Chapter 38
Chapter thirty-eight
Greyson
Feasting on Silas’s bones.
~ One Week Later ~
Life is fucking perfect. Well, as perfect as it can get for the time being.
My daughter is close to walking. The woman my soul screams for is giving me another chance.
The Griffins are now in the third round of the playoffs, the Eastern Conference Finals.
And if we win this one, which we will, we’ll be heading for the Stanley Cup Finals.
I know we’re making it to round four, I can feel it in my gut.
Just like I know we’re taking home the cup this year.
I’ve said it from the start, this is our year.
We got home two hours ago from our game in Detroit, and I’m surprised Bunny hasn’t called or messaged yet, asking where I am.
That girl knows my schedule better than I do.
She definitely would notice I’m two hours late.
Then she’d get mad because I didn’t warn her that I wouldn’t be home right away and that I made her worry for nothing.
But I didn’t have a choice. I wasn’t going to ruin the surprise by telling her what I was doing.
“We’re almost home, pretty girl,” I tell my little companion for the last hour, smiling down at her as I turn down our street.
A minute later, I’m pulling up our driveway and jumping out of my car with the little white furball.
I walk into the house, expecting to see Gracie and Emma going at their antics like they always do, but instead I find it noiseless.
It’s Gracie’s nap time, so maybe Em is just taking the time to relax.
I stroll farther into the home and over to the living room, where I see the TV on with the movie credits rolling up the screen.
When I look down at the couch, I find both my girls fast asleep.
Emma lies on her side against the back cushions with Gracie curled up against her chest in the fetal position.
Bunny’s arm is wrapped tightly around our little girl, securing her in place and keeping her safe.
I quickly take out my phone with my free hand and snap a picture of them.
I’ll put that as my screen saver later. Once I’ve put my phone away, I take the time to admire the two beauties before me.
Gracie’s pale blonde hair is such a contrast to Emma’s rich red mane.
I know she’s a natural redhead, but I’ve never seen a redhead with such vibrant locks. I’m not sure what she does to it.
Maybe it’s in her hair products or when she goes to the salon every month. I don’t think she dyes it, but maybe something to amplify the color. I could just ask her and get my answer. I wonder if our next daughter will have her hair. Maybe even our sons.
The little fluffy lady in my arm doesn’t make a sound as I gaze down at them. I take her between my hands and bring her over to Em’s face, letting her sniff a few times, until she decides that Emma is no threat and starts licking her face with the tiniest tongue I’ve ever seen.
“Bunny. Wake up, baby,” I whisper, not wanting to wake Gracie as well.
Emma groans and scrunches up her nose when our newest family member licks the tip of it. She blinks her eyes open, confused by the sight in front of her, but then they widen and her mouth drops open.
“Oh my God! You got a puppy?!” she exclaims, making Gracie jump out of her sleep. “Oh, I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to wake you,” Em says next, passing her fingers through Gracie’s hair, then looks back at the dog in my hands.
I pull away and sit on the floor in front of them. Emma quickly rises from the couch with Gracie and kneels beside me, her gaze solely on the pup. I can practically see the hearts in her eyes. She’s already in love with her.
“She’s adorable. But if I’m being honest, I never would have pictured you as a Pomeranian dad.” She giggles, looking me up and down, then to the little pooch.
“She’s not mine. I got her for you. I thought she fit you well,” I tell her, petting her new dog.
Em’s brows narrow. “How?”
“Well, look at her. She’s freaking adorable and apparently has quite the personality, from what the lady told me. Seemed fitting in my mind.”
“You have a point, I guess,” she laughs. “Look, Little Tulip. Say hi to your new little sister.”
Gracie squeals and tries to grab her fur.
I quickly latch onto her wrist, showing her how to properly pet the dog and telling her to be gentle.
She then rubs her face into the dog’s fur as melodic laughter pours from her mouth when the pup tries to lick her.
I have a feeling these two will quickly become best friends.
“Does she have a name?”
I shake my head at Emma’s question. “I wanted you to name her.”
She chews on her lip as she thinks of a name for our new pup. “How about Daisy?”
