Chapter 20
Eli
I recognize how stalkery I am when I check the SUV’s location every hour or so throughout the day, but I refuse to feel bad about it because the important thing is that as soon as the little green dot is in front of the house, I can shut down any work-related stuff without having to hurry.
It’s been a productive workday. Spending most of it at the office with Dad was fine, but when he told me he was done early and we could go home, I was relieved.
I left him downstairs chatting with Ruko and Lyla a couple of hours ago, and now that Lex is back, I know we’ll have dinner together—like a family.
A weirdly shaped one, that’s for sure, but family nonetheless.
I still want at least a few minutes alone with Lex before that, though, so I’m waiting by the door of the office when I hear him coming up the stairs.
I like that, like me, he prefers using them instead of the elevator, that it’s something we both do to come to our bedroom.
Because that’s what it is now, at least in my mind.
I know Lex wants to get another place, and I’m all for that actually, especially if he’ll let me build myself another fortress office and I can spend as much time there as possible.
But that doesn’t mean this has to stop being our room, right?
“Hey,” he says as soon as he sees me leaning against the door frame. The fact that a smile lights up his face is seriously the only thing that matters to me, but I do register the absence of a brace over his nose.
I walk over and cup his cheek.
“How are you?”
My insides melt a little when he nuzzles my hand back. I stroke his skin with my thumb on instinct, and when he kisses my palm before bending to add another kiss to my lips, I feel an overwhelming sense of joy flood my body.
“I’m okay. The Demons’ doctor checked me out and everything’s still where it’s supposed to be,” he jokes, and I smirk, but only briefly.
“She said I can be back on the ice for no-contact practice in two weeks, and if all goes well, I could play with a full shield in three weeks. I’d have to have that for at least a month and definitely not get into any fights. ”
“That sounds good,” I mumble, but the anxiety I’ve been feeling all day wasn’t about the doctor’s appointment. “And the meeting with the coach? The GM?”
He tilts his head from side to side as if deliberating.
“It was weird,” he settles on.
“What? Weird how?”
He pulls me into the bedroom and goes right to the closet as he launches into a play-by-play of everything that happened.
I’m still processing when he’s changed into comfortable sweatpants and a soft T-shirt.
“So, not as bad as I thought it would be, but yeah. Weird.” My heart breaks a little at how he finds basic human kindness weird, but I don’t think I should mention that right now. “The players seem cool, at least for now. Who knows what they’ll be like when Patrick isn’t there.”
I think from everything he’s told me I already have a pretty good idea of what they’ll be like, but if I’m wrong, then I already have a few tricks up my sleeve ready to go.
Speaking of.
“I want to show you something.” I take his hand and pull him—or he lets me pull him, the giant—out of the closet, the bedroom, and into my office.
I left one monitor running for exactly this purpose.
I drag my extra chair over to the desk and push him to sit, then gesture at the feeds of various social media platforms.
“I created an algorithm to monitor the general online opinion of the Demons and of you, so we can stay on top of it. It should send alerts when things are getting dicey, or like there’s bigger discourse than normal.
This way we can check in before things escalate beyond containment and plan a solution if that’s what we want. ”
Leaning in, he’s not looking at the monitor but right at me, his soft, fond smile free and easy.
“And all I did today was be driven around and shake some hands.”
“This took as much effort as what you did, though,” I point out, not to be an asshole or cocky, but stating a fact.
Instead of saying anything to that, he leans in for another kiss that I readily reciprocate, and then clears his throat when he pulls back. Clearly he’s shifting back to serious topics now.
“I appreciate you doing this, and telling me about it. It’s a great idea, obviously. You’re so smart, angel.” It’s a bit ridiculous that I flush with satisfaction at his praise, but it’s short-lived.
“I just want to make sure we have a way to figure out exactly what we need to deal with.”
It must be the right thing to say because he kisses me again, this time lingering longer and giving me lots of ideas that make me want to pull him back into the bedroom.
I almost fall off my chair when he pulls back, completely focused on the kiss, on him, but his words make me plummet back to earth.
“I want to talk to Tucker tonight.”
I’m nodding before I can process it. “Yes, of course. You want to talk to him first, right? Should we call him or have him come over?”
He opens his mouth, a horrified look set on his face.
“No, no. If anyone sees him here the night before a game and takes a picture or posts about it, it could be a nightmare.”
My stomach coils with the need to reassure him.
