And he did. The light had come back into his eyes, and the permanent scowl he usually wore had been replaced by a shy smile.
The tips of his ears turned pink. “Because I am.”
“I wish you would have told me. About Jackson and what you were going through.”
“I should have. I was so fucked up over what Mom and Dad had drilled into my head that I was terrified to be myself.”
Maverick’s eyes went wide as his nostril’s flared. “Look at you now, though.” My eyes dropped to the ring on his left hand. Would I ever find what he and Jackson had? A friend and a lover?
Footsteps echoed down the hallway, and we both turned as Jackson appeared. His auburn curls were a mess on top of his head as he approached Maverick with the air of sleep in his dark eyes.
“Sweetheart, it’s late. Come to bed.”
“We’ll hang out tomorrow, okay?” Maverick assured me and gave me a quick hug when we both stood up. Then he squealed with laughter as Jackson hauled him up into his arms. “Goodnight!” he called out to me.
It felt like it took forever for sleep to find me that night once I settled in on the couch. And when it did come, I dreamed of a big house by the water where Beau greeted me at the door when I came home. Where we were both happy together.
Chapter Ten
Dean
Isat down on the balcony outside Jackson’s apartment with my phone in my hand. Maybe it was time I started to think of this place as Jackson and Maverick’s, because I was pretty sure that my brother was never going back to California. He was so much happier here. Happier with Jackson. That meant two of my friends, my bandmates, had settled down. Half the band was in California, and half on the East Coast. A part of me was jealous. I wanted that. I wanted to be happy and in love with someone, giving up everything to be with them. Maybe that was what I had wanted all along and didn’t realize until I met Beau.
Helena Hampton’s face greeted me as the video call connected. Her chestnut brown hair was pulled up into a messy bun, and she smiled at me when she saw my face, dark circles under her eyes. I knew she had been working a lot more at the hospital where she was a nurse, but did she ever take any time off? Maybe get some sleep?
“Dean Frost, as I live and breathe,” she teased. She raised her iced coffee to her lips to take a sip. “How’s Boston? Better yet, how the hell did we not know Jackson and Maverick were in love and doing the dirty? They were together all the time. Wait a second, why is your hair white? It’s kind of messing with my brain right now.”
I chuckled. “It makes sense, though, right? Now that you think about it. They were inseparable. Even sleeping in the same bed together even when they were eighteen.”
“You’re ignoring the question, Dean. Your hair?” Helena’s eyes were wide.
I dragged a hand through the strands. “I was going to dye it pink, but I never got that far. Mav had a panic attack, and I just haven’t gotten around to finishing it.”
“A panic attack? Is he okay?”
“He’s much better now.”
Helena stared at me, her blue eyes searching my face like she could read my mind through the phone. “He’s got Jackson now, so of course he’s okay.” A smile spread over her face. “I have to admit, it’s weirding me out. You look a lot like your brother.”
“Why does everyone keep saying that to me? Am I hideous?” I balked and reached for my cup of coffee. I was sitting out on the balcony of Jackson’s apartment, and even though it was a little chilly, it was nice. Different from being outside in California. I wasn’t sure I missed it much at all. Maybe I could move here. I would miss the beach, though.
Helena tilted her head. “It’s different. I don’t remember the last time I saw you like this.”
“I guess I’d better dye it back.” I sighed and remembered Beau had said his sister was a hairdresser. Maybe she could help. Would she? “How’s Ryan?”
Helena’s face instantly changed, turning all lovesick and happy. “He’s amazing.” And then she launched into all the things her boyfriend had done for her recently. Starting with making her breakfast to cleaning the house while she was at the hospital. Ryan worked there, too, as a respiratory therapist, which was how they had met.
God, I wanted that. That look that my ex-girlfriend was currently wearing. The constant state of happiness and glee. I wanted someone to take care of me when I was too busy to do it myself, and I wanted to be able to do that for them, too. And oddly enough, even though I didn’t know that much about him, Iwanted that person to be Beau. He made me happy. And the fact that he was sexy as fuck didn’t hurt.
“Helena, I met someone.” I blurted it out like word vomit. Oops.
Helena stopped talking, her mouth hanging open. “Did you just... Dean! Why didn’t you start with that? Oh my goodness! Tell me all about her! What’s she like? How did you meet? What does she look like? Do you have a picture? Who is she? Is she a relative of Jax’s teammate? Wait, she’s not a groupie, is she? Does she know who you are? Spill all the tea.”
“Um, so...” I gripped the back of my neck and let my gaze travel over the city below me. I watched as cars passed by the building and listened to the car horns as I tried to tell her what she wanted to hear. Might as well just rip off the band-aid. “His name is Beau Whitlock. He happens to be teammates with Jax, the captain of the Boston Terriers, and he has a sixteen-year-old son named Cole.”
When I finally looked back at my phone, Helena’s eyes were so wide I thought they might pop right out of her head. Her mouth was moving, but no sound came out, and I wasn’t sure if she was surprised, upset, or both.
“Say something,” I whispered. “Jesus Christ, you’re my best friend. Did I break you?” My stomach twisted into knots. Was she horrified by what I just told her?
