Chapter 13
Tuck
The thought of Maria and the boys at my place while I’m here in Edmonton hits me harder than any check I took tonight. A strange kind of warmth settles low in my chest knowing they’re all there.
Truthfully, my house is too big for one guy. Always has been. Too quiet. Too clean. Too empty. But not with them in it. With the boys tearing through the halls, Marbles skidding across the hardwood, and Maria tucked into my study. No, my place is louder. Messier. Alive.
It feels like the home I grew up in. The home I have longed for.
And that right there, that’s the problem.
Because I’ve played house before. I know exactly how that story ends—doors slamming, silence where laughter used to be, and me standing in the wreckage wondering how the hell I didn’t see it coming.
So yeah. No. Not doing that again.
Better to keep things simple. Keep it physical. Keep it easy. Keep my emotional distance. Especially from the boys, who sometimes look at me like I can walk on water. Like I could be…permanent.
Yeah. That’s a line I can’t cross. Because the truth is, this. Maria and I are playing a dangerous game and as much as I hate to admit this to myself, I’m already in too deep.
If only I could stop playing house.
Why the hell can’t I get that woman out of my system?
“You okay, dude?”
Jaxon’s voice cuts through the noise of the locker room as he drops onto the bench beside me, gear thumping, energy still buzzing from the win.
“Yeah,” I mutter, forcing a grin that doesn’t quite stick. “Great.”
Across the room, the guys are loud, celebrating, riding the high. I should be over there with them. Instead, I’m hunched over, staring at my untied laces as I feel sorry for myself. Jesus what have I become?
“Wouldn’t mind introducing my fist to Yaroslav’s face, though,” I add, rolling my shoulders as I shake off the gloom. “The fucker hit me harder than he needed to.”
Jaxon snorts. “Yeah, well, Ash got him back for you.”
That pulls a real grin out of me. Mountain didn’t just get him back—he damn near rearranged the guy’s life choices. Totally worth the penalty.
From the other side of the room, Nicklas’ voice cuts through the chaos. “Hey, Tuck,” he shouts. “How’s your kitty?”
“Shut the fuck up, Rookie.”
“Aww, come on,” he says, rounding the corner, completely naked. “Just wondering about your kitty… and where I might find some ‘kitty’ action in this town.”
Jesus Christ.
I throw a hand over my eyes. “Dude. No. Absolutely not. No one wants to see your junk. Get the fuck away from me.”
There’s a loud slap and I don’t even want to know. “You’re wrong about that…” he starts, way too pleased with himself. “Lots of girls want my junk.” Then he pauses, like something just clicked. “Wait…what did you say your sister’s name was?”
My head snaps up.
Big mistake.
Because there it is.
His dick.
Front and center.
Way too close.
But it’s not the naked view that set me off. It’s that he mentioned my sister. “Oh no you fucking didn’t—”
I’m on my feet in a second, shoving him back as he howls with laughter and bolts across the room like the idiot he is. I crack my knuckles, already moving after him.
Jaxon slaps me on the back to stop me. “He’s kidding. Don’t worry. None of us are letting him anywhere near Kate.”
Just hearing her name does something to me—makes me think of home and warms my chest in a way I’m not about to unpack in a locker room full of guys.
“I’m actually looking forward to her coming,” I admit. “Even if she’s got zero concept of minding her own business.” I huff out a laugh. “She’s going to have a field day with the whole Marbles situation.”
Jaxon grins. “Oh, I can’t wait for that. When is she coming anyway?”
“Next month.” I almost tell him that Kate and Maria are going to get along. That they’ll have something in common. But then I remember that Maria going back to school is our secret. Just ours. And I don’t know why, but I like that. Maybe a little too much.
“Let’s go get a beer,” Jaxon says, pushing to his feet.
“Yeah,” I mutter, needing the distraction.
I strip out of my gear quickly, shower even quicker, and meet the guys outside.
The cool night washes over me. So does the buzz of the crowd calling out my name.
I meet up with Jaxon and Tanner jogs up beside us.
Up ahead, Nicklas already has his arm slung around one of the girls lingering by the bus. I guess he found his…kitten.
I snort. “Didn’t Jaylynn set him up with her friend?” I shake my head. “She must really hate her friend.”
Jaxon laughs. “Nah, I think the friend started seeing someone else. Whole thing fell through. Too bad, really.”
“Too bad?” I shoot him a look as we head toward the bus. “You got something against Jaylynn’s friend?”
He chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck. “No, I just…” He hesitates, then shrugs, a little sheepish. “Marriage is… nice. Wouldn’t mind seeing Nicklas meet someone who actually sticks.”
I glance at him, surprised by the softness in his tone. “Really?”
He exhales, eyes drifting ahead. “I think, deep down, Nicklas is a decent guy.”
I bark out a laugh. “There’s not a shovel in the world that digs that deep, Jax.”
But even as I say it, Maria flashes in my brain. The way she looks at Nicklas. Past the bullshit and jokes and innuendo. Maybe it’s because she has boys of her own, but the two of them…they’ve got this weird, easy thing. A quiet connection I don’t quite get.
