Chapter 30
HAYDEN
“You can sit there as long as you like, I’m not going to get bored and walk off,” Rett says, pulling my car door open after not-so-patiently waiting for me to join him.
“I was just replying to my parents.” It’s not a lie—I was replying to the message they sent hours ago, letting me know they got home safely.
“Hmm,” he mumbles as I climb out of the car and follow him to the elevator.
He doesn’t say anything about Hailee. In fact, he hasn’t mentioned anything about last night since inviting me here. But I know that the second their apartment door closes, I’m going to be hit with a million and one questions. The only issue is, how am I going to answer them?
There’s nothing going on with us. Not really. And yet, what Rett saw last night looks like the opposite of that.
I haven’t even spoken to her today. I have no idea what she thought when she woke up in bed alone this morning. Was she grateful I cleaned up before I left, or hasn’t she given me a single thought?
The possibility of it being the latter hurts more than it should. But I can’t help it. She’s inadvertently put herself in the middle of my life, and I like it too much for her to stop now.
“You killed it again today,” Rett says as the elevator carries us toward where Bea waits for us.
“Thanks. I’m enjoying getting back into it. I’ve needed the focus.”
“I know what you’re going through fucking sucks, but it’s making you one hell of a player right now.”
I hang my head, hardly able to believe that I’m standing here beside my hero, listening to him sing my praises. It’s fucking unbelievable. I must have done something right in a previous life to deserve this.
“It’s gonna fucking suck when someone steals you from under our feet to put you on the first line.”
“Nah, that’s not gonna happen.” While I might believe that I’m a half-decent player, there’s no way someone would put me in his position. I don’t have the aggression or the power that Rett does.
“It absolutely will. You mark my words.”
The elevator doors open, and we march out side by side until Rett lets us into his apartment. The scent of something spicy hits my nose, and my stomach growls loudly.
I’d been over a few times before Bea moved in, and I always loved it.
It was such a bachelor pad, exactly what I expected of Rett, but since Bea, things have been changing.
There’s color and warmth and softness everywhere you look.
I can’t help but think of Hailee’s place as I walk in and head straight into Bea’s embrace.
“Hey,” Rett grunts before dragging me away from his girl. “Mine.”
I roll my eyes as he brushes his lips against hers, backing her up against the wall.
It’s nothing I haven’t seen numerous times before. At first, it was pretty shocking to see the notorious ladies’ man so addicted to one woman. But now, it’s normal for him not to be able to put her down. And I swear it only gets worse with every inch her stomach grows.
He pulls back from their kiss and just gazes at her, his hand on her jaw and his body curling around hers protectively.
Jealousy surges through me as her fingers twist in the short, still-damp hair at the nape of his neck.
Fuck, yeah. I’m jealous.
I drown in thoughts I shouldn’t be having. Ones where I come home from the arena, walk into Hailee’s apartment, and have her standing there waiting for me.
It’s unrealistic in so many ways, but I lose myself in the fantasy anyway.
“I made lasagna for dinner,” Bea finally says as she ducks under Rett’s arm and meets me in the kitchen. “And garlic bread and a side salad. Is that okay?” she asks.
“Sounds incredible,” I say, trying not to get emotional over garlic freaking bread. So what, I shared some with Hailee last night? That doesn’t mean we own it.
“Soda?” Bea asks, pulling the fridge open.
“Water’s great, thanks,” I say, unable to stop myself from pulling my cell out to see if she might have messaged while we were riding up here. I already know she hasn’t, but I still look.
“So,” Bea starts after passing me a bottle of water.
Rett steps up to the kitchen island and opens his can of soda, his attention aimed at me.
“So,” he repeats.
I look between the two of them with my heart pounding in my ears.
“There’s nothing to say,” I mutter. I know I’m never going to get away with that.
“Mmm, let me see,” Rett starts, rapping his knuckles on the counter. “I catch our rookie in the closet with our one and only ball-busting PR Director, and he’s trying to convince us there’s nothing really to say.”
Bea giggles while my temperature spikes. “Next, you’re going to say she was just helping fix your equipment,” she teases.
“Oh, she was definitely interested in his equipment,” Rett deadpans.
Bea explodes with laughter.
“I knew this was a bad idea,” I sulk.
“Aw, we’re sorry,” Bea says, although her lingering laughter doesn’t make it sound all that sincere. “I’m gonna plate up and you can tell us everything.”
“There isn’t much to tell,” I murmur as I watch them both move around the kitchen with ease. It’s like they’ve been doing it together forever, not just a couple of months.
That familiar knot tightens in my stomach again as Rett reaches for the plates and then pulls the giant lasagna out of the oven so Bea doesn’t have to lift it.
“Here you go. There is more if you need it. I’m still learning hockey player portion control.”
“It looks and smells incredible.”
“I’m trying, but I’m no Freya,” Bea confesses, her lips pinched tight with anxiety.
“You’re a great cook, sweetheart,” Rett tells her, kissing the top of her head as he takes the seat beside her.
“So…” Bea starts. “Tell us how you ended up having seven minutes of heaven in the closet before the game with Hailee.”
