Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
ROWAN
A fter meeting Tyler’s parents and relaxing with our beers and a funny movie, we made our way into Tyler’s bedroom. We’d come so far, and staying here with him for the holiday weekend had given me a glimpse of how life could look someday if we lived together. I was totally on board with that idea.
With a coy grin directed at me, Tyler stripped down naked, tossing his clothing toward his closet. As his cock swelled, he stepped to me and wrapped his arms around my neck. “I’m so ready for more with you tonight.” He brushed his lips over mine and snuck his fingers down the front of my sweats. “You have entirely too many clothes on.” With a chuckle, he pressed his lips on mine in a teasing kiss and then dropped, taking my sweats and briefs with him. “Oh, there you are.”
My hard cock bobbed in his face. Now that I’d had him inside me, it was all I could think about. Who the hell knew I’d like it so much? “Yeah? What do you have in mind?” I rocked my hips, pushing my dick into his face.
Fisting the base, he lapped at the tip. “A little sucking and a lot of fucking.” He chuckled softly and swallowed my cock to the back of his throat, moaning over it .
“Oh fuck.” A jolt of sensation shook up my spine, and I snatched fists of his hair. I was in heaven and would be for the foreseeable future.
He pumped my dick, flicking his tongue at the head, swirling his hand around the root.
I hissed as pleasure knotted inside me. “You’re going all out.” If he kept this up, I was going to come way too soon.
With another deeper moan, he stroked his leaking cock standing tall between his thighs.
As my cock grew more and more sensitive, I bit my lower lip. “Babe, don’t make me come.” I rolled my hips back, staving off a shuddering wave of pleasure. “I want you to top me again.”
He pulled off with a wet pop and his darkened gaze slid to mine, eyelids hooded. “You do?” One edge of his lips quirked.
“I do.” I cupped his cheek and guided him to standing, his hot cock brushing over mine. “I really liked it. Like really fucking liked it.” Maybe I hadn’t sung its praises enough to him. But then, he’d said he was vers.
“Sure.” With a full-on grin, he grabbed my hand and led me to his bed. “There’s something I’ve been dying to do, but most guys I’ve been with were either tops or bottoms.”
“Okay.” As I approached the edge of the bed, I shucked my hoodie off and climbed over the covers. “What is it?” This would be another thing neither of us had done before. I liked it.
He tapped his lips, his gaze darting over his nightstand. “I’m going to fuck you with a plug in my ass, then after I come, we’ll put the plug in you, and you can fuck me. How’s that?”
I stared at him. We could do that? “Uh, yeah.” Holy hell, I might pass out. “But are we talking with the thing vibrating?”
“Sure.” He pushed me onto the bed and crawled over me. “How’s the knee? You’re barely limping any more.”
“It’s okay. Just hurts a little bit when I walk, and I walked a lot tonight.” Which was good for it, according to our trainer. I laid my hands on his hips as he knelt between my legs.
Leaning over, he grabbed lube, two of his plugs, and the remote. “This is going to be so hot.” He raked his teeth over his bottom lip.
Somehow, we’d gone from zero to a thousand in a few days. But whatever, me and my dick were totally into it. He’d unleashed something in me I’d had no idea existed. “It certainly is.” Giving my cock a few long strokes, I lifted my knees and spread my legs.
He lubed the larger plug and slowly worked it inside himself, his face tensing. A low, rumbling groan freed from him.
“You okay?” He’d pushed that thing right in him. Damn. Sitting up, I brushed my fingers over his arm.
“I’m fine. Burns, but I’m used to it.” He wriggled his hips, and his cock pulsed and leaked.
I fixated on his dick, straining to reach his navel. He was hella turned on right now. Dude was a pro at this. “Now what?”
With a sly smile, he squirted more lube on his fingers and hovered over me on a straight arm. “Now, we get you prepped.” He fell onto an elbow, our cocks touching, and slipped his finger over my hole, circling it while devouring my mouth in hungry kisses.
