They hesitate but eventually agree, then slowly start making their way toward the door.
Well, everyone except Hutch.
“You guys go on,” he tells them, and they follow his request. I wonder if it has to do with him being the captain or if they can hear the solemnity in his tone, too.
Once they all file out, I quirk a brow at him. “Can I help you?”
He doesn’t seem the least bit bothered by my attitude, which I suppose makes sense for him. Before he got together with his fiancée, he could have rivaled me with grumpiness. Now that he’s all in love and happy, he’s still grumpy; he just saves it for the ice.
“Uh, Auden wanted to know if we need to adjust the seating chart for the wedding.”
I tip my head to the side. “Not following.”
He sighs, running his hand through his short, cropped beard. I can tell this isn’t a conversation he wants to have. He’s been asked to do this by his fiancée, and he’s so in love that he’ll do anything she wants.
“She’s asking if you’re inviting your…Chloe to the wedding.”
I laugh, though there’s no real humor to it. “I have no idea, man. We haven’t even had a real conversation yet. We’re meeting for coffee tomorrow.”
His brows rise at this new information. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
I shrug. “No idea, but it needs to happen either way, you know?”
He nods. “I get it. Sometimes you have to rip off the Band-Aid on those hard conversations.”
His face darkens, and I wonder if he’s thinking about the conversation he had with Vanessa, his stepsister who moved here last year and ended up in a relationship with Locke, or if he’s going even further back to when he was left at the altar by his ex-fiancée. Either way, I know neither discussion was pleasant.
“Anyway,” he says, “I’ll make up an answer to keep Auden happy for now, but I know she’s going to ask again. I mean, you know how it goes.”
“Considering I’ve been married longer than anyone else on this team, yeah, I’d say I know.”
He shakes his head. “I still can’t believe you’re married. I figuredsomethingwas up since you were always so hushed about your personal life, but I didn’t know it was going to be this.”
“Wasn’t exactly something I wanted to discuss.”
“That’s fair. Makes absolute sense.”
Does it? Because it still doesn’t make sense to me, but I don’t say that part out loud.
“You sure you’re good?” he asks when I don’t respond.
“Yeah. I’m fine.” I give him a tight smile, and I wonder if he can tell I’m trying to convince us both. “Tell Auden I’ll let her know, yeah?”
“Yeah, man. Of course. No pressure either way.”
I believe him when he says it. “Appreciate it.”
He dips his head, then moves for the exit. But instead of walking over the threshold, he pauses and turns back to me. I brace myself, waiting for whatever he’s about to say.
“Fox was right when he said we’re like brothers. You might not feel it, but we do. We’re only worried because we care about you. And we’re here for you. All of us.”
I don’t know if it’s because I’m a bit emotionally raw with the events of the last two days, but I’m struck with the sudden urge to hug him.
I ignore it, nodding instead. “Thanks, Hutch. You’re…you’re a good guy.”
If he’s surprised by my words, he doesn’t show it.
Instead, he says, “You’re a good guy, too, Keller. One of the best, even if you pretend you’re not. Whatever is going on with your wife, you’ll get it sorted. Love is messy. It’s never perfect. And sometimes it takes giving up on it for us to find it again.”
