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He strolled into the kitchen and reached for the paper plates. “Can I have some?” he nodded to the pizza box.
I held it out to him and he took it to the kitchen table. I slowly trailed after him.
“We got in around 9pm. The baby was great on the flight, but it messed up her sleep schedule, so now she’s been crying every other hour.” He set the baby monitor on the table so he could watch her sleep. “I’m on night shift duty.”
“How’d you pull the short straw?”
“Sav picked up my slack ‘til we got kicked out of playoffs. I could tell she was struggling but she pushed me to get a full night's sleep every night.” He shook his head. “I felt super bad, but I also wanted to play well. Always aim for births to be in July or August,” he advised.
I looked at him like he was crazy. “Don’t tell me, tell yourself.” I took a large bite of my ranch-doused, cold pizza and closed my eyes and nodded. Great decision, so fucking good.
“So what’s up with–” He cut himself off and motioned to my whole drunk state.
I side-eyed him for a second before grumbling, “Claire Kessel.”
His eyes went wide. “You’re kidding me!”
When I didn’t say anything, he threw his head back and let out a loud bark of laughter.
“Shut it, man,” I said darkly. “It’s not funny.”
“Hell yeah it is, bud.” He took another bite of his pizza, then said with a mouthful, “I knew it.”
“Knew what?”
“Knew you’d get tangled up with her when you came back here,” he said with a laugh. “Me and Sav were placing bets actually. I said you’d hate-fuck within the first week of seeing each other. She said you’d ‘make love’ in July,” he said, imitating her voice. He rapped his knuckles on the table. “So… have you hooked up yet?”
I sighed. “Nope, and it’s not going to happen. It’s not like that with us. Besides, she hates me more now than ever I think.”
“Damn. We might both lose then.” He shrugged.
My mouth dropped open. “How can you act so casual over my love life!” I burst out.
He paused, then his face broke into a huge smile. “Youdolove her!”
“No!” I practically shouted, to which he just started laughing even more. I dropped my pizza, not feeling very hungry anymore. “You’re ruining my pizza time,” I slurred.
“Sorry, sorry. It’s just… you two make sense.”
“We make no sense,” I countered.
A loud cry erupted from the baby monitor, and Griff shoved the last of his pizza in his mouth.
“We’ll talk more about it tomorrow. Sorry you’re goin’ through it, bud,” he said while reaching to give me a rough head pat as he stood.
“Have fun on diaper duty,” I called after him. “Hope you have to clean up a huge, yellow blow out for laughing at me.”
Griff just shook his head and chuckled as he climbed the stairs by two. I sat there lamely replaying what he said about Claire and I making sense.
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like hearing it.
16.Duke
I was right.
Claire did go back to ignoring me at the rink.
When I came back home from the rink after the first day of receiving her cold shoulder, I guess I looked upset, because Sav pestered me with questions the rest of the night, and then continued to do so every time she saw me for the rest of the week.
