33. Wes
Chapter thirty-three
Wes
I’m pulling my skates on in the locker room a few days later when Holt strolls in.
“Hey, man,” I greet him.
“Hey. How are things?” He goes over to his stall, pulls out his goalie gear, and starts to get dressed.
“Can’t complain,” I say, finishing tying my skates.
“Is everything still going well with Hadley?”
His question has the hair on the back of my neck standing up. Why is he asking that?
“Yes? We’re together?” Why does it keep coming out as a question? Hadley and I are both adults. Holt is my best friend. He won’t care that I’m dating his sister. I square my shoulders. “I care about your sister a lot, and I’m pretty sure she feels the same way.”
“Oh, really.” He smirks at me. “What an interesting turn of events.”
Before I can ask him what he means, the locker-room door swings open, and Elias and Sebastian come pouring in.
“Hey, E. Welcome back, Sebastian,” Holt says.
Sebastian strides over to Holt and collapses onto the bench next to him. “Hey, man. We keep missing each other. How was your trip?” He nudges Holt with his shoulder. “Have you asked her the big question yet?”
What? My attention swings from Holt to Sebastian. Is he implying what I think he is?
“We’ve been over this before. Becca and I aren’t rushing into anything. One thing at a time,” Holt says.
“But you bought a ring?” Sebastian asks.
Holt pulls at the back of his neck, his face turning red.
“Leave the poor guy alone,” Elias says. “He’s going at his own pace. How’s your dating life?”
“I don’t have time for that,” Sebastian responds.
“Because he’s too hung up on Sutton,” I mutter to Elias, who has taken a seat next to me.
“Am not,” Sebastian protests.
I shake my head. I’ve missed this. The guys being here, hanging out in the locker room, on the ice.
The gang is still not all here since Hunter is home with Madison, who is due any day now, but still, it’s good to hang out.
I make a mental note to call Hunter after this workout to see if he and Madison are up for guests.
Maybe Hadley and I can swing by later tonight, bring them dinner.
Or I can go sit with Madison so Hunter can get a workout in.
I get to my feet. Enough dillydallying. I need to get a skate in so I can get home to my girl.
“See you all later. Unless you want to skate?” I glance between Elias and Sebastian.
“Nah, man, weights only for me today,” Elias says.
“Same. Maybe tomorrow,” says Sebastian.
I nod, grab my stick, and head out onto the ice.
“Did you miss me?” I yell a few hours later when I stride into my apartment, a takeout bag from the taco place we’ve come to love in my hand. “I come bearing food.”
I’m met with silence. I saw Hadley’s car in the parking lot, so I assumed she was home. I suppose it’s possible someone picked her up. I toe off my shoes and pad into the kitchen.
Empty.
I set the to-go bag on the counter.
“Hadley?” I call as I peek into the living room and then into her bedroom, not that she’s been sleeping in there since we got together, but still, I consider it to be her bedroom.
For now.
As I’m turning to walk back toward the living room, the front door opens. My steps falter when she comes into view.
I rush to her side. “What happened?” My gaze goes from the scrape on her knee to her tear-stained face.
“I fell while trying to fucking rollerblade, Weston Reynolds. That’s what happened,” she snaps, and I startle, pulling back.
She doesn’t wait for me to reply, instead pushing past me further into the apartment and dropping her skates onto the floor.
“Let me help you get cleaned up.”
“I can do it myself. I’m a grown woman, Weston,” she snaps as she makes her way to the guest bathroom.
“I didn’t say you weren’t capable. I was trying to help since you’re hurt.”
What’s really the matter? I look around as if the answer will appear out of thin air. It won’t, but I can tell by the tone of her voice that Hadley will not be receptive to my question.
I try a different approach. “I brought tacos home for dinner.”
She pauses, glancing over her shoulder at me. “I’m not hungry, but you go ahead and eat. Put mine in the fridge.”
I take a half step toward her and then think better of it.
I ball my hands into fists so I don’t reach for her because clearly, she needs space.
“There’s a first aid kit under the sink in the primary bathroom if you need it.”
She goes into my bedroom, and a few minutes later, I hear the water turn on. I run a hand through my hair.
