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Putting her finger over her mouth, she silently shushes me…again. And when we walk into the kitchen, I know exactly who the “gals” are. In fact, I’m pretty sure they might be the actual fucking Golden Girls. Maybe even older. And the way they are looking at me, I’d say they haven’t seen a young man in ages.
And I can tell by the look on Sutton’s face that she fucking loves it.
Sutton
For the first half hour, I know Hunter had no idea why we were here. He didn’t understand why I chose a soup kitchen out of the countless other things I could have taken him to when he was upset. But slowly, I think he’s starting to understand.
Most of the customers in this area are drug addicts who live on the streets. I don’t volunteer here nearly as much as I wish I did, but the few times I was here…I left feeling like I’d done something important that day. Something that mattered.
Some of the customers recognize him from the team, and they applaud him. A few shake his hand, and some tell him how incredible of a player he is. They look at him with stars in their eyes, likely envious that his whole future is at his fingertips, waiting for him.
Once everyone is fed and Gloria and the other ladies are done flirting with him, he comes next to me.
“You were the highlight of a lot of people’s weeks just by being here,” I tell him, washing off some bowls. “Thank you for being so kind to everyone.”
He peers into the dining room before kissing the side of my head. “Thanks for bringing me here. I actually really liked hearing people’s stories. Made me realize I’m a judgmental prick too much of the time.”
Pulling him out of view from everyone, I stand against a counter. He puts his hands on each side of the counter next to me and pecks my cheek.
“So many people we just saw tonight probably don’t have a loving family waiting for them at home. Good friends to care enough to call them out on their shit and help them get better. They went down a bad road, and there was nobody there to stop them.” I cup his cheek. “You know what Cade Huff has that none of them did when their life became what it is now?”
He swallows thickly, his eyes growing misty. “What?” he croaks.
“You,” I whisper. “A friend like you to have their back. To have uncomfortable conversations that could be life-changing. Even life-saving.” I press my lips to his before dipping my forehead down. “Cade might not see it right now, but one day, he will. He’ll know that you, Watson, Haley, and Link saved him.” I point toward the chattering voices in the dining area. “I bet if you asked all those people if they wish they had a friend like you in their life, they’d say yes. So, stop beating yourself up, Hunter. I promise, it’s all going to be okay. Cadeis going to be okay.”
His nostrils flare with emotion as he gives me a small nod. “Thank you,” he whispers, “for always making me see the silver lining.”
“Thank you for being my silver lining.” I smile. “I love you so damn much, Hunter Thompson.”
Stepping back, he winks. “Let’s go clean up. Because if my memory serves me right…you owe me something.”
Rolling my eyes, I giggle. “Yeah, yeah.”
Hunter is the type of friend you want in your corner. A fierce protector. The best listener. And a guy who carries the weight of other people’s pain on his shoulders without thinking twice.
And the magnitude of love I have for him scares me. Because I’ve never loved or adored a person this much. And one of these days, his phone’s going to ring, and the pros will be calling him up, handing him the keys to the kingdom.
And I don’t know where that’ll leave us.
28
Hunter
“Iknow this game doesn’t feel right to you guys,” Coach LaConte says, looking around at us in the locker room.
It’s quiet. Too quiet. Ever since Cade left, that’s how it’s felt. We don’t have him constantly joking around and saying dumb shit. And truthfully, it really sucks.
“It doesn’t feel right to me either. And if you’re feeling pissed off at Huff or maybe even mad at me for the decision I made for him to step away from the ice for a while, well, that’s something I can live with.” He sighs. “What I can’t live with is something happening to one of my guys. Something that could have been prevented if someone had just spoken the hell up.” He pauses. “I’m not going into detail about Cade Huff because he’s not here to defend himself, and it ain’t right to talk about his shit while he’s away. Just know that when you step on that ice, every one of you is going to feel the shift. The burden of not having him out there.”
He nods slowly, his lips forming a tight line. “And that’s okay. But what’s not okay is if we use that as an excuse to play like shit tonight. Huff wouldn’t want you to throw it all away. He’d want you to go out there, balls to the wall, and get it done.” His eyes move to each and every one of us. “You all think you can do that? Can you go out there and play hard? For Cade Huff?”
“Yes, sir,” we all chant, but it’s weak, and he shoots us a glare.
“Well, fuck. If that’s how this is going to be, I’ll go tell them we aren’t even going out tonight. We’ll fucking forfeit.” He stands up on the bench, clapping his hands together. “Are you going to go out there and play hard?!”
“Yes, sir!” we yell, louder this time.
“Good!” He points to Link. “Go on, Sterns. Remind these boys who they are!”
