18. Tamales & Concussions
Chapter eighteen
Tamales & Concussions
Our apartment smells like testosterone and Mexican food with a dash of post-shower locker room thrown in. I inhale deeply, taking it in.
Perfection.
Benji grabs me from behind, squeezing as my legs lift up in the air. “Great spread, Ro.”
“Put me down!” I swat at his arms, which is a bit like a midge swatting a bear. “Watch you don’t put your back out, Gramps.”
He steals a tamale from my carefully prepared platter without breaking a sweat, grinning as he dances back out of reach. “Have you seen these reflexes?”
“You’ll need them.” I bite down on my grin as his chewing slows. “Katie’s on her way.”
His face erupts in an interesting shade of scarlet. I bang on his back when he starts coughing. “Deep breaths. Have a juice.”
He takes one with a nod and another cough, taking cover behind the couch. Ryker, Dylan, Jonas and a few others are already embroiled in a game, chirping in full flow and tossing popcorn at the screen.
“Ace fuckers, going down.” Ryker smashes a button on the controller with glee. “Wish it was that easy on the ice. Did you see that clapper Yukov scored against the Bruins?”
"Remy's clipped it for tomorrow. Reckons there's a hole somewhere on Yukov's left." Dylan boos when Ryker smashes a puck to the corner of his net.
Jonas snorts. “That fucker hasn’t got a weakness. Absolute tank.”
“Unlike you.” Benji taps the back of his head. “Keep snuggling that blue line like a comfort blanket and see what happens.”
“You weren’t kidding.” Lauren turns away from the far counter, a tray of carefully cut limes in her hands that she puts down between the rows of tacos. “I didn’t know anyone could eat this much.”
I haven’t even served yet, and we’ve lost at least two trays. I slap Liam’s hand away when he tries a sneak tamale attack under my arm. He darts around and swoops a taco from in front of Lauren instead, the two of them locking gazes. Lauren flushes at the small smile he offers her.
I want to throw a tamale at his damn head.
My faint retching sound isn’t picked up by anyone but them. They exchange a brief, silent glance that I have no part in.
We were doing so well.
Noah sets down a crate of beer on the counter, breaking my stare. “Where’d you want these?”
I turn away from the show, ignoring my twisting stomach in favor of watching hockey players scramble under my orders to stack plates and count napkins.
Katie squeals over the crowd. “Benji!”
I slam a hand over my mouth to muffle my laughter, watching her zero in on our helpless goalie and shimmy up to him. Ethan is grinning, his eyes on his omega as she wraps herself around a scarlet Benji. He pats her shoulder. “Hey, Katie. Uh. Ethan.”
“Hey.” Ethan is clearly holding back his own laughter. He rescues Benji with a whisper in Katie’s ear and a nudge that has her bounding up and throwing her arms around me.
I grip her tightly. Probably too tightly, but she only squeezes me tighter. “You always put on a phenomenal spread. I’m starving.”
Her eyes narrow at Lauren. My sister-wife is rooting around in the fridge, searching for hot sauce I’m pretty sure I saw in Noah’s hands a few minutes ago. “Who’s this?”
The lie catches in my throat. “Oh. Um. Lauren. My new boss.”
Katie dismisses her and turns back to me. “This sounds like new information. We have to do lunch. Tell me you’re free next week and not drowning in season prep.”
“Yo, assholes!”
Everyone turns to the doorway, greetings yelled out. Carter pushes through the scrum to get to Tyler. “Back it up, you animals.”
Carter claps our winger on the shoulder. “Didn’t think you could make it tonight. Everything good with Maddie?”
“Eh.” Tyler is grinning. “Thought we’d introduce the newest member of the team.”
He laughs at our shocked faces. “You have to be quiet though. Not you, Cap. The rest of you fuckers.”
Katie and I exchange glances before diving between Noah and Liam to get to the front.
Tyler is beaming as Maddie appears beside him, the hum of the elevator doors the only sound.
“We’re not staying.” She’s smiling, too. A small bundle is cradled against her chest. “It’s past Tyler’s bedtime, but we wanted to say hey.”
Twenty hockey players immediately jostle to get as close as possible. Carter ends up at the front, Benji behind him and Liam on his other side.
“Aw, man.” I hear Jonas’s mutter from somewhere toward the back of the line.
“I’m gonna cry,” Katie whispers. “First team baby mascot. My hormones can’t take this.”
She looks up at the ceiling and waves her hands theatrically in front of her eyes. “I’m not wearing waterproof mascara.”
“This is Ria.” Maddie proudly holds out the bundle to Carter. “Say hi to your Uncle Cap.”
Carter’s face wavers as he carefully accepts the bundle of pink blankets, tucking it into his chest. He doesn’t say anything. The lump in my throat grows as I watch him stare down at the baby.
