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“I won’t be home tonight. Take care of your children. See you tomorrow.”
“Theo!”
I hung up. I called Em immediately, and she understood, offering to help with Daniel and Penny since I wouldn’t be home. Having her there was a relief, because yeah, she was a teenage girl more worried about Jace, but she loved our family and would help. Sighing, I ran a hand over my face. I needed to hash this out with my dad soon. I couldn’t be his emotional punching bag forever. My thoughts raced with the best way to do this, and that was when Audrey texted me. My perfect distraction.
Audrey: Hi. Do you want to hang out tonight?
Fuck. Of course I wanted to. But the hockey guys… well… she could come to the party house? Nah. She wouldn’t. Not with her brother. This sucked. I needed to do this with the guys, but if I turned her down, she’d stop asking. She was flighty as hell, and the second she found a hint of rejection, she’d be out. And I craved being around her too much to not see her. Hell, being with her made me forget everything else.
Then what do I do?
Theo: Any chance I could convince you to come to a party at the hockey house?
Audrey: You’re partying?
Theo: I’ll have to update you. Reiner ripped into me about bonding with the guys more… so I have to. Can you sneak in? That could be fun.
Audrey: Would my brother be there?
Theo: Eh. Maybe, but… I need to see you tonight. So either you sneak in with me and we have fun hiding, or I stop by your place for a booty call.
Audrey: What if I don’t want to hide?
Was she joking? I’d fucking love that. My relationship with her didn’t affect my game on the ice at all. And the guys wouldn’t give a shit either. But Quentin… I’d deal with him then. But us going public? Hell yes.
Theo: Then you go as my girl. I need to get you my jersey to wear anyway.
Audrey: Your girl. I really, really like that.
Theo: Me too, Auds. Want me to come get you?
Audrey: Yea. But, um, hey. What should I wear? I’ve never been to a party.
This girl. My chest ached for her, and god, I wanted to protect her and show her everything she missed being the damn parent for her family. The only difference between her and I was that I had three years of fun before responsibility got in the way. She said it had been this way since she was seventeen? That… no. She needed the whole experience. I’d make sure of it.
I couldn’t tell her just to wear anything. She truly didn’t know.
Theo: your crop top and black jeans look amazing on you.
Audrey: Thanks, yeah, okay. I’ll see you soon.
So proper. So nervous. I could almost feel her nerves about this and the fact she trusted me? Yes. It felt good. I already wore a black shirt and jeans, perfect for a house party. And with that, I picked up some flowers for her and went to her dorm.
I’d had pre-game jitters before, where your body fluttered and the feeling felt surreal. Your heart beat a little faster, you sweated more, and every sense was heightened. This was like that but more. Us going public? Us… doing this thing, knowing who her brother was?
Nerves. Big ones.
I held flowers and stood outside Audrey’s dorm, a nervous smile on my face as Audrey opened the door. Her vanilla scent hit me first, then I drank her in. Her hair was down and curled, her lush waves falling over her shoulder. Her green eyes popped in color, like she’d put more makeup on than normal.
“Is this okay for a party?” she asked, her voice missing her usual snark. “I wasn’t sure.”
“You look perfect.” I leaned forward and kissed her softly, trying not to obsessively inhale the smell of her skin. People had smells, and she smelled divine. End of story. “Baby, you look gorgeous.”
“Thanks.” Pink tinged her cheeks, which brought out her green eyes, and I loved all her expressions. She twisted the end of her hair as her eyes widened at the flowers in my left hand. “Did you bring me flowers?”
I nodded and shoved them at her like a tool. Those nerves doubled in size, and I worried she wouldn’t like them. My high school girlfriend only wanted roses, but red tulips fit Audrey.
“They were mom’s favorite, and they reminded me of your hair.”
