Chapter 5 #2
He was gorgeous. He had a sharp jawline and strong, handsome features. His eyes were an icy blue that was stark against his white hair. I wasn’t sure what it was with my brother’s hockey team, but they were all attractive.
His serious face split into a friendly smile when he saw me. “There she is, the infamous Lana,” he said. “We heard that you needed to regain some weight you lost over your heat, and I thought pizza would be the perfect carb overload.”
“Aren’t you guys supposed to be athletes?” I teased, finding myself smiling easily at the guy.
“Right you are, sis,” Conrad said as he snagged a box and pried it open, serving me a plate before grabbing his own. “Usually we save this for post games and grueling practices, but none of that matters today.”
“Oh, is it cheat day?” I snarked, falling back into our usual banter. It made me feel normal again.
He narrowed his eyes. “Why don’t you worry about yourself? I’ll worry about me.”
“See, that’s the beauty of living in the hockey house,” the new guy said. “We don’t have our dietitians watching over us.”
I bit back a laugh, and even Conrad chuckled.
“I might’ve invited one to live with us,” he said. “Sorry, Cade.”
Oh, so the new guy’s name was Cade.
“Don’t worry,” I reassured him.” I may be a sports nutritionist, but I’m not yours. I am a pretty good cook, though.”
“I can agree with that,” Conrad said. “She somehow makes it not taste healthy when she makes her healthy-ass meals.”
I shrugged. “It’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to do any sort of work with my degree,” I admitted. “Plus, it looks like you guys already have a cook in the house.” I gestured toward Wilder.
He was watching close enough that he heard what I said, and he shook his head.
“Baker,” he corrected. “I can follow a recipe, but for some reason, cooking just isn’t my thing.”
“We’ll make a good team then,” I promised. I was determined to pull my weight here, not just loaf around.
“Why don’t we worry about things like that when you’ve actually rested, Lana,” Conrad said, giving me the stink eye. He was in full-protective brother mode.
I didn’t argue, he knew me too well for that. Instead, I polished off my plate, plus the extra slice Cade not so subtly placed in front of me.
When I finished, my entire body seemed to sag. The exhaustion was back in full force now that I’d settled in a bit.
“Your room is ready, if you want to get some rest,” Conrad offered.
“I think Lennon and Cade finished the last of your furniture this morning,” Kieran chimed in.
“Thank you. I’m sorry to make you guys do all this,” I started, but again was cut off, this time by Cade.
“This isn’t going to work if you keep thinking like that. We would do this for any family. Conrad’s a brother. I’d say that makes you a sister.”
“Friend,” Mason offered instead. “Since I’ve checked out your ass already, I’m going to say friend.”
I raised an eyebrow, biting back a laugh, completely surprised by his candor.
“Do friends check out each other’s asses?”
“You can check out mine if you want,” he said, standing up and turning around to show off a perfectly rounded, well-earned hockey ass. I swear, of any sport, they had my favorite build. I liked men that had a little meat on their bones.
When I realized I was staring, my eyes snapped up to his, but I didn’t even get to take his expression in. A hand was clamped over my eyes, and I was gently dragged away, my brother’s growl of warning echoing over my head.
“Don’t make me bribe Coach to put you on drills until you puke,” Conrad warned before I was released and led down the hall. When I glanced back, Mason was chuckling softly.
“Not happening, Lana,” Conrad warned, but I just rolled my eyes.
“You know damn well I’m not looking for any kind of relationship right now. Doesn’t mean I can’t check out a nice ass when it’s put in front of me. I’m not dead.”
“But Mason will be if he does that again,” Conrad shot back.
“Are you going to be this insufferable the entire time I’m here?”
“Oh, absolutely.” He grinned, not the least bit ashamed of it. “Come on.”
He led me up the stairs and down the hall. My footsteps lagged, and I was once again glad this house was nothing like my previous one.
“The coach originally left this room open, so it’s a guest room and has its own en-suite.”
He side-eyed the door to the left before stopping in front of the one at the end of the hallway.
“Though, now I’m starting to rethink this one… It’s right across the hall from Mason. He likes to flirt. That’s just who he is. Hell, he flirts with us. But if he takes it too far or makes you uncomfortable, you tell me.”
“I don’t know him very well, obviously,” I said. “But he doesn’t seem the type.”
“You’re right. He’s not. But you don’t know him like we do, and I’m not going to have you uncomfortable here. We want you to feel safe.”
“I do,” I reassured him. “Everything’s fine.”
“I just want to do right by you, Lana. You’ve been through hell and back.”
“I have,” I agreed. “But I’m here to recover, and I can hold my own. The heat just took it out of me. A temporary setback.”
“One that never should’ve happened,” he countered.
“On that, we agree,” I said as he finally pushed open the door to my new room. Shockingly, it wasn’t the plain room I expected to find.
The walls were painted a soft, pretty sage.
There was a black-and-white floral rug on the floor, and the bed had silky black sheets with a fluffy white comforter over it.
There was an assortment of green, black, and white throw pillows, and someone had even stuck a cute green frog plush in the middle.
The walls could definitely use some artwork, and it needed a touch of personality, but it was perfect.
“We knew you’d need a nest, but the house wasn’t really equipped for one. Mason, Wilder, and Kieran renovated your walk-in closet here.”
He pushed open the door, and for the first time today, real tears burned my eyes.
These men, who knew nothing about me, who had no idea what my style was, had made a far better nest than my own pack did.
The same silky black sheets covered the soft mattress that filled the space. Someone had strung lights around the corners of the ceiling, giving it a soft glow. Most of the nest was filled with comfortable pillows, and there was even a small bookshelf secured to the wall.
On one of the hanging shelves was a potted vine that was now steadily creeping around the walls, secured by plastic hooks that were just barely hidden. They’d given this effort and thought, and it was small and cozy. Exactly what an omega needed.
This was what I needed far more than the monstrosity my old pack gave me.
“Mason filled the closet in your bathroom with just about every product an omega could need or want, and then some. We also put in an extra dresser since you don’t have a closet now. Hopefully this setup works, but we’ll figure out whatever else you need.”
“This is set up like you expect me to stay a long time,” I whispered, just loud enough for him to hear.
Conrad pulled me into one of his comforting bear hugs.
“I expect you to stay as long as you need. There’s no need to go anywhere.
I’m going to be on the Wardens’ team for the foreseeable future.
My contract has another four years, and I’m going to make sure that you feel safe wherever you are,” he said firmly.
“I wasn’t kidding. I want you to join us on away games, and I plan to speak to the coach about a team nutritionist that also cooks well.
We currently have people coming in from the hospital once a week to prep meals and stock the fridge at the arena, but it’s not exactly ideal, and it’s not tailored to the team like you would do it. ”
His offer was incredible, and I would think it over more when I was properly rested. He must have realized I was about to fall over.
“Right now, your only job is to rest and eat properly.”
“I think I’d like a shower,” I admitted. “And maybe a long nap.”
“You do that. We’ll be out here when you’re ready,” he said. He tapped the doorframe and walked out, closing the door behind him.
I sat heavily on the bed, but still, I didn’t fall apart. Not for them. I had my brother as my anchor, and I knew that even if the next few weeks were rough, I’d find my way eventually.
I was nothing, if not resilient.