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Bash pressed his hips against mine and tilted his head. “You think I’m hot, Savage?”
My stomach tightened, need coiling at my core. “Not fair, Bardot.” I gritted my teeth and tried to ignore his unrelenting hardness digging into my leg.
“Get a room,” Em whispered, her face red with her own desire.
“Let’s eat,” I said, my voice strangled.
Bash smirked and grabbed his plate, clearly loving the upper hand he had over me.
One more night.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Emily
I wrapped my arms around myself, shivering as the sun hid somewhere behind the trees. I told Mac and Bash I wanted to walk to the cabin alone to grab my jacket, but the last breeze had me wishing one of them had come along to shield me from the chill.
“Hey!”
I stopped walking and turned around slowly. When I left, the entire group had been deep in conversation about strategies for next season. I thought no one had seen me leave, so the sudden intrusion had my heart beating.
"Avery—" Sloan was jogging up to me, his brows knit tightly together. “You mentioned your cousin is a nanny?”
I raised my brow, the nerves leaving my body. “Why? You got a nanny kink?” My cheeks instantly burned, stinging against the cold air. I needed to hang out with Roxie and find more non-hockey friends. “That was way out of line. I’m so sorry. I mean. Yes, she is.”
Sloan barked out a laugh and leaned against a tree. “No nanny kink—although…” He pursed his lips together and shook his head. “Nah. It’s nothing like that. I have a baby—” He paused, looking as shocked as I felt.
My eyes widened. I normally was privy to all the ins and outs of the team’s significant others, but Sloan had apparently slipped under my radar. I went through a mental catalog of everyone I knew and couldn’t place him with anyone. It was rare, but maybe she stayed out of our group text and never went to a game. So much so that I didn’t know he was expecting, though?
I swallowed my shock. “Congratulations!”
He blushed and tucked his head. “It’s a weird situation. I mean, the baby’s—” He ran his hand down his face and sighed. “The mom is a woman I hooked up with last year and she—” He pressed his lips together so tightly, he lost color around them. “She doesn’t want me or the baby.”
He said the last sentence so low and so thick, I wasn’t sure I heard him right. But the anguish on his face told me I hadn’t misunderstood.
“Oh, Sloan.” I wrapped my arms around him—no small feat—and gave him a quick, tight hug. “I’ll give Ava your number and have her call you.”
“Thanks.” He bit his cheek and his eyes flicked to the sky, but not before I saw how glossy they’d become. “My mom’s been an enormous help, but this is my child and I want to figure out how to take care of him mostly on my own. She’s retired now and has a life of her own and—”
His voice cut out, and I squeezed his arm. “If you need us to come over or take the baby for a day, we’re always here for you.”
A shy smile crept across his face, and it was the first time I’d ever seen him so bashful. He was huge, practically had his own gravitational pull, but right then he looked small and so lonely and scared.
“We’re headed down to the lake. You coming, Sloan?” Lightning clapped his back, oblivious to the conversation we were having as he strolled up.
Sloan’s eyes pleaded with mine. I smiled and nodded, hoping he understood his secrets were safe with me. In time, the whole team would know, but for now, he needed time to adjust.
“Be right there,” he called to Lightning, who had already wandered off.
“The baby isn’t a secret—I don’t mind if you tell Bardot and Savage, but—” He grabbed the back of his neck, his eyes tired and worried.
“I won’t tell anyone else. Promise.”
He flashed me a grateful smile and jogged over to catch up with a group of players who were heading in Lightning’s direction.
I scanned the group, but didn’t see my guys. I turned around and ran into a solid wall. My solid wall.
Mac put his arms around me and I sagged against him, soaking up his warmth.
