1
Jake
A knock on my window had me nearly jumping out of my skin. Derek Aston was staring down at me with a raised brow. “You coming in?”
I looked back at Olli Letang’s house and nodded. I’d been parked on the street in front of it for almost ten minutes, debating whether or not I was going to leave my car.
Amelia, Derek’s girlfriend, stepped in front of him. “Hey, Jake!”
I forced my lips to curve into a smile and got out, following as they walked up the driveway.
“They’re going to be really happy to see you,” Amelia whispered as we walked through the front door into the wide entryway.
I glanced into the living room packed with my teammates. A few of them spotted us, and soon they were all staring.
“Jones!” Hartman, our captain, jumped up from his chair and came toward us. “Good to see you, man.” He clapped my shoulder and led me away from Amelia.
“Thanks.” I had a feeling I would be watched all night. It was part of why I didn’t want to come. I knew they were trying to be supportive, but I just didn’t want to be reminded tonight.
He paused and studied my face. “If you don’t want to talk about her tonight, say the word.”
I sighed. “She wanted me to start living my life. That’s what I’m here to do.”
“Got it.” He nodded once and stepped back, leaving me alone to find a place to sit.
“Jones, take a seat!” Jason Dumoulin waved me over. “How are you, man?”
“Good,” I sat next to him and smiled at the other guys. The women seemed to have congregated in the kitchen, and I caught a few of them watching me.
Brandon Cullen was sitting across from me, so I leaned forward. “Hey, I heard you’re a married man now. Congratulations.”
He grinned. “Thanks. We decided there wasn’t a point in waiting, and neither of us wanted a big wedding, so it worked out to just do it at the house.”
“Yeah, shocked me and Taylor.” Jason laughed.
“Speaking of, when are you two getting hitched?” Brandon asked.
Jason shrugged. “There are too many weddings happening right now, so we’ll give everyone a break for a little while.”
“Who else is getting married?” I asked. I tried to stay up with major news like this, but without a connection to the Pride, I was often way behind.
“Wyatt and Kendall have to at some point. That poor woman is going to lose her mind if he doesn’t propose.” Brandon chuckled.
“And Grant and Addison,” Jason added.
“Lucy and Colin,” Olli jumped in to say from the other couch. “Nikolai and Elena too.”
“Leave me out of this,” Colin shouted from the far side of the room.
“Oh, and Jason and Taylor. I bet they’ll be next just to shock everyone,” Brandon said while looking around the room.
“Jake, good to see you.” Emma appeared over my left shoulder. “Food’s in the kitchen and its buffet style, so help yourself whenever. If you need anything, let me know.”
“Okay, thanks.” No mention of my mom? Had Hartman really gotten the word out that fast?
“Have you checked the resort’s website?” Erik asked as he sat on the arm of the couch next to Derek.
“Yeah, it looks amazing,” Brandon replied.
“I’m just happy we can go this year,” Hartman added.
“Oh yeah, you and Kendall were recovering last time, so you missed it too,” Brandon said.
I had to search through my memories to figure out what they were talking about. Kendall, Hartman’s girlfriend, needed a kidney transplant, and he’d donated his.
“It’ll be fun for everyone to be there this time,” Erik said before his eyes landed on me. “You’re coming, right?”
Plans of their trip to Mexico for Noah and Colby’s wedding had made its way to me, but I never said whether or not I’d be going. I didn’t know if I could or not. Not until recently.
“I’m not sure,” I admitted.
“What? You’ve got to.” Noah’s voice came from behind me as hands gripped my shoulders.
I glanced up to see him towering over me. “I didn’t make any arrangements. I’m sure the place is booked.”
“Hey, Chloe!” Erik called to the kitchen.
His sister stepped out of the throng of women. “What?”
“Are there any rooms left at the resort?” Erik asked.
I narrowed my eyes. How was she supposed to know that?
“We have one room left with the single guys. It’s a three-bedroom suite.”
She rattled off the details like they were memorized.
“There you go.” Erik smiled as if it was that simple.
“I haven’t looked into flights either.”
“We’re chartering the team plane. There’s plenty of room.” He watched me like he was waiting for my next attempt at an excuse.
I wasn’t used to them making such an effort. After years of me declining their invitations, I expected them to be over it.
“I’d really like for you to be there,” Noah added as if he could feel my hesitation.
Great, I couldn’t say no to that. “Okay, I’ll be there.”
Noah patted my shoulders. “Thanks, man.”
Erik grinned and turned to his sister, “Can you put his name down?”
She nodded. “Of course.”
I glanced at her. “Thanks.”
She gave me a warm smile before going back to the kitchen. Over the years, I’d heard the stories of the miracles she’d pulled off, the loops she’d jumped through, and the connections she’d kept. The guys joked that they were happy to have her on their side, that she used her forces for good and not evil.
It wasn’t until the last two weeks that I saw that power first hand. With one call, she made all the arrangements I couldn’t bring myself to do. She allowed me to grieve while she picked up the pieces. The one thing I could never thank her enough for was her quiet way of handling things. No one else knew how she’d helped me. She didn’t do things for the notoriety or praise. She truly cared about the team and the players.
It was because of her that I was able to come tonight. That I could face my teammates. She was the one that reassured me it wasn’t too late. I hadn’t burned any bridges, and they would be waiting for me when I was ready. She was right.
I shouldn’t have been surprised she lived up to her reputation, not with her track record, but now I knew for myself.
“Jones.” Lance walked into the room with Mikey at his side. “I heard you’re joining the singles’ room.”
“If that’s alright?” From the stories I’d heard about those two, I was a bit nervous about rooming with them. They were dedicated bachelors who liked partying a little too much. It never affected their game, so no one said anything about it, but it wasn’t really my scene.
“The three of us are going to take over that place!” Mikey offered his hand to fist bump Lance.
I fought to hide my cringe. Erik caught my eye, hiding his laughter behind a cough. I ignored him and focused on Mikey, “Sounds good.”