“Huh,” he croaks finally. “Dawson actually made a cute kid. Who knew?”
“You crying, Cap?”
“Shut it.”
But he’s blinking. My heart melts when Ria makes a small noise, and Carter shifts his hips, swaying and murmuring. “I know. There’s a lot of very big alphas in this room.”
“She should meet her Aunty Rosie next.” Maddie carefully takes Ria back, turning to me. “Since she’d only shove Benji out of the way anyway.”
“Absolutely true.” Laughter ripples as I carefully accept the bundle. She’s almost too small to see, a tiny little squishy face that pouts as I curve my arms under her and try to breathe evenly. “Look at you, sweetheart. You’re perfect.”
“I know.” My friend is grinning. “She’s all me, don’t you think?”
I think I need to wipe my eyes before I accidentally baptize their kid. “You sure you don’t want to stay? We’ll pack you guys some food.”
“Totally not the reason we came.” Tyler wraps his arm around my shoulders and beams down at his daughter. “Did you know they make baby Titan jerseys? So cute.”
Maddie rolls her eyes, but she looks at me hopefully. “Definitely the reason we came. We’re running out of your meals, Ro. Figured we’d pay the baby tax and stock up.”
“Absolutely.” I reluctantly relinquish Ria to a freakishly comfortable Benji. The singing starts before I turn around. I don’t know how he thinks a baby will respond to hard rock, but it’s sweet. “I was going to drop some more off for you, so you’ve got great timing.”
Katie grabs both me and Maddie, yanking us into a group hug. “You’ll come for lunch, right, Mads? Bring the new mascot too. I’ll have my cuddles when a hockey player isn’t gonna wrestle her off me.”
“Hell, yes.” Maddie groans into my neck. “I desperately need some conversation that isn’t hockey-related. Please.”
When Katie finally loosens her octopus grip, I rummage in the cupboard to find a Tupperware lid that matches before filling it with food, listening to Maddie’s imitation of Tyler’s baby talk.
I’m still smiling when I spot Lauren.
She hovers awkwardly in the corner of the kitchen, hugging an empty bottle of beer as she watches everyone gather around Ria. There’s a longing in her expression that I recognize all too well. I take a step to offer her a refill, to invite her over here, I don’t know—but instead I turn around.
Liam has Ria. She looks so small against his bulk, but he’s cradling her with hands bigger than her entire, tiny body. And he’s looking back at Lauren with a soft, secret smile.
It’s a smile that says this could be us. He’s never looked at me that way.
It feels like… a loss. Like I’ve lost something I didn’t know was missing until now. Something vital, torn away and handed to somebody else. My lips part on a sharp inhale, a phantom knife sliding between my lungs, piercing and sudden and sharp enough that I fold over at the waist.
“Shit—” I jerk forward, trying to catch the tamales that slip out of the tilted bowl in my hands. They spatter across my feet as my head connects with the marble counter in a thud that could probably be heard in the furthest quarters of Blackwater.
My ass hits the ground a moment later, coated in pork and cheese and pico de gallo. “Fucking ow.”
I shove my hand against the blooming agony in my skull as a dozen arms reach for me. I shake my head, trying to hide the tears I can’t stop. “Give me a minute.”
“I’ve got you.” Liam lifts me easily, his hands cradling my skull. “That’s going to hurt tomorrow.”
“We need to get that checked out.” Carter probes it carefully, wincing at my flinched hiss of pain. “Could be a concussion.”
Jonas runs his hand over my hair. “Need some water?”
I wobble on my feet, and Carter’s expression morphs into something deeper. He takes a breath, his eyes flying to my face. “Ro?”
I can’t look at Liam. Lauren is here somewhere too, asking in the background if there’s anything she can do. The perfect, helpful omega who’s sliding into spaces I always thought were mine.
Spaces that should be mine. But… how can they be, now that she’s here?
How did I think this might work?
There are other voices too, fighting with the growing buzzing in my head. I try to push the hands away that press cold cloths against my head. I don’t want them to touch me.
“Rosie.” Liam says my name. It doesn’t sound like the first time he’d said it, a hint of exasperation threading through. “You need to keep this on the bump, okay?”
“I—I need—”
It doesn’t sound like my voice. It’s too quiet, too shaky. “I need some quiet. Please.”
I push the hands away again. “I’m fine. Give me a minute.”
“I’ll take her.” Jonas slides his arms around me, lifting me up. “Bedroom, Ro?”
“I’m calling a doctor.” Carter looks unnerved. He leans in and inhales again, our eyes meeting. “Everyone back off. Give her some space.”
“What is that? Her scent?” Jonas presses his nose into my hair, the words only between us. He looks up at Liam as I watch him woozily. “Injury?”
“Maybe. Doctor will check her out.” I watch him turn to check on his other omega, and I almost vomit.