25. Luka #2
We step into my parents' house, and like always, it's chaos.
Gio and Layla are running around the house and I can hear Gretchen yelling at them to avoid ruining their dinner with the lollipops my Ma gave them.
"I'm home!" I yell. Layla and Gio run into the room and wrap their arms around Adrianna's waist. She has come to every family dinner since the night she met Mr. C and Skee.
She fits right into our family like I knew she would.
Instead of the kids clinging to me like they usually do, they are wrapped around Adrianna when Liam and Mia walk into the room.
"Did you find Callum?" Liam cuts straight to the chase.
"I did. We need a family meeting." I nod toward my Pops office.
"Right now? But everyone just got here." Mia pouts. Her hormones are going crazy with the twins and she hates when we aren't all together.
I walk up and wrap my arms around her, picking her up. "Hi, Sis."
"You can't be picking her up, Luka! You are going to hurt the babies!" Liam pulls her away from me.
"Liam, you know that isn't how that works, right? The babies are perfectly fine in there," Adrianna says as she kisses the tops of the kid's heads and tells them she will meet them in the living room. He just stares at Adrianna like she has lost her mind.
"Come on, Mia. Let's go see the girls." Adrianna grabs Mia's hand and starts walking toward the living room.
"Lacey isn't here yet," Mia tells her. Adrianna turns to me and gives me a sad smile.
"Yeah, let's go hang out and chat about it." Adrianna walks Mia into the living room.
"We need a family meeting right fucking now," I tell Liam as soon as Mia and Adrianna walk out.
The second I say it, Augie and Skee walk in, arguing about something about bikes.
"Good, Skee. I need you, too. We need a tech guy.
Augie, can you go check on the girls for me and let Cross and Romeo know we need them?
" I start walking toward my Pops office.
"Luka, what the fuck is going on? Where is Callum and why the fuck do we need Skee?" Liam shuts the door after the three of us enter the office.
"Because it has to do with Callum and he won't be able to help. We might need to do some digging. I would rather explain it once if that is okay?"
He nods and we wait for the rest of the guys to show up. Mr. C walks in with Romeo.
"I didn't know you were here, Old Man." I nod to them as they walk in.
"I couldn't miss the first family meeting you ever called. I am pretty interested in what it could be. You going to run off and get married like your brother did?"
"No, not because I wouldn't. It's because I don't think Adrianna would like that.
" I shrug my shoulders and explain everything to my family.
Of course, Liam is pissed Callum didn't say anything to him.
He ends up texting him through the family chat and giving him shit for it.
Which he never responds to, and it pissed Liam off more.
After we get a game plan together to help Lacey out of the situation her shitty-ass parents got her in, we head out to the library, where the girls and Augie are hanging out.
Augie has his hands around Mia's waist while she stands on the step stool, grabbing down a book, and Liam loses his shit.
"What the fuck are you doing?" He storms over to them and Augie starts laughing.
"I know for a fact you are not talking to me like that.
" Mia spins around on the stool and places her hands on her hips.
Her growing belly pushes against Augie's body as he holds onto her.
"Of course, I wasn't talking to you like that, Sunshine.
I want to know why Augie's hands are on you and why he let you get up on that stool.
You can fall off and get hurt." He walks up and scoops her off of the stool.
"Augie didn't let me do anything. I wanted to get a book, so I got on the stool to get it. He told me to get down. But, just like you. I don't have to listen to him." She wiggles until Liam finally puts her down.
Thankfully, Gretchen yells that dinner is ready and the rest of the night continues without Liam freaking out anymore. The mood is definitely different without Callum and Lacey here. We try to keep Layla as busy as possible. By the time it is time to leave, she is ready to pass out.
"You have practice in the morning, so you can't take her home with you.
She can go home with Romeo and CeCe. She and Gio can have a sleepover or something.
" Liam tells me when I let him know I will be taking Layla home with me.
Ma and Pops wanted to keep her, but Pops isn't feeling too great today, and I felt better taking her home with me.
