Chapter 37
Chapter Thirty-Seven
~HENDRIX~
Ireceived his text and managed to make it to the bar without any of the girls seeing me. I have a feeling that August wants to talk to me about the rest of his day. Sure, Ash tagged along but he is hanging out at the bar in order to give us some space.
The bar is dim and warm, the kind of place where not just the players of the Blaze drift in after long days, but where businesspeople who work in the area come to as well.
The music is always kept low, you can hear the clinking of glasses on busy nights like tonight, along with the soft hum of conversations.
I sit in the corner booth in the back, where we all rarely sit, instead of the high-top table that sits in the middle of the room.
With the way the team was looking at me today, I’d rather August and I not be on display.
I stare at the condensation that is running down my glass of beer.
I’m not anxious.
Not exactly.
Just waiting on him to get here. I haven’t seen him since before the press conference and I have no idea if he’s still my team owner.
I hear the door open, the bells that hang on it jangling at someone enters. I know that it’s him. I don’t have to look up to know it. I feel it. The shift in the way my shoulders immediately loosen when he’s near.
August slides into the booth beside me, instead of across from me. Close enough so that our knees are touching.
He doesn’t speak right away.
I don’t either.
Finally, he exhales, slow and steady like he’s been holding his breath for years.
“It’s done,” he finally says.
My fingers tighten around the beer glass. “What did he say?”
August huffs out a laugh, tired but real. “Everything that you would have expected him to say. That I’m wasting my potential. That the Blaze is too small. That the new team needs me. That I’d be throwing my future away if I don’t leave. If I stay with you.”
My jaw clenches. “And you said?”
“That he doesn’t get to decide my life anymore.” August’s voice is firm. “That I’m staying. That Drew is strong enough to handle this team. And that he deserves the shot.”
“You’re staying with the Blaze?” I say, staring at him, my eyes blinking rapidly.
“With the Blaze,” he confirms. “With the people who actually care about me. With the team that feels like home, along with the girl that feels like home.”
He hesitates, then adds, softer, “With you.”
I look down at the table; my throat tightens with emotion. I have been waiting for him to say those words to me and for it to feel like no one is going to take this away from us. “He’s not going to make this easy.”
“He doesn’t have to,” August says. “I’m not scared of him anymore.”
I finally turn and look at him. I really study his features and his eyes that are smiling at me. That’s when I see it. The steadiness. The certainty. The weight that has been sitting on him for years is all gone.
“You okay?” I ask him quietly.
August nods. “Yeah, for the first time in a long time. I am.”
I let out a breath that I didn’t realize that I was holding. “Good.”
He nudges my knee with his. “You worried about me?”
“No,” I say automatically.
“Liar,” he says with a chuckle. “You are.”
I roll my eyes at him, but the corners of my mouth lift up in a smile. “Maybe a little.”
August reaches for my hand under the table, fingers brushing mine before curling around them. Feeling him holding onto my hand like this feels warm, solid and grounding.
“You don’t have to worry,” he replies, giving my hand another squeeze. “I’m not going anywhere.”
I lean into him, letting my shoulder rest against him. “Good.”
He presses a kiss on the top of my head, gentle and certain. “Everything is okay. He can’t hurt us anymore.”
I stare at him for a moment. I want to believe this so badly. But he hurt me so deeply before, and I can’t imagine him going so quietly.
“Everything is okay,” August says again. “I promise you, Hendrix Monroe. I am not going anywhere.”
And for once, I don’t fight him. I don’t deflect and I don’t run.
I just let myself believe him.
The bar buzzes around me, teammates are stealing glances at us while they laugh and play pool. The world is moving on, and eventually the stares will stop and calm down. Right now, in our little corner of the world, everything is still.
Everything feels steady.
Everything feels okay.
The bar door swings open and I can hear Mac’s laughter drifting through the bar.
I don’t move, though; I stay tucked against August. Wishing that we could remain in our little bubble in the corner booth.
His arm is resting around my shoulders, my legs stretched across the seat.
Our conversation has been low and quiet, but it’s been nice.
Like we were casting out all the demons that were threatening to tear us apart.
Everything that he said was calm.
He said it like a man who finally knew his own way. And I believe him. This time we are going to last.
I’m still leaning against him when the rest of our group finds us.
Mac squeals as she sits down right across from us. “Oh my god! Everything is okay, right? You guys are okay?”
Cassie shakes her head, sliding in next to Mac. “Well, that answers that.” She grins at me and then winks.
Amelia stares at us for a beat while Jase slides in beside Cassie, and then she joins the booth.
“You guys look so happy,” she says when she finally gets herself settled.
I watch as Dex slides in next, bumping fists with August when he gets settled.
Someone screams across the bar, “Hendrix has a boyfriend!”
I cringe inwardly, burying my face in August’s shoulder. “I hate them.”
“No, you don’t,” August murmurs, an amused grin on his lips.
Mac just grins at both of us. “I’m so happy for both of you. I’m glad that you both figured your shit out.” She pauses before turning towards August. “I knew I liked you.”
“Thanks, Mac,” he says, pulling me closer again and placing another kiss on the top of my head.
