Chapter 16
Scotty
The porch light was still on when I reached the front door, and the driveway was clear of Morgan’s stupidly cheerful Mini Cooper, which made me feel a little better.
I slid my key into the lock and turned it slowly, like I was defusing a bomb instead of opening the front door. The hinges didn’t creak. Small mercies.
I slipped inside and shut it behind me with exaggerated care, easing it closed inch by inch until the latch clicked.
“Where have you been?”
My heart slammed against my ribs like it was trying to escape my chest.
Dad’s voice came from the living room, cutting through the darkness. My eyes adjusted quickly enough to make out his shape in the recliner. The recliner wasn’t reclined. His body was rigid, alert, hands gripping the armrests like he’d been counting the seconds until my key turned in that lock.
“I was out,” I answered, which was both technically true and very unhelpful.
I was so off my game today. Normally, I could deflect with something witty. Something believable. Instead, I sounded like a teenager caught sneaking in after curfew.
Which was ridiculous, because I was an adult. A grown woman with a failed engagement, a totaled car, and a complicated emotional situation brewing with two of my dad's players.
So why was I sneaking around like I was sixteen?
Lust, my brain supplied helpfully.
“Where did you go, Scotty?”
“I wanted to grab some stuff from my car,” I said, shrugging like it was no big deal. “So I asked Ryder and Hunter to drive me.”
“Jesus, Rebecca. It’s way past midnight. What was so important that it couldn’t wait until morning?”
“I couldn’t sleep. I figured I’d just get it over with so I can start job hunting tomorrow.”
His gaze flicked down to my very empty hands.
I shrugged again, doubling down on my bullshit like it was going out of style.
“They weren’t open.”
“Oh, really?” Dad said sarcastically. “What a fucking surprise that the mechanic wasn’t open in the middle of the night.”
“I just needed to get out of my own head, Dad. It’s been a day, okay?”
Not a complete lie, but I still felt bad about not being completely honest with Dad. I couldn’t really tell him it was less to do with getting out of my head and more to do with getting out of my bed and into the bed of two Alphas.
Not that we even made it to their bedroom.
Dad leaned back slightly but didn’t relax. “Why didn’t you ask me to take you?”
Because you were probably busy kissing your fiancée in the kitchen like a teenager who just discovered hormones and didn’t care who walked in.
“Because you were with Morgan.” The bitterness in my tone surprised even me.
Dad opened his mouth to respond, then stopped himself. We stared at each other in the dim light, and for once I didn’t look away first. If he was allowed to drop life-altering news on me over takeout, I was allowed to feel something about it.
He sighed and scrubbed a hand down his face. “Listen, I need to talk to you about Ryder and Hunter,” he began carefully, and I immediately braced myself because I knew that tone. “They are excellent players and an asset to the team, but I’m not a huge fan of their lifestyle.”
It felt like a bucket of ice-cold water had been dumped on my head, and I absolutely did not agree to do the ice bucket challenge. I stared at my dad with my mouth slightly open.
“Their lifestyle?” I repeated slowly.
“You know what I mean, Scotty.”
“I really don’t, Dad.”
He exhaled like I was being deliberately obtuse. “The way they live. The choices they make.”
“Dad, who they love isn’t a lifestyle. It’s not CrossFit. It’s not keto. It’s not a fucking hobby they picked up during lockdown.”
“Rebecca—”
I shook my head. “No. You don’t get to dismiss two people who care about each other as some kind of lifestyle choice, Dad. Hunter and Ryder aren’t playing dress-up. This is their actual lives.”
“Beck—” His frustration edged into his tone.
“They show up for each other,” I pressed on, words tumbling out faster than my heartbeat. “They take care of each other. They’re honest about who they are. If that’s a lifestyle, maybe more people should try it.”
“Rebecca Scott,” he barked, letting just enough Alpha command bleed into the air to make my spine stiffen. “Are you done?”
“Maybe,” I muttered.
He blew out a breath. “I don’t give a damn who my players stick their dicks into. As long as they keep it out of the tabloids. Jesus, Kid. Do you think Morgan would have agreed to marry me if I had cared about shit like that? It’s her son.”
I exhaled in relief and then immediately gagged.
“Dad, please, never mention anyone’s dicks again, okay?”
“I’ll try not to,” he joked.
“I’m really glad you’re not a homophobe.”
He chuckled. “Me too, Kid. I’d be terrified of you stabbing me.”
“I was already planning your dramatic fall from the Evercrescent Arena roof,” I sniffled. “I would miss you, but it would be for the best.”
He let out a roar of laughter. “That’s my girl.
I knew I raised you right.” Dad shook his head, pushing himself up from the chair.
“I have to be at the arena in four hours. I asked Morgan to pick me up, so the car is yours. We’ll talk about what happened with Ken tomorrow over dinner, but right now, we both need sleep.
” His voice softened slightly. “Will you be okay?”
“I’ll be okay,” I told him with a small smile. “Sorry for making you worry.”
I crossed the room and hugged him, pressing my face briefly against his chest. He smelled the same as he always had — citrus and home. For a second, I let myself just be his daughter instead of the Omega who couldn’t stop thinking about two Alphas she absolutely should not be thinking about.
“Goodnight, Kid,” he murmured.
“Night, Coach.”
Halfway down the hallway, my pocket buzzed. I fished out my phone at my bedroom door to find a new notification—Ryder and Hunter had roped me into a group text.
Ryder: We just got home. Did you make it in without being caught?
I snorted.
Scotty: I didn’t even make it two steps before he cornered me. I lied and told him you guys drove me to the garage, but it was closed.
Scotty: Just in case he asks.
Three dots appeared almost immediately.
Ryder: Got it.
Ryder: Go get some sleep, Sweetheart. We’ll be seeing you soon.
Crash Daddy: Dream about us, Baby Girl. Miss you already.
I traced my fingertip over those words on the screen, my cheeks aching from a smile I couldn’t control.
I slipped into my room, closed the door quietly behind me, and somehow, despite everything that happened today, I slept like a baby.