My stomach rumbles, so I go into the kitchen, pull out my dinner, and proceed to eat. Alone. In silence. It’s fine. It’s fine. Everything is fine. Maybe if I tell myself that enough, I’ll genuinely believe it.
I’m finishing up when Hadley walks in.
“Hi,” she whispers.
I turn in my seat to face her. “Hey.”
I run my eyes over her, checking for other injuries, but the only one I can see is the one on her knee, which she’s covered with a Band-Aid.
“I’m sorry.” She wraps her arms around herself, staring at the floor.
I scramble out of my seat and over to her.
“Come here,” I whisper, holding my arms open and hoping she’ll let me hug her.
She does, and I feel her relax against me. “Want to tell me what’s going on?” I rub a hand down her back.
She keeps her chest pressed against my shirt.
“I didn’t get the job. The one I interviewed with.
They sent a fucking rejection email earlier today.
Decided before the second round. And I got form rejections today from a few of the others I’d applied for.
It’s been one hell no after another, and I snapped. ”
“Shit, that sucks, Hadley.”
My heart breaks hearing the sadness in her voice.
I want to make it better. Fix it for her.
Even if fixing it for her means that she would have had to leave to travel for a year.
We could have figured it out. I would do anything for her.
Brody and Aubrey did a year of long-distance, and they turned out fine.
I know Hadley and I could have done the same.
“I knew it was kind of a long shot. But a few of the others that I applied for weren’t. Maybe I won’t ever get another job in my field. Maybe it’s time to give up trying to pursue photography as a career.”
My chest tightens.
“You’ll find something, eventually. I know you will.”
“Yeah, if I want to be a wedding photographer. And no offense to people who do because it’s a great job, just not one I want. But it might be my only option at this point.”
“Anything I can do?”
“No.” She pulls away from me, and I reluctantly let her go. “I don’t know what I’m going to do.” She runs a hand over her face.
“What about starting your own freelance business? Didn’t you do a little bit of that earlier in the year?
” I remember Holt telling me how she went out to Ocala to take photos for a woman who rode horses competitively, and that she helped Madison redo the photos on her website. “I’m sure there’s a market for it.”
“Maybe. I’m sure I could string together some jobs for a while, but it’s not enough to live on, to support myself long-term.
I mean, I do have the money from Holt for nannying, although I told him I didn’t want it, plus there’s the money coming from the endorsement deal, but eventually that will run out. ”
I frown. “Hadley, I gave you a credit card for a reason.”
She pats me on the chest. “I can’t let you support me while I live in the lap of luxury and don’t work.”
If she’s not sold on starting her own business and wants to have a job, maybe the team does need another photographer. I never did ask the front office. Can’t hurt to ask them, right?
She was great with me and the other guys when she was photographing us.
The players and staff on the team who know her love her.
Probably a plus that she’s related to one of the players and dating another.
It might even mean that she would travel with the team.
So I’d get to see her all the time. A win in my mind.
I keep the idea to myself. I don’t want to get her hopes up if it doesn’t work out.
“No one said anything about you not working, although if that’s what you want, I won’t complain. I’m telling you not to let finances stand in your way of figuring out what you want to do with your life. Don’t let money be what forces you to give up your dreams. I have plenty of it.”
“I appreciate that, but I still need to find a job, figure things out for myself.” She’s quiet for a few seconds. “You mentioned something about tacos?”
I hate that she’s changing the subject, but I’ll let it go for now because I know she’s had a hard day.
“I’ll get them. You sit down.” I pull out my chair for her before grabbing a plate and setting out the tacos I brought home for her. I grab a glass out of the cabinet. “Water? Lemonade? A beer?”
“Water, please.”
“How was your workout?” she asks when I set the plate and her drink in front of her.
“It was good.” I proceed to tell her about the drills I ran with a few of the other defensemen who showed up as I was finishing warming up.
I really want to talk to her more about her job situation and make sure she understands that I’m serious about taking care of her while she figures her career out.
That I still want to take care of her after she figures it out.
That I want her for forever. But I won’t right now.
I can tell she’s still a little on edge.
I’m not sure if it’s from falling or from the rejections, so I won’t say anything. But soon.
Because Hadley Jane Abbott is my future.
I just hope she feels the same way about me.