Winger (Seattle Sharks 3)

Seeing her that way…fuck, it only made it worse.

“Where did you go?” Bentley asked, the question timid as he tried.

Okay, kid, I get it. You want to be in the group.

I took a breath, ensuring the snarl was gone from my voice. “A carnival.”

“Oh nice,” he said, nodding as he sipped his whiskey. “Chloe used to love the rubber duck game,” he said, then his eyes widened like he hadn’t meant to utter those words. “You play it?” He asked quickly.

I tilted my head toward Gage, who shrugged.

“No,” I said. “Who’s Chloe?”

“No one,” he answered too fast.

I arched a brow at him. “I worked with a Chloe in Canada,” I said, never losing his gaze. He flinched. “She was the Canadian trainer. Best trainer I’ve ever had, actually.”

A muscle in his jaw ticked.

“Not the same woman, though, right?”

He sighed, content not to answer.

Oh, this was too much fun. I leaned closer, lowering my voice.

“You know about my baby mama,” I said, trying not to laugh. “You can’t answer a simple question?”

He stared into his glass like he wanted to dive into it and hide. “She’s just an ex-girlfriend. No big deal.” He forced a shrug. “She liked the carnival game. Made me think of it.”

The fact that he didn’t confirm it wasn’t the same Chloe I’d worked with was answer enough. Fucking hell, she was everything over there in the hockey world. How’d he let that one go?

Rory pressed his lips together, Gage locked his jaw, and I simply sighed.

You could tell by the way he said her name there was some real pain there. And here he was, befriending two men hopelessly in love with their women, and me with a baby on the way. Still, he didn’t throw trash talk over us being whipped…had to respect that.

“We shot guns and darts and did the hammer thing,” I said, thinking of the purple puppy she’d demanded I sleep with. The thing was on the guest bed I currently occupied, not that I’d held it while I slept or anything.

“Nice,” was all that Bentley managed before he cleared his throat. “So,” he said. “Speaking of the Canadians. They tripled your size.” He eyed me, and we all laughed.

“Checking out my muscles, Rookie?”

“What? Ugh. No, man, I just meant it looks like their system really worked for you.”

“So you’re saying I needed it?”

He opened and closed his mouth a few times. The fact that he wasn’t firing back as fast as he used to earned him even more respect from me. I could see why the guys were taking him under their wing—he wasn’t behaving like the hot-head rookie who wanted Gage’s spot when injury threatened to take him off the team. No, this kid…something had clicked for him. Made him understand the value of having us be in his corner instead of pounding him against it.

He dropped his hands on the table. “I can’t win.”

Me, Rory, and Gage burst out laughing. I reached across the table and shoved his shoulder before sitting back down. “You’re all right, Rookie.”

His eyes darted between us all, confused as hell.

“Olympics were good. Getting the Bronze was amazing. Surreal. Spending time coaching at the Pro-skills camp was incredible, too. It was all great.” I continued. Minus the phone blip that left me clueless as to what Jeannine was going through, it had been a great experience. “Like I said, Chloe taught me a few new tricks,” I said, hating that his eyes shut briefly when I said her name. Fuck, poor guy. I leaned back in my seat as Suze sat down our baskets of burgers and fries. “I’ll teach you a few next pick-up game.”

“Really?” Bentley asked, his eyes clearing as he reached for his burger.

I chuckled. “Sure, Rookie.”

Gage smiled at me, pride beaming from him.

Thanks, Dad. I silently, sarcastically told him.

“You know,” Bentley said. “I’ve been on the team for two seasons now. I’m not exactly a rookie anymore.”

Ah, there was some of that attitude I remembered him for.

“I do have a name,” he continued.

I laughed. “You’ll always be a rookie to me, kid.”

He rolled his eyes but took it in silence.

Two more whiskeys and an empty basket later, the kid grabbed a cab home under the guise of needing to get some shit done. In all fairness, I think he wanted to give me some time with the guys without him.

If he wasn’t careful, I was actually going to like him.

I ordered another drink, swirling the ice around the amber liquid.

“Carnival was on the list?” Rory asked.

“Yup.”

“I bet that was Bailey,” Gage said, a smile he only had when he said Bailey’s name on his lips.

“What’s up next?” Rory asked.

I chuckled, taking another sip. “You two are as bad as the girls.”

“What?” Rory acted offended. “I’ve already been through my list,” he said. “And a few others.” A mischievous smile flashed, and I shuddered—Paige and Bailey both were like my sisters now.

“Dude, TMI,” I said, laughing.

He rolled his eyes. “I can’t help but be curious about yours.”

“It’s not anything like yours was,” I said.

Or, I supposed it wasn’t.

He never went into full details of what exactly was on Paige’s, but he’d said enough to know it wasn’t carnival’s and chick-flick nights.

Funny, because the dirty kinky stuff I could handle without flinching, but having to plan dates? I was as nervous as a teenage boy seeing a girl naked for the first time.

“How are you holding up with all the other stuff?” Gage asked.

I played dumb.

He didn’t buy it. “The living with a woman thing?” he asked. “A woman pregnant with your child, no less.”

“It’s…complicated.”

“That’s an understatement,” Rory said.

“I can’t explain it guys,” I said, sighing. “I couldn’t stop thinking about her before I found out.”

They both raised their brows at that, and I nodded.

“It’s true,” I said. “Why did you think I didn’t come home with even one phone number? I wanted her so much I couldn’t even try to sleep with anyone else.”

Rory spit whiskey across the t

able, misting Gage.

“Dude, what the fuck?” Gage swiped the stuff off his shirt.

“Sorry, man, but holy fuck,” he said by way of apology. “You didn’t sleep with anyone for six months?”

I shook my head, wondering why I hated that it was such a shock. I used to pride myself on the women I bedded—all wonderful, consenting encounters with no strings.

Now, I wished I could change it.

Lessen it.

So that what Jeannine and I had shared, even for just that one night, would be more…profound somehow.

“Damn,” Gage said, flipping Rory off when he passed him a napkin.

“But it doesn’t matter,” I said. “She doesn’t want anything to do with me. Not yet. Not beyond a place to stay and the list.”

“That can’t be true,” Gage said.

“Yeah,” Rory agreed. “She wouldn’t move in with you if she didn’t trust you.”

The vision of her flinching away from my touch begged to differ.

I raked my fingers through my hair.

“It’ll take time,” Gage said. “She’s been on her own forever.”

“Paige said she’s been taking care of herself since she was sixteen,” Rory added. “Her family life is foggy. Paige’s family became her family.”

“Right,” I said. “I get it. She needs time.”

“Just, don’t give up,” Gage said. “All right?”

I shook my head, ensuring him I wouldn’t.

But as we finished our whiskey, I couldn’t help but think about how little time I had before she disappeared.

And took my baby along with her.

Chapter 7

Jeannine

“This is so Bailey,” I said, grinning as Warren pulled me into the Seattle Aquarium.

“I would think so,” he said. “But it’s all in Paige’s handwriting, so it’s kind of a fun game to guess.”

“I’ll remember that on the next one,” I said.

The next one.

I couldn’t believe I had a number of more dates with Warren. This was only our second, but I found myself excited for each one.