Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
Landon
I thought my talk with Tate after he figured out I was behind one of the masks went well, or at least I did until I started getting the cold shoulder. Abby is convinced he is simply a little paranoid about anyone finding out and is keeping his distance. I really hope that’s the case.
Abby’s voice carries through the house, and I follow the sound, curious and slightly concerned. It leads me down the hallway toward the media room.
When I push open the door, I stop dead in my tracks.
Abby is standing in the middle of the room in a cropped T-shirt and boy-leg underwear that rides low on her hips. Long socks stretch up to her knees. She’s swaying slightly as she attempts what I think is supposed to be a dance move, but looks more like she’s trying to shake off water.
Levi lounges on one of the recliners, smiling as he watches her butcher a Taylor Swift song.
“What the fuck is going on in here?” I ask, unable to stop the smile spreading across my face.
“Landon!” Abby spins toward me, nearly losing her balance before catching herself on the back of the couch. “Abby has been having the best time. Abby found wine. Abby thinks wine is Abby’s best friend.”
Levi bursts out laughing in his recliner, nearly knocking over the drink he’s holding.
“She’s been like this for the past twenty minutes,” he says through his laughter. “I tried to get her to drink water, but she refused. She said water was boring and had no flavor.”
As I walk closer to Abby, I note her flushed cheeks, and her eyes have that glazed look that only comes with a shitload of alcohol.
“Is Abby drunk?” I ask Levi, keeping my eyes on her.
“Abby is VERY VERY drunk,” Abby answers before Levi can, throwing her arms up in the air and swaying to the music.
“Abby decided that Abby needed to celebrate because Abby’s life is amazing.
Abby has two gorgeous men who are obsessed with her, and Abby is going to have a third one soon if Abby plays her cards right. ”
“Who’s the third one?” I ask, though I already know the answer.
“Tate!” Abby announces loudly as she attempts another dance move, this time losing her balance. I catch her before she falls, pulling her against my chest and stabilizing her with my hands on her waist.
“Okay, dance time is officially over for you,” I say, holding her steady.
“Abby disagrees,” she slurs, but she doesn’t pull away. Instead, she leans her head back against my chest, looking up at me. “Abby thinks Abby’s dancing is very sexy.”
“Abby’s dancing looks like she’s being electrocuted,” Levi says.
“Fuck you, Levi,” Abby says. “Abby thinks Levi is just jealous because Landon is stealing Abby’s attention.”
She reaches up and pats my face. “Abby loves you,” she says, catching me off-guard. “Abby has always loved you. Even when Abby was mad at you and hated you and wanted to punch you in the face.”
“I know,” I say softly, running my thumb across her hip.
The doorbell rings, and we all freeze, then Levi sits up straight in his recliner.
“Are you expecting someone?” I ask him.
Levi shakes his head. “Not me.”
I help Abby move slowly toward the living room, though she makes it difficult by trying to do a little shimmy as she walks.
Finally, we get there, and I pull open the door to find Tate standing on the doorstep. Before I can say anything, Abby’s entire face lights up like a Christmas tree.
“TATE!” she screams, launching herself toward him with zero coordination.
I catch her before she face-plants into the doorframe, wrapping an arm around her waist to keep her upright. “Abby is SO happy Tate is here! Abby has been thinking about Tate all day!”
Tate’s eyes go wide as he takes in the scene: Abby in her underwear and socks, swaying in my arms, clearly intoxicated.
“Hi, Abby,” Tate says, trying not to laugh at her current state. “Should I . . . come back later?”
“No!” Abby protests, struggling against my hold. “Abby wants Tate to stay! Abby has wine! No, Abby doesn’t have wine anymore because Abby drank all the wine. But Abby can get more wine!”
“Let’s get you some water instead,” I say, guiding her toward the kitchen with one arm wrapped around the small of her back.
“Abby doesn’t want water,” Abby argues, but she doesn’t resist as I move her. “Abby wants Tate to know that Abby loves wine. Abby loves Tate. And Abby really, really loves being naked.”
Levi, who followed us to the kitchen and is watching on, laughs so hard he has to sit down.
“I can see that,” Tate says, his lips twitching as he struggles to maintain his composure.
I pour Abby a glass of water and hand it to her. She takes a few sips, grimacing the entire time as if it tastes like poison.
“Abby hates water,” she announces. “Abby thinks water is boring and has no flavor. Abby is going to switch to wine as soon as Landon stops looking at her like that.”
“Like what?” I ask.
“Like you want to tie Abby up and fuck her senseless.”
“Abby, maybe we should get you to bed,” I suggest.
“Abby’s not tired,” she insists, then turns to Tate, pointing at him with a slightly uncoordinated finger. “Tate, why did you come here? Abby told you to come here, didn’t Abby?”
I look at Tate, my eyebrow raised in question, and he clears his throat.
“Actually, yes,” Tate says, as he shifts uncomfortably on his feet.
“I came here because I’ve been thinking about what happened.
And I think I want to try this, if that’s still something you both want.
” Abby’s high-pitched squeal has Levi covering his ears, and Tate smiles.
“But maybe now isn’t a great time,” he offers.
“Abby is sooo happy Tate is here.”
“Abby needs water and a bed,” I say. “But Tate, we should talk about this—when she’s not drunk and half naked.”
“Abby thinks Abby is perfectly fine being drunk and half naked,” she adds, but she’s leaning into me, her eyes now looking like if she does one long blink she will be asleep. “Abby thinks this is the best time to make important decisions.”
“No,” I say firmly, taking the water glass from her hand and setting it on the nearest surface before I guide her toward the stairs. “Abby is going to sleep.”
