I finish my coffee before making a start. He’s got just over an hour before he has to be at the arena, and he needs a whole load of fuel to get him through the morning.
As I work, the conversation shifts to the week ahead. The Vipers have a home game tomorrow night before back-to-back road games at the end of the week.
I know I lived on the road for a few years following Rowan around, but I’m not sure how Cole copes with the constant coming and going. I’m not sure I’d know which way was up if I lived half my life away from home.
Our time together passes quickly, and before I know it, he’s dressed and ready for practice with his duffel bag slung over his shoulder.
“Can I have your car key, please?” he asks, holding his hand out before leaving me in his apartment.
I hesitate, hating that he’s taking on my issue, but I know I don’t stand a chance of refusing.
“Thanks. This is for you,” he says, trading my key for another newer one.
“Uh…I’m not taking this,” I argue, attempting to shove it back at him.
“Yes, you are. Use it if you need to go anywhere today.”
“But…you need it.”
“Killer is on his way to get me. He’ll drop me back later. I don’t want you stuck here without a vehicle.”
“I don’t need to go anywhere.”
“Well, just in case,” he says firmly before marching toward the front door.
The bang of it closing echoes around me, leaving me wondering what the hell he’s going to do.
With a shake of my head, I march toward the sink, ready to clean up the mess we made before I embark on meal prepping.
29
COLE
“That’s sweet,” Killer muses as he glances at my cell over my shoulder. “I didn’t know you were upgrading.”
He drops down beside me and lays his lunch out before him. The food at the arena is good. Before Freya’s appearance in my life, I thought it was fantastic, but now, I know different. I’d happily eat Freya’s cooking over anything. There’s something about it. I think it might be the love she puts into it that makes it taste that much better than anything else. She cares so much about making everything as good as it can be, and it bleeds into her meals. It’s like an extra seasoning, and I’m here for it.
“I’m not,” I mutter as I scroll through the specs my contact at the dealership has sent me.
“So why are you looking?”
Finally, I look up, and I watch as he almost puts a full chicken breast into his mouth in one go.
I raise my brows in shock.
“What?” he mumbles around his food.
“How women throw themselves at you, I’ll never know.”
“Because I’m hot.”
“You’re an animal,” I point out before shooting off a message to get the ball rolling and focusing on my own food.
“As if you’re any better. Don’t forget I share a room with you on the road,” he adds. “I know how loudly you snore and how bad you smell after a game.”
“Fuck off,” I laugh. I may not have grown up with any siblings. Of course, there were always other kids, whether it was at foster homes or in the kids’ homes, but I never felt a connection with any of them. Not in the way I do my teammates now. It makes me realize just how right Freya was last night when she pointed out that I do have a family. It’s just an unconventional one. I guess when I’ve been so focused on what I don’t have, it’s harder to see when it’s right in front of me.
“So the car…” Killer starts, reminding me that he’s waiting for an answer.
