11. Ethan
Ethan
Theo's living room smells like baby powder and stale coffee.
I'm sprawled on Theo’s couch with a beer I've barely touched while Logan sits across from me, bouncing Maya on his knee like he's done it a thousand times.
Maya is giggling and grabbing at his beard, and Logan is making ridiculous faces that would destroy his reputation as the most intimidating goalie in the league.
“She likes me better than you,” Logan says, grinning at Theo.
“She likes everyone better than me. I'm just the guy who changes her diapers.” Theo says, emerging from the kitchen with a fresh round of beers.
“Where's Cole?” Logan asks.
“On his way. Harper needed him to drop her at the boutique first,” Theo says, plopping down.
I take a sip of my beer and try to relax.
It's Saturday afternoon, and the guys are trickling back into town for the Skills Showcase next week. Logan flew in yesterday from his summer house in Maine. Cole never left, and neither has Theo. He’s been here the whole time, juggling daddy duty while Olivia does whatever it is wives do.
Today, that means shopping. The girls are out in full force, buying dresses for the party after the showcase. Natalie is with them.
“How is the knee?” Logan asks, handing Maya back to Theo when she starts fussing.
“Getting there.”
“I heard you're off crutches.”
I nodded. “Cane now.”
“Progress.” Logan raises his beer in a mock toast. “You'll be back before you know it.”
I grunt and take another drink. Everyone keeps saying that. You'll be back. It's only temporary. Stay positive. I'm tired of hearing it from people who don't know what it's like to wonder if your body will ever work the same way again.
The front door opens, and Cole walks in, looking annoyingly good in a polo shirt and khakis. “Miss me?”
“Not even a little,” Theo says.
Cole drops onto the couch beside me and steals my beer. “Harper says hi. Also, she says Olivia is spending too much money, and she's enabling her.”
“That's rich coming from Harper,” Theo mutters. “The woman who bought a three-thousand-dollar purse last week.”
“It was an investment piece.”
Theo deadpans. “It was a purse.”
The conversation flows around me, and I let it wash over without really participating. This is what I've missed during the weeks of solitary rehab. The easy camaraderie and the shit-talking. My teammates are my brothers and my family just as much as Bella and Lucy were my sisters.
Maya starts crying, and Theo disappears to change her diaper.
“You seem different,” Cole says to me.
I crane my neck to look at him. “Different how?”
“Less miserable.”
Logan nods. “He's right. You almost smiled when you walked in. I was concerned.”
“Fuck off.”
“There he is.” Cole grins. “For a second, I thought the aliens had replaced you with a functional human being.”
I flip him off, but I don't argue. The progress with my knee has lifted my whole mood. The darkness that was suffocating me has lifted enough that I can breathe again. Enough that I can sit here with my teammates and not want to put my fist through a wall.
But it’s not just the knee. It’s Natalie.
Theo returns with Maya, who is now calm and content. I sit up and reach for her. “Come here, little monster.”
Theo hands her over, and her big eyes lock onto my face. She reaches up to grab my nose with her chubby fingers.
“Got me,” I say in a ridiculous voice. “Oh no, you got my nose. What am I going to do without my nose?”
Maya giggles. I blow a raspberry against her cheek, and she squeals with delight, her little legs kicking against my stomach.
“Again?” I ask her. “You want Uncle Ethan to do it again?”
She babbles something that sounds vaguely like agreement, and I blow another raspberry, this time on her neck. She dissolves into giggles, her whole body shaking with joy. I lift her up above my head and make airplane noises, swooping her gently through the air.
“You're going to be trouble when you grow up,” I tell her. “I can already tell. You've got your dad's stubborn streak and your mom's pretty eyes. Boys are going to be lining up, and I'm going to have to scare them all away.”
“That's my job,” Theo protests.
“You're too soft. You'll invite them in for dinner and give them the shovel talk over dessert. I'll just stand there and glare until they run away crying.”
Maya grabs a fistful of my shirt and shoves it toward her mouth. I let her gum the fabric, not caring about the drool spreading across my chest. Cole snaps a photo, and I don't even threaten to break his phone.
I bounce her gently on my good knee, making silly faces that have her giggling all over again. We talk about the showcase, about training camp, and which rookies are looking promising.
By the time I leave, the sun is starting to set, and the city is glowing orange and pink.
I take an Uber back to the apartment complex and let myself into my place. There's nothing to distract me from the thing I've been avoiding all day.
