Page 22

CHAPTER 22

Andry

“I can’t believe you got this all set up so fast.” Aries grins at me, as if I was foolish for doubting him.

The man is really someone to keep a close eye on. Not because he’s dangerous. At least not in the life-threatening kind of way.

More like he’s sneaky. He’s the type to surprise you when you least expect it.

Which is why I’m currently shooting a promo video for someone’s social media channel with Aries and Bellamy before heading to a party at the Bellport compound. At least, that’s the details I have so far. Knowing my future brother-in-law, there’s likely even more on the agenda I don’t know about.

Since he’s gotten it in his head that this revenge plan is necessary, he’s been coordinating as much as possible to make sure we’re in front of those assholes.

He’s really an evil genius.

That’s ironic given I call Rodney my little genius. Guess the brains do run in the family, just in different ways.

“You shouldn’t doubt my level of skill,” he tells me.

Bellamy snorts. “Just know this one is as petty as they come. He’ll hold a grudge for eternity and then some. That and he’s been waiting to go after the guys harassing Rodney for ages. His brother refused to let him intervene. But now…”

His voice trails off. There’s no need for him to explain.

We all know the difference now. He has me. His Daddy.

And I fucking refuse to let anyone mess with him as long as I’m around.

“Alright, gentlemen,” the woman says as she drops into the chair across from us. “We’re going to do an informal podcast type of thing today. There will be a video too, so keep that in mind before making any lewd gestures or rolling your eyes. Yes, I’m talking to you specifically, Merry.”

“Hey! It was one damn time!” Aries throws his hands up.

The woman giggles. “Yeah, but it’s infamous. Also, let’s limit the cursing. I want to monetize this episode since I know it’ll get all the hits. There’s some serious intel coming out of this.”

I nod along, though I’m less interested in her eagerness than I am in seeing how this affects everything. Will the team get a hint from this alone? Or will we have to keep this going for a while?

Not that it matters. Aries has a twenty-point plan of tasks to complete. He’s not going to stop at one. These guys are going to regret ever going after Rodney without anyone even raising a fist in their direction.

I would love to hit them, of course. But Aries tells me it’s not good. Especially with me being here as an exchange student. I can’t do anything that would jeopardize me getting sent back to Russia and away from my little genius.

Bellamy, whom I’m finding to be just as unhinged as his best friend at times, believes I won’t need to resort to violence. I have to trust they know best in this situation.

“We’re going live in five,” says one of the camera people. The crew here is small. Four people, including the host. It’s a well-run system.

“Anything off-limits?” the woman asks. I can’t remember her name, so hopefully she says it at some point. Or maybe one of the others will address her.

I feel like an ass by not speaking yet. It’s not like I have much to say. I’m supposed to be playing along with the plan, not running it.

“Stay away from sex stuff. I don’t want to embarrass my husband by accidentally telling secrets,” Bellamy admits.

Aries snaps his fingers. “Ohhhh yeah. Same for us. The rest is pretty obvious. Ask away.”

Nodding along with him feels right. It must be since the host smiles, then straightens her top as the man behind the camera counts down, “Three… two… one… We’re recording.”

“Greetings, Bellport Babes and Beaus. I’m Thea Drax, your friendly neighborhood gossip here to bring you all the latest news in our fun city. Today we have a special surprise for everyone. Let me start by saying this is a sports heavy episode. If that’s not your jam, then maybe skip it, mmk?

“Alright then. Moving on. We have three guests with us. The eldest Bellport, Bellamy, is here, along with his bestie, Aries Merry. Both play for the Bulldogs, our fabulous football team. Our final guest is Andry Rykov, a new recruit to the Bellport U hockey team. He’s also somewhat important to the Merry bunch from what I hear.”

“That’s right, Thea,” Aries says, jumping in with a grin. “This is my brother Rodney’s boyfriend, aka my future bro-in-law. I also think he’s good enough to play for the Bears in a year or two, so he’s definitely one to watch.”

Her eyes practically sparkle with the news. “Oh, that’s wonderful! We here at BB&B believe in supporting our LGBTQIA+ family. It’s exciting to know we have more athletes in the community. How long have you two been dating, Andry?”

“A while now. I don’t like to put a time limit on it since it feels like he was destined to be mine, you know?” I’m laying it on thick, I know. But I blame Aries for how I feel the need to show off.

He wiggles his brows at me, then slaps me on the back for good measure. “My brother is a lucky guy. It’s obvious how much Andry cares for him, which is why I’m totally in support of their dating.”

“Same here. I met Andry after they got together, and since Rodney is like family to me too, I knew I had to vet the guy.”

“Did your digging turn up anything nefarious?” Thea asks excitedly.

Bellamy shakes his head. “Not a bit. If anything, it’s like they’re a perfect match. Add in the fact that Andry fits in with all our friends so well, and it really does feel destined.”

“Your friends? As in the team or…”

At Thea’s question, Aries leans forward. “The team, sure, but we mean the close friends. There’s me and Bell, then Brutal Bishop and Atlas, his partner. You know him, right? After that is Jake and his boyfriends, Maddox and Leon. Then you’ve got Coach Luke Swift and his partner Timothy. I think that’s everyone for now. Some more of the hockey guys jump in from time to time to hang, but that’s the core group.”

Thea fans her face. “Wow! That’s a lot of attractive men in one place. How do you deal with fans who want to approach you when you’re out? Is it hard with this many famous people — and soon to be famous?”

She winks at me, to which I simply smile in acknowledgement. “It’s not weird for me. Then again, I’m mostly in the background right now.”

“Not for much longer,” Bellamy says. “You’re having a hell of a season already. I expect the fans to start tracking you down on campus soon.”