My stomach clenched, and I rocked my hips, seeking the friction of our dicks rubbing together. Slanting my mouth over his and grabbing the back of his head, I met his intensity with my own, our tongues fighting for dominance.
Sneaking a finger inside me, he pushed over my internal spot.
As sparks shot through me and lit up behind my eyes, I gasped. “Oh fuck.” I clamped my mouth on his, kissing him again and again. I couldn’t get enough of him.
He pushed a second finger inside me and moaned as his mouth left mine to trail bites and nibbles along my chin and neck. “Fucking want inside you…” he said in a harsh whisper as his mouth claimed mine again.
Sliding my hand between us, I rubbed over his nipple and kneaded it into a hard nub .
His body shuddered and precum leaked from his cock onto mine. “Fucking hell. Do that more.”
With a quick nod, I slapped one hand to his ass and pinched his nipple between my fingers, my mouth moving over his in greedy kisses.
The skin on his chest pebbled and he rocked his hips back. “You ready?”
“Uh-huh.” I dug my fingers into his ass. Could I last long enough to top him after he came? Last time, my orgasm had snuck up on me.
He left me for a moment to slick his cock with lube, and lining up his leaking dick to my hole, he slowly pushed inside me.
As the burn and pressure swept through my body, I relaxed and pushed through it. I knew how this ended, and I wasn’t going to stop him now.
Gritting his teeth, he buried himself in me until his balls rested against my ass, and he panted against my cheek. “Oh my God, this feels so damn good.” With his hips still and dick fully inside me, he lifted his head and gazed deeply into my eyes. “You’re a dream come true, Rowan. God, I love you.”
“Love you too.” I threaded my fingers through the back of his hair and held on tightly. This was going to be the ride of my life.
“Ready?” He pulled out and hissed, dropping his face to my neck.
“Yes.” Wrapping my legs around his hips, I hooked my ankles. If my knee was hurting, I couldn’t feel it past the pleasure.
“Oh, fucking hell.” He groaned, and as he thrust again and again, his mouth met mine, and his tongue slipped inside, tangling with mine.
Sensation coiled inside me and my balls tingled as he pegged my prostate over and over. I had to hold out and not give in to it.
After a minute or so, his body trembled over mine and his thrusts became erratic. “Fuck, gonna come. You ready?” He brushed his cheek against mine, grabbed the remote next to my shoulder, and turned it on.
“Ready.” I clenched my jaw and turned my head, watching him fall apart.
His brows tensed and his mouth dropped open as he thrust his hard cock inside me and held it. “Oh fuck, coming.” He pulled out again and pushed inside, his hot cum filling me.
Sensation surged over me, and I fought against it. No, no, no, I wasn’t going to come. Not now. My dick pulsed between us, skimming his stomach, and a jolt of pleasure rippled through me. I was so fucking close.
As he calmed, he lifted off me. “Holy hell, Rowan, that was amazing.” He pressed a hard kiss on my lips, freed the plug from his ass, and tossed it to the floor. “Now it’s your turn.” With a smirk, he squirted lube on the smaller plug. “Lift up for me, and then put your legs down.” He tilted his head, focusing on my still rock-hard dick. “I’m going fuck myself on you, like the first time. How’s that?”
“Perfect.” He was probably concerned about my knee again with all the walking we had done that day. I lifted my knees to my armpits, and he slid the plug inside me like it was nothing. How much had he stretched me with his dick?
He patted my shins. “Okay, spread out.” He moved to the side while I straightened my legs.
“Word of warning, this is going to feel like nothing else.” With a coy grin, he straddled my hips, nudged my aching cock to his hole, and then came down.
“Oh fuck.” My body clenched as his tight heat enveloped me and pleasure rocketed through all my nerves. I slapped my hands on his hips.
“Good?” He leaned over and brushed a kiss on my lips, his dick sparking back to life.
“Great.” I focused on him as he lifted and lowered over me, my cock slipping in and out of his hole. The edge of climax teased me with each lift. “Close, babe. I almost came with you inside me, so…” There was no way I was stopping this now.
