And then I let sleep pull me under.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Beau
Dean was out cold when I woke up the next morning. I watched him a little longer than I should have, his green hair spread out on the pillow, his mouth slightly agape, and I swear he never looked more beautiful. I could see us doing this every morning. Waking up together, snuggling before we had our morning coffee, before I had to go practice. And then maybe after I retired, we could buy a house somewhere on the water. Settle down together, get married—
I nearly fell out of bed trying to get up. What the hell? Did I want that with Dean? I was going to ask him to move in with us. I knew this was no longer just a flinger. I was thinking about a future with him. I placed my hand against my heart as it began to calm down. But I could see it. The two of us together. We had fun together. Had great chemistry, and despite the age difference, the fact that he was a huge rockstar, we seemed to fit well together. Would Dean want more with me?
I scrubbed my hand down my face and let out a long breath. I had to figure this shit out, because if we did this, whatever it was, I had more than just myself to think about. And maybe asking him to move in with me was too fast. Maybe I should pump the brakes on that idea for a bit.
I took a quick shower, then changed into a pair of jeans and a shirt while Dean continued to sleep. I moved into the kitchen to start coffee and dig around to find something I could make for breakfast. Once I had the bacon going, I shot off a couple of texts that I hadn’t answered last night, one to my sister and the otherto Cole, before I grabbed the eggs. Just as I poured the mixture into the pan, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and found Dean watching me dressed in one of my Terriers shirts. It was huge on him, hanging to his knees, but pride swelled in my chest at how good he looked wearing my clothes.
“How are you feeling?” I asked, watching as he dragged a hand through his messy green hair.
Dean gave me a sleepy smile as he took a step towards me. He slipped his hands up my chest and linked them behind my neck. Then he leaned up onto his toes and pressed his mouth to mine.
“That was the best sex I’ve ever had.”
“Was it now?” I chuckled as my arms immediately wrapped around his slim waist.
He nodded. “Mm, would love to do it again.” His emerald eyes sparkled with heat. “I didn’t put on any underwear.”
“Pink,” I warned and dropped a hand to cup his ass with my palm. “Jesus.”
Dean grinned at me. “What do you think, Daddy? You want to fuck me over your kitchen table?”
A knock at the front door had us pulling apart. “Go put some pants on, trouble.” I shook my head as Dean laughed. I quickly moved the bacon from the burner before shutting it off and went to go find out who was at the door. When I opened it, I found Maverick glaring at me with ice in his eyes.
“Good morning.”
“I’ve been trying to reach Dean.” Maverick pushed his way inside. “Is he still here?”
I closed the door behind him. “Yes, is Jackson all right?”
“Jax is fine. I would like to speak with my brother, if that’s okay with you,” Maverick whispered, a quiver in his chin. “Please.”
“Mav, what’s going on?” Dean stepped into the room.
Maverick rushed over to his brother, and the two of them embraced before Dean moved him out to the balcony so they could speak in private. I watched as Maverick shook his head, his hands up in the air, before he burst into tears. I turned away as worry worked its way inside my head. Had Jackson and Maverick had a fight? Was everything okay between the two of them? Just as I thought I should go check with my goalie, there was another knock at the door, and I found Jackson standing there.
“Maverick’s outside.” I hooked my thumb over my shoulder.
Jax’s eyes were red, his auburn curls a messy halo on his head. “He’s a mess,” he whispered. He stared out toward the balcony before he glanced at me again.
“You don’t look too good yourself, man. You want to talk about it?” I asked. “Did you have a fight? I’m no relationship expert, but it might help to get it out.”
Jackson shook his head. “No, it’s... Apparently, Maverick was arrested a couple of years ago.” He closed his eyes and sighed. “There was some fight he got into after a show with some random person who recognized him and decided to press charges after. The adoption agency is doing background checks.”
“Oh, shit.” The words slipped from my lips before I could stop them. “Sorry, that... He’s upset.”
Jackson barked out a laugh. “That’s an understatement. I’m upset because he didn’t tell me. We had an argument. Jesus, I don’t care that Mav was arrested. But he wants to foster Andy so bad, and I want to give that to him, Beau. All I want to do is make Maverick happy. He means everything to me, and this is frustrating him. I upset him when I got mad, and I didn’t mean to. I just... It surprised me, you know? Because we’re still getting to know one another again. He made one mistake, and now he might suffer for it.”
“You do make me happy, Goose.” Maverick’s voice was barely a whisper. “I’m the one who made the mistake, not you. I’m the one who’s going to screw this up for us. If we don’t get to foster Andy, that’s on me. You haven’t done anything wrong. It’s always me. Me!” He pointed at himself.
Jackson shook his head. “Sweetheart, no. You made a mistake. That’s all it was. You can’t say that about yourself.” He stepped toward him, but Maverick shook his head and took one back. “Please, Mavs, I just want to hold you. Don’t push me away.”
Maverick burst into tears again as he rushed into Jackson’s arms, clinging to him and muttering things that I couldn’t understand. I glanced over at Dean, who gave me a small smile. I held out my hand, and we went into the kitchen, where the bacon was now cold and looked not very edible.
