Chapter Six
BECKETT
I drummed the surface of the soccer table as the guys gathered at crawling speed. Jordan had been in the basement when I arrived. Asher, too. Upon entering, I discovered a thick air of awkwardness that was best left unaddressed. My mental capacity to deal with drama was used up.
Paxton walked in with Avery, and then Sawyer joined them.
I oversaw the slow gathering from my corner, arms crossed on my chest, thoughts directed at the topics we needed to discuss tonight.
Sebastian and Tyler swaggered in, Sebastian’s arm thrown over Tyler’s shoulders, slender fingers idly playing with Tyler’s ear.
A thought crossed my mind, but I labeled it with a ‘None of my business’ tag.
Instantly, I wondered why I couldn’t label Caden’s extracurricular activities the same way.
Maybe because he was pushing his hookups down my throat.
Whenever I had crossed his path in the last three weeks, Caden had been surrounded by a cloud of cologne, making a pointed remark about whether he would top or bottom.
It was possible that I had provoked him with a careless joke about Uncle Nate and me cockblocking him that one night.
Whatever the case, he hadn’t dropped it.
And I didn’t need to know about the details.
Not that it mattered. Except…they made my chest tighten.
And my stomach felt weird. Sometimes, when I saw Caden at Thirsty Thinker, and he made eye contact with me before grabbing some random guy’s collar and tonguing him shamelessly, it made me a little nauseous, which was weird.
I’d never been bothered before, like when I accidentally walked in on Cameron and Riley making out in this basement last year.
But I squirmed now. And I wouldn’t think about it any longer because there were more important matters to deal with.
The basement was crowded with almost everyone who was on the team. A few of our reserve guys, who lived in dormitories rather than in the team house, had joined us for the meeting. They were as much part of the team as anyone, although relationships and commitments compelled them to live elsewhere.
Finally, the diva of the evening strolled in fashionably late.
I rolled my eyes as soon as my gaze landed on him.
His dark hair was ruffled and his bright green eyes twinkled with amusement.
His perfectly straight nose with the slightly upturned end looked like he was always sneering with righteousness.
His high cheekbones were something people considered pretty.
“Let’s get this over with,” I announced as soon as Caden shut the basement door.
His eyebrows flattened on his face as he went to stand by one of the sofas.
“We’re here because there’s been some muttering that things are getting out of hand.
” I glanced around the room. Jordan gave a heavy nod, but Caden was expressionless.
We made eye contact and I waited for him to look away, but he was defiant.
After a while, I surrendered and looked around again.
“Some teammates expressed their unhappiness with how things are unfolding. And that’s fair, I guess.
But I’d like to hear it from everyone. It’s no secret that not everyone gets along, but that’s been the case for as long as there have been teams. I want to give you all a chance to speak your mind now.
Are you bothered? Are you indifferent? Do we have problems?
” I spread my arms in a gesture of openness.
The silence seemed eternal. Everyone wanted someone else to kick things off.
I was perfectly happy to wait. I crossed my arms again and watched them all in turn. Finally, it was Sawyer who broke the silence.
“It’s just that we had this last year,” he said. “It’s getting repetitive.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “This isn’t even similar.”
Sebastian snorted. “It sort of is. And we all know how that played out.”
“Shut up,” I snapped. Riley and Cameron had been lovers with a rocky past long before they reunited here.
Their relationship had been dripping with resentment and it culminated the only way it could have.
Implying that there were parallels between that and what was going on now was not just wrong, but insulting.
I avoided Caden’s steely look after a single, accidental glance.
“We’re here to talk about serious things, not fuck around.
Jordan, you had a lot to say earlier. Why don’t you make your case. ”
Jordan exhaled. “Dude, I’m not your enemy, so don’t act like it.”
“I never said you were.” We stared at each other until he nodded.
Exhaling one more time, Jordan pretty much said all the things he’d said last night.
He reminded Caden how dangerous his slander could be.
He told me I was poking Caden relentlessly.