“Look at your blushing girl!” Cassie teases.
“I’m leaving,” I say, making a move to stand.
August tightens his arm around me, gentle but firm. “No, you’re not.”
I still and watch Cassie’s jaw drop.
“Oh, he can touch her and she listens. This is witchcraft,” Cassie teases.
“Please behave, darling,” Jase says, giving her a squeeze.
“I like him with her so much,” Amelia chimes in. “Is everything okay?”
I feel like everyone leans in and prepares to listen to whatever August is about to say.
August nods. “Yeah, it is.”
“And you’re staying with us?” Dex asks him.
He nods again. “Yeah, I’m staying here and Drew is going to work with the new WNBA team. I think that we won this round and maybe, just maybe, a little bit of his respect.”
The booth goes quiet. Not shocked and not dramatic. Everyone just stares at him proudly.
“Good,” Cassie says, nodding.
“You deserve to choose your own life,” Dex adds. “My boy stood up to his evil father and chose love.”
“Dex,” August warns.
“What, I’m being supportive,” Dex says, grinning at August.
“So, when is the wedding?” Ash says, coming over to join all of us now.
“I’m actually leaving this time,” I say with a groan.
August laughs, a real, unguarded one. “Stay.”
Danny looks from August to me, a sly smile on his lips.
“I’ve gotta say, August, you’ve grown so much from when I first met you.
You aren’t the man who is running around chasing women anymore.
You are actively planning a future.” He lifts his glass of beer to August. “Like I said, I’m proud of you. ”
“Thanks,” August says, flushing a bit. “I know that I was a jerk but now I have someone like you all did and I get it. Life just makes a lot more sense with this woman by my side.”
The whole table lets out a chorus of awws.
I look over at him and give him a quick kiss on the lips. “I love you, August Cromwell.”
“I love you too, Hendrix Monroe. You truly are one amazing woman,” he replies, and I feel like I melt inside at his words.
“I sure hope all the hoops are going to be worth it,” Ash says sneakily.
“I’m sure it will be,” I say, shaking my head. “No consequences, right?” I say, looking more at Jase than August.
“Correct, as far as I know. We only went up there to talk to Maxwell and find out what the fuck was going on. I think that Watts was more pissed off that he outed you two the way he did. I don’t blame him. There’s better ways to do what he did.” Jase shakes his head.
“Yeah, well, my father has never been good at doing things the easy way when it comes to me. And when it comes to my relationship with Hendrix. But I think we can handle whatever it is that comes our way, right, baby?” He leans in and kisses me quickly.
I smile at him in response.
“Hey, do you guys mind if I join you?” a voice asks beside the table.
I look over and see that Coach Andie is standing there, staring at Ash. I immediately look down the table to see if I can catch Ash’s expression but, of course, I miss it.
“Sure, come on, Andie, the more the merrier,” Jase says, grinning at her. “Unless, of course, you take issue with us all being Blaze staff who are dating Blaze players.”
I stare at Jase for a moment but August waves me off and whispers, “Just something that Watts said. We’ll talk about it later, but he’s fine. Relax, he’s fine.”
I nod, but I file that as something that we need to talk about later.
“I do not care, honestly. These girls have proven themselves ten times over on the field. So, what do I care what they do on their own time?” She pushes a strand of blonde hair away from her face.
I watch as she grins at something that Ash is whispering to her.
“That is a new development,” I hear Cassie say from across the booth.
“Not really so new. Ever since we’ve been coming to the bar and hanging out with Ash, she’s been coming over and they’ve been talking. It’s actually kinda sweet. She’s been so quiet since she got here. Ash lights her up. It’s nice,” Jase tells us all quietly.
“I’m going to grab something from the bar,” Ash says, motioning for Andie to slide out.
“I’ll join you,” Andie says, grinning at him and following him.
“I guess this means that your big brother is going to be hanging out with us a bit longer, huh?” August asks me.
I nod. “I think so. He talked about staying longer and getting to spend more time with me. But I think his motive might be two-fold.” I pause for a moment, remembering what he told me about getting a new place so that he could bring someone back.
“I think he might be making some plans because he talked about finding his own place so that he doesn’t get me in trouble with the Blaze over having a permanent house guest. So, who knows, maybe he’s making plans…
” I say, shrugging, looking over my shoulder to watch them standing close together at the bar.
“That might be nice, or we can just keep on sleeping at my place,” August suggests.
“Yeah, he didn’t enjoy coming home last night and seeing all of our clothes all over the living room. Guess we better get better at cleaning that stuff up,” I say, laughing.
The whole table erupts.
“Well, if he doesn’t want to see it, he shouldn’t come home,” August teases.
“He is my guest.”
“He needs his own place.” August leans in and kisses me on the top of the head.
We spend the rest of the night laughing and talking. Andie comes over and hangs out with us. It’s nice having her there and getting to know her. I don’t miss the way that Ash touches her arm and grins at her as they talk. I decide that I like this little development.
And through it all, August stayed pressed against my side, steady and sure, his hand resting over mine under the table.
Everything was okay.
Not perfect.
Not fixed forever.
But okay.
And that was more than enough.