“He can come in through the basement and no one will see him.”
But Lex shakes his head.
“No, let’s just call him.”
“Okay, let me text him first.” If there’s one decorum rule I live by, it’s to not cold-call people, except in emergencies.
I think carefully about the wording, knowing I’m going to make sure these messages are deleted but still . . .
Eli:
Need to check in about that favor. Can you talk?
I look back up at Lex.
“Don’t worry, these messages will be deleted.”
He nods.
“I trust you, angel.”
A knot forms in my throat. I didn’t know just how much I needed to hear that, to see he means it in his eyes.
My phone vibrates with an incoming call then. I connect it to my computer and make sure my anti-tracing software is working, then hand it to Lex. He gets to take the lead here.
He answers the call and puts it on speaker. “Tucker.” No fanfare.
“Hey, Lex. Long time. What’s up?” Tucker doesn’t sound surprised in the least that Lex picked up the call, which I find . . . odd.
“I didn’t know Eli asked you that favor until day before yesterday,” he says, getting right to the point, and though I look for it, I don’t find any emotions—positive or negative—bleeding through his voice.
That has to be good, right?
“Shit,” Tucker hisses, and I can hear rustling.
I wince, shift on my seat, and Lex clearly notices because he pats my knee reassuringly.
“What matters now is that no one ever finds out, so I just want to know who you told and if you trust them.”
“Man, no. Of course I didn’t tell anyone.
I literally only mentioned to the GM after we played the Pirates before Christmas how you Jankowskis are built different, and that if there was ever a chance to snatch one of you up, he should take it.
Then I talked about the two years you and I played together for Luxton.
After the shove happened, I called the GM and told him to check whether LA was shopping you around. ”
“That’s it?”
“Yeah, ’course that’s it. I’m not that stupid,” he grumbles.
“Well, I have no fucking clue how things work for the Demons, and you got this done especially fast, so excuse me for wanting to make sure no one finds out about this and I end up not being able to play for the NHL ever again.”
“Nah, dude. I get it.” A heavy sigh sounds. “Can’t blame you for freaking out if you didn’t know. But I promise we’re all good. I’m not risking being on Eli’s bad side, not even for a Cup.”
Lex snickers at that and then it’s . . . it’s like they’re just two sports boys talking.
I shake my head and listen on.
“Nessy told me he met you today. How was that?” Tucker asks.
“It was good, really good actually.” Lex nods. “They invited me to a team dinner on Friday, and I told them I’ll be going to the game tonight and Sunday.”
“That’s cool. So, I invited Eli already, but you’re welcome to come to my brothers’ birthday party Sunday morning. It’s gonna be insane, man, but the kids are cool.” The insane is clearly a bad thing.
“Thanks, uh . . .” He looks up at me and I nod repeatedly. “We’ll be there.”
“And my, guess since they haven’t posted anything about it, is that the PR department dropped the ball big time and didn’t even give you a fucking sweater with your name and number, so how about we deal with that before the game?
Can you get here like half an hour before puck drop?
Or wait, are you watching from our box?”
I . . . had no idea about any of it, or the team dinner on Friday, so I can only sit and listen.
“Michael just told me he got a suite for the rest of the season, so we won’t be with you, sorry. But yeah, I can be there early, no problem.”
“You lucky bastard,” he says ruefully. “Okay, I’ll figure out which is your suite and come get you. I bet the guys would love to see you before the game too if you’re up for that.”
“Oh, uh—” He stutters a bit, but then straightens as if bracing himself. “Okay, yeah.”
“Awesome, later.”
“Team dinner?” I ask when he hands me my phone back.
“Yeah, I guess I forgot to mention that. I, uh . . .” He scratches the back of his neck, and though my heart wants to fall at the realization, I refuse to let it.
“It’s okay. New team, you don’t know them. I understand perfectly if you want to go alone, Lex.”
He winces again. “It’s really only because I don’t know them, angel.”
“Lex.” I take his hand and wait for him to look at me. “I really understand.”
His green eyes soften, then brighten with an idea.
“What if you come down with me later? When we go to the arena?”
“Another thing I didn’t know we were doing,” I say, but this time teasingly. “I think it could be a great way to gauge their reaction to me. I’m gonna put bright red glitter on my eyes tonight.”
“I ordered drinks and food so we can eat dinner here,” Dad says as he surveys the suite he got for . . . the whole season apparently.