Page 21

Levi

After I’d put Mia down for the night I got on the phone with my lawyer, not only about the article, but about custody. He immediately started working on things, and now all I needed to do was to calm down and let him take care of things.

I’d just sat down on the couch with a cold beer when someone knocked on the door.

“That had better not be Scarlett.” I mumbled to the empty room, getting up, making my way to the door.

I pulled it open to see Dylan, Knox, Colton, Lucas, and Clay all standing in the hallway. Clay held a case of beer, Dylan held two boxes of pizza, and someone must have a box of wings because I could smell the sauce from The Rusty Anchor.

“What the hell are you guys doing here?” I asked, knowing that tonight was one of our two nights off before we were hitting the road for four days.

“Well, we saw the article, figured it might be best if we come on by as opposed to texting.”

“Yeah, because the support we give one another through text is truly lacking.” Clay chuckled.

“That’s your opinion Clay. I think our chat support is stellar.” Knox added.

“Come on in, but we’ll have to keep it down. Mia’s asleep,” I said, glancing back at her bedroom door as the guys all piled into the kitchen.

I went and pulled her door closed and then returned to the kitchen where the guys were already piling food onto plates before we made our way into the living room.

“How are you doing?” Dylan asked once we were all sitting down.

“Trying to keep it together. I’ve already contacted Harvey and he’s working on things as we speak.”

“Think Skylar will get custody?” Colton questioned.

I shook my head. “Harvey says she doesn’t have a chance. Even if we have to pay her to go away, he says the courts will never grant her custody with her lifestyle the way it is.”

“That must ease your mind,” Clay added.

“It does.” I nodded.

“What about the article?” Knox questioned. “I couldn’t believe what I read. Lorelai was appalled. She immediately turned to me and said how she felt that she couldn’t trust Scarlett.”

“Harvey is sending out an immediate retraction notice, otherwise he’s starting a lawsuit for defamation, and not only will we be going after the Ice Insiders but after Scarlett as well.”

“Thank god for Harvey,” Dylan said, raising his beer in the air in a mock cheer.

The room grew quiet as the guys all looked at me, the unasked question hanging in the air.

“We’re over, because I know you guys are wanting to know.”

The guys all nodded. Each one of us knew what it was like to lose someone, and even though she’d done what she’d done, and I was angry, I was still hurt and upset that something that had been wonderful at one point was now over.

“Sorry, man,” Clay said.

“Yeah, we’re sorry,” Colton said.

“Thanks, but really, I should have known better. Things never progressed between us for a reason. I guess it’s true what they say about the past and how you should never revisit it.”

Dylan got up and patted me on the shoulder. “Want some food now?” he questioned.

I’d not eaten since breakfast, and for the first time all day, my stomach let out a grumble. “Yeah, I think I’ll join you guys.”

“I’ll get you a plate. I’m going that way anyway.”

I looked around at all my teammates, my friends, and suddenly felt very blessed to have such wonderful family.

“Now, before we move off to another topic, we need to know, is it true that you are looking at moving to another team?” Colton questioned.

God, it only got worse, I thought to myself as I remembered reading that part in the article. “Fuck no, I just moved here. I like the team, the city, and most of all I love all you asses. I am not nor do I have plans of moving until the team wants to kick me to the curb.”

“Thank you! I told you idiots that had to be false information.” Colton chuckled, looking at all the other guys.

Dylan came in and passed me my plate, and I dove into the food with a vengeance, realizing just how hungry I was.