Aries claps as if to say he agrees. Thea looks like a wild animal on the verge of pouncing on its prey. Bellamy looks casual for the most part, except for the tiny curl at the corner of his mouth.

“Tell me what else is going on with you guys. Word is you’ve all got busy schedules coming up.”

I try not to let my surprise show at her words. Since Aries set this all up, I have no clue what Thea does and doesn’t know. I also have no idea what else the man has planned for us.

Aries doesn’t leave either of us waiting long. He holds up his hand and starts ticking off items.

“Well, Thea, there’s a lot to be excited for. We’ve got some charity events set up later this month, one for the Bears and another for the Bulldogs. While you’re our first stop because we love your show,” Thea swoons at his words, “we’ve got a few more places to speak with about sports and all things Bellport. I want people to know Andry here is family, and as one of mine, he’s taken care of. People need to keep an eye on his playtime because he’s going to do great things. Also, it’s been forever since I’ve done any press, so I’m getting my PR hours in. You’re welcome, Cherise!”

At his words, everyone in the room laughs. I join in, though I don’t get the reference. I’ll have to ask who Cherise is later.

“Then we’re honored to be the first stop on your media tour. Tell us more about what we can expect from the team this season. Things are heating up already.”

Bellamy and Aries dive into shop talk about football. I listen in, catching things that might be useful to know later. Hockey is my chosen sport, so it’s what I know best. Everything else has been background noise.

With how this new friendship has been building between me and the other Daddies, it’s best I learn at least some of the details of what they do. I may never be able to understand it all, but I’ll give it my best shot.

As the show starts to wrap up, Thea turns to me again. “Any last words for the viewers, Andry? You’ve been a quiet guy this whole time.”

I shrug. “Nothing much to say. I’m the type that enjoys quality time with good people. Being here is enough for me.”

“Awwww. That’s so sweet. We’re so happy you could come.” Thea turns to face the camera head-on. “And you heard it here first, people. There’s more love blooming in Bellport. We’ve got a great season ahead of us. I can’t wait to see the Bears, Bulldogs, and the Bellport U hockey team in action. Until next time — be safe, be smart, be yourself.”

She blows the camera a kiss, holding a wide smile until the guy tells us we’re done. Her expression changes, dropping into a relaxed vibe.

“You guys are awesome for coming by. Sorry if I railroaded the conversation by making it all about football.”

“If you think I’m bothered, I’m not. It was good for me to learn some things,” I tell her before the others can speak. “Hockey is my life. This is all new.”

“You don’t know football stuff? Hold up! We gotta fix this pronto.” Aries falls back in his chair, his hand to his forehead as if he’s fainting.

Bellamy pushes his shoulder while laughing. “Enough from you. We’ve got to get to the next stage of the plan.”

“The next stage?”

At my question, Bellamy shoots Aries a look. The other man nods, though he doesn’t explain anything. We tell Thea goodbye and strip off the microphones we’d been told to wear.

Once we’re in Bellamy’s car and driving away from the small studio set in Thea’s apartment downtown, Aries tells me, “We got you some ice time with some of the guys from the Bears. We’re going to film it and use the clips for social media promos. They can’t be made to look like you’re being recruited since that’s a big no-no, hence why Bellamy and I will be there too. We’re making it like a family and friends’ day on the ice.”

My jaw drops. Holy shit. This is awesome.

I can’t seem to get the words out. I think I’m in shock.

Sure, I met Leon and Maddox before when I came to the stadium. But to be on the ice with them and Brutal Bishop? It’s as if my dreams are already coming true, and I’m not even drafted.

“You alive back there?” Aries asks when I remain quiet. He glances over his shoulder, a smirk in place.

I nod. “Yes. Alive. Amazed, but alive.”

“Amazed is good. This is going to be fun. Don’t get too in your head about it. We’re trying to keep the assholes off your boy’s back, right? What better way than to show them you’ve got a team full of supporters?”

“It’s smart, honestly,” Bellamy adds.

Stupidly, I just nod along again. I feel as if it’s all I can do since my brain has decided to go offline.

What are words?

How does one speak?

This whole thing might end in disaster if I can’t break this. Luckily for me, Aries leaves out one important detail.

“Little genius?” I ask as I climb out of the car.

My boyfriend is standing there with a young man I recognize from the background of Bellamy’s phone. He’s checked it no less than a hundred times in the hours we’ve been together.

“Hey,” he says slowly, “I hope it’s ok that we came. Finn said it would be fine for us both to be here.”

“It’s fine with me.”

Aries pouts as Bellamy drapes himself over the small, blushing guy. “Where’s my Raymond? I want him here, dammit.”

“Ray is running late. He overslept because someone turned off his alarm.” At the look Finn gives Aries, the other man laughs.

“Ok, ok. I might have done that. I just wanted him to get plenty of sleep. I didn’t think he’d go this long. Geesh.”

Finn shrugs. “It’s Raymond. You know how he is about sleep sometimes.”

I ignore the conversation as I check in with Rodney. “You doing ok? Did you really want to come or were you convinced to?”

“I wanted to come. Anywhere you are is where I want to be, if I’m honest.”

“Even the stinky locker room?” I ask as a joke.

He scrunches his face up all adorable like. Shaking his head, he tells me, “Maybe not there. I’ve smelled dirty gym clothes for years. No need to submit myself to that any further.”

“Hey! You don’t smell like a field of daisies yourself sometimes!” Aries shouts.

We all burst out laughing at his ridiculous comeback. Bellamy is the first to catch his breath enough to ask what we’re all thinking.

“Who the fuck do we know that smells like a field of daisies? What does that even mean?”

The confusion on Aries’s face is priceless. “Isn’t that what some of the bottles say? Maybe it’s something else. But yeah, you don’t always smell good