Page 41 of Over the Moon (Rosewood River #3)

twenty-nine

. . .

Clark

After our night out at the Lion’s Gate, Eloise definitely felt like part of the team. The guys loved her. I just sat back and let her impress the shit out of everyone.

She was witty as hell, knew as much about hockey as we did, and took no shit.

But now, she was on everyone’s radar.

“Chadwick, are you going to put the good word in with Doc for me?” Adams said, a ridiculous smirk on his face.

I already told them that she was off-limits. I had a feeling they were able to read between the lines, knowing there was more to it than just her being Coach’s daughter. It was obvious we were close, just by the way we interacted.

I rolled up my towel and snapped it against his leg. We just finished practice and showered. “No interoffice fraternizing, dickhead.”

Weston howled in laughter. “Wolf met his wife working here, so that rule is slightly flawed.”

“Didn’t Everly Madden marry Hawk after joining the team?” Drew Parsons, one of the new rookies, asked. He was blending well with the team. So was the other rookie, Scotty Barton.

“I don’t care. You can’t date her,” I said, looking at each of them, letting them know I wasn’t kidding around.

“Awww… man,” Adams said, reaching into his pocket and slapping a twenty-dollar bill in Wizz’s hand. “You were fucking right. He’s a little too protective.”

“Fuck off. We’re friends.” I turned my back to them, pulling my hoodie over my head so I wouldn’t have to look at them.

“Then let’s go out tonight. Andrea has some friends in town, and they want to meet you,” Weston said. Andrea was a woman he’s had an on-and-off relationship with for years.

“Can’t do it tonight. I’ve got plans.”

He smirked. “You’ve had plans every night since you came back from Rosewood River.”

I shook my head. “Just focused on the season.”

“Dude, just know, we’ve got your back. You do your thing, all right?” He clapped me on the shoulder.

“Wait, if they’re just friends, does that mean I can ask her out?” Scotty asked as his lips turned up in the corners. “I’m a rookie. I’m only here for the year unless a miracle happens. I’d switch teams for a girl like Eloise.”

I picked up my dirty socks and threw them in his face as he ran around, laughing like an asshole.

“You’re barely out of high school, Barton. She’s a bit out of your league,” I chuckled.

“I’m kidding! I’m kidding!” He held his hands up. “I just wanted to make sure that twenty dollars was justified. But for the record, the ladies love this baby face.”

I flipped him the bird as all the guys howled in laughter.

“Hey, remember, my sister and nephew are coming into town tonight. So let’s put on a good show for the little guy tomorrow, ‘cause he’s coming to watch us.”

“Beefcake will be in the house!” Weston said, cupping his hands together to make his words louder.

“Is his name seriously Beefcake?” Parsons asked.

“It’s his handle. He’s one cool cat,” I said. “And the little dude loves hockey, so let’s show him a good time.”

“He’s the coolest kid I’ve ever met,” Weston said. “He came to a few games last season.”

“I’m sort of partial to that little angel, Melody,” Lefty said. “She was cute as hell, the way she wanted me to carry her all around.”

“That’s because your beard was grown out, and she thought you were Santa.” Weston chuckled, dodging the shoe Lefty chucked at him.

“Hey, the ladies love my beard. It’s an added bonus when I take them on a trip to pleasure town.” He waggled his brows, and laughter erupted.

“That is more information than I ever wanted to know about you and your overgrown beard.” I barked out a laugh. I held my hand up and high-fived the guys before draping my gym bag over my shoulder and making my way out to my truck.

I sent a text to Eloise. I hated that I couldn’t just go pick her up and drive her to my place. I didn’t think sneaking around would be a big deal, but I was wrong.

I hadn’t been in a relationship in a very long time. This was something special, and I wanted to share it.

Wanted to be open about it.

Hey, Weeze. I’m heading home. Emerson and Cutler are already there, if you want to head over.