“Yeah? Okay.” He grabbed the remote, turned on the plug, and then bobbed faster on top of me. “Come for me, baby. God, you’re so fucking hot.”
The vibration on my prostate melded with the stroking of his hole over my dick, and an explosion of pleasure erupted inside me. My vision went dark, and my cock shot cum inside him in unforgiving pulses. I cried out and writhed under him, every nerve ending firing at once. As it slowed, only the humming vibration inside me remained.
He shut off the plug and fell over me, my dick sliding out of him. “Good?” He brushed his fingers over my cheeks. “Babe, you okay?” His gaze searched my face.
A warm buzz blanketed my whole body, and I snickered. “I-I don’t know. Is it possible to paralyze someone by coming too hard?”
Pressing a kiss on my lips, he chuckled and said, “I hope not. Move your fingers.”
I wiggled my fingers. “Nope, I’m good.” I yawned. “Let’s clean up and go to bed.” I was drained after all that, and cuddling in bed with the man I loved was the best.
A few weeks had passed, and I was back on the ice for our last game before Christmas break. We were up three to one against Omaha, finals were over, and I was scheduled to fly home tomorrow. I would be coming out to everyone, and then Tyler was lined up to meet my family a few days before New Year’s. Things were better than ever between us, on and off the ice.
I skated down the side of the boards with the puck.
After Cummings checked a winger about to grapple with me, I tossed him the puck and skated toward Omaha’s goal with him.
Hodge picked up his pace on the other side of the rink and twisted around. “Go, Cummings.”
With a whoosh past me, Omaha’s center closed in on Cummings.
“Fuck.” How did I not see that guy? I hightailed it down the ice after him.
The center hip-checked Cummings and stole the puck, then twisted around and headed back toward me. “How’s the knee, Mackenzie?” He cackled, flipped the puck to his winger, and stormed at me, his stick out.
The fucker was going to try and take out my knee again. I knew it. I braced for impact, crouching low on my skates. Apparently, he figured it’d be worth the penalty. “We’ve got a goon over here.”
“Not today.” Hodge came out of nowhere, skating between me and the center.
The center bashed into Hodge, throwing him to the ice.
“Ugh… Fucker!” Hodge rolled on his back, holding his helmeted head.
“Shit, you okay?” I skated to him. The fucker better not have hurt him. We were so close to having the perfect holiday, and Hodge had to make his flight to Chicago to meet with the Blackhawks.
The ref blew a whistle and play stopped.
I fell to my knees next to him, throwing off my gloves and placing my hand on his side. “Hodge, talk to me.”
He lay on his back, spread out on the ice, giving a blank stare to the roof of the barn.
What the fuck? My pulse ramped up. “Hodge?”
As a grin crawled along his lips, his gaze cut to mine, and he said, “No one fucks with my man.” He patted my hand with his glove. “Just got the wind knocked out of me.” He rolled over and hopped up. “Fuck, that was a hard hit. ”
“You took that for me.” I jumped onto my skates, bent over to grab my gloves and his stick, and as I pushed his stick at his chest, I said, “Don’t you dare get hurt for me.”
“Don’t tell me what to do.” He smirked and came in close. “Unless we’re in bed.” He grabbed his stick and tapped my ass with the end of it. “Come on, Coach wants us in.” With a snicker, he pushed on my lower back.
“Don’t scare me like that again.” Shaking my head, I huffed a laugh.
A day later, and I’d survived the near-death experience of having my younger brother, Aaron, drive me home from the airport through a snowstorm.
He parked Dad’s BMW 5 series in the garage and turned to me, his blond hair curling over his brows, his blue eyes focusing on me. “See? We made it home, even with all your whining and foot stomping.” He cackled and climbed out of the car.
“You almost hit that guy at the stoplight. You have to pump the breaks when there’s ice on the road.” With a light smile, I shook my head. It was good to be home and back to the normal banter with him. After stepping out of the car, I ambled to the trunk and grabbed my suitcase and my duffel, setting the suitcase on the floor of the garage. “Hey, a little help here?” Lifting my brows, I watched him stop at the side door of the garage.
