Chapter 32 – Kirby #2
The plane touches down just after noon on Friday and I look out the window at the sun.
We usually head home right after we land, but we have a game tomorrow, so we have a late afternoon practice.
The bus is waiting for us when we walk off, and I toss my bag under it before heading on and sitting down.
Jaxon sits next to me and the two of us don’t say a word to each other. I pull my phone out and text Lexi.
Me:
Just landed. On our way to practice. Let me know if you are coming over tonight after dinner or not. I missed you.
I put the phone away, looking out the window.
Her family started arriving today, and I know she has her big dinner with them.
She’s nervous about fitting in, which is ridiculous since it’s her family and they will do anything for her.
Her sister and the kids are staying with her, so I’m not sure if I’m going to see her, which I hate, but it is what it is.
She’s been at my house all week with Jefferson, even sleeping there one night.
We get to the arena, everyone grabbing their bags and putting it in their respective cars before heading back and changing for practice.
I step in and spot some of the other team walking into the visitors’ locker room from the ice.
“I’ll be back,” I tell Jaxon who looks at me. “I’m going to go talk to Matty.”
“Are you insane?” he asks me. “Why are you doing that?”
“Because it’s the right thing to do,” I tell him, slapping his chest. “I’ll be fine,” I assure him and he groans.
I walk to the locker room, sticking my head in and not seeing him there.
I get a couple of chin-up hellos from some of the players, and I’m about to head to the ice when I see him walking down the corridor.
“Hey,” I say to him and he stops walking, and with his skates on, he has an advantage on me.
“Hey,” he replies, unsure.
“I’m Kirby Materson and I thought I should introduce myself,” I say, and his face tells me he has no idea what the fuck I’m talking about.
“And why is that?” he asks, taking off his gloves, and I can see the little glimpses of similarity between Lexi and him. She’s the one with the clearest eyes out of all three. The one with the darkest hair for sure.
“I’m in love with your sister.” Smooth, I think to myself, very fucking smooth.
“Excuse me?” He turns his head to the side as if he didn’t hear me.
“I’m in love with Lexi.” Fuck, this is a bad idea. Why didn’t I listen to Jaxon?
“She just left her husband!” he hisses out.
“Yeah, and that was a long time coming. Don’t you think?” I say and for the second time he’s shocked.
“You knew him?” His temper starts to go up.
“I met him over summer break,” I tell him. “It was when I got to know Lexi.”
“So you fell in love with a married woman?” He snorts out his disgust. “What does that say about you?” He turns and starts to walk away from me.
“I’d do it again in a heartbeat if it led to her leaving him,” I announce and he stops moving and turns back around. “That night”—I shake my head—“it got ugly and he said things that hurt her.” I don’t give him more than that. “I’m sorry she had to hear them.”
“What things?” he asks me, his glare deadly.
“You should ask her.”
“I’m asking you.” He points to me. “You were the one who came to seek me out. So I’m asking you exactly what the fuck happened.”
I look to the side, seeing Jaxon leaning against the door to the locker room, far enough away to give us privacy, but close enough if he has to spring into action he can.
“Before I tell you, I want to say she never, ever did anything that would have him talk about her the way he did.” His eyes are on mine.
“In no way, shape, or form did she ever let on or do anything that was inappropriate.”
“You don’t have to tell me that,” he informs me. “I know my sister would never do that. No matter how much…” He trails off.
“I walked outside to get some air and he was there in the corner of the balcony, head bent with a blonde.” Matty’s head falls back and he looks up to the ceiling.
“He saw me and we exchanged words. I asked him how he could disrespect her like that. I just didn’t get it.
Man, he had the best woman he could ever have and he was fucking around.
I didn’t know she was there; I would never want her to hear what he said. ”
“What did he say?” he asks, his jaw clenched and tight. His hands are fisted by his sides.
“That she was a fucking nobody without him,” I relay softly and then look around.
“She was a nobody when he met her because”—I take a deep breath—“her father is a fucking drug addict.” The same gasp I heard that night I now hear again, but this time there is a hiss after it.
“She should be thankful that he took pity on her.”
“That motherfucking piece of shit,” he growls. “If I ever get my hands on him.”
“You’ll have to get in line,” I tell him and he looks at me, “because I’m first in line.
Well, maybe second behind Lexi. She may be your sister, but I hear the stories that she tells me.
Stories that would make your blood boil.
Stories that have impacted her far more than she lets on and that one day I hope she can heal from as we grow together. ”
“Is that so?” He about smirks at me.
“Yeah.” I nod. “So that’s why I wanted to introduce myself to you.
” I hold out my hand. “So again, I’m Kirby.
” He looks at me and looks at my hand and I don’t know what to expect, to be honest. He could turn around and walk away and ignore everything I just said.
Or he could accept I love her and semi-accept that I’m in her life.
“I know you mean the world to her, so I wanted to do this for her.” His eyes go to my hand and back to my eyes, and then I see his hand extended.
“Good to meet you, Kirby,” he says, “and it goes without saying that if you hurt her—”
“Yeah.” I don’t even let him finish. “I know.”
“I don’t think you do,” he starts to explain.
“You see, for the past ten years I’ve seen my sister become a shell of the person I know.
I’ve seen her retreat more and more as the time went by and I felt helpless.
Fuck, we all felt helpless. No one knew what to do.
” His words hit me in the middle of my chest.
“I can’t imagine,” I tell him. “I had it in my face for weeks and it felt like an eternity, but I can give you this. I’ll treat her with respect because she deserves it.
I’ll treat her with kindness and care, and I’ll take whatever she has to give me.
I told her I loved her and I don’t know how she feels, but I’ll wait for her for eternity. ” He nods. “It’s that kind of love.”
“Well, good to meet you. Will you be around this weekend?”
“Probably not this time,” I say. “It’s time for her to bond with you all. It’s not the place for me right now.”
“Respect,” he states, “you have my respect.”
We look at each other and nod, not saying anything to each other as we turn and head to our respective locker rooms.
“Well, good news is you can still play tomorrow,” Jaxon teases. “Bad news is he’s going to put you through the wringer.”