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"There was no love in that house. I couldn't just go talk to them about my day or my problems. A nanny was with us most of the time and if I got attached, they called me soft and fired her." His voice was low, vulnerable, and I wrapped my arms around him, resting my head on his chest so he didn't have to stare at me while he talked about his hardest, most painful memories.
"I'm so sorry, Eli," I said.
"I was an only child, so you can imagine how badly that sucked," he huffed out a humorless laugh. "They still have a fucking hold over me in some ways. But when I met the guys in college, playing hockey with them was the only time I felt alive. They took me under their wings when we got put together on the first line and we never looked back. We had chemistry and I knew their secrets like they knew mine. We came up with the idea to run a gym later."
"What did your family think of hockey?"
"They thought it was useless," he said, confirming my suspicions. I knew they would never support something like that. "When I didn't get drafted, they pretty much forced me to join the family business and apply to law school."
"Did you get in?" My curiosity was fully invested in this story now and he didn't mind the questions. He simply talked, stroking my hair and holding me close.
"Yup. I was a shoe in, but I never showed up to the first day. I drove to campus and parked, then couldn't make myself get out. I'd come into my trust fund by then and they couldn't touch it, it was set up by my grandfather and what they'd given me to that point was more than enough for a lifetime. So, I called the guys and said, ‘let's do it.’ A few weeks later, we were business owners."
"That's amazing," I laughed. "The gym is thriving, it was packed."
"It is," he agreed. "We're the only one in the area that can accommodate pretty much anyone's needs."
"How did you guys get Tate to teach old ladies?"
His bark of laughter echoed off the walls and he stepped away then, releasing me and turning off the water now that the worst was over and grabbing towels for us. He wrapped one around his hips before drying me with the other.
"He volunteered, believe it or not. Don't let him fool you, he loves that class."
"They tried to convince me to go," I laughed. "Grace was crazy. I loved her."
"You should, they'd lose their minds and tease him relentlessly," Elias snorted.
He led me out to his bedroom again and grabbed us each a shirt, sliding it over my head. My bag was still in there, so I tugged on a fresh pair of underwear and shorts.
"I brought in food," Elias said, settling on the bed with the tray he had earlier. "It's a bit cold now."
"It'll be fine," I promised, settling on the bed beside him as he turned on his TV, putting on a cooking show.
"Do you mind this?"
"Nope," I said. "Who doesn't loveChopped?"
He chuckled and pulled off a piece of the cinnamon roll, popping it into my mouth before taking a bite of his own.
"Exactly," he agreed. "How did I get so lucky? First, you kick my ass in games, now you're over here loving my favorite shows."
"Tell me you love ghost hunting shows and we'll be golden," I teased. He chuckled and pulled up his queue, showing more than one already set for recording.
"Done," he said smugly. "I know whose room you'll be in the most."
Shaking my head I plucked a roll off the tray and dug in, settling into the comfortable moment without complaint.
"Hey, your phone is going off again," Brock said as he walked in, handing over my bag and dropping down next to me. "Ugh, not this again."
"She likes it," Elias said in a haughty tone that had me cracking up.
"I do," I admitted as I dug out my phone. Another call from an unknown number and three voicemails already. I knew who it was now and had no interest in talking. Yet, she couldn't seem to take the hint. That was future Macy's problem anyway. I kept my face neutral and tucked it away, on silent this time. "No one important."
"Good, I want you to ourselves today," Brock said as he nuzzled into my neck.
"You're not ready to kick me out yet?" I teased. My voice was even and playful, hiding the worry underneath it.
"Not a chance," Brock said as he kissed his way down my neck. They were going to break my poor body at this point.
