I don’t remember a time in my life when they weren’t like this. Sure, they fought and argued. I mean, which sane couple doesn’t? But they never went to bed without talking it out. Even if it took them all night, they would sort it out and make up.
Yeah, not to diss them or anything, but unfortunately, my ears have been subjected to some makeup efforts between my parents when they thought we were sleeping. Luckily, they don’t know that. And they never will.
Still, I crave that stubborn kind of love. The kind of woman who keeps me awake at night, but within whose arms I find my sleep. A woman who excites me and pushes me to be better than I was yesterday. Someone who’d be my own personal diary.
A woman with whom even the most mundane things would feel like an experience of a lifetime. But I’m not sure if I’ll ever find something like that. It’s not easy being an NHL player and finding people who love you for who you are and not for your status and everything it can offer them.
“She never lies, son. You’re great at what you do,” Dad reiterates, snatching me out of my depressing thoughts and causing Noah to look bashful while Seb, Oliver, Lucas, and Levi, our defense men, tease him.
Shaking my head at them, I take a sip of my sweet, hot drink. I glance at Andie and find her standing quietly, zoned out. I lightly nudge hershoulder to get her attention. With furrowed eyes, I whisper for her ears only, “Andie, you all right?”
Her eyes widen ever so slightly, and her eyes flicker multiple times to someone before she looks at me. Following her line of sight, I find Noah on the other end. The moment my eyes connect with his, he jerks his head to look the other way.
Andie touches my shoulder. “Yep, I’m alright,” she answers, clearing her throat. I can see that her smile’s tight and she’s lying.
And why was she looking at Noah and him her? Or was I mistaken?
What was that about?
At the thought that Noah could’ve made her uneasy in some way, my blood boils. He’s my best friend, and I don’t think he’ll ever hurt her, but what if he did? She’s already been hurt enough in the past, and I hate to think how cruel people can be with someone who doesn’t fit their idea of a perfect figure.
Especially guys who have found different ways to hurt her. I know she has never told me the whole truth about what her exes have done, but I can guess and hate them all the same.
Seb’s voice pulls me out of the murderous train of thought and makes me loosen my fist, which I didn’t realize I had made.
“June, do you know that our captain here…” Seb sidles close to my mom and talks to her as if talking with his years-old friend, pointing at me with the paper cup in his hand.
My eyes narrow at him. I watch him over the rim of my cup, my eyes warning him to be careful of the words that leave his mouth. “…has got a special segment featuring him? Did he tell you that?”
Mom shakes her head, and Seb gasps dramatically. “Bad, Ezra. Very bad. You should’ve told her,” he opines in a high-pitched voice as others join him in pulling my leg. He wiggles his eyebrows at me, knowing exactly what he’s doing.
I’m gonna kill you,my eyes threaten him, and he just smiles like a deranged Joker as if he couldn’t care less. It’s a miracle, really, that I haven’t crumpled the cup in my hand yet. Kudos to me for showing such patience with my kid-like teammates.
“Ezra,” Mom’s chastising tone pulls my eyes to her. Uh oh, I know that look. This is the look mymother gives when she’s disappointed in me and is about to rip me a new one for keeping something from her.
“Yes, mother,” I mutter, glaring at my so-called teammates.
“Would you like to say anything?” Her eyes narrow at me, warning that she sees me and will dig the truth out of me.
Before I can apologize for it, Seb decides to add fuel to the fire. “And do you know, June, who is overseeing the project? Our very own Social Media Manager, Kaeli. She’s a smart one, that beautiful woman.”
My eyes turn to slits at him. I know she’s a beautiful woman. But why doeshe? He shouldn’t have said that. Only I can say that. He shouldn’t even look in her direction. No one should.
What the fuck!?
I startle myself with my own thoughts. Fucking hell! I rub a hand over my face, hoping to wipe away any evidence of the kind of thoughts I’m weaving.
My mom, ever the dramatist, gasps with a hand on her chest, making me roll my eyes at the overreaction while Andie giggles beside me, trying but spectacularly failing to cover it upwith a cough. When I catch her, she just shrugs.
Dear father decides that this is the best time to give his two cents. “You say she’s beautiful, Sebastian. She wouldn’t happen to be around you young kids’ age, would she?” My head swivels to look at him like he has betrayed me. Plunged a knife into my back, if you will. While his eyes gleam with mischief.
Kids. All of them are kids.
God! I’m stuck with kids in adults’ bodies.
“Oh, there she is,” Lucas announces to the group of kids–no, Iwillnot call them adults. They aren’t mature enough to be one.
All eyes are on her as she makes her rounds among the guests. Laughing and talking to everyone. Listening to them.
