Chapter 30 #2
The sobs wracking Connor’s body were impossible to hide.
He would have to explain himself before the night ended.
But for a few precious seconds, Connor let himself pull comfort from his rival.
When Connor loosened his grip on Patrick and stepped back, Patrick said, “I’m not here for you, you know that, right? ”
Connor nodded. Patrick waved a hand at Connor’s tear-stained face and said, “Good. Give me your fucking keys; you can’t drive like this.
” Connor didn’t argue or explain to his friends.
He tossed his keys to Patrick, who clicked the button to unlock the doors, and addressed Casey and Evan. “You two idiots coming?”
Connor nodded his approval when they gave him questioning looks. They were welcome to join him and Patrick. He owed them an explanation.
Patrick drove them to a small dive bar downtown, and they sat quietly at a circular booth. Patrick put food on his tab before he demanded, “Talk.”
Connor stuffed a bite into his mouth, buying himself an extra moment to gather his thoughts. All eyes remained on him as he chewed. When he swallowed, he said, “What do you want me to say?”
“How about start with why the fuck you blocked her.”
Connor groaned and ran a hand over his face.
“If I hadn’t, I would have asked her to come down here.
And that would have been stupid. Everything important in her life is there.
Roxie is there, and her brother. Her career is getting started.
She has steady work with the Freeze. She has friends and family and prospects.
In Nashville there’s only me, and I’m gone most of the time. ”
Casey raised his hand. “Um, quick question.”
“Yeah,” Evan chimed in, “I actually have a few questions.”
Patrick looked at Connor’s best friends like they were complete idiots.
Which, to be fair, they kind of were. But they were Connor’s idiots.
He couldn’t help but remember that five years ago, they were like Lover and Hazy.
But they had figured their lives out and moved on, whereas Connor was stuck in the same place he’d always been.
Connor sighed, bracing himself, and asked, “What are your questions?”
“First off, what the fuck?” Casey asked.
Evan touched his nose and pointed at Casey. “Yeah, that. What the fuck?”
Shame flooded Connor’s senses, and he looked at Patrick, hoping for help. Finding none, he had to man up and admit to his friends that he’d lied. He’d told them Daisy didn’t want to come to Nashville. His voice was little more than a whisper when he said, “I told you guys, Daisy and I broke up.”
Both his friends shook their heads, and Casey called him out. “No, you said she broke up with you.”
Patrick let out a loud, unamused chuckle. “That’s what you told them? Fucking typical.”
Connor leaned forward in his seat and put his elbows on the table, hanging his head.
Patrick enlightened Casey and Evan to Connor’s shitty behavior.
“No, she didn’t fucking break up with him.
Daisy has been obsessed with him for years.
This dumbass could ask her to move to the fucking moon and she would go.
But no. He left her in the wives’ room after a game when he got traded.
And then he ghosted her for days before ending things over text. ”
Casey had horror written all over his face. “No! Dude. You left her alone in the family room? At least tell me the other wives like her.”
Connor gritted his teeth. “They hadn’t met her yet.”
His friends gasped in surprise, appalled at Connor’s actions.
He could pummel Patrick for spilling his secrets, but his anger was better pointed toward himself. If he thought about it too hard, he’d cry again.
Connor smacked the table. “Are you happy now?” he asked Patrick.
Patrick said, “No, I’m not fucking happy. Do you know how worried she’s been?”
Connor didn’t answer. He didn’t know how worried she was. He’d spent weeks trying not to think about it.
Evan came to Daisy’s defense. “Bro, I don’t know this woman, but you definitely deserved to be punched in the face.” He held out his fist to Patrick, who raised an eyebrow, but touched his knuckles to Evan’s.
“Yeah, I deserve a lot more than a punch in the face. Any more questions?”
Evan pointed at Patrick. “Why the fuck is Patrick Mills the one walking you through this? You’ve barely said a single word to us, and you’ve been here for weeks.”
“Because,” Patrick answered, “Daisy is my best friend.”
“Oh, fuck. That’s so bad. Why are you being nice to him?” Casey asked Patrick.
Connor wondered that as well.
“Because if I can get him to pull his head out of his ass, it’ll be better for Daisy in the long run.
If it were up to me, I would smash your face in and leave you broken and bleeding right here.
But for some godforsaken reason, she cares about you, and even I can see you two are meant for each other.
Daisy did this for me and Sophia once. I wouldn’t be a very good friend if I didn’t return the favor. ”
“We were only together for a few weeks.” It sounded like an excuse.
“That’s a stupid argument. She cared about you way before you knew she existed.”
“Plus, you’re totally in love with her,” Casey said.
“What? How’d you get that?” asked Evan.
“Think about it. He’s been a mopey ass since he got here. I thought he was dealing with getting traded; we were the same when we got here last year. But this makes way more sense.”
Patrick kicked Connor’s foot under the table to get his attention. “Are you? In love with her?”
If he dwelled on it, he’d spiral again. But when asked, the answer came easily.
“Yeah. I’m in love with her.”
“Goddammit,” Patrick said. “Now I have to build a relationship with you. Do you know how bad that sucks? I can’t believe Daisy saw you one time in school, thought you were hot, dumped my ass, and then willed the reality where you two are a sickeningly cute couple into existence.”
Connor shook his head in denial before Patrick even finished his sentence. “How I feel doesn’t matter. I can’t ask her to move.”
“So don’t. There are a lot of work-arounds. You just have to be willing to figure it out together.”
Patrick’s phone rang, and he told the group to shut the fuck up before answering.