boston
“God,is this what I’ve been missing during the off-season? This feels fucking phenomenal. I could win a cup solo right now.”
I grin, tearing off my helmet as I park my ass on the bench. Forker leans over the boards, stretching out his back, wincing when Lowesy sprays him with ice as he comes to a stop beside him.
The three of us have worked out how to improve our skills individually and as a group to near perfection. It’s crazy how natural it comes to us. Lowesy might be a center, but we are pivotal to his success. He utilizes Oz a lot, too, but the chemistry between the three of us has always been different.
During these practices, it’s typically just us. Sometimes, we’ll pull in a few of the other boys to make it a bit more fun. Tonight, it’s our usual trio. These are my favourite types of practices. We get shit done, try new things, and shoot the shit.
I needed to burn off energy. I was up all night, waiting for Kane to call. When he finally did, the sun was already up, and I’d fed all the animals and cleaned every single pen. His name flashed on my screen, I sucked in a breath, and he told methat it wasn’t our mother laying in that morgue. I doubted him because I’d been fully prepared to hear otherwise, but when he mentioned that her tattoo with the four roses wasn’t on this woman’s wrist, I knew that he was right.
It wasn’t her.
We’d all remember that tattoo, because it’s us. The first one she ever got. Four flowers for her four boys, including the one that is no longer here. Including the one she had a hand in hurting.
My feelings are all over the place when it comes to her. Have been for a very long time.
My parents are both still missing and Kane is slowly losing his grip on his sanity.
I’m debating going up there to visit. Talk with him. Discuss options. Maybe put up a reward. I don’t know. I don’t know what the right thing to do is, but I know that what’s right and what I want to do are probably the total opposite. I’d rather not go anywhere. I’d rather not care, not ask questions. But I know he’s about to lose it, and Remi and those boys might need a little bit of help dealing with him when he does.
“I told you. We’ll win another cup if you both stop going home in the summers. Stop being selfish.”
Lowesy glances at me, squirting some water into his mouth. “If Lucky wasn’t here, you’d never see me between May and September. We’re only staying this summer because our wedding planner is local and Pen needs to be here. Don’t get used to this.”
“I’m ready to move to another fucking planet with having Ari here full-time,” Forker grumbles. My ears perk up at his tone. For the first time ever, Carter doesn’t say his little sister’s name with an air of pride.
Declan huffs a laugh, leaning against the boards to look at him. “She’s sticking around?”
“Looks like it.” Fork lets out a defeated sigh. “I’m only joking when I say I don’t want her here. I love when she’s in town, but having her in my house twenty-four-seven is becoming a fucking nightmare. I don’t know what’s going on with her. She doesn’t come home until, like, four in the morning, and it’s not like she knows anyone in the city. I don’t know what she’s out doing. I don’t know who she’s with. So, I stay awake and wait for her to stumble in like an overprotective father.”
Declan snorts. “I’m surprised you haven’t made her share her location.”
“I tried,” Forker says, shaking his head. “Didn’t go down well.”
I gulp down some water, wondering what she’s getting up to at that early an hour. She’s quite the social butterfly. I don’t know her well, but it’s not exactly surprising that she might have met people in the city by now.
I almost suggest she’s probably out enjoying the dating pool in a new city, but I’d like my head to stay on my shoulders. She’s a beautiful, intelligent girl with the most magnetic personality on the planet. She’s the type that makes the world stop when she walks into a room. If she’s on any apps, I could see her being booked and busy for days.
I clear my throat because the thought feels inappropriate. I’d never say shit like that to Fork. I just think these things.
Not my business.
I don’t know why I’m thinking about this at all, but now I’m wondering how easy it would be for her to charm these men. One conversation with her and they’d be hooked. She has that air about her. She demands attention, refuses to let you look away, and then bam—you’re thinking about the way she looks at your mouth when you talk.
“She’s dating, dude,” Declan says with an air of finality, voicing my thoughts. He smacks a hand on Forker’s shoulder with a beaming, dimpled smile. “Be grateful that it’s not Jared.”
Fork winces.
“Who’s Jared?” I ask before I can help myself.
“A fucking tool,” Forker bites out, leaning against his stick. “Huge loser. Waste of time. Waste of air. Drug-dealing dumbass.”
“Wow, an alliteration. He’s really pissed,” I say, dipping my chin in approval.
Declan grins at me. “Our token poet.”
“Fucker got her arrested once, and she still went back for more.” Forker’s fuming inwardly now. He’s not hearing anything we’re saying.
