“It’s not a date.”
“Ew, I was trying to be PC about it.”
“I’ll have her out of here in ten. I’m ordering you a pizza, then we can FaceTime and celebrate our way. Okay?”
I hate how my heart skips a beat. I hate the stupid bout of hope I feel that maybe one day JJ will feel the same. “You sure?”
“Yeah, Adeline. I’m sure. Ten minutes.”
TWENTY
JJ
“Enjoyyour last weekend of freedom. See you on Sunday for game one,” Aiden calls as he heads out of the locker room.
“Who’s coming out tonight?” Bobby rubs his hands together, his lips kicked up on one side.
Royal Bombardier, a winger, nods as he tugs a clean shirt out of his locker. “I’m down.”
One of our defensemen, Maxim Lube shrugs and says “I go”in a thick Russian accent.
When all eyes turn to me, I hold up my hands. “Sorry, I’ve got Aves.”
“Don’t you have a sitter for her?” Bobby whines. For a grown man, he can be such a child.
“Yeah, who watches her all day. And when the season starts will be with her more than I will be. So yeah, I’m going home to my kid.”
Bray saunters out of the showers with a towel wrapped around his waist, his tattoos on display.
“What about you, Cap? Gonna come out with us? Or do you have some lame excuse about another tattoo client?”
Bray looks my way, the lack of interest in going out there in his eyes.
So I clear my throat and take a step forward. “Bray’s hanging with Aves and me. Sorry, guys.”
Bray shrugs. That’s as close as he gets to smiling. “Yeah. Sorry, guys.”
“You suck,” Bobby says. “Come on, boys. Let’s go enjoy our last weekend of freedom.”
The three of them disappear, rounding up other teammates as they go. Fuck, I don’t envy our head of PR. I’m sure she works overtime cleaning up their messes.
“I’ll, uh, see you Sunday?” Bray says as he tugs on a pair of boxers.
Chuckling, I close my locker and turn around. “Nope.”
He stares at me, mouth turned down. “What?”
“You’re coming to my place. You know I never lie.”
He scoffs. “Terrible habit of yours.”
“Absolutely awful.”I zip my bag up and sling it over my shoulder.
“Fine, I’ll hang with you and Aves, but only because she’s so much cooler than you.”
“Obviously.” I pull my phone out of my pocket and check the time, wondering if Adeline has already left. She’s been avoiding me since I fell asleep with my pinky linked around hers.
Fuck, my heart trips over itself at the damn thought of the innocent moment. How is it that holding her pinky is now the highlight of my fucking love life?