Weeze

screenshot of her and Cutler

Weeze

Emerson called me an hour ago to say she was here, so I put on a baseball cap, some big sunglasses, and came over. She’s got dinner in the oven, so it’ll be ready when you get here.

Sounds good. See you soon. Love you.

Weeze

Love you more.

I drove the short distance to my place, parked underground, and took the elevator up to my floor.

When I pushed the door open, Cutler was already sprinting toward me. “Uncle Clark is in the hizzle!”

I couldn’t help but laugh, because this kid was hilarious without even trying. I bent down and wrapped him up in a hug. “Hey, Beefcake. I’m glad you’re here, buddy.”

“Are you kidding? I can’t wait to watch you on the ice tomorrow. I know the Lions are going to win the Stanley Cup again this year.”

“We’re going to give it our best shot, that’s for sure.” I pushed to stand just as Emerson walked over and hugged me.

“Nice to see you, brother.”

“Yeah, I’m glad you guys could get away. I wish Nash could have come,” I said.

“He’s bummed he couldn’t make it, but he’s glad we could sneak away. He knows how much Cutler wanted to see you out on the ice, and I just thought you and Eloise could use some support.” She smiled at me, and I could feel her concern.

Eloise came out of the kitchen, and I rushed her, dipping her back and kissing her hard. I hadn’t seen her since this morning, and I’d missed her.

I missed a woman I’d seen just this morning.

That was a new one for me.

“Missed you, baby,” I said, when I pulled back, her cheeks flushed as her lips turned up in the corners.

“Missed you, too, Hotshot.”

Cutler’s head tipped back in a fit of giggles. “Man, my uncle’s got it bad for his girl.”

“Damn straight, Beefcake.” I shot him a wink as Eloise smacked my ass and chuckled.

“Come on, you’re probably starving, and dinner’s ready,” my sister said.

We took our seats at the dining room table, and Emerson and Eloise carried the chicken and potatoes out and set them down. The salad and bread were already out, and I took the seat beside Eloise while Cutler and Emerson took the chairs across from us.

“This looks great. Thanks so much for cooking. I would have been happy to get takeout,” I said, as I piled food on my plate.

“I know. But I love cooking, and I thought you both might want a home-cooked meal after working all day.”

“And we made you unicorn Krispies,” Cutler said over a mouthful of potatoes. My sister chuckled and arched a brow to remind him to finish chewing before he spoke, but he just gave her this corny smile, and she was putty in his hands.

“What are unicorn Krispies?” Eloise asked, as she scooped some salad onto her plate.

“Only the best treats in the whole wide world. Did you know my mama is the best baker and the best doctor, too?” he asked.

Emerson was a pediatrician back in Magnolia Falls, and baking was her favorite hobby when she wasn’t working or with her boys.

“I did know that,” I said. “I’ve known her my whole life.”

That earned me a laugh and a high-five across the table from my nephew.

“Man, Uncle Clark, I like seeing all the tall buildings from your place.”

My condo had nice views of the city, and the sun was just starting to go down, so everything below would be lit up soon. It hit me that it was the first time Eloise had ever been to my place.

The woman I loved had never been to my home, which was wrong in a million different ways.

“Yeah? It’s pretty cool seeing the whole city from up here. What do you think, Weeze? You’ve never been here.”

She smiled, and her hand found mine beneath the table. “It’s gorgeous.”

“What? Eloise has never been to my uncle's house. Why? You’re his girl, right?”

Emerson arched a brow at Eloise and me as if to say, good luck explaining this mess to him.

“Well, I’ve seen it on FaceTime many times, but Uncle Clark usually comes to my home.” Eloise shrugged.

“Oh. Can you see the city from your house, too?” he asked, before forking some chicken and popping it into his mouth.

“No. My place is small,” she chuckled. “But Uncle Clark is sort of famous here in the city, so we just wanted to be careful about people seeing us together, and that’s more likely to happen if we’re at his home.”

