Page 70 of Out of Bounds

“I have. Have you told your mom about me?”

“Mmmhmmm,” she replied. He felt her body relax into him, and he knew she was finally starting to doze off.

He held her close as he snuggled into the soft bedding that surrounded them, trying to make sure she was comfortable. She whimpered softly as her breathing evened out. Any moment now her cute little snores would begin. With any luck, she’d sleep through the night, letting her body and mind get the rest that they needed. He’d be here, however, if she woke up, ready to do whatever was needed to comfort her and lull her back to sleep.

“Sweet dreams, Effie.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

The fact that funeral started with the word “fun” was not an irony that was lost on Gunnar. Especially since this was the exact opposite of fun.

It’d been three days since they’d gotten back from San Antonio—since the bubble had burst on that perfect night together. Three days since she’d fallen apart in his arms in a totally different way, but one that he was happy he’d been there for. She’d spent pretty much every moment since in a haze, like her mind was in some far-off land. Even though she’d insisted she was fine to go back to work on Monday, gone was the spirited go-getter he’d come to know. In her place was just a shell of that, her insecurities sitting right under the surface.

Watching her go through all of this brought back memories of the day right after Anya had passed and how much of a zombie he had been. He knew that the only thing he could do right now is be there for her, just as his friends had been there for him, but he wished like hell that there was something else he could do to take her pain away.

“Coach, how long are we supposed to stay?” Liam asked, wandering up to where Gunnar was resting against the bar, waiting on the bartender. “This isn’t like any funeral I’ve ever been to.”

Gunnar held back a laugh, knowing exactly what Liam meant. The memorial service had been held in a large church that had looked like something out of the movies and had been led by a preacher who seemed very passionate about his job. It wasn’t the kind of place that Gunnar would have ever imagined the Sutherlands attending, but what did he know. Now they were all gathered at Archer’s Green, the city’s premier, and very exclusive, country club, for a reception that rivaled some of the fanciest events he’d ever seen. Between the massive buffet, the open bar, and the amount of people in attendance, the only thing stopping this from looking like a party was the somber attitude and lack of a band.

He quickly finished tapping out the text he’d started, wanting to make sure he sent it before turning his attention to his player.

Gunnar: Hi Beautiful

“It’s different, that’s for sure,” he agreed. “Did you pay your respects to the family?”

“Yes, I talked to them all, even the widow, but I don’t think she really knew who I was.”

“Don’t take it personally, I don’t think she knows who a lot of these people are,” Gunnar told him. He’d only met Felicity’s stepmother once, when he was paying his own respects to her earlier today, but based on what he’d been told by both Felicity and Dalton, plus the little he’d witnessed today, he hadn’t been all that impressed with the woman. “Hey, anything more going on with the little trainer gal?”

“Uhhhh, no,” Liam answered, suddenly looking flustered. “She was really only there for concussion protocol. It wasn’t like a date or anything.”

“But you said you watched Marvel movies. Those are your favorite. A girl who’s into superheroes can’t be a bad thing, right?”

“Right, but, um…I think she’s got a thing for Dash.” The tall Viking-like goalie gave a slight shrug of his shoulder, letting Gunnar know that he’d already resigned himself to being second fiddle. This wouldn’t be the first time Liam was in that situation, and Gunnar knew that the previous experience still weighed heavy on the young man. But he’d also been hoping that a change of scenery would help Liam put that behind him.

Out of the corner of his eye, Gunnar caught a glimpse of Felicity standing off to the side of the room, the fakest smile he’d ever seen plastered across her face as she spoke to some older woman in a frilly black dress. He watched as she quickly looked down at her phone, her smile turning genuine as she read his words on her screen. His whole body ached to rush over there, pull her into his arms, and kiss the fuck out of her, until the only thing she was feeling was hot and bothered. Not that this was the time or place for that. All he could do was continue to let her know in his own subtle way that he was here for her.

“Just don’t give up, lad,” he told Liam as he grabbed the drinks the bartender had placed in front of him. “Sometimes you just have to let things play out.”

Liam nodded solemnly before turning to the bartender and placing his own order. Gunnar made his way over to where Felicity was standing, waiting for her to be done talking to the older woman, not wanting to be rude. A few minutes later, Felicity politely excused herself from the conversation and turned to Gunnar, taking the glass of white wine from his hand. She took a long, slow sip from the glass, then let out a strained sigh.

“I don’t actually know what’s worse, the fact that I don’t know who half these people are, or that I have to keep pretending like my father was just the most amazing man on the planet,” she told him after another sip of wine.

“How do you not know these people?”

“A lot of them are business contacts from over the years, so people who didn’t even really know him all that well. And we know how he felt about involving me in the business, so they aren’t people he ever would have introduced me to. Lots more are just people BobbiJo knows somehow. Leave it to her to turn my father’s funeral into the social event of the season.”

“I thought you said Stu was in charge of all the arrangements,” Gunnar asked, taking a sip of his whiskey.

“He was. And this elaborate ordeal was what Big D wanted. BobbiJo just also happened to hand Stu a guest list like this was a save the planet benefit dinner or something. The man took it in stride though. Of course, if it kept her quiet about the will, then I don’t blame him.”

“How are you holding up?” he asked, taking a step in closer to her. He wanted to wrap his arm around her, pull her into him, and just hold her there, letting her draw whatever strength she needed from him. But as it was, he was probably already standing a tad too close to her in polite company.

“I’m here,” she shrugged.

“That’s how I felt at Anya’s funeral. Like I was going through the motions.”

“Difference is, you loved Anya.”