“Lawson!”
There’s a loud smack, then an equally loudoofas Hayes lays into him. This time, I don’t defend him.
“Your guess is as good as mine,” I say to Fox, finishing off my coffee. I set the empty cup aside to worry about later.
“You didn’t talk last night?” Hutch asks.
I shake my head, crossing my arms over my chest. “Wasn’t really in the mood.”
That’s the truth. Ihadto walk away. I was angrier than I’ve ever been, and I didn’t trust myself not to hurl hurtful words at her that I wasn’t so sure I would be able to take back.
How can she show up here without any preamble? How can she expect me to be okay when she walked in the door on another man’s arm, then tried to placate me with some bullshit reasoning? I didn’t want to hear it then, and I don’t want to hear it now.
I drop my arms, flexing my hands, which are suddenly feeling tight. I need to hit something. Or better yet, someone.
“What time did Coach Smith say practice is this morning?” I need to relieve the tension building in my shoulders, and smashing people against the boards sounds like the perfect solution.
“You didn’t get the text?” Locke asks.
“My phone is off,” I explain, having powered it down the second I tipped the Uber driver who dropped me at my apartment. Not that it mattered. It’s not like my wife bothered to try to call or text me after I left her standing there.
The veteran player—and the oldest guy on the team—exchanges a glance with the captain at my answer. If I were up for more conversation, I’d ask what the hell that’s about, but right now I just want to skate and work out my frustration on the ice. It’s always been my favorite outlet, so why not use it now, too?
“We got the day off. Guess the old man stayed up too late last night or something,” Lawson says, opening a cabinet. He pulls out a box of cat treats and shakes it my way as if I don’t know what’s inside my own apartment. “Uh, no judgment, Kells, but I’m like ninety-nine percent sure you’re not supposed to just casually snack on cat treats. Look, it even saysNot for humans.”
I grab the box out of his hands, pop it open, grab a few, and set it back down. “They aren’t for me, dumbass. They’re for my cat.”
“You have a fuckingcat?”
Just then, Percy comes running out from his favorite hiding spot, otherwise known as the spare bedroom, and gives each of the guys standing around my apartment a dark look. I’m sure he’s confused considering I’ve only had a handful of people at my place over the years and it’s mostly been the pet sitter.
“Yes,” I answer Lawson. The mostly white cat trots up to me and launches himself into my arms like we’ve practiced it a hundred times, and we might as well have. “Now stop yelling before you scare him.”
I cradle Percy as I feed him his favorite treat. He knows exactly what the box sounds like, so it’s no surprise he decided to make an appearance when I opened it.
“Where the hell did you get a cat?Whendid you get one? Holy shit! He only has three legs! And how did we not know you’re married?”
The guy is crashing out, and while some of it is valid, I don’t have the patience for it, so I ignore Lawson’s questions and lookat my captain. “Since there’s no practice today, can we conclude this little intervention you’ve staged? I could use a few more hours of sleep. It was a long night.”
Locke rolls his eyes, and Fox sighs.
“Keller, man—” Hayes starts, but I shake my head, cutting off his words.
“No. Don’tKellerme, okay? I want to be alone.” Fox opens his mouth to speak, but I keep going. “I don’t give a shit if you guys think that’s a good idea or not. It’s what I want. So—and I say this with all the respect in the world, except for you, Lawson—get the fuck out of my apartment and lock the door behind you.”
Then I push between them—Percy still curled in my arms—and I walk into my bedroom, slamming the door shut behind me. I rest against the door, listening as they poorly whisper at one another.
“What the actual fuck?” Hayes asks.
“Are we seriously just going to let him walk away? He’s clearly not okay,” Fox says, concern lacing every word. I’m sure this is killing him. He’s a fixer, always stepping up to help when people need it.
He can’t fix this though.
“It’s what he wants. We need to respect that.” Hutch has always had a good head on his shoulders, but he’s become an even better leader since the birth of his daughter.
“The captain is right. We need to respect it.”
“It was your idea to come here, Locke. And I have more questions,” Lawson argues, and I’d bet my left nut they’re having to push him out of the apartment.
