I jump when Lo’s hand lands on my forearm. I’m not sure how I’m looking at him, but there’s concern bright on his face. He wraps an arm around my shoulders and pulls me close. Relief makes me sink into him. I feel heavy.
Wrapping my arms around his waist, I hug him, and he holds me securely in his arms. “What happened? What do you need, babe?”
I shake my head, feeling the hysterical laughter bubble inside me. “It’s over,” I whisper. “I have the results. It’s a 0% match. I’m not the father.”
He laughs. “Of course, you’re not.”
“But now she’s going to see that. Everyone will know. The results prove she’s lying. Everyone will see she’s lying, and they’ll leave me alone.”
Lo squeezes me. I’m so fucking glad he’s here. This is good news, but I still need him like it’s bad news.
“Did you say the results came back?” Ethan asks.
I open my eyes and realize I’m still standing in the living room. I hadn’t actually moved far, so half my damn team is looking at me.
Laughter bubbles out this time and I close my eyes, turning my face into Lo’s neck. “Yes,” I say.
“Can I call her hoebag slut now?” Sacha asks. “She bad person.”
“The thing is, she believes what she’s saying,” Meddy says. “I’ve watched her account since the first video went viral. She fully believes what she’s saying. There’s a post from the day after our Philly game and she even tells the ‘story’ of how she hooked up with a hot hockey player from Buffalo.”
“Not me,” Sacha says. “No. I might give dick try. Can’t get dick pregnant.”
Ethan snorts.
“I’m betting even then, she thought it was Caulder when it was just a hookup story,” Meddy says. “I’m not sure she intended to be malicious, even if she turned into a Class A drama queen bitch.”
“You’re going to sue her ass, right?” Three asks.
I sigh, picking up my face and resting my chin on Lo’s shoulder so I can look at my team. “I don’t know. All I’ve wanted since this started was to make it go away.”
“I want you to show her there are consequences in the world when you tell lies,” Lo repeats what he’s told me many times.
“I’m with the interloper,” Asael says. “Even if what Meddy says is true and she didn’t intend to be malicious, the fact that she went about this the way she did definitely needs a lawsuit for damages. Even if they’re just your own mental damages.”
“Yes. You’ve looked like hell this last month,” Three adds. “You were gray for like eight days. I’m pretty confident I could bench you now, bro.”
I roll my eyes, sighing in exasperation. Though, I don’t doubt that he’s telling the truth about any of that. I’ve lost eight pounds and muscle mass sucks to try to get back. I’ve been sick to my stomach, not sleeping, and definitely feeling listless and shitty.
“My lawyer is getting everything together and then we’ll discuss it,” I tell them.
“For now, let’s fatten you up again,” Meddy says. “Eat. Don’t make me call Bianca.”
I laugh, closing my eyes and resting my head against Lo’s. “Love you,” he whispers.
My eyes open and the only one still looking at me is Creed. He smiles, bowing his head, but keeping his eyes on me.Watching me with Lo. Knowing how I feel without me having to say it.
CHAPTER 32
LO
Caulder’s teammatesstayed a while longer, but they left by two. I think now that they know he’s not alone and I won’t be here long, they decided to give us some privacy. Caulder’s standing in the middle of the kitchen, looking at all the dishes of food they left behind. I’m trying not to smile because he’s feeling annoyed about it, but I love that they did this. I love that they were concerned and invaded his space to make sure he’s taking care of himself.
I’d have loved it more if it was literally any other day because I’m here and I’ll make sure he’s eating today. But I need someone every other day until this woman goes back to the miserable little hole from whence she came.
Honestly, I’m not upset about losing a few hours of alone time to hang out with his friends. Getting to see Caulder with other people he’s comfortable with is something I won’t pass up when given the opportunity. I’m glad to see how comfortable he is with me, which is made more evident when his friends are around because his personality didn’t change. I get the real Caulder.
But what I think I love even more is how Caulder seems pretty quiet with his friends. Based on how they talked andlaughed, I would guess this is pretty normal Caulder behavior. When it’s just Caulder and I, we talk constantly. There are barely any quiet moments unless it’s those minutes right before we fall asleep at night.
