Chapter 4
Four
Sebastian
Iwalk up to the dude holding the leash of the little black puppy that Enzo hasn’t stopped petting since it arrived and try to get my son’s attention to no avail.
He’s obsessed, and I’m as good as chopped liver.
He’s exactly like his mother, who was just as dog-crazy and wanted a puppy like this.
I’d promised her we’d get a dog after Enzo was born, but, well, that didn’t work out how we expected.
We’d gotten the stuffed dog that Enzo now carries everywhere as a placeholder and put it in the crib in Enzo’s room while she was still pregnant.
Every time I see it, it reminds me of her love for dogs that was passed on to my boy.
I cried like a fucking baby when Enzo started reaching for it out of habit, pressing the voice recording to listen to his mother’s voice, and I realized he was attached to the toy like Eliana thought he would be.
I run my palm over my face to rid myself of the memory and try for something lighthearted when I finally speak to the quiet wall of a man cloaked in flannel and serious demeanor. “Hope my kid isn't being too much of a bother. He loves dogs and can never get enough of them whenever they’re around.”
The guy looks at me with the most intense sapphire blue eyes I’ve ever seen. He gives me a quick up and down while his face stays impassive. Then, like he’s judged me worthy of it, his eyes soften at the corners, and he allows himself to smile, which changes his features completely.
He relaxes out of his military-type stance, easing his boots into a more comfortable position and putting his previously clasped hands in the back pockets of his faded jeans, the leash hanging off his wrist now as he angles his body toward me.
He goes from a stony-faced man who was on guard, taking in his surroundings like he knew where every exit was and considered each person in the room a threat, to looking like someone I’d enjoy shooting the shit with over a beer.
It’s unnerving how quickly the change takes place, and how much it causes me to relax my guard, which I didn't even realize was up.
“Yeah, me too. No wonder I ended up with ten dogs and a barn full of puppies to train, with a business centered on them.”
He chuckles, the sound rich and self-deprecating, which makes me smile. His voice is deep, but the smile on his lips lends a friendliness that makes me like him right away. He gives off good people vibes, despite my initial impression of hard ass.
“Do you have dogs?” he asks.
“Oh, no. Kind of hard to have a pet when I travel so much with the team. Poor kid has to make do with the stuffed variety instead, and get his fill whenever we come across a live one like this.”
I nod down at the ground where Enzo is on his stomach, the puppy licking his ears as he giggles and rolls around. He’s the last kid still playing with the puppy. Everyone else has lost interest and gone to get snacks or play in other areas of the room where crafts have been put out.
I stick out my hand. “I’m Sebastian Montenegro. My teammates call me Monty.”
He flashes me another grin, and I notice a bit of a dimple in one cheek that can be seen through his short beard.
He probably has a baby face without the facial hair.
I’d grow a beard too if that were the case.
He seems around my age, but I can never tell.
I’m in my late twenties, but being a single parent has aged me and taken some of the carefree ease of youth from me.
“I’m Tucker Covington. It’s nice to meet you.”
He takes my hand and shakes it firmly without the bone-squeezing macho bullshit some guys tend to do when sizing up a professional athlete.
It feels good, and I don't know why I hold on a little longer than necessary. He’s the one who lets go first and flexes his hand quickly before crossing his arms over his flannel-covered chest. I probably weirded him out, and that’s so embarrassing.
I look down at my hands and try to figure out what to do with them now that they’ve gotten me into this weird spot. I mirror his posture and cross my arms.
“So, you’re on the team? What, uh, position do you play?” he asks, in a clear attempt to make small talk.
I bite my lip to stifle a laugh, relief washing through me that he didn’t just brush me off after that. “You have no interest in hockey, do you, Tucker?”
He looks down and laughs, red flooding his cheeks.
“None at all. I don’t know a thing about the sport.
My sister is the one who arranged all this.
I just deal with the dogs,” he says, bringing a hand up and running it over his chin.
“To be honest, I’m not good with the people part of this business.