The necklace.
I bought it three days ago from a jewelry store near the arena. It's a delicate gold chain with a small emerald pendant, but the moment I saw it, I thought of Natalie. I bought it as a thank-you gift, to show my appreciation for everything she's done.
Once I’m back at my apartment, I pull the velvet box from my dresser drawer and stare at it for a long moment. This is a terrible idea. What if she says I’m crossing lines? But I already bought the damn thing. It's not like I can wear it. A dainty gold necklace isn't exactly my aesthetic.
I grab the box and walk down the hall to her apartment. Inhaling deeply, I knock on Natalie’s door.
The door opens, and my brain stops working.
Natalie is standing in front of me in a yellow gown that looks like it was painted onto her body. The fabric clings to her curves, dipping low between her breasts and flowing down to the floor in a cascade of golden silk.
Her hair is loose around her shoulders, and her feet are bare.
“Ethan,” she says, surprised. “I was just trying on dresses. The girls made me buy two, and I can't decide which one to wear to the party.”
I stand and stare at her like an idiot.
“Is everything okay?” She steps back and gestures for me to come in. “You look like you've seen a ghost.”
I walk into her apartment on autopilot. The living room is smaller than mine but cozier, with soft lighting and pillows everywhere. There’s a second dress draped over the back of the couch. It's red and probably just as stunning as the one she's wearing.
“I brought you something,” I say, finally finding my voice. I hold out the velvet box. “A thank-you gift for everything you've done.”
She takes the box and opens it slowly. Her lips part when she sees the necklace, and her fingers trace the delicate chain. “Ethan, this is beautiful. And too much.”
“It’s not nearly enough,” I argue. “Because of you, I might actually get back on the ice.”
“Will,” she corrects. “You will get back on the ice.”
“Will,” I agree, unable to stop my smile from forming.
The smile she gives me in return is devastating. One that I’ll play in my mind on a loop before I go to sleep tonight. I get lost in it — her. Memorizing the way her eyes are lit up. The curve of her lips. And then I remember how soft they felt against my own.
I clear my throat, shifting on my feet. “Can I?” I gesture to the necklace.
She nods and turns around, lifting her hair off her neck. I take the chain from the box and step closer. My fingers brush against her skin as I fasten the clasp, and she shivers at the contact.
The necklace settles against her collarbones, and I don't step back. I stay there, close enough to inhale her scent. I lean down and press my lips to the curve of her neck.
I don’t miss the tiny gasp she lets out. “What are you doing?” she whispers.
My voice comes out low. “What I’ve wanted since you got off my lap in that locker room.” I kiss her neck again. This time, I let my tongue drag along her skin.
She gasps and tilts her head to give me better access. My mouth trails up to the spot just below her ear. My hands find her waist and pull her back against me so she can feel what she’s doing to me.
The evidence of how badly I want her presses against her ass, and she makes a sound that goes straight to my cock.
“Ethan,” she moans.
“Tell me to stop.” I kiss her neck again, my teeth grazing her skin. “Tell me to stop, and I'll go back to my apartment, and we'll pretend this never happened.”
She turns in my arms and faces me. Her eyes are dark with desire, and her chest is heaving, and she looks just as desperate as I feel.
“I don't want you to stop.”
I crash my mouth against hers, and she opens for me immediately. The kiss is hungry. Urgent. My tongue slides against hers, and she moans into my mouth, lacing her arms around my neck. I've never wanted anyone this badly in my entire life.
I walk her backward until her shoulders hit the wall. My hands are everywhere, sliding up her sides, cupping her breasts through the thin fabric of the dress, gripping her ass and pulling her tighter against me. She's just as frantic, her fingers clawing at my shirt, trying to get to bare skin.
I pull back long enough to yank my shirt over my head. She runs her hands over my chest and abs, her nails scraping lightly over my skin, and I groan at the sensation.
“I need this dress off,” I say, in a rough voice.
She turns around, and I find the zipper at the back. I drag it down slowly, exposing inch after inch of golden skin. The dress pools at her feet, and she steps out of it, turning to face me in nothing but a tiny pair of lace panties. Her breasts are full and round, her nipples already hard.
“You're so fucking beautiful.”
She reaches for my belt, and I let her unbuckle it. She unfastens my jeans and pushes them down along with my boxers. My cock springs free, hard and aching.