As I lead her up to her room, I can hear Levi talking to Tate. I finally feel like everything is falling into place.
Abby mumbles something incoherent as I lay her down on her bed, then tuck her under the covers. Her eyes are already closed, and I can’t help but smile at how peaceful she looks.
“Landon?” she murmurs sleepily, her hand reaching out to grab my shirt.
“Yeah, baby?”
“Abby loves you. Tell Tate that Abby loves him too. And Levi . . . tell them both.”
I lean down and press a kiss on her forehead. “I will. Now sleep.”
Within minutes, her breathing evens out, and I can tell she’s out completely. I make sure she’s on her side, then head back downstairs to have an important conversation with my brother and my coach about the future we’re all about to navigate together.
When I reach the main floor, I find Levi and Tate in the living room. Levi is sitting on the couch with his legs stretched out in front of him, while Tate is standing near the window, his arms crossed over his chest.
“She’s asleep?” Levi asks as I enter the room.
“Out like a light,” I confirm, moving toward them. “She’ll probably wake up tomorrow with the worst headache of her life and absolutely no memory of this happening.”
Tate winces slightly. “Should we maybe not tell her she threw herself at me while half naked?”
I laugh. “Oh, we’re definitely telling her.”
I settle into the armchair across from Levi, my eyes landing on Tate. “So,” I say, leaning back and studying him. “You came here tonight to say yes?”
Tate nods, his jaw tightening slightly. “I did. I’ve been thinking about this for days.” He pauses, running a hand through his hair. “I realized I really don’t care what other people think.”
“Even though it’s complicated?” Levi asks. “And it could blow up in all our faces?”
“If I’m going to take the risk, then I might as well jump right into the deep end.”
“You understand what you’re signing up for?” I say, and I need to make sure he really gets it. “This isn’t just about sex, though that’s an obvious part of it. This is about being with Abby, and being with me, and Levi and I are also with Abby. Levi and I have a complicated history with her.”
“I know,” Tate says quietly. “I’ve thought about all of it and what it could mean for my job, and for my reputation, and I have decided life is too short not to be happy. At the end of the day, I have a passion for ice hockey, but I want more than that in my life.”
Levi shifts on the couch, his expression thoughtful. “What changed your mind?” he asks. “Abby told me this morning you were still on the fence.”
Tate takes a seat on the edge of the coffee table, his elbows resting on his knees.
“I realized that I’ve spent my entire life doing what was expected of me.
Playing it safe and playing it straight, literally and figuratively.
It led to an injury that ended my career anyway.
” He looks up at me. “So what’s the point of playing it safe if it doesn’t guarantee anything? ”
“Maybe some risks are worth taking,” I say. “And some people are worth taking them for.”
“Is Abby worth it for you?” Tate asks me directly. “Even with everything else going on?”
I don’t hesitate. “Abby is worth everything to me. She always has been, even when I thought I had lost her forever.”
Levi makes a noise that sounds like agreement. “Same. But we also know it’s not only about her. It’s about all of us figuring out how to make this work together.”
“Which brings us to the practical shit,” I say, moving my attention back to Tate. “Because we can’t just waltz into the world as a poly relationship and not expect some serious fallout.”
“I know,” Tate says. “My family will lose their minds—my father especially.”
“Our sister will be over the moon,” Levi says.
“We’ll have to be careful at work,” I continue. “Besides Thomas . . . it’ll be tricky with you being a coach and me being a player.”
“We can keep our relationship private,” Tate says. “No one needs to know at the arena. We can be professional there, and everything else happens outside of that space.”
“There’s something else we need to talk about,” I say.
“The media attention. When people find out, and they will eventually, it’s going to be intense.
Abby got a taste of it when she was involved with us the first time, but this is going to be worse.
A coach, a player, and a woman caught in the middle.
The tabloids are going to have a field day. ”
“We’ll deal with it together. Isn’t that the point?” Tate says. “Though hopefully it’s a long time before that happens.”
Levi leans forward, his elbows on his knees. “So when do we tell Abby that we’re doing this? Because I don’t think she will remember anything from today.”
“Tomorrow,” I say. “When she’s sober and can actually process the information. But tonight, I think we should celebrate. Tate just committed to this insanity with us, and that deserves a drink.”
Levi jumps up immediately, heading toward the kitchen. “I’ll grab the whiskey. We can toast to our terrible decision-making.”
Tate laughs. “Is it always this chaotic with you two?”
“Pretty much,” I confirm, and moments later Levi returns with a bottle and three glasses. “But you already knew that about us.”
Levi hands out the glasses and pours the amber liquid, filling each one halfway. He then raises his glass. “To Tate,” he says, “for being brave enough to take the plunge. And to all of us for being crazy enough to think this can work.”
“To us,” I echo, raising my glass.
Tate hesitates for just a moment, then raises his glass as well. “To us,” he repeats.
After the drinks are finished, Tate sets his glass down and looks between Levi and me.
“There’s something I need to say,” he starts, and I can see him gathering his courage.
“When I was with you”—he looks at me—“that night in the truck, I realized something. I’ve been running from myself for a long time.
From what I actually want and what I actually am. Being with you made me stop running.”
His eyes stay glued to mine, and I listen as he talks. I love the sound of his voice.
“Being with you and Abby,” he continues, “makes me feel like maybe I don’t have to be what my family expects me to be, or what society expects me to be. I can just be . . . me.”
“You can,” I say, and I mean it.
I move from the couch and wrap an arm around Tate’s shoulders.
“Welcome to the chaos, Coach. It’s going to be one hell of a ride,” Levi says, throwing back another drink.
Tate leans into me, and I enjoy the feel of his body against mine. We might only be able to have this behind closed doors, but that is good enough for now.