Page 39 of The Break Out (Denver Dragons #3)

39

I t’s New Year’s Eve and my brother is hosting a party at his house for the whole team and their significant others for the holiday. I tried to tell him I didn’t fall into either category, but he said I’m family and that counts.

I haven’t seen Colton since he left after our emotional conversation the day after Christmas. We’ve texted, but he’s been busy with hockey and for the first time I didn’t want the distance from him. Something changed that morning and I know there’s no going back.

Yesterday while we were texting, I asked about the New Year’s party.

Brynn: Did Brent invite you to the party tomorrow?

Colton: Unfortunately, last I checked I’m on the team, so yeah, he did.

Brynn: You can knock off the act, I know you don’t mind your new team now.

Colton: I better see you there. I need to taste you again. And my cock misses you.

Brynn: Just your cock?

Colton: I guess the rest of me may miss you too.

I smiled at our exchange, though I didn’t know what to say back. I miss him too, but my fear holds me back from telling him. I feel like once I say something that shows how I’m really feeling about him everything is going to explode in my face.

I get to the house early because I want to see Evie and make sure Chandler doesn’t need any help beforehand. She has all three of the guys put to work setting things up while she cares for their child. Audrey is directing all the guys like a drill sergeant and I’m pretty sure her boyfriend is just drooling over her instead of whatever he’s supposed to be doing.

Spencer said she was coming with Jared and I’m excited to spend some time with her, but I can’t deny that I also want to sneak off with Colton at some point.

“Matt, what the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Audrey snaps just as I walk into the living room.

“Moving the table where you told me to,” Matt replies, his tone extremely annoyed.

“No, I told you to put it over there.” She points to a corner. “That’s the other direction. You get hit in the head with the puck lately?”

“Mann not fucking you good enough? Because you’re being a real b– ”

“Finish that sentence McQuaid I fucking dare you,” Charlie chimes in, wrapping an arm around Audrey’s shoulders.

“Don’t be mad because you don’t know how to listen,” Vince says to Matt, shaking his head.

“Okay fuck all of you.” Matt points around the room.

“Just put the table where she told you to, it’s not that fucking hard.” Vince rolls his eyes before resuming setting up the kitchen island.

“Who put you in charge anyway?” Matt grumbles, picking up the table once again.

“I did because I know she will put your ass in place when you need it,” Brent says, coming down the stairs.

“Of course you fucking did,” Matt mutters.

“Hey shorty,” Brent greets me while I hold back my laugh from the exchange I just witnessed.

“It’s like wrangling cats here, isn’t it?” I tease.

“Speaking of, how’s yours? Have you added any more cats to your collection because I think crazy cat lady would suit you.” Brent smirks and I smack his arm.

“You’re a dick, I have one cat. You should get a pet, might be good for you. Might I suggest something gross and slimy, so you have something in common with it? ”

“Maybe I will. I’ll make sure to get the biggest snake I can find, and you can be in charge of pet sitting for me.”

I’m glad he seems to be in a good mood today, something I feel like I haven’t seen from him recently and it lightens something in my chest. It's the same lightness I saw in Colton when I told him about everything and he told me about his brother. I would have never guessed we had something so huge and morbid in common.

“If you trusted me with such a creature, you would not come back to it alive.” I shiver.

“You would kill it?”

“Absolutely not. I would leave the door open and let it make its own decision. Or you’d come back to a house full of different wild animals. Guess we’ll find out.”

Brent wraps his arm around my head, pulling me in for a hug. I want to tell him I miss him, and I’ve missed this between us, but I can’t because I’m going to cry, and I refuse to do that right now.

“You going to help too, Collee, or are you just going to stand around?” Matt calls out.

Brent drops his arm and faces his teammate. “Not sure who you think you’re talking to, but who was the one who was up with Evie all night while everyone else slept?”

“Uh, Bunny?” Matt responds, dumbly.

“No, dipshit. I wanted her to get some sleep,” Brent retorts .

“Speaking of, I’m going to escape this lovers quarrel and go see my two favorite people in this house.” I raise my hands up and walk toward the stairs.

I find Chandler carefully backing out of a bedroom, closing the door softly and raising a finger to her lips signaling me to be quiet. She gestures for us to move away from the door.

