Page 24

Chapter Twenty-Three

Troy

The locker room is chaos. Loud laughs, the clinking of beer bottles, and shouting everywhere.

Jamie’s talking about the last save he made like it was the damn Olympics, and Axel’s trying to one-up him with a story from the playoffs last year. The energy’s high—everyone’s buzzing from the win.

“Hell of a job, guys,” Jamie says, leaning back against his locker like he’s king of the world.

The door swings open, and suddenly, the noise cuts out like someone hit mute. Every single one of us turns to look.

She’s standing there, cheeks flushed, legs for days in that little skirt, and baby Noah in her arms. Savannah. In my jersey.

Holy shit.

I can’t move, can’t breathe. It’s like my brain short-circuits, and all I can think is, I want this exact picture as my lock screen. Forever. So I can stare at her all day.

“Hey,” she says, her voice soft but carrying through the silence. She lifts her hand in a little wave.

“Everyone, meet Savannah.” Jared steps up beside her, grinning like he just won the lottery. “Savannah, this is the Chicago Icebreakers.”

She waves again, her smile a little shy now. But then her eyes land on Jamie, and I swear, she relaxes all at once, like he’s her safe spot in the room.

Jamie doesn’t waste a second. He’s across the room in three steps, pulling her into a hug and scooping Noah out of her arms. “Hey, Savannah. You look good.”

She laughs softly. “Hey, Jamie.”

That’s when I can finally move. My feet start working again, and I’m walking toward her before my brain catches up. Jamie’s looking over his shoulder now.

“Troy! Get over here,” he calls, holding Noah like he’s been doing it his whole life.

I stop in front of her, and for a second, all I can do is stare. She smells so damn good—sweet and warm, like vanilla or something. My hand moves before I even think about it, pulling her into a quick hug.

“Hey,” I say, my voice rough.

“Hey,” she replies, her smile small but real.

“You watched the game?” Jamie asks, rocking Noah a little as he speaks.

She nods, her cheeks going a little pinker. “Yeah. It was...intense.”

Jamie laughs. “That’s one word for it.” He leans in closer to her, lowering his voice just enough that only we can hear. “You look so good in Troy’s jersey, but next time, I need you in mine.”

She laughs, quiet and soft, and flashes that smile—the one that makes my chest tighten like a vise.

“Have you eaten yet?” I ask her, cutting into whatever moment they’re having because I can’t take it anymore.

She shakes her head. “Not yet.”

Jared steps up again, all casual confidence. “I know the perfect place. We can all grab lunch together. My treat.”

Savannah glances at me, then Jamie, then back to Jared. “I’d like that,” she says finally.

“Perfect.” Jared claps his hands together like it’s settled. “I’ll wait for you guys at the car. Don’t take too long.”

I lean in and kiss her cheek before I even realize what I’m doing. Her skin’s soft, warm, and now I smell like her, too. “See you later.”

She nods, her eyes meeting mine for a split second before she turns to follow Jared. I watch them leave, Noah’s little hand reaching for Jared’s face as he talks to her.

The second they’re gone, Jamie’s voice snaps me back. “You good, man?”

I turn to him, shrugging like I’m fine. “Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”

Jamie smirks, bouncing Noah gently in his arms. “I don’t know, maybe because you’ve been staring at her like a lovesick idiot since she walked in?”

“Shut up,” I mutter, grabbing a towel off the bench and heading toward the showers.

Jamie follows, still grinning. “Seriously, though. You okay?”

I glance at him, and for a second, I think about brushing it off again. But then I hear my voice, low and honest. “I don’t know, man.”

He raises an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

I shake my head, scrubbing a hand over my face. “It’s just...she wore my jersey. And she watched me play. And now my heart’s racing like I’m on the ice in overtime.”

Jamie laughs, clapping me on the back. “Welcome to the club, bro.”

“What club?”

“The ‘you’re completely screwed because of one woman’ club.”

I roll my eyes, but deep down, I know he’s right. And the worst part? I don’t even care.

***

The little Italian joint Jared picked is perfect. Cozy, quiet, with dim lighting and booths that give us some privacy. Noah’s nearby in the baby carrier, wiggling his legs and making little happy noises to himself.

Jared sits to Savannah’s left, Jamie’s on her right, and I’m directly across from her. Every so often, her eyes meet mine, and there’s this flicker of something—nervousness, maybe curiosity. I don’t know. But damn if it doesn’t pull me in.

“So, you’re a hell of a lawyer,” Jamie says, grinning at Jared. “Pulled off that deal last week like it was a layup.”

Jared shrugs, sipping his water. “Contracts are just easier to dismantle when the other side doesn’t read the fine print.”

