach for my cell and see she sent a text and a picture.
We were seen last night.
My heart stutters, what the hell? Did someone see us in the alleyway?
When I open the image, I sigh in relief, it's a picture of Payton and I in an embrace outside the hotel.
"Damn, could you two be any closer together?" Cas smirks as he looks at the picture over my shoulder. "I'm happy for you, bro."
I smile, I'm fucking happy. It's been a long time since I've felt this at ease. It'll be better when we're able to spend more than a fucking hour together.
"She seems like good people," Tate says. But I wouldn't give a fuck if he didn't like her. Pay's mine, always has been and always will be.
"She's gorgeous, even better in person." Cas grins when I growl. "I'm not blind, nor is any other man in a fucking hundred-mile radius. But she's yours, and I wouldn't go there."
I look down at my cell and reply to Pay's message.
You look gorgeous.
I'm not pissed that someone took our photo, hell I'm fucking glad, now everyone can see that she's mine. Possessive? Yes, but I don't care.
She responds instantly.
Miss you.
I miss you too, baby, text me when you land. Love you.
Love you too. Have a good day. X
Damn, a kiss. I fucking love that.
"Okay, are you done with the sappiness? We've got to get to training," Tate grumbles. "Are we going to the children's hospital today?"
We go to Seattle's Children's hospital whenever we can and meet the sick children. We've made connections with the kids there, it hurts when one of them passes away, their tiny bodies unable to fight any longer.
"Yes, it's been a while since we've been there," I say. It'll also take my mind off Payton being on a damn flight going across the Atlantic Ocean.
Cas gets to his feet. "Let's get moving." He's a morning person, whereas Tate and I aren't. He's a pain in our asses most of the time.
"Miller..." I turn at Jack’s voice, he's got a smile on his face as he moves toward me. "Seems as though you had a good night."
I raise an eyebrow, and that just has him smiling wider. "You have something to say?"
The rest of the team are standing close by listening to our interaction. "Saw the pictures. It's kind of hard to miss. Your faces splashed over every rag there is."
I smile, "And?"
He throws his head back and laughs, "I'm happy for you."
"Thanks, bro," I tell him when he pulls me into a man hug, slapping my back as he does.
"She coming to the game this weekend?" He glances around our teammates and grins when none of them even try hiding the fact that they're listening.
"No, she's on her way to London as we speak. She'll be gone for nine days."
He winces, yeah, that's how I fucking feel. "Damn, it'll take a while before you can get into a routine. But when you do, it's worth it."
"I hope you're right. It's going to be at least three months before I see her again." I just hope it flies, she's only been on her flight for two hours, and already I’m missing her.
Not being with her for three years has made it harder. I’ve never felt this possessive over her before, and now I hate the thought of her being anywhere without me. There's not much I can do about it, she has her life, and I have mine, no it's going to be trying to find an in between of those lives and melding them together.
"Fuck," he curses. "Three months." He shakes his head. "You've done longer."
"That's why I'm not going insane," I admit. "This time though it's different. She's not holding back. We're talking."
He nods. "That's good. It's going to get hard, Silas, just don't let her push you away."
"I don't intend to."
He nods, "You coming with us to the children's hospital?"
"Yeah, it's been a while since I've seen the kids."
He smiles at me. His wife Tanya is a nurse at the hospital, it's how the two of them met. His wife is a fucking superstar, I wouldn't be able to hack it, watching those kids fight every day to try and survive. It's heartbreaking, and Tanya does it every day.
"I'll see you there," he says and turns away. Thankfully, the rest of the team dispersed, and I feel relief that I don't have to talk about me and Payton.
"Come on, Casanova," Cas yells, and Tate chuckles.
I sigh, another eight hours before Payton lands in London.