I’m just doing my best to not look like I’m in pain or have RBF, as she says. ”
I do laugh now. “You did look pretty stiff for a bit there, but the puppy helps soften you up. You can’t look all that mean when you have a floppy little dog at your feet, you know?”
“Thank God for that. It wouldn’t be the first time a dog has saved me, and I know it won't be the last.”
He rocks back on his heels and looks down between us, letting the conversation drop.
I’m enjoying this back and forth, and curious about him.
I find Tucker interesting in a way I hadn’t expected, and now I wanna see why, so I’m not ready to end the conversation.
I look for another topic to keep him talking.
“Is it hard to train dogs?” I ask.
“Is it hard to learn how to play hockey?” he questions back.
I blink, not expecting that. He has a clear inquisitiveness on his face that holds no animosity, so I take it seriously.
“Well, I guess at first, yeah, of course it is. You have to learn how to skate and get comfortable with basic skills. Then you start building on the foundation, and eventually, you get better. I’ve been playing for so many years now, I don't even think about it half the time, but I still have to practice daily.”
“Exactly.”
“That’s it? Just ‘exactly?’” I ask as my brows raise in confusion.
“You said what I would have, why should I repeat it to you?” He smiles smugly.
I take a half step back, laughing in surprise. That was something Eliana would have done when she won an argument. She was smug as hell and loved to rub it in my face when she was right. I swallow against the peculiar feeling the comparison brings on.
“Okay, fine. I get it. You have a foundation of training, and you practice daily to keep it sharp.” I lick my lips, trying to put my world back on its axis after that smile knocked me over.
He nods slowly, like he’s encouraging me to think deeper, and there’s more I should be saying. I rub a palm across my face as I stare at him.
“And I’m sure every dog is different, so no two are trained the same,” I say slowly.
“See, my job’s easy. Looks like you understand it just fine, Sebastian.” He says my name with deep approval and a warm smile.
My stomach contracts and my chest expands with a feeling I haven’t experienced in a long time, and it confuses the hell out of me.
Does his approval make me what—giddy or something?
Is it how he said my name? What is this exactly that’s giving me a rush of nerves and anticipation, like I’m picking up a date for the first time?
I shake my head slowly to clear it of the confusion.
Enjoy it.
The thought is so loud and insistent in my brain, I could have sworn Eliana yelled it in my ear herself. It was something she was always trying to drive home for me. She wanted me to enjoy the little moments.
Is this her way of telling me I need to enjoy this puppy she would have loved?
Something hits the back of my legs, throwing me off balance and pitching me forward.
I attempt to counterbalance, taking a step forward just as Tucker experiences the phenomenon, and also corrects.
We end up falling into each other, hands grappling and arms tangling in the next breath as our chests collide and our cheeks brush.
Tucker’s sudden inhale is sharp and shaky against my ear, and it has my breath catching as awareness lights up my entire body with his proximity.
The sound of his breathing manages to slow my racing mind unlike anything has before.
The constant stream of thoughts fades away, and all I know is our closeness, the warm rush of air against my skin as he breathes, and his solid, unyielding form I’m pressed against.
Enzo laughs, bringing me back to the moment acutely, and the puppy chases him, winding the leash once more around our legs and trapping us together.
My oblivious kid falls to the ground giggling and rolls out of sight with the puppy when the leash runs out of slack, keeping Tucker and me locked together.
I sigh, listening to my son having the time of his life while I’m pressed against a stranger closer than I’ve been to anyone in years, without intentionally making it so.
Tucker shifts against me, reminding me that I’m not alone in this predicament.
And now I need to say something to ease the awkwardness, or he’ll think I’m a freak.
“Oh, hell, I’m so sorry he did that,” I mumble, trying to pull away and reach for the leash wrapped around our calves.
In doing so, it just pushes our lower bodies together, given our close heights, and that feels a little too intimate as our dicks graze.
Tucker makes an uncomfortable noise and grabs my arms to pull me back up quickly.
I catch his shocked blue eyes and furiously red cheeks as he holds my biceps to keep me still.
We stare at each other with wide eyes, not sure what to do, knowing that moving is going to make for an awkward situation neither of us is prepared for.