And he finished by saying that the team dynamics had never been worse and we both needed to bear some responsibility.
“So what do you propose?” I asked. My gaze went over all their faces until I met Caden’s. We looked into each other’s eyes and cold fury radiated from both of us. The question I asked was for everyone, but my eyes never left his. “Should one of us go away?”
Caden didn’t flinch. Part of me believed he’d expected this.
A bigger part of me was certain he had wanted to hear this.
His actions had stalled our practice house considerably.
The guy was obviously quitting but didn’t have the balls to say the words.
More and more, I thought that Caden wished to be kicked out.
That way, he wouldn’t have to own up to that decision, but he would have his way.
And a very spiteful shard of my soul wanted to tie the fucker to this team and force him to stay, just so I could ruin his plans.
When I finally looked around, I discovered that Asher cringed, Jordan slouched, Tyler’s ears perked, Sebastian’s eyes widened, and Sawyer’s narrowed as he gave a slow shake of his head. Paxton frowned, Kieran looked away, and Finn bristled. “Hey, it’s just a thought.”
“Beckett,” Jordan said sternly.
I looked into his eyes. “I never said it should be him. If you guys want me to go, I’ll go. Is that where we’re at?” I kept my face emotionless even though it was heating up. My bluff was too close to home.
“Maybe you should just step down as the captain,” Caden said curtly.
“Maybe you should go stroke one out, imagining you’re the captain.” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. God damn him, he knew how to trigger me.
“Fuck off,” Caden snapped. “This is why we can’t do shit. Our captain is equally obsessed with our on-ice performance as he is with our bedroom drills.”
“I’m not obsessed with what you’re drilling, Jones.
I’m just bored of seeing the queue in front of your room.
” He wasn’t bringing that many guys over as he visited, but I allowed myself the poetic liberty.
It made Caden’s nostrils flare and his eyes light up with rage.
He would soon jump at me and show everyone how ready he was for a fight.
As I’d expected, Caden made a quick step forward. “What the fuck is this infatuation with my sex life, Partridge? Are you that depraved?”
“Guys, guys,” Jordan called. He stood up and spread his arms like he would push us to opposite sides if we made a quick move.
“This is what we’re trying to tell you. Can’t you see how miserable everyone looks?
No offense.” He added the last part with a shrug at the other guys.
“Remember when we had team meetings at the bar? Remember twelve dares? Two truths and a lie? We used to bond, goddammit. And look at us now. Nobody wants to be here because you two nutheads can’t let go.
So, no. We don’t want one of you to bow out.
We want you two to get along. And I mean, get along.
I wanna see you work out whatever shit’s gone down between you, then go out there and fucking play some hockey. ”
I snorted at the same time as Caden. “Or else?” I had the satisfaction of asking that question before Caden could.
There was no way in hell I would work with him.
The fucker was in the wrong and he owed me an apology for his behavior.
Even then, he would stick to his moral high ground and send me those snide looks of superiority, so I doubted I would ever be more than this to him.
Jordan sighed and shook his head. “You’re missing the point, buddy,” he said resignedly. “Nobody wants the alternative. Guys? Raise your hand if you like Plan A.”
All hands went up except Caden’s and my own.
Neither of us looked at the other, although I watched him from the corner of my eyes.
His pursed lips, the messy lock of dark hair falling over his eye, the Cupid’s Bow above his upper lip.
He was probably thinking about sucking some guy’s dick instead of hockey, anyway.
What the fuck? I shouted mentally at myself.
Not only did I have no reason to care about that, but I shocked even myself with the amount of hate the thought filled me with.
I glanced over at Sebastian. His hand was resting on the back of Tyler’s head.
He was lazily moving his fingers through Tyler’s curls, probably unaware. I felt nothing.
Not that they dated. I didn’t know what the hell was up with them.
Last I knew, Tyler was talking to some chick from out of town and Sebastian had hooked up with a girl just last week.
Still, they were all over one another half the time I saw them.