I shift, jaw tightening. But it’s not jealousy. Not even close. She wouldn’t go for a guy like him anyway—too young, too reckless. Still… there’s something there. She sees something in him. Something I’d like to understand. Something as captain, I should understand.
“Speaking of marriage being nice,” Tanner cuts in, clapping a hand on my shoulder. “What’s going on with you and Maria?”
My steps falter just slightly. “Nothing,” I shoot back, too fast, too damn defensive. “I just couldn’t see Marbles going back to the shelter, and who knows what would’ve happened to him.”
Tanner gives a nod. “Good to know.”
I frown. “Why?”
His mouth curves like he’s been waiting for this. “Because Maeve and I are going on a double date with Maria and Declan. Not this weekend, but next. It’s all set up. I just wanted to make sure we weren’t stepping on anyone’s toes.”
The words hit like a body check I didn’t see coming. Maria. Date. Declan.
Fucking Declan—Douchebag—Hayes.
I clamp my jaw, every muscle in my body going tight.
Dude, you have no claim on her.
Yeah. I know that. Doesn’t stop the sharp, ugly twist in my gut, though. Doesn’t stop the immediate, irrational urge to find Declan and remind him exactly how hard I can hit.
I force my face into something neutral. “Oh yeah?”
“Yeah,” Tanner says easily. “Rowyn set it up. Should be fun.”
Fun.
Right.
I shrug like it doesn’t matter. Like I don’t care. Like I’m not currently imagining all the ways that night could go, and hating every single one of them.
“Cool.”
The word tastes like bullshit.
I haul myself onto the bus, needing space—needing a second to get my head on straight—but of course Tanner follows, dropping into the seat across from me.
“Good thing there’s nothing going on with you and Maria,” he says, snorting as he pulls out his phone. “That could’ve been awkward.”
I let out a short laugh. “Yeah. All good.”
His eyes flick up, studying me like he’s not totally buying it. Smart man. I don’t give him the chance to call me on it. I turn away, yank my phone out, and jam my earbuds in. Music fills my head, drowning out the noise, and Tanner’s curious stare.
But not the image of Maria across a table from Declan, smiling.
Laughing.
Leaning in.
My grip tightens around my phone.
I tip my head back against the seat and close my eyes.
Yeah.
Nothing going on at all.
The bus doors close, and I glance around. Most of the guys are glued to their phones, voices full of laughter and greetings to loved ones back home. I try to ignore the ache in my chest—missing home, missing Maria, but then my phone rings, and I nearly jump out of my seat.
Seeing my sister’s name on the screen spreads warmth through me.
I answer quickly. “Hey, Kit Kat.”
“Chucky,” she replies, her voice light. “Great game tonight. Just checking to see if you’re okay after that nasty hit.”
“Yeah… I’m good.”
There’s a beat of silence. Then she says softly, “You sound…off.”
“Tired. Long day.” I hear Mom and Dad’s voices in the background. “You’re home?”
“Yeah, we all watched the game.”
“Say hi to Mom and Dad for me. Tell them I’ll call when I get back to Boston.”
She shouts a greeting to them, and then her excitement comes rushing back: “I have my dates. I’m coming in two weeks. Can’t wait to see you.”
I close my eyes for a moment, thinking of my schedule. “Can’t wait to see you too. Wait, uh, you’re not allergic to cats, are you?”
Her laughter bubbles through the line. “Ah, did you get a cat, Chucky?”
“I…sort of adopted him. There was a situation.”
“Chucky got a cat,” she screams to Mom and Dad, nearly deafening me. “What situation?” Her voice is back to normal now, but I can hear her concern underneath.
“I was just helping a friend out,” I explain. “There were allergies, the shelter. I didn’t want to see the poor thing put down.”
Her tone drops. “Does everyone know you’re soft under all that armor, Chucky, or is it just me?”
My stomach tightens. honestly, she’s always been there, even when Suzanna and Ben…well, when it all went sideways. I think she knows me better than myself sometimes.
“Only you,” I respond, trying to be playful. “Let’s keep it that way.”
“You got it. And to answer your question, no allergies here. Now tell me this cat’s name.”
I groan. “It’s Marbles. And please…don’t ask.”
She laughs. Loud. Full. “Marbles? As in…you lost yours?”
She’s too clever for her own good. I chuckle, shaking my head. “Yeah, something like that.”
“Well, I can’t wait to meet Marbles. I think having a pet will be good for you.”
“It’s sort of…not really my pet,” I mumble.
“Uh…who’s pet is it then?”
Shit. Why did I say that?
“It’s just…remember that woman I was telling you about?” I lower my voice. “The one who wants to be a lawyer?”
“Right…your friend. Does this friend have a name?”
“My friend’s name is Maria. Anyway, her place is small, and her two boys need me to shelter Marbles until they get a bigger place.”
“She has two boys?” There’s a hint of worry in her voice and I get it. She knows pain, knows heartache, knows what I’ve been through, what I vowed never to go through again.
“Teenagers,” I clarify.
“That’s very generous of you,” she says softly, and I hear the worry in her voice through the phone.
“It’s only temporary,” I add quickly.
Just like everything else with Maria.
There’s silence on the line. I can feel her waiting, reading between my words. So I blurt it out, “I…uh…know what I’m getting into.”
Do I, though? Do I really?