“Doesn’t your neighbor keep an eye on him during game nights?” Troy asks. “I mean, he’s a bunny. Will he know if you’re not there?”
“Troy, I really hope you’re not going to have kids anytime soon,” I poke at him. “You’d make a terrible dad.”
“A bunny is different than kids. If Ang hadn’t received that big promotion, I’d be working on kids now.”
I shudder, not wanting to think about that. As much as I want to be an uncle, this is the part I don’t need to know.
“Remember, none of that,” Cash tells him, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and slapping my chest. “You’ll scar poor Nicky here.”
“You guys suck sometimes, you know that?”
“Tell us that when we’re buying you drinks at the bar.”
The bar is loud.It’s one of the few that is close to the rink that allows us privacy after the games. We can drink without worrying who is going to come up to us and ask for autographs or a picture.
It’s the epitome of a sports bar with TVs lining the private room in the back. Black leather booths take up the walls with round tables in the center. Neon signs from different beers light up the room. Jerseys from Denver’s greatest athletes fill in the remaining space.
My dad’s and Noah’s dad’s included. It used to be trippy, but not anymore.
Noah is shooting the shit with some of the guys while Cash and Troy are both wrapped up with Piper and Angie.
They are so loved up that sometimes it’s hard to watch. Especially when I wish I had that.
“Hey, Nicky’s glass is empty. Someone needs to get him another drink!” Cash calls out from his seat next to me. “Our hero of the hour needs a shot!”
“Cash,” I mutter. “It wasn’t that big of a deal.”
“A shutout against Dallas? We’re going to celebrate that tonight. You did good, kid.”
I groan. I hate when they call me kid. It makes me feel so much younger than my twenty-three.
Not that I’ve ever felt young. I grew up fast, always being on the wrong side of bullies in middle school. I had to be smarter than they were if I wanted to survive.
One of the servers comes back with a pitcher of beer and Cash tops off my glass.
“Here’s to Nicky!” he shouts, everyone raising and clinking their glasses.
“It was a good night,” Angie tells me from across the booth. “I love seeing you guys win.”
Troy drops a kiss on her cheek, causing her to blush.
God, I wish I had that. I ignore the first face that pops into my mind, because I can’t have it withher. Bexley is so far out of my league, it’s not even funny.
“You’re quiet tonight, Nick.” Piper leans over Cash, talking louder than necessary when it’s quieter in the back area of the bar.
“Just thinking.”
“About?”
Do I want to tell her? If I tell her, everyone here will know. It’s not that I don’t want them to know, it’s…how will these guys react?
I love them, but they also love giving me shit. I guess that’s the downside of being the youngest guy on the team.
“I need you to set me up.”
“What?” Piper asks.
“I need you guys to set me up.” This time, I put a little more force behind my words. If I’m going to have them do it, I might as well own it.