They might call it platonic, but the ideas they gave me were clear.
And more importantly, it never bothered me.
“And what is the alternative?” Caden asked defiantly.
For once, I verbally took his side. “I’d like to know that, too.”
Jordan slouched and looked down, then up at us both in turn.
“I think I speak for everyone when I say this, but correct me if I’m wrong.
If neither of you can get over this feud, then you should both do this team a favor and go.
” He averted his gaze from mine when he said those words.
“Beckett, I’m sorry. You’ll always be like a brother to me, but this can’t impact our team.
” I noticed Asher roll his eyes. It was funny how Jordan called me his brother when he had spent half his life denying it to Asher, except that it was so messed up.
“Your beef split us in half.” Jordan’s voice hardened.
“If one leaves and the other stays, it’ll solve nothing.
So, you can either pack your shit and go or do what you were supposed to be doing from the start.
Sit down and talk. And be the people this team needs you to be. ”
I looked at Caden. His color was leaving him at the same rate as I was heating up. But I knew when I was cornered. I nodded. “Is this how everyone feels?”
Reluctant nods rolled through the room. Guys suddenly became interested in the invisible threads in their clothes or specs of dust on the surfaces. Some eyes searched for spiderwebs in the corners of the basement, while a few were closed altogether. Not one person disagreed.
I looked at Jordan, who met my gaze. He seemed to expect me to blow up. Or he thought I would be heartbroken. The truth was, I was surprised. This took balls and my buddy rose to the occasion. “You’ll have my answer in the morning.”
Caden sniffed. “Ah, I’ll need to think this over, too.”
Jordan frowned a little. “Th-that’s it?”
I shrugged. “You might think I’m an asshole, but I’m not delusional. I won’t fight what the entire team wants.”
“That’s…very mature, Beckett,” Jordan said.
I snorted at the slightly patronizing subtext and shared a grin with my friend. “Thanks, Papa.”
The meeting was over and the guys went their way. As for myself, I chose silence in my room. I didn’t expect Jordan to come after me as soon as he did. But when the door opened, he was not awkward at all.
In the dim light of a single lamp on my desk and the blue light of my phone’s screen, I watched my friend move through the room and sit on the edge of his desk. They were one next to the other, but mine was an organized mess while his was neat and with enough room for his ass. “I’m sorry, Beckett.”
“It’s cool,” I said shortly. I wasn’t going to console his guilt more than that. I had my own troubles to think through.
We were silent for a few heartbeats and then Jordan shook his head in disappointment. “Are you seriously thinking about this?”
“Were you serious about kicking me out?” I asked. It was a low blow, but he took it like a big boy.
“I was,” he said flatly. “But I didn’t think either of you would be this stubborn.”
“So, you weren’t serious. You were bluffing.” I dropped my phone on my nightstand and sat up in my bed.
“Nah, man. I wasn’t bluffing. I only misjudged you both.” He sighed. “Yeah, he’s talking shit about you. And yes, he’s angry that you’ve been named captain. But should you hate him so much that you’re willing to lose everything you worked for?”
“Jordan, I’m not gonna hold this against you. My beef is with Caden, not you. But please, for the love of fuck, don’t act like you’re my big brother. You’ve got Asher if you want to lecture someone.” I knew I was poking a sore spot.
Jordan balled his fists. His chest rose so high I thought it would rip his T-shirt. “I’m not gonna lecture Asher because, for once, you’re the bigger brat. You need to stop this farce. You need to go there and make peace with Caden.”
“Why don’t you let me decide what my future is gonna be?
” I asked. “Maybe this whole mess made me question whether hockey’s even the right fit for me.
” It hadn’t. I wanted this so badly I could taste it.
I wanted it with every fiber of my being.
But the obstacle was so big that I wasn’t sure I could get over it.
I needed to weigh all the pros and cons. I needed to consider what this ultimatum entailed. And most of all, I needed to figure out if I could ever be in the same room as Caden without us strangling each other.