When Eloise finally stops laughing, her stare grows distant, and she’s quiet for a while.
“Whatis it?”
She sips at her hot cocoa, shaking her head. “It’s not my place.”
“Eloise…?”
“Ares is worried about Raffi. He mentioned it.” She flaps her hand like she’s talking a while ago, in the past, not today or yesterday. “He says he’s pushing himself too hard. Training all the time, either at the gym with the team, with a personal trainer, practice, games, eating stuff he doesn’t normally eat.”
“How the hell can he afford to pay for a personal trainer?” I only ask because I know he doesn’t have a lot of disposable income, and if it wasn’t for the killer sale I got for sessions with Phil, I couldn’t afford to go.
Eloise doesn’t miss a beat. “Ares and his brothers pay Phil for whoever on the team needs training. Kind of like a retainer I guess. If you want personal training, you go, and they foot the bill.”
I don’t know what to process first, the fact they havethatmuch money, or the fact they’re using their super powers for good. If they keep this shit up I’m going to have to fully rescind my ‘hockey players suck’ thing.
“Ares says he thinks Raffi is afraid of losing his place on the team and going too far to keep it.”
Nodding along with everything she’s saying, I sigh. “I think he’s still having symptoms from his concussion.”
She flinches.
“I’m sure the guys on the team are looking out for them, and I don’t know him well enough yet to spot them. But he’s going too hard for too long, and I’m afraid he’s not going to be there for us long term.” The weight on my shoulders lifts just a little at sharing the fears I’ve been keeping inside.
“Am I attracted to him? Absolutely. Do I want to be a family together? I dunno. Maybe. I don’t know him well enough yet to see all of his annoying habits to know if I cansurvive with him and not k-i-l-l him in his sleep. Do I want to date him to see? Of course. And I want him to be an active part of his son’s life, especially considering he’s missed the first couple years. But I’m really scared, Eloise. What if he d-i-e-s because of these injuries?”
With a nod, she reaches her warm hand across the table to cup mine, giving me a firm squeeze. “Talk to him? Find out what’s going on in his head? Perhaps he’s chasing a dream so hard he’s missing everything else around him. Ask him why? I dunno.”
She shrugs. “I don’t know him at all, and neither does Ares really. But he’s worried. I’m not sure if he’s talked to his brothers about it or not, but they’re a tight knit family, so I wouldn’t put it past them. You might be the one to get through to him. You never know.”
I almost laugh out loud, but a snort comes out instead. “I don’t know him either, Ellie.”
“True, but things are different now.” She gestures at Wyatt. “Sometimes things like that change a person’s perspective on things. Your fears are rational. You need to hear that too. You’ve been through a lot—it’s only natural to be afraid history will repeat itself. Especially when he hasn’t changed the behavior that caused it in the first place.”
Her words make sense, but she’s placing a lot of importance on me and my kid with this guy I barely know.
My head says he’s not my problem and to keep him at arm’s length.
Except my heart wants him much closer.
“The Blind Pig or Joensy’s? You got a tenderloin preference?” Raffi kisses me on the cheek. It’s adorable, romantic, and makes his cheeks go pink.
This is most definitely not Raffi’s car. I don’t know who owns it, but it looks pretty new. Smells it too.
“Whatever you want is fine. I’m not picky.”
“You should always be picky, Victoria.” He sounds so stern when he’s scolding me. “Especially about food. Life’s too short to eat subpar tenderloin.”
At this point, I just want to hang out with him. I don’t care about the food, I don’t care about the car, I just want to get to know him to see if we could work together as a couple. Or at least co-parent. That’s non-negotiable.
“It’s Apollo’s car.” He casts a glance across at me. “Apparently I wasn’t allowed to take you out in something that was older than his grandma or likely to break down.”
He told his friends we were going out? I’m not sure how I feel about that.
He pats my thigh. “They don’t know who you are, just that I’m going out. I guess the fact that I didn’t leave the house in gym gear was a giveaway. Apollo just tossed his keys at me and told me not to get cum on the seats.” His eyes widen. “Fuck. Sorry. That’s not… I didn’t. Jesus. I’m nervous. I don’t wanna fuck this up.”
I’m laughing so hard I might pee my pants. Ever since having Wyatt those muscles haven’t been as reliable as I’d like them to. They always tell you to work on your pelvic floor when you’re pregnant, but they don’t quite tell you why. And by the time you figure out the why, it’s almost too late.
“It’s fine. But now I’m tempted to leave a stain on the seat just to prank him.”