“Oh. Why do hockey players always have so much shit?” He freed a soft snort, jogged to my side, and then lifted the handle on my suitcase. “You’re practicing at the rink while you’re home, right? With that friend of yours that’s visiting over New Year’s?”
“Yep. He’s my other half on the team.” And in real life, but I’d get to that with the family when I came out to everyone. I slung my duffel over my shoulder and glanced at the snow floating down over the long driveway running up the side of the house and to this garage, tucked away in the back. The houses in my neighborhood here in Somerville were all built in the early nineteen-hundreds, all three stories when you included the attics. “Hey, did Mom let you have the top floor all to yourself?” That used to be my room. But with me moving out, now I stayed in one of the guest rooms.
“She did.” He stopped and rapped his knuckles on my chest, his eyes narrowing. “Hey, Mom’s, uh, well, she’s having a flare-up.”
“Shit, she is?” How bad would it be this time? I scratched my brow, my gaze falling to my boots. “Why didn’t anyone tell me?” I faced him.
He shrugged. “Don’t know. I guess Dad didn’t want it to hurt your game now that your knee is better. He wants to see that agent of yours find a scout interested in you.” He bit the side of his lip. “Any prospects there?”
“No, not yet.” I’d been talking to Dean every week or so, and he’d had inquiries, but nothing solid. “My friend who’s coming to visit is doing a meet and greet with the Blackhawks tomorrow.” My friend …fuck, I didn’t like calling him that when he was so much more.
“Yeah, so I guess your fancy agent is doing something right.” He turned and stepped toward the driveway, only the tracks of the car’s tires cutting through the snow.
I wanted to know more about Mom. My breath caught. Would I be able to come out to her? Fuck. “So, how bad off is Mom?”
“She’s, uh…” He winced. “She’s either in a wheelchair or in bed. Dad got her a hospital bed.” He squeezed my arm. “She’s going to be wicked happy to see you.”
“Yeah, okay.” I inhaled deeply. I’d have to look cheerful, no matter what state she was in. I followed Aaron through the soft snow into the mudroom at the back of the house, toed off my boots, shucked off my jacket, and hung it on one of the many hooks between a few other jackets.
“Where is she now?” I pulled my sweater over my jeans and picked up my duffel. I’d have to figure out where everyone’s head was at before I said anything about Tyler and me. I didn’t need to fuck up our Christmas any more than it probably was.
“Dad has her set up in the office since it’s on this floor. Then we don’t have to haul her up and down the stairs.” He chuckled and led me through the kitchen Mom remodeled a few years ago. She’d opted for a modern look for the old house with walnut cabinets and white marble counters. But now, it sounded like she couldn’t even cook in it. Which… “Who’s cooking, Dad?”
“Yeah.” He stopped at the entry to the front room of the house and turned to me. “With help from us.”
“Of course.” With a nod, my chest clenched. We were all used to pitching in by now. I strolled beside him as he led me to the hallway where the office was.
Cupping his hand next to his mouth, he leaned in and said, “She’s here.”
With a nod, I took a deep breath, bracing myself. “Hey, Ma.” I strutted into the room.
Her gaunt face lit up, her shoulder-length hair in a ponytail. “Hi, Rowan.” She lay in her bed with the back raised so she could watch the television on the wall across the room, between bookshelves.
As my chest pinched, I wound my arms around her shoulders, hugging her as best I could and planting a kiss on her forehead. “It’s so good to see you.” I grabbed her cold hand, lying next to her legs on the bed. Her blue eyes were darker and more sunken than usual. “Having a bad time of it?”
She sighed. “Yes, it came on about a week ago.” She pursed her lips. “I’m so sorry, honey. I wanted to be up and around when you came home.”
“You gotta take care of yourself first.” Had she been overdoing it for the holiday? That wouldn’t surprise me. Shit, was it a good idea to have Tyler fly out here still? I’d have to gauge how things went over the next couple of days .