“Oh, boy.” Emerson raised a brow as she leaned back in her chair and reached for her glass of wine. “That’s going to open up a whole lot of questions.”

“My uncle is a hockey superstar for sure,” Cutler said, setting his fork down as his little brows cinched together.

“But superstars can be seen with their girls. My uncle Romeo is a famous boxer. He was the champ in his last fight. And he loves Aunt Demi, and the whole world knows it. You don’t want the whole world to know about you two? ”

I glanced over at Eloise, and all I saw was sadness in her eyes as she took in his words.

“I do want the whole world to know it, buddy. But it’s a little complicated.” I reached for my water and squeezed her hand.

“Oh, I know about that,” Cutler chuckled and shook his head. “All of my uncles are complicated people.”

We all laughed at that, and I shrugged. “We’re trying to figure it out, little man.”

“I remember when my mama almost moved away, and me and my pops were going to be real sad without her.” He looked up at my sister like she set the sun. “Do you remember that, Mama?”

“I do, my love,” she said.

“Man, my pops was being so silly.”

“What happened?” Eloise asked.

“I almost took a job on the other side of the country back then. Nash and I just weren’t sure what to do.” She shrugged.

“But me and my pops realized that it didn’t matter where we lived.” He laughed and shook his head. “We were a family, and that’s all that really mattered, right, Mama?” he asked.

“Exactly. So, I was at a hospital that I thought was my dream job, and I was miserable without my boys. Then there was a knock at the door, and there they were, standing there with their suitcases.” Her eyes were wet with emotion at the memory.

Eloise had her hand on her chest as she listened intently.

“We told her that we go where she goes,” Cutler said. “But Mama missed Magnolia Falls, and she’s the best doctor there, so she wanted to go back home. But I get to come to the city to see my uncle Clark now.”

“Wow. That’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard,” Eloise said.

“So why can’t all the people see you two together?” he asked, his gaze bouncing between us.

I was going to give him some bullshit short, kid version, but my girl jumped in.

“So, I work for the Lions, too, and we aren’t allowed to date people we work with.” Eloise shrugged. “I would most likely lose my job if they found out that we were together, and Uncle Clark could get kicked off the team next year if they found out.”

Cutler’s eyes were wide as he listened. “Oh. That’s not fair. That’s not fair at all.”

“I agree,” Emerson said, her gaze empathetic.

“That’s really silly, though, isn’t it?” my nephew asked, but he didn’t wait for an answer. “Because you can’t help who you love, right? And it’s not your fault you found the person you love at work. You spend a lot of time there, so I think it’s a real silly rule.”

I barked out a laugh. “I think it’s a real silly rule, too.”

“So nobody that works for the team likes each other that way?” he asked, and the question was so innocent and genuine that it made my chest squeeze. This little seven-year-old boy wanted to fix this situation for us.

“Well, there are two couples there that fell in love and got married. But one of them owns the team, and the other one is probably the best player to ever live,” I said, trying to make sense of it all myself.

His mouth fell open. “What? This is great. My uncle is one of the best players to ever live. And other people didn’t lose their jobs before you. So what are you waiting for?”

Emerson fell forward in laughter, and Eloise and I did the same.

“Wish it were that simple, Beefcake. But Weeze is new to the team, and her dad’s the coach, so it’s a little messy,” I said.

“We don’t want to cause any problems or get into trouble, you know?” Eloise shrugged.

“I don’t think you’re causing any problems. Don’t you love each other?” he asked. “It sure seems like you do.”

“Very much,” Eloise and I said at the same time, which caused a wide grin to spread across his face.

“That’s all that matters. You’re a family now. And my pops says sometimes rules are meant to be broken. This seems like a good reason to break the rules.” He reached for his glass of milk, setting it down as a milk mustache settled on his lip.

“Yeah, Beefcake. This does seem like a good reason to break the rules.” I winked.

This kid was onto something.