My community center kids absolutely love Liam, as if there was any doubt. It's clear to see that he loves doing it just as much. I've never seen professional Liam before and it was undeniably hot. He'd obviously done presentations like this before because he had answers for every bizarre question those kids threw at him. If you know kids, they can ask some of the strangest questions. Mostly funny and occasionally embarrassing. He fielded both with confidence and humor.
I'm not ready for children of my own yet, but after seeing him in action with those kids. I was more willing to consider it with him than I ever have before.
The way we are together is just so natural. I love the domesticity of this daily routine we've developed. It's comfortable in a way that feels very different from any other relationship I've been in. He meets me where ever I need to be met – emotionally, physically, intellectually. And he does it without any kind of negativity. It lets me be safely me in a way I've never experienced before.
This is exactly the kind of partnership I've been looking for and it was right in front of me the entire time.
As I watch him hand out all the signed swag he brought with him for the kids, I can't help but feel like this relationship is really going somewhere, and I'm more than happy to sign on for the ride.
Liam
The insistent ringing of my phone wakes me. I fumble around before finally getting my hands on it, blearily checking who the fuck is calling me at one in the morning. Checking my caller ID, I see it’s Colly, one of the rookies. I gave them all my number in case of an emergency. As I answer, my stomach sinks. Calls in the middle of the night are almost always an emergency.
“What’s up, Colly?” A growing sense of panic is waking me up quickly.
“Cap? Cap you gotta come get him.” Colly says, voice shaking and panicky. The bass thumping in the background is so loud, I can barely hear him.
“Get who? What’s going on? Where the hell are you?” I snap as I grip my phone tighter.
“House Party. It’s Camps. They got him so drunk, Cap. He’s a mess and now they’re doing something to him. You have to stop them. We tried, Cap. So many shots...” He sounds as if he’s ready to cry. Jesus, Austin “Camps” Campbell is a sweet kid and not a partier. Something here is not right.
The dread that was building explodes into full-blown panic. I jump out of bed and go straight for my jeans, trying to pull them on while I hold the phone to my ear. I’d put it on speakerphone, but I don’t want to wake Maddie. This is definitely a “me” problem.
“Where are you, Colly? Send me the address.”
“We’re at Bells’s house, I think. What should I do, Cap? I don’t know what to do?” His voice is thready with panic.
“I’ve got you, Colly. I’ll be heading your way shortly.” After I take a minute to check the address on the Maps app, I check the directions. It’s not too far, close to Cherry Creek by Washington Park. Fifteen to twenty minutes away. Thank fucking God.
“Is it just you, Cap?” He sounds better, but his voice still shakes.
“Do I need to bring more guys with me?”
“Yeah, Cap, probably.” Fuck. This is bad. Really bad. “How many of you are there?”
“Me, Camps, Dory, Greggo, and Sandman.” Shit. Riley “Sandman” Sanders is only 19 years old. The kid can’t even drink legally in the US yet. This could go sideways so fucking fast.
“Listen, you head out front and wait for me, okay. I’ll be there as quick as I can.” I say as I grab my gym shoes and stuff them onto my feet without socks. Stinky feet are a problem for another day. I hang up and hit Walker’s number as I fumble around for my keys. He doesn’t answer, so I hit the button again. I don’t have time to run around looking for him.
“Liam?” Madison’s voice is sleepy and confused. Sleepy Maddie is so damn cute.
“Hey baby. I gotta go help the rookies, okay? It could be a while before I’m able to get back. Not sure what’s going on yet, but I don’t think it’s good.” She sits up in bed, looking more alert than she should be at this time of night.
“I’ll come with you.” She says in that “don’t argue with me” tone.
“I’m not sure you should. This could be a big mess. It could be bad.”
“Don’t care. Going.” She says as she grabs her sweats and my hoodie. I sigh. Never getting that hoodie back again. Glad I have another one in my bag.
She’s coming no matter what I say. I already know that because I know her, and there’s no way I can convince her to stay home. I resign myself to the situation and hit the redial for Walker again.
“What the fuck, Liam?” Oh good, Walker’s finally answering his damn phone.
“Rookie emergency. Meet me out front in five. I’m calling Reedsy too, so grab him on your way down.”
Reid Gauthier, our goalie, lives in the same building. He’s the only other teammate who’s close enough to help us out, so he’s it.
“Fuck. Damn rookies. I’m doing this but I’m not happy about it. See you in five.” He’ll be fine. That’s just how he is. He’s grumpy because he loves sleep, but sometimes we make sacrifices.