“I am. I’ve got all you boys here to help me out now.” She gave my hand a weak squeeze.
“We’ll take good care of you, Ma.” I glanced at Aaron, who was cupping his chin and studying us. He was really concerned this time. I could see it all over his face. Good thing his football season was over.
“I know you will, dear.” She gave me a soft smile.
“Hi, boys.” Dad peeked his head of dark hair into the room, his brown eyes intense behind his black glasses. Rapping on the open door, he said, “Now that you’ve seen Rowan is home and safe, you need to rest, Sharon.” He snapped his brows up. “Right?”
Crossing her arms over her chest, Mom said, “Yes, I’ll take my nap now.” She huffed, then gave me a sheepish look. “Your father is determined to make sure I don’t have any fun this Christmas.”
Dad stepped farther into the room. “No, I’m determined to see you better before Rowan has to go back to Arizona.” With a small grin, he tutted.
This was always how it went, Dad forcing Mom to rest, which was what she was supposed to be doing. “Ma, get your nap in. I’ll be here when you wake up.” I kissed her forehead and squeezed her shoulder. “Love you.”
“Love you too, honey. I’m glad you’re home.” She ticked a brow. “And I can’t wait to meet your friend in a few days.”
“Sure.” Pressing my lips together, I glanced at Aaron and strolled out the door beside him and Dad, with Dad closing the door as we walked into the hallway. Now, I couldn’t tell Tyler not to come out. I just hoped him seeing my mom like this wouldn’t scare him too much about his own mother.
“Let’s go and talk in the kitchen.” Dad, wearing a white cable-knit sweater with gray slacks, had probably just come home from work.
“Sure.” I snuck a peek at Aaron, who was frowning. Were things even worse than they looked ?
Dad strolled to the dinette off the kitchen, a glass table with low-backed, upholstered green chairs. Snow drifted softly down outside the windows next to us. He pulled out a chair and sat in it.
I dropped into the chair next to Dad’s. “So, how bad is it?” I tented my hands over the table.
Aaron stepped into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door. “Anybody want something to drink?” He pulled out a bottle of orange Gatorade.
“Yeah, grab me one of those too, will ya?” I breathed through the tightness in my chest. With me gone, Aaron was probably the one Dad had been leaning on.
“I’m okay.” Dad shifted in his seat.
Grabbing another bottle of Gatorade, Aaron made his way to us and handed me one.
I twisted off the cap, sipped it, and set it on the table. “Talk to me, Dad.” I flicked my gaze between him and Aaron.
“She fell a few days ago and didn’t want to tell us the flare-up had started. So, we didn’t catch it early.” Dad sighed. “She thought she was going to ruin our Christmas.”
Aaron twisted his bottle on the table, staring at it. “She has some wicked bruises on her legs. I found her on the floor when I got home from school.” He shook his head. “Hell, I thought maybe she’d broken them.”
Dad pursed his lips. “She’s been, I don’t know, depressed this time around.” He knitted his brows and pushed his glasses up his nose. “Let’s make sure she gets the rest she needs and…” He locked his gaze on mine. “I know you have your friend coming out in a few days. Maybe spend more time with her before he gets here, okay?”
“Do you think maybe I should tell him not to visit?” Fuck, no way could I come out to the family now. I drank my Gatorade, forcing my disappointment deep inside me. If the time wasn’t right, it wasn’t right .
“I don’t know.” Dad dipped his head, pushing his finger across the edge of the table.
But I wanted to be with Tyler for New Year’s Eve. He was supposed to meet Teddy. “Uh, my friend’s mom has MS too. She was just diagnosed a few months ago.” I studied Dad. I wasn’t sure why I blurted that out, and fuck, I didn’t know what I wanted to do here.
“Really?” Dad glanced at Aaron and then focused on me. “Well, I suppose he’ll be more understanding of the situation then.” He twisted his lips. “I’ll leave it up to you.”
“Yeah, okay.” I’d call Tyler as soon as I took my shit to my room. I rubbed over the tightness in my chest with the heel of my hand.