I smile, knowing my girl has a thing for flowers. “I love it.” I hand Daisy over to Em once she’s set Gracie on the floor, and Daisy immediately starts licking Emma’s face once more. She giggles and cuddles her new furry friend.
“Well, aren’t you just the cutest little furball I’ve ever seen? Oh, Greyson! I love her so much! Thank you.” She puts Daisy on the ground and jumps into my arms, knocking me down until she’s lying on my chest with her arms around my neck.
“I told you. I’ll do anything to make you happy.” I kiss her nose. “Originally, I had planned to get you a rabbit. But then I changed my mind because I realized the only bunny I want in my life is you.” I brush her hair away from her face and place it behind her ear.
“Oh, Wolf…”
She tightens her hold on me, cheek against cheek. She hasn’t tried to kiss me since our fight, and I don’t want to pressure her, but I fucking miss her lips on mine. I also realize it’s the first time she’s called me Wolf since, so I’d say we’re getting back on track.
Soon I’ll claim my temptress’s lips once more.
Em pulls away slightly, our lips so close all it would take is for me to lift my head half an inch and they would press to hers. Her green eyes fall to my mouth as her lips slightly part, right before her eyes begin to close as she ever so slowly leans in.
Holy shit, she’s about to kiss me!
Just when we’re about to make contact, something wet touches the inside of my ear. I startle with a yelp and look to my side to find Daisy panting with a happy smile on her face. You just got here, freaking cockblocker! Or should I say kissblocker?
Bunny giggles as she pushes off my chest to stand with a rosy dusting over her cheeks. She was definitely going to kiss me.
I watch Daisy sniff around the living room with Gracie in tow. “Don’t forget we’re having dinner at Hayes’s place,” I tell Em.
“Oh, right. Can we bring Daisy? Please, please, please!” She grabs onto my arm, shaking me as she hops at my side.
“Of course. Why don’t you show the little lady around her new home while I grab the things for her from the truck? Then we’ll head over.”
“Yes!” She smacks her lips to my cheek, then scurries over to Daisy and Gracie, picking them both up and wandering around the house while naming everything. Like the dog really needs to know where the dishwasher is.
If that dog can manage to do my dishes, hell, I’m getting a whole litter.
An hour later, we’re walking through the front door to Silas and Cecilia’s home.
“Oh my God! What is that adorable tiny thing?!” Cecilia comes running with Dante in her arms. She quickly places him down on the floor and rips our newest member out of my hold.
“Aww! Look at you! Milo, buddy, come here. Come see your new friend!”
Her dog comes skidding down the entrance hall, tail wagging with excitement at the prospect of having a new friend. She kneels down in front of him, letting the two dogs sniff each other.
Dante walks up to me and demands to be picked back up. Now that my hands are free, I lift him off the floor and place him on my hip. “Holy sh... moly. How do you carry him all the time, Cece?” There’s no way a sixteen-month-old should weigh this much.
“Look, I don’t even know how I do it! That kid weighs thirty-five pounds. Thirty-five! Let’s just say I am very grateful for my monthly spa treatment.” She giggles with a head shake.
“Thank God you guys have to wait before having another. Imagine having two at the same time of that size…” Emma says with wide, horrified eyes.
“I could never do two at the same time to begin with!” Then she turns those big green irises on me.
“Please tell me twins don’t run in your family,” she begs with worry.
I can’t help but chuckle. “No, Bunny. They don’t.” From the relieved look she carries at my response, I decide it’s best not to mention that you don’t need to have twins in your ancestry tree to have your own set.
“You know, it doesn’t matter if there are some or not. You can sti—” I glare at Cecilia when she starts telling Emma the exact thing I wasn’t going to say. Luckily, Em doesn’t hear her and walks away with Gracie in her arms, joining the rest of our friends.
Cecilia presses her lips together, holding in her giggle as she stands from the ground with Daisy in her arms. “Why don’t you want her to know that little bit of information?”
“No need to have her fearing something that’s unlikely to happen.”
“True, we know how Em gets when she’s worried.” She observes me for a moment with a tender smile. “I’m glad you two are working things out. The dog was a nice touch, she’ll never be able to leave now,” she says in a joking manner.