“Wow, cutting right to the chase, huh?”
“This has been killing me for twenty-four hours. I can’t wait any longer.”
I glance at Rett, and he has the decency to look at least a little sheepish, but I’m not mad in the slightest. In fact, I think I’d have been more pissed off if he hadn’t immediately run and told Bea.
I think for a moment, trying to come up with a way to put everything that’s happened into a sentence or two, but it’s an impossible task.
And when my lips part to finally say something, every single detail comes rushing from my mouth.
“Bea, please don’t do that,” I beg as she sits there with her bottom lip trembling and tears cascading down her cheeks.
“I’m sorry,” she sniffles, wiping them away with the back of her hand. “I just…you hid behind a plant?”
Out of everything I’ve just told her, that’s what she’s focusing on?
“Y-yeah. I—”
“Why didn’t you message me? I’d have come to get you. Hell, I’d have hidden behind that plant with you just so you weren’t alone.”
I move on instinct, rounding the table and pulling Bea into my arms.
She trembles in my hold, her hand intertwined with Rett’s, and I hold her. He smiles at me, and that one look says everything I need to hear.
I might have lost something so huge this summer that I can’t even begin to process just how much it’s going to affect me going forward, but I also gained something.
Bea came into my life just as I needed her, and she’s been the shoulder I’ve needed, the understanding ear that has kept me going more than a few times.
She might be Rett’s girl, but she very quickly became one of my very best friends.
“If you’d found him in a tree, then Hailee wouldn’t have found him in the stairwell, and then I might not have caught them getting hot and heavy in the closet. Bro, you know she has a massive office with a huge desk that’s just asking for—”
“Everett,” Bea snaps.
“What? It’s not like I’ve ever thought about making use of it while I’ve sat there and taken a dressing down from the woman in question. Christ, she’s fucking terrifying. Fair play to you, man,” Rett says, lifting his fist for me to bump.
“Don’t be an asshole,” Bea scoffs.
“What? I’m fucking proud. I know you’ve always had a thing for her, but I never thought you’d get a shot. No offense, man.”
“None taken,” I say as I return to my seat after grabbing Bea a packet of tissues. “I wasn’t rating my chances very highly either. I was happy just looking, but well…someone clearly thought I needed a fucking break because…”
“So, are you a thing or what?” Bea asks as she reaches for a piece of garlic bread.
“No, nothing like that. We’re…I don’t know. We can’t be a thing. She’s the PR Director, and I’m a rookie. We shouldn’t be anything.”
“Fuck that, if it’s meant to be then—”
Both Bea and I stare at Rett with open mouths.
“Who is he, and what has he done with Everett Donnelly?”
Bea sniggers. “I think he found his romantic side.”
“That massive bunch of flowers over there certainly points toward that being the case,” I tease.
“Alright, laugh it up. I know things are shitty right now, but you light up when you talk about her, man. I know it’s not the ideal situation with work and that, but it could be something if you give it a chance.”
“What does Hailee want?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. She says that we can’t be doing what we’re doing, but then we keep doing it, so…”
“Know that feeling,” Bea says under her breath, glancing at Rett.
“Some things are just too good to turn down,” he says, shooting her a wink.
“There’s so much we haven’t talked about. So much about her that I don’t know. And aside from work, the age difference.”
“That’s bullshit, and you know it,” Rett states. “After what you’ve lived through, you’re more than mature enough to handle Hailee. And if you’re not, you can guarantee she’ll put you in your place.”
“I quite like it when she does.”
“Overshare.” Bea laughs before turning a little more serious. “Forget all the reasons why it shouldn’t work for a minute. Deep down, what do you want?”
I don’t need to think about her question. The answer is possibly the easiest one I’ve ever given.
“Hailee. Any way I can have her.”
“Right,” Rett says, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the table. “Then we need to find a way to make sure that happens.”
“And you need to talk to her. Really talk to her. Find out what she wants, too. If you’re going to do this, you both need to be on the same page.”
“And what if she doesn’t?” I ask, fear trickling through me.
“Then you need to do everything you can to prove her wrong,” Bea says, as if doing so is the easiest thing in the world.
“Is that her?” Bea asks hopefully as I pull my cell from my pocket and stare at the screen.
“No,” I say, unable to keep the dejected tone from my voice. Every time I’ve felt it vibrate, my heart has lurched with hope. But as of yet, not a single one of my notifications has been from Hailee, and my patience is running out.
“Just message her,” Rett says.
“I don’t want to be too eager.”
“Why not? If you want her, there’s no harm in letting her know.”
Bea shakes her head in disbelief. “If you were reading this storyline in a book, what would the main male character do?”
I slump back on the couch, pretending to think for a moment. The truth is, I don’t need to think; I already know the answer. He would chase her, show her that he wants her, and prove to her that he can’t get her out of his fucking head.
It sounds simple, but putting it into reality is very, very different.
“He’d show his hand,” I eventually mutter, giving her the answer she’s expecting.
“Exactly, so show yours. Tell her how you feel, what you want, and trust her with it.”
And if she crushes the hope I have of this becoming anything? How the fuck am I meant to deal with that?