Aaron stopped twisting his bottle. “I was kind of looking forward to meeting Tyler. I mean, his brother’s an NHL player, and he might end up with the Blackhawks, right? That’s wicked cool.” He arched a brow at me and then Dad.
With a smirk, Dad chucked. “Yeah, your mother was a little starstruck too.”
“I’ll talk to him and let you know what we decide.” I stood from the table. I already knew what I wanted, and that was to have Tyler by my side through this. Maybe we’d have to hide our relationship for now, but I needed him here with me.
“Okay.” Dad rose and held out his arms. “I’m glad you’re home, son.”
Falling into his arms, I gave him a brief hug. “I’m happy to be here.”
A half-hour later, I’d unpacked my things into one of our upstairs guest rooms and looked over the queen-sized bed with a thick gray duvet and lots of pillows. I’d have to find a way to sneak Tyler in here after everyone was asleep. With my lips curling into a soft grin, I grabbed my phone off the dark wooden dresser and called Tyler, glancing at the closed door to the room.
The phone rang a few times and picked up. “Hey, babe.”
“Hey, hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time.” It was so good to hear his voice. My heart ached as my gaze swept to the window, the darkness descending on the gray evening light. The snow had stopped for now.
“There’s never a bad time to talk to you.” He chuckled. “How’s the family?”
I sank onto the edge of the bed and freed a long exhale. “Mom’s in the middle of a bad flare-up.” I rubbed my eyes with my thumb and index finger. I’d just blurted that shit out, but I couldn’t help myself. I needed him.
“Shit, really? Like how bad? Is she in the hospital?” he asked.
“No, she’s at home. Dad put her in the office in a hospital bed though.” I swallowed thickly. Was he even going to want to come visit now? “She seemed in good spirits when I got here, but Dad says she’s been depressed.”
“So…” He exhaled. “Does this change things?”
“I, yeah, I think it does. I don’t think I want to come out to my family about us. Not this time around.” I pinched my lips. This sucked, and it wasn’t quite fair to him, especially since his family knew all about us. “B-but I still want you to come here for New Year’s.”
Only silence filtered through the phone.
Shit, was he mad at me? “Tyler?” I propped my elbow on my thigh and my forehead in my hand.
“Sorry, I was thinking,” he said. “If you still want me there, I want to come. It can’t be easy for you right now.” He huffed a breath. “Fuck, I’d be losing my shit if it were my mom.”
“Yeah, it’s not easy, but I am sort of used to it. But this time seems worse. I don’t remember her ever getting depressed before.” I worried my lower lip. “And she lost her balance and fell. My brother says her legs are so bruised that he was sure she’d broken them.” My eyes stung. This sucked. “Tyler? I need you.” A ragged ache snuck through me.
“Then I’ll be there. Hell, maybe I can leave earlier, like the day after Christmas,” he said.
“No, you don’t have to change your plans.” I dropped my arm and threw myself backward on the bed. He was being really cool about this. “I’m sorry about not coming out to them right now.”
“I understand, babe. Don’t beat yourself up about it.” He clicked his tongue. “What’s important is that we’ll be together, and I’ll get to meet Teddy and see where you grew up.”
Way, way cool… “Thank you.” I thought a moment. Enough about me. “What’s going on with Chicago? You see them tomorrow, right?” I stared at the ceiling, the lamp on the nightstand leaving a round glow.
“Yep, I’m meeting with them tomorrow at nine a.m.,” he said. “My brother gets in on Christmas Eve, and my mom’s doing well on her meds.”
“That’s good to hear.” I freed a long sigh. At least one of us wasn’t in a crisis right now. “Say hi to them for me. I can’t wait to meet them in person someday.” When would that be? Graduation maybe? Our future together was still so unknown. Except we’d be together in some way.
“I’ll definitely say hello. My mom has already asked all sorts of questions about you.” He freed a quick laugh. “Rowan, take care of yourself, and I’ll be there soon.”