“She’s hers. Whether Bunny decides to leave me one day or not, Daisy is hers to take. Although I hope she never does,” I answer truthfully.
“Of course not, she’s your one.”
“She’s my one.”
We walk to the kitchen where everyone is gathered, except for Noah, who doesn’t seem to be present yet. I put a squirming Dante back on the floor when he notices Gracie crawling away to the living room.
“What is that thing?!” Silas asks as he strides over to Cecilia and takes Daisy from her grasp. “Is this… Is this the thing that’s supposed to eat me?” He snorts. “This thing fits in my hand! Even my magic stick is bigger than that!” He throws his head back and laughs.
Everyone joins in, minus Emma, who glares at him for making fun of her dog.
She quickly snatches the pup from his huge hand and holds her to her chest. “She isn’t a this or a that.
Her name is Daisy, and you will not make fun of her.
And for your information, yes, she will be the one eating you.
I’ve already started giving her raw meat.
Give or take a year, and she’ll be feasting on your bones, Silas. So don’t mess with me and my pooch.”
Laughter explodes around the room once more, this time excluding Silas, who stares at Emma with fear. “She’s joking, right?” he asks me.
All I do is shrug, then kiss Bunny against her temple. Of course she’s joking, but we can let him worry for a little while.
“Hey, where’s Casanova?” Veronica asks when the room quiets down.
We all look around at one another, waiting for someone to speak up, but no one does.
“He didn’t come with you?” Morgan asks Gabe.
“Nah. When we got home from the airport, he said he had something to do and left. He still wasn’t back when I was on my way out,” he answers, not seeming too worried about his best friend.
“He’s been different lately. I’m not the only one who’s noticed, right?” Em asks the group.
“She’s right. He seems to be in a strange mood every now and then. And every time he is, he drinks more,” Aubrey says next.
“I’ve noticed that, too. It makes me worry about him,” Cece adds.
“You guys don’t need to worry about him. He’s a big boy. He does this often. Disappears for a few hours, then comes back. If he’s not talking about it, then it’s none of our business,” Gabe says as if he’s talking from experience.
“I don’t agree. We shouldn’t ignore it simply because he hasn’t voiced it. If it’s affecting him, then we should be there for him as his friends,” Clay tells Gabe sternly.
“Certainly when it starts affecting his play.” I point at Gabe.
“And it has been. Coach and I talked about it after last night’s game.
Whatever’s going on with him is making him more vicious on the ice.
Yes, it helps when it comes to blocking the other team, but it’s also earning us a lot of penalties.
” Sy folds his arms over his chest. “But if he’s not talking about it, then we don’t know what we’re dealing with and how we can help fix it. ”
Just then, the front door opens, and in storms a sulky-looking Noah. He marches past us and goes to the liquor cabinet, taking out a bottle of Scotch, only turning to us once he’s poured himself a glass.
“Hey,” he says simply as we all stare at him.
“We were just talking about you and wondering where you were,” Morgan says in her motherly worried tone.
“Well, here I am,” he answers, sounding miffed.
“Hey! Watch your tone when you’re talking to my wife,” Clay barks at him.
“Whatever, man.” He rolls his eyes and drains his drink before taking another.
“Adler, what’s going on with you? You’ve been off,” Silas tries.
“Nothing. I’m fine. Can’t a guy be in a mood from time to time?” he bites out, annoyed with us already.
We all look at each other, seeing this is getting nowhere. We’ll have to try another method to get him talking. Ronnie leaves her spot beside Aubrey and walks up to Noah, leaning against the counter beside him. She bumps her shoulder into his and smiles at him when he looks down at her.
“Are you okay, Noah?” she asks him quietly.
He stares at her for a moment, then nods. “Yeah, Kitten. Nothing you need to worry about.” He offers her a small smile before lifting his arm and placing it over her shoulders.
She doesn’t push him off like she normally would, but instead leans more into him, sensing he may need this moment even if he won’t admit it. Then her gaze travels over all of us, offering a tiny shrug.
I think we just found our new method.