Page 33
My phone rings. “Shit, it’s my dad.” I lead Sky to the couch and sit next to him.
“Hi, Dad.”
“Great game, son! Soon you’ll be in the first line,” my dad bellows, and Sky shrinks away from me.
“Thanks, but Drake is an All-Star center, and this is my rookie season. Don’t go getting your hopes up.” My dad assumes if I work hard, I’ll be a starter. Period. End of story. He has no clue even though I’ve explained the process a thousand times.
He chuckles, dismissing my words as silly.
“Mom said you guys are coming out for a game soon. Have you decided on which one?” Sky stands, but I reach out and beg him with my eyes to stay. He does.
“Maverick, this is my busy season at work. There’s no way I can take time off to watch a hockey game.” He laughs at the absurdity.
“Oh, of course, but Mom said…” I trail off, feeling foolish.
“If you make the playoffs, we can definitely come,” he says, and another phone rings in the background. “That’s work. No rest for the weary. Talk to you soon.” He hangs up before I can say goodbye.
“I guess some things never change,” Sky mutters, and hugs me.
“He’s the same,” I admit, and wave my hand. “And they think I’m better off with their old furniture than buying new. I loathe this couch.”
“Loathe? Another fancy word.” Sky crawls into my lap. “Tonight was insane, but thank you for the special treatment.” He wraps his arms around my neck.
“Special treatment?” I’m preoccupied with my dad’s dismissal and my mom’s empty promise.
“You asked Finn to take me to the family room and brought me to The Q Solutions. That’s a big deal.”
My hands rub his back, and I shake my head. “That’s the bare minimum, bottom-of-the-basement treatment. I was such an asshole.” It’s hard to look him in the eye, understanding how badly I fucked up, leaving Sky homeless.
“Hey.” Sky cups my face. “Where did you go?”
“If I were you, I couldn’t forgive me. I’d have punched me in the face and walked out of the bachelor party.” I dare to glance at him, and his eyes are soft. “How do you not hate me?”
“Because I’m responsible for my decisions. I could’ve gone home, but I felt like I would shrivel up and die in that town. Homelessness was a better option than that, so I accepted the problems it came with. Ask me anything.” His palms caress the tension in my jaw.
“Where should I start?” my voice whines. “It’s so much to take in, and I’m also worried O’Keefe is planning violence. He’s not good at sharing.” I pitch forward and rest my forehead on his shoulder.
“I’ve taken self-defense classes, if that helps. O’Keefe is virtually a stranger, but King isn’t the type to be with someone violent.”
I shake with unamused laughter. “We’re all violent, Angel. Every one of us. You can’t make it to the NHL as a passive player. O’Keefe wants to take over as the team’s aggressor. Mark my words, that man has ice in his veins.”
“You’ll protect me.” Sky kisses my hair. “Besides, there really isn’t a reason for O’Keefe to be jealous.”
“Has King seen you naked?” I force the words out.
“A jockstrap. Does that bother you?”
I fill my lungs with air and lift my head as I exhale. His chocolate eyes fill with worry. “No, but not gonna lie, if he’d touched you, it’d drive me crazy. That’s not very progressive of me. I’m an ogre in a hockey costume, I get it.”
“You’re also smart and cuddly and not green. Total wins.” He plasters his chest to mine and rests his head in the crook of my neck. “I wouldn’t believe you if you said nothing about my job bothers you. I’ll take every one of your big words as long as you’re honest.” His fingers play with the hair at the base of my neck. “We don’t stand a chance without it. Which is why I need to tell you that your apartment creeps me out. We’ve time-traveled to high school, and no thank you. Been there, done that.”
“I’m afraid they’ll be disappointed if I get rid of it,” I confess.
“You’re willing to live with old, crappy furniture every single day of your life because there’s a chance getting rid of it might upset your parents?”
“When you put it that way.” I snort. “It sounds ridiculous. They haven’t been here since they moved me in, and Dad doesn’t have time for me unless my team’s in the playoffs.” I attempt to stretch out on the uncomfortable couch with Sky on top of me but fail.
“Do what makes you happy. Not me. Not your parents. You.” Sky cradles my head in his arms.