“I just got her to sleep,” she whispers once we are a few feet from the door.

“But I wanted to snuggle her,” I complain.

“I’m sure she will wake up in the next thirty minutes and you can have all the snuggles.”

“Deal, I’ll probably need to come up here and hide most of the night anyway.” I shake my head.

“Why?”

I give her a look, and she just laughs.

“Don’t think too much about me, but you may want to go downstairs before Audrey kills all your boyfriends,” I divert.

“I’m sure they deserve it.” She waves me off.

We get downstairs at the exact same time Audrey yells, “Matt if you don’t stop moving those fucking glasses, I’m going to shove one of them up your ass!”

“Oh boy,” Chandler sighs .

“Stop telling me what to do, they are my cups,” Matt yells back.

“Do I need to separate you two?” Chandler interrupts.

“Yes.”

“No.”

They both answer at the same time.

“Hi baby, how did she do?” Vince comes up, wraps his arms around Chandler and kisses her.

“Good for now, but I’m sure these loud mouths will end up waking her up.” Chandler sighs.

“Brent, get your tall ass over here and help grab that for me,” Audrey calls out.

“See,” Chandler chuckles.

“Anything I can do to help?” I interrupt.

“You can just hang out and be pretty.” Chandler smiles.

I shake my head, and Vince gives her another kiss before going back to help the rest of the group and the damn pang in my chest is back seeing them. Seeing everyone, even with the arguing it’s lighthearted and doesn’t make me want to run away and panic but makes me love this giant group even more.

Yet, I still feel like an outsider. The way Vince came up to Chandler, the softness he has toward her. The way that Charlie helps Audrey and loves her through her annoyance with everyone. Brent doing what he did when we were growing up and is really the one in charge but doesn’t need to scream and yell to make it known. Then there’s Matt, he may piss everyone off, but I can still see the love everyone has for him.

Everyone has their place here. Everyone except me.

“Heard there’s a party,” someone announces from the front of the house.

My head snaps up at the voice because it’s one I recognize instantly, and it makes me both excited and nervous hearing him here. In this house.

“You’re early,” Audrey accuses.

“So?” Colton shrugs.

“So, is there a particular reason ?” She narrows her eyes.

“Wheeler, didn’t expect you yet,” Brent comments.

“Yeah, figured it would be boring here without me so you’re welcome.” He turns toward me and sends a wink in my direction that I’m hoping no one else caught.

Luckily, Spencer and Jared walk in not much later and I breathe a sigh of relief that I can try and keep some distance from him by using my best friend as a buffer. I don’t care if I have to physically hang onto her, I’m going to do it.

It doesn’t take long before more of the team and their families are showing up. Noise fills the large house and Chandler was right about Evie waking up soon, when she does. I volunteer to go get her .

“Hi pretty girl,” I greet as I enter her room.

She coos as I pick her up and I smile at her tiny face as she lets out a big yawn.

“How sweet,” Colton’s voice says from behind me.

I turn around. “Don’t think you’re supposed to be up here.”

“No one will even notice. I wanted a second alone with you.”

“We aren’t alone.” I lift my arm slightly.

“She wouldn’t tell on me.”

“She might, she has three dads, poor girl has no chance of hiding anything from them.”

He looks down at my sweet niece in my arms and the look that crosses his face seems to soften.

“Do you want kids?” He asks.

I look down at her as I think about how to answer. I’ve wanted a family for as long as I can remember, but that hasn’t necessarily included kids of my own.

“I don’t know,” I say softly. I may want to foster or adopt to help kids have a safe space unlike I did growing up. “Do you?”

Colton reaches out, running his knuckle along my cheek. “I want whatever you want.”

My jaw drops at the simple words that have so much more meaning behind them. A meaning that I’m not going to think too much about because I’m sure he’s just saying it. He’s just trying to ruffle my feathers again.

“You should go back downstairs,” I tell him, looking back down at Evie.

His hand slides to the back of my neck, gripping me, forcing me to look up at him again. The sincerity written on his face is something new, and scary.

“I will, but only if you promise to spend midnight with me.”

“I promise.”

He smiles, giving my neck one final squeeze before letting go and leaving me alone with Evie. Looking down at her again, her eyes are open looking up at me, so sweet and innocent.

“God help anyone who tries to date you one day, baby girl.”