Kellan groans, and I look over at him, confused. When he notices me, he adjusts his baseball cap and mutters, “I thought we weren’t including women.”
“That was just Roman’s suggestion. He knew we weren’t going to listen. Besides, I invited Elle this morning,” Wes says.
“You invited your sister, dude?” Beck drops his head back against the couch.
Our catcher kicks him in the shin. “What’s wrong with my sister?”
“Nothing! Shit—I was just asking a question.”
“Well, don’t ask about her. Roman gave us ten tickets, and unless you want to invite the coaches, we have extra,” Wes explains.
I wince, imagining spending the night at a rock concert with the Havoc coaching staff. It’s not that they wouldn’t have a good time, but I could think of at least a handful of other people I’d rather spend my night with than those with fingers deep in my career. We may as well invite Roman with us if that’s the vibe we’re going for.
Not that that would be the worst idea, come to think of it. Despite being the guy in charge of far more than any member of the coaching staff, he’s also someone I see as a friend. As harsh as he can be when it comes to baseball.
“I’ll ask Aubrey, but she might be working. She’s got a lot going on at the firm right now,” I say.
Wes grins, knowing he’s won. “Brielle will convince her if you can’t. Maybe you can just give her another foot massage?—”
I’m stepping on his toes before he can get the rest of his sentence out. His hiss of pain puts an end to that statement.
“Aubrey could probably get Asher to come, too,” Kellan says with a shrug that jostles my shoulder.
“Get Asher to come to what?”
The four of us turn at the same time. Asher weathers our attention with little more than a grunt as he stands beneath the arch leading into the . . . whatever Wes considers this room to be. A secondary living space seems most appropriate.
He’s wearing all-black clothes with his hoodie strings tied at his neck and dark hair messy. The bags beneath his eyes tell the usual story, but it’s the anxious twisting of the silver ring on his thumb that draws my attention. Something that feels a lot like worry twists around my gut before I break the silence.
“The Noah Hutton concert. They’re team tickets.”
Wes clears his throat before adding, “Rumour has it that this might be his last tour for a while. Missing his last show would be crazy.”
“When?” Ash asks, slowly creeping past the archway.
I offer him a friendly smile. “Sunday. Once we get back into Vancouver. They’re private tickets, up in one of the suites.”
Roman has connections that extend far past the baseball world. It isn’t a surprise that he managed to get handed these tickets, let alone with no intention of attending the concert himself. Noah Hutton is one of, if notthebiggest name in rock music right now, so yeah, it would be pretty crazy not to go to his last potential tour stop for the foreseeable future. Even if it means I’ll have to deal with these guys watching Bree and me like animals at the zoo the entire time.
I’ve got a feeling they won’t matter once I’ve got her with me, though.
“It’s just us going?” Ash asks, shoving his hands into his hoodie pocket.
I nod. “The four of us plus Aubrey, Brielle, and you, if you’re up for joining. It doesn’t have to be a team bonding thing.”
“Think of it as an outing with friends,” Kellan says, his voice loud. “You are familiar with those, right?”
It’s his turn for a shin kick. Wes mutters something under his breath at him before speaking louder. “Just come, Ash.”
Our newest teammate surveys us for a minute, like he’s trying to stick pieces of a puzzle together that don’t fit. By the time he jerks his head in a reluctant nod, my leg has startedto bounce. I relax a bit later and grin, waving a hand in our direction.
“Sit and relax, Ash. That beanbag isreallycomfortable from what I hear,” I tell him before smirking at Wes.
My best friend glowers at me before flipping his expression and giving Asher a thumbs-up. “He’s right. Enjoy it.”
Asher isn’t blind. He watches the group of us for a breath longer before taking the offered seat, ignoring my very obvious attempt to rile Wes. That same worry comes back around before I force myself to focus on something else.
I know that he’s spoken with Aubrey a few times, and while the guys like to use that to rile me, I know she’s just trying to make him feel like he’s a part of the family. And from what I’ve gotten to see and learn about Asher, he needs that more than he’ll ever admit to any of us, her included.