“Can’t wait.” A smile teased my lips. It would all be okay. My phone buzzed in my hand, and I held it to my face to read the message.
Teddy
Are you in town yet? When can we get together?
“Hey, it’s my friend, Teddy. I’ll call you later, okay?” I sat up on the bed and raked my fingers through my hair. It might be good to talk to him about the situation too. Maybe I was being too careful by not coming out?
“Sure. You two have fun, but not too much fun. You know what I mean?”
“Tyler Hodge, are you jealous?” My heart lightened. “We have no gay bar plans.” But how different would it be to go into one around here with Teddy now? No, I’d wait on that until Tyler got here. Then I could show him off.
“Good. Love you, Rowan,” he said.
“Love you too.” Emotion flared inside me. It was like he had my back, even from thousands of miles away.
“Okay, see you soon. Bye, babe.”
“Bye.” I ended the call, opened my text messages, and typed.
Rowan
I’m here. How about the night after Christmas? We can meet up at Michael’s, maybe?
I smirked. Michael’s Bar was the biggest dive bar around and the place we used to go to when we were underage. It was an old favorite.
Teddy
Sounds great. See you around eight?
Rowan
It’s a plan.
This was perfect. It gave me time to visit with Mom and the family over the holiday and then talk to Teddy in person before Tyler got here.
Knocking jiggled my door.
“Yeah?” I stood from the bed. “Come in.”
The door swung open, and Danny ambled into my room, his dark hair falling to his cheekbones and blue eyes bright under his thick lashes. His hoodie and jeans were dripping off him. The guy needed to eat a few burgers .
“Hey, man, good to see you.” I stepped to him and wrapped him up. With all his nerdiness, the guy was a good hugger. Go figure.
“I’m glad you’re home.” He set his cheek on my shoulder while his arms wound around my waist.
“Hey, you okay?” Maybe this thing with Mom was getting to him. I squeezed him and let him go.
Stepping back, he pursed his lips. “I’m okay. I’m, uh…” He glanced toward the open door behind him. “Just worried, you know?”
“Yeah, I know.” I threw an arm around his shoulders and hugged him to my side. “She’ll be okay. We’ve been through this before.”
He hung his head and nodded. “How’s the hockey going at ASU?” He peeked at me from under his long bangs.
“Good.” He didn’t know much about hockey, so I wasn’t going to bore him with the details. “My D-line partner is coming to visit between Christmas and New Year’s.” I freed him, and we both dropped onto the end of my bed.
“Yeah, I heard.” He peered at me. “I don’t remember you ever bringing a hockey friend home before. Why him?” He tilted his head, studying me.
He was a smart fucker. What could I tell him? With a shrug, I said, “I don’t know. I guess we hit it off and thought it would be fun.”
“Is he thinking about signing with the Bruins? Like, why would he want to come to Boston?” He narrowed his eyes further.
I gaped at him a moment. What the hell could I say to that? “No, he’s actually having talks with the Blackhawks in Chicago.”
“Oh.” With a small smirk, he rubbed his hands on his thighs. “Did you tell him about Mom yet?” His gaze swung to mine.
“I did. His mom was diagnosed with MS a few months ago. He understands.” I eyed him. Was he worried about what Tyler would think about Mom’s illness? “Don’t worry, he understands.”
Nodding slowly, he sighed and stood. “Okay.”
“Hey, Mom says you’ve decided to go to MIT.” I rose beside him. It was best to change the subject.
His face lit up. “Yeah, I’ve already spoken with an advisor for the college. Some of my teachers have written recommendation letters, and they might let me start taking classes early, when I’m a senior.”
“Shit, really?” Goddamn, this kid had his life in order. I patted his back. “I’m proud of you, Danny.”
“Thanks. I can’t wait to hear what NHL team you end up with.” He stepped toward the doorway. “And this friend of yours, can’t wait to meet him too.” He arched a brow and left the room with a small wave.
Holy shit, what was he getting at? My eyes widened. Could he have heard my conversation with Tyler before he came in? I planted my hands on my hips. Nothing I could do about it now.