“Can I ask what contract?” Savannah asks, and I watch as Jared explains the FlexPro deal to her. Jamie is not wrong. The advertising alone will put hundreds of thousands in all our accounts.

Savannah chuckles softly, her hand brushing Noah’s hair back. “You make it sound so simple.”

“It is,” Jared says, flashing that cocky grin. “You should see me in court.”

“Or on the ice,” Jamie teases. “Man’s got the balance of a baby giraffe.”

“Funny coming from the guy who trips over his own stick during drills,” Jared fires back.

The banter’s easy, and for a while, the table’s filled with the sound of bread being passed around, Noah babbling happily, and the kind of laughter that shakes off a long week. But then Jamie sets his fork down, his expression shifting slightly.

“So,” Jamie starts, his tone a little more serious now. “About...what we talked about before.” He glances at Savannah, then Jared, then me.

Savannah shifts in her seat, her hand moving to Noah’s high chair like she needs the grounding. “You mean...us?”

“Yeah.” Jamie leans forward, elbows on the table. “I think we need to lay it all out. Make sure everyone’s on the same page before anything else happens.”

Jared nods, his lawyer instincts kicking in. “Agreed. Full consent. No one’s doing anything they’re not comfortable with. That’s the baseline.”

Savannah looks between us, her voice quieter but firm. “I’ve...never done anything like this before. A threesome—or, I guess, foursome.”

“That’s fair,” I say quickly. “You don’t have to make any decisions right now. This is all about what you’re okay with.”

Jamie glances at me, then back at her. “Troy and I have been in...situations like this before. But that doesn’t mean we’re expecting you or Jared to just jump into it in the same way.”

Savannah’s eyes flick between us, her lips parting like she’s about to say something, but then she stops. I reach under the table, my hand sliding over hers. Her fingers are cool but steady, and when she looks at me, there’s a small smile playing on her lips.

On her other side, I see Jared’s hand moving. He’s stroking her thigh, his fingers brushing slow and deliberate against her skin. She glances at him, then back at me, her cheeks turning a deeper shade of pink.

“Yeah,” Jared adds, his hand brushing against Savannah’s on the table. “This isn’t some high-pressure thing. If you’re uncomfortable, it’s off the table. Period.”

Savannah bites her lip, her eyes darting to Noah, who’s busy smearing marinara sauce on his tiny fingers. “I just...I’ve never even thought about something like this before. It’s a lot to process.”

“And that’s okay,” Jamie says softly. “We don’t have to rush anything. But if you do decide you’re curious, we’ll make sure it’s at your pace.”

I nod, my voice steady. “And if at any point you want to stop, we stop. No questions, no guilt.”

Jared chuckles, trying to lighten the mood. “Damn, Jamie, you’re sounding like a motivational speaker.”

Jamie snorts. “Someone’s gotta keep this circus from going off the rails.”

Savannah’s lips curve into a hesitant smile, and I swear it’s the most heart-stopping thing I’ve ever seen. “Okay,” she says softly. “I think...I’d like to try. But I need to know you’ll all...I don’t know, be patient with me?”

“Absolutely,” I say firmly, leaning forward. “This is about you. What you want, what you need. Nothing else matters.”

“Same here,” Jared says, his tone more serious now. “This is new for me too. We’ll figure it out together.”

My thumb brushes over Savannah’s knuckles, and she looks at me again, her lips curving into that heart-stopping smile.

She then exhales slowly, nodding. “Once Noah’s asleep, maybe we can...start?”

Jamie grins, leaning back in his seat. “Sounds like a plan.”

Jared smirks, his hand brushing Savannah’s thigh under the table. “You won’t regret it.”

She lets out a soft laugh, her cheeks turning pink again. “You guys are really something else.”

“You’ve got no idea,” Jamie mutters, grabbing the check and standing. “Let’s get out of here before Jared starts giving a legal lecture.”

I stand too, offering Savannah my hand to help her up. Her fingers are warm against mine, and when she looks at me, there’s something softer in her eyes. Maybe trust. I hope it’s trust.

As we head out, Jared takes Noah from the carrier to hug him to his chest, the kid instantly settling against him like he belongs there. And maybe he does.

Jamie nudges me with his elbow as we walk to the car. “You good?”

I nod, but my chest feels tight, my heart racing faster than it did during the game. “Yeah,” I say, though the words feel hollow.

Because the truth is, seeing Savannah in my jersey, holding Noah, laughing with the guys—it’s doing something to me. Something I don’t know how to name yet.

And it scares the hell out of me, but not as much as it turns me the fuck on.