"I promised Callum and Lacey I would take care of her.
I am taking her home with me. I will text Coach and tell him something came up and that I will be late to practice.
I will take Layla to Samantha at the dance studio in the morning.
" I push back against my brother. I know I shouldn't.
He is the head of the family, and what he says goes.
But all I can think about is the broken look on Lacey's face and the promise I made to her.
"You can not miss practice. You are going into the playoffs. This is an important time for you to be with the team, especially with what happened with Tucker. Your team needs you to step up and be there," Liam says and crosses his arms. It's his sign to let me know that he is done discussing it.
"I will help you." Adrianna comes and stands beside me with Layla in her arms. "I am going to go stay with Luka tonight and I can take Layla to the studio in the morning so Luka doesn't miss practice.
" I wrap my arm around her shoulder and kiss the top of her head.
This girl knew exactly what I needed and how to get it for me.
"See, all taken care of. Sweet Girl, tell Zio Liam goodnight so we can go. You are having a sleepover with me and Adrianna." I tap Layla on her nose.
"Yay! I get to have a sleepover with Zio Luka and Zia Addy! Can we see the twins tomorrow?" I can see the panic in Adrianna's eyes when Layla calls her Aunt, but then Layla wraps her arms around her neck and snuggles her head into her hair.
"We will see Sweet Girl," I tell her. We say goodbye to everyone and head out the door.
I loved watching Adrianna with Layla this morning.
They had such a great time curling their hair and picking out clothes to wear that I almost forgot about the shit show happening in our lives right now.
Before I left, her Dad ended up getting her on the phone.
She got so worked up that I finally took the phone from her.
I explained to him that I would help him in any way I could that Adrianna approved of and he told me that I was being ridiculous, allowing a woman to tell me what to do.
That no real man would allow that to happen and that a Holloway needed to be with a real man.
I kinda lost my shit and told him that he was lucky her last name was still Holloway because if it were up to me, it would already be Rizzoli.
That, of course, caused her to shut down some and keep her distance from me the rest of the morning.
Her brother, on the other hand, texted me and congratulated me on having the balls to tell his Dad where he could shove it.
Practice ended up being horrible. I was so in my head.
First, about Callum and Lacey, and then my Pops had another episode last night, and my Ma texted us this morning.
All I could think about was getting home to my family.
Maybe hockey isn't where I am supposed to be.
Tucker is pissed because he is riding the bench for the rest of the season since his agent got the team owner to hold off throwing his ass off of the team.
Coach won't allow him to even practice with us.
It has caused him to be even more of an asshole.
I am the last one leaving today since Coach had to read me the riot act.
Jake was going to wait for me, but I didn't know how long it was going to be.
So many thoughts are going through my head as I get changed to leave.
My Ma always told us that there is one person in the world for us.
One person who will complete us. She and my Pops fell in love the second they saw each other.
It happened with my brother Liam and cousin Cross.
It even happened to my brother Callum, if he can ever get his shit together for Lacey.
I felt it. I felt the connection the second I saw her.
I knew she was it. The only problem? Today, she wants nothing to do with me.
I know she hates the spotlight. Hates that my family might get me hurt one day.
Am I willing to risk it all, knowing that she is my person?
The thought runs through my head as I step out of the arena and cold air hits me in the face.
We are so close to taking the cup. I am so close to having everything I have worked my life to achieve.
Is she worth the risk? The nagging voice inside my head won't stop.
"Yes!" Eyes closed, I tip my head back and scream. Trying to get my brain to understand she is worth it.
As I bring my head back down, I feel a fist connect with my face.
Pain radiates through my head. I have been hit before; I play hockey, for Christ's sake.
This is different. I fall to the ground and another hit comes.
Instinctively, I cover my head and start kicking my feet towards the asshole.
Feet hit my rib cage and I realize it's more than one asshole.
I didn't even get to tell her I love her.
A foot connects with the back of my head and my world fades to black.