Chapter 29
THEO
There’s something different about having Becca at a team dinner with me. I saw it happen with Carter. Everything shifted once Sarah was beside him. But observing from the outside is totally different than experiencing it myself.
Across the room, Becca is sitting on the floor with Sarah and her nieces, working their way through a stack of picture books.
Olive stands and hands Becca a new book, then turns around and plops into her lap like they’ve known each other forever and didn’t just meet thirty minutes ago.
Becca looks over and makes eye contact, mouthing the words, I love her as she snuggles Olive a little closer.
“Well, she fits right in,” Holly says as he steps up beside me. He motions toward Becca.
“Yeah, she does.”
“I’m happy for you, man.” He hands me a water bottle he just grabbed from the kitchen. “Have you met the new guy yet? Blake?”
“Just in passing,” I say. “He seemed nice enough. Quiet.”
“I talked to him for a few minutes,” Holly says. “He still seems pretty shellshocked.”
“He’ll get past it once we start winning,” I say.
Holly runs a hand across his beard like he isn’t so sure. “He was winning in New York,” he says. “You played with his brother. You should talk to him. Build a bridge or whatever.”
I give Holly a look. “‘Build a bridge or whatever.’ Inspiring speech.”
“You know what I mean. You’re good at that stuff.”
I think of my conversation with Becca right before we left Florida. She didn’t say anything I haven’t heard before, from Carter or Mom or even my therapist. But Becca tends to frame things in a way that makes sense in my brain. Or maybe it’s just that she makes me want to be better.
I really haven’t ever wanted to be a team captain. But I’m not sure I’d feel that way if Carter wasn’t my twin. Which means maybe I just need to get out of my own way and step up.
“I’ll talk to him,” I say, and Holly lifts his eyebrows.
“You will?”
“Why are you surprised? You just said I was good at stuff like that.”
“Yeah, but you don’t usually like being told what to do.”
I frown at this—have I really been so insufferable?—but then Holly nudges my arm.
“Hey, who is that? The woman talking to Charlie?”
I follow his gaze to his daughter, standing in the kitchen, wet from the pool and wrapped in a towel, face alive with energy as she talks to Indigo.
“That’s Becca’s cousin, Indigo,” I say. Even though I invited both of Becca’s roommates, Mia was called into work, so she only brought Indigo along. “Bec’s been staying at her place while she was overseas, but she just got back.”
We both watch as Indigo crouches down in front of Charlie, then reaches up and touches her hair, nodding as she smiles wide. Then suddenly, Charlie is hauling Indigo across the living room toward Holly and me.
“Daddy!” Charlie calls, holding tightly to Indigo’s hand. “Look! She has hair just like mine.”
“I can see that,” Holly says. He holds his hand out to Indigo. “Beckett Hollifield,” he says. “Sorry. Charlie doesn’t know many redheads.”
“So she told me,” Indigo says as she shakes Holly’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“Theo tells me you just got back from Europe?”
“I did,” Indigo says. “London, specifically.”
“Daddy took me to London once,” Charlie says.
I clap Holly on the back as I go in search of Blake.
On my way, I make eye contact with Becca and tilt my head toward Indigo and Holly as they continue to chat.
She looks, then raises her eyebrows, shifting her gaze back to me.
I smile, and I like that even after so much time apart, I still know her well enough to read her expression, to see the questions forming behind her eyes.
Is he a nice guy? Should I be worried? Did you make this happen?
I shrug and give her an encouraging nod. Holly’s as good as they come, and there isn’t anyone who deserves happiness more than he does. To be honest, I have more questions about Indigo. If Holly ever wanted to ask her out, I’d want to make sure her intentions were sincere.
I find Blake in the kitchen, leaning against the wall while Sebastian and Watson stand just in front of him, engaged in an animated discussion about … golf, I realize, after listening for a few moments.
I plant myself next to Blake. “Do you play?”
He looks over at me. “Golf?” he asks, and I nod.
“Maybe a little. Not like these guys.”
“It’s all talk,” I say. “Neither one of them is very good.”
“I heard that,” Sebastian says, pointing a finger at me, but there’s no fight in it. He’s clearly unwilling to abandon his argument with Watson.
“How are you settling in?” I ask Blake, and he shrugs.
“It’s all right. I was up in North Carolina with family until last night, so I haven’t done much. I think I’m in your building. Someone said something about it being Carter’s old place?”
“Oh, for real? That’s awesome. You’re right across the hall from me.” I sidestep out of the way to avoid Poppy as she tears through the kitchen. Blake eyes our captain’s daughter, and I catch a faint trace of a smile on his lips.
“She reminds me of my nieces,” he says.
“Nathan’s kids?” I ask, and he nods.
“How’s he doing? I loved playing with him. A freaking beast of a defender.”
“He’s enjoying his retirement,” Blake says. “Doing great. Expecting a third baby in a few months.”
“He’s got two girls already, right?”
“This one’s a girl too.”
“I bet he loves that.”
“The oldest plays hockey,” Blake says. “She’s lightning fast. Outskating all the boys her age.
” He pulls out his phone and opens a video of his niece.
I only have to watch for a handful of seconds to pick out which one is Nathan’s daughter—the one skater faster than all the others, a long brown ponytail flying out from under her helmet.
She races across the ice with the puck, then pulls up short, cuts around another player, and scores on a goalie twice her size.
“Dude. She’s incredible,” I say, and Blake smiles. A real one this time—maybe the first real smile I’ve seen on him since he got here. “At least you’re closer now.”
“Yeah, there’s that,” Blake says, but his tone has already regained a measure of the gloom it had before.
“Tell him I said hello the next time you talk to him,” I say.
“And look. I know it has to feel like you just had the rug pulled out from under you, but as soon as we get through this first week of camp, let’s hang out.
I’ll take you to some of my favorite spots in Atlanta.
I promise it’s a great place to live. And the team, man. It’s an awesome group. Like brothers.”
“To you,” he says. “But I left my brothers in New York.”
I think of the conversation I had with Shawn, how adamant I was that I not be traded. I’d probably be just like Blake if I were expected to play somewhere else. We all know it’s the job. But that doesn’t mean we have to like it.
“I feel you. Just give us a chance.” I grip his shoulder. “This weekend, all right?”
He nods. “All right. Yeah.”
I move back into the kitchen and finish another slice of pizza, then scan the room, looking for Becca.
She’s no longer on the floor with the girls.
Maybe she went outside? I’m about to head that way to look for her when she steps into the kitchen from the hall, phone in her hand.
Her eyes are wide, her expression the sort of happy stunned you see when someone has just gotten really good news.
“Hey,” I say, moving closer. “You look like you just got off the phone with Santa Claus.”
She chuckles. “Not quite. But close.”
“Really?”
“It was Dr. Novac.”
“Okay, I don’t know who that is. But I’m guessing it’s someone important?”
Becca nods. “She’s a surgeon at the hospital.
But she also sits on the physician advisory board at Tremont School of Nursing and acts as a preceptor for nurse practitioner students.
” She lets out a little laugh. “We worked together on Friday, and we talked about the program just briefly, but then she had to leave, so she offered to call me and give me more details.”
“That sounds promising,” I say. “What did you learn?”
“That the hospital has tuition reimbursement for employees furthering their education. And they have a program designed specifically nurses who are still working while they’re in school.
I thought I was going to have to be a full-time student, and it will definitely take longer if I go part-time and keep working.
But the tuition reimbursement means I can start the program a lot sooner than I thought, so it won’t matter if it takes longer to finish.
I can legit be enrolled as early as January; I just have to get my application in by the first of October.
” She lets out a disbelieving laugh, shaking her head as she looks up at me.
“She even offered to write me a letter of recommendation.”
I tug Becca into a hug and take the time it buys me to school my features. I don’t want to be anything but happy about this, not when she’s clearly thrilled by the news. But I can’t shake the uncertainty I’ve been hauling around since my conversation with my agent.
Knowing Becca has taken another travel contract is one thing. But this sounds a lot more permanent.
What if she starts the program, and then I get traded to a team on the other side of the country? I’m up for contract negotiation next year, and I could ask the Jaguars for a no-trade clause to give myself some sense of permanence. But wanting one doesn’t mean I’ll get one.
There’s only so much I can do, something that sucks a lot more now that I have someone else in my life to think about.
I just have to figure out a way to stay. I have to show up at training camp, both on and off the ice. I have to make myself invaluable, an asset instead of a liability.
A jolt of pain shoots up my arm, and I rotate my wrist a few times, the same spot pinching with the movement every time.
I have no idea how I’ll do any of those things if I can’t even figure out how to play.
Becca breathes out a sigh against my chest. “I’m really happy, Theo.”
“I’m glad,” I say, running a hand up and down her back.
She tilts her head back, propping her chin on my chest. “Also, I like your teammates.”
“Yeah?”
“Jordo and Malia are hilarious together. And I want Sarah to be my best friend. And Anna is lovely and sweet and so kind. Also, Holly’s daughter Charlie seems to have adopted Indigo. She just took her outside to look for butterflies.”
I tug her a little closer, clasping my hands together at the small of her back. “Sounds more like you like my teammates’ wives.”
“Okay, true,” she says. “But I like your teammates too. Even Blake, the poor guy. As miserable as he looks, he was still sweet when we talked for a few minutes.”
“He’ll be all right,” I say. “Training camp will be good for him.”
“Are you nervous?” she asks, her eyes dropping to my hand.
“Just ready to get it over with,” I say.
And ready to see what I’m actually capable of doing.
I’ve made some good progress this week—enough to make Nico optimistic.
But I’ve also been fighting through a lot of pain I’m not mentioning.
There’s simply too much at stake. Especially now that Becca could be impacted as well.
I lean down and press a quick kiss to Becca’s forehead. “Are you ready to get out of here? I’ve got an early start tomorrow, so I only have a few more hours before I have to crash. I’d rather not share you if I don’t have to.”
“I like the way you think,” she says. “Movie at your place?”
I nod. “Perfect.”
“I’ll go find Indigo,” she says, turning and heading back down the hall.
I find my brother and let him know we’re heading out.
“You talked to Blake?” he asks before I can go.
“Yeah, I did,” I say, and he nods.
“That’s all you got to do, man,” he says, and I know he’s talking about the captain thing even without him having to specify. “Just be intentional. Show up.”
For once, I don’t argue with him. I just nod in acknowledgement. “Thanks, man.”
For Becca, I will show up. I just have to hope that’s enough.