CHAPTER34
The Sharks win, and I can feel Owen’s stress, fear, and anger through the bond. He gets up without a word, and the sliding glass door swooshes as he heads out to their back patio.
Alexi looks around and is about to get up when I pat his thigh.
“I got it,” I say, leaning forward and placing a kiss against his hair. It’s not that I’m opposed to Alexi helping, it’s just that I feel like he fixes everything. I want to feel needed, and maybe there's this piece of me that still feels like I’m not a good enough Alpha for Owen. He’s sitting on one of the large Adirondack chairs they have out here. His legs are spread wide as he rubs against his chin and looks out into their dark backyard.
I walk into his space and look between the empty chair next to him and his lap. Without a word, he holds out his hand, and I take it. He tugs me down onto his lap, and my hands are immediately on his face.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“No,” he says stiffly. I push his hair out of his face and just touch him, letting him know that I’m here. We don’t need to talk about it, but he needs to know that I’m always going to be here for him if he ever does need to let something off of his chest.
“Are you worried about him outing you?” I ask softly. My curiosity and need to make things better outweigh the other half of me that wants him to tell me what's bothering him at his own pace.
Owen squeezes my hip before resting his head against the back of the chair.
“I don’t really know what’s bothering me right now.”
“Have you been feeling okay?” I ask, touching his skin, and he sighs.
“Tonight’s the best game I’ve had in a while. I don’t feel as tired as I usually do.”
“Did you do anything different?”
“I don’t think so.” He shrugs and looks away, his hand still on my hip.
“Maybe I could travel to California with you guys, even if I fly commercial or something,” I say, and it’s the first smirk I get since he got home tonight. He gives my hip another squeeze, and he turns his face to me.
“You would do that, wouldn’t you?”
“I would.”
He shakes his head. “I’ll be alright.” His phone buzzes in his pocket, vibrating against my ass and making me jump. He groans and digs it out of his pocket and sighs. Owen gives me a soft look before looking down at the phone.
“Hey, Mom.” He pulls the phone away from his ear for a second. “I know. Yes. Okay.”
He groans and hands me the phone.
“Hey, Lori.”
“Piper, honey, how are you?”
I shift on Owen’s lap. “Good, you?”
“Well, my two sons who don’t speak to each other are both going to the fucking Stanley Cup Finals, so you tell me.”
“Um, I guess you’re doing great?”
“Is there enough room in that big Alpha’s house for me, or do I need to get a hotel? I’m assuming my son can pull some strings to get his mother tickets. I know Max will do the same. I haven’t had a chance to call him yet.”
“We can set up a guest room for you.”
Owen’s head turns sharply toward me, and he gives me a long suffering look, and I shrug my shoulders.
“You’ve been taking good care of him?”
“Of course I have, he’s my bonded.”
