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“He has, but my couch-sleeping days are over. Yours, however, have probably just started.” His expression reflects both empathy and disappointment.
Ash and Dallas are already on the couch. Dallas brought his gaming console, so the two of them are playing. “So, you and Hammer, huh?” Dallas says.
“Shilps called it months ago,” Ash says.
“Did one of the girls say something?” I’m aware Rix has known for some time, and Tristan walked in on us once...
Ashish rolls his eyes. “It’s the way you look at her.”
“Which is how?”
“With longing.”
Well, that’s not inaccurate.
“I can’t believe you’ve been boning your best friend’s daughter. That’s ballsy. Pun intended,” Dallas says. “And stupid.”
“I’m not a douchebag. I was not boning Aurora.”
“Fine. Having sex.” He pauses the game, and his eyebrows pop. “Or making sweet, sweet love to your best friend’s daughter.”
“I’m going to punch you in your fucking face if you keep talking about Aurora like that.”
“Oh, shit.” Dallas sets his controller down. “You’re in love with her.”
“Seriously, can we change the subject?”
“Dude. You’re in love with Hammer. Like, Hammer, who basically grew up with the entire team as big brothers-slash-bodyguards.” Dallas keeps talking. “Damn. Well, now what happened with Willy yesterday makes sense.”
“What happened with Hemi?” Ash asks.
“She signed me up for this photo shoot with a python before we flew out yesterday, probably because she knows I hate snakes, but then she said something came up, and she rescheduled it. She didn’t even call me a name or tell me she hates me. She always tells me she hates me. But I guess she was preoccupied with whatever’s going on with you and Hammer. I thought maybe you wanted a bite of the forbidden fruit. You know, taste that fresh, forbidden apple.”
“Seriously, I’m going to strangle you in your sleep,” I tell him.
“Similar to how you’d like to bite Hemi’s apple,” Ashish says.
“Oh no. I don’t want to bite Hemi’s apple. I want to make a fucking pie out of it.”
I look to Tristan for some actual advice, which clearly puts me in the highly desperate category. “You’ve been through this before, and you and Flip figured things out and Rix took you back.”
“Uh, yeah, but only because Bea is the most understanding woman in the universe. I don’t think it hurts that I provide multiple orgasms every single time.”
“It’s a good thing Flip isn’t here for this conversation,” Dallas says.
Tristan shrugs. “He’s aware of my ability to provide multiples, which is another reason Bea should not be interested in being my girlfriend, but here we are. She’s the first person I want to talk to every morning and the last face I want to see before I go to bed. I would do anything to be the lucky bastard who gets to love her. Take your own advice, man. If you really love Hammer, why aren’t you doing something about it?”
“I don’t want to come between her and Roman,” I say. “Maybe in a few years, when she’s older, we’ll be able to make better decisions together.”
“She’s gonna spend the rest of her life living with her daddy? Being his little girl?” Tristan shakes his head. “Sounds like a bullshit excuse to me. Maybe you need to ask yourself what you’re really afraid of, and why you’re allowing yourself to be sidelined.”
“I hear what you’re saying, but you know it’s not that simple. I just wanted her to feel safe and supported.”
“Safe from what? Roman being rightfully upset? Love is never simple. It’s always a risk. You need to decide how far you’re willing to go for Hammer, or maybe you don’t love her as much as you think.” His words hit me harder than any fist ever has.
I spend the night on Dallas and Ash’s couch. The following morning, we board the plane and fly to Buffalo for one more away game. We settle into the hotel before practice, and Roman continues to ignore me. I miss Aurora. I’d gotten used to checking the kitty cams for footage of her and having an ongoing conversation via constant text messages. But now everything feels empty.
I change into my practice gear and hit the ice with the rest of my team. Tonight, I’m back in the game for the first time, so I need to make the most of this practice. The dull ache in my knee quickly dissipates these days, and despite my life being a complete shitstorm, the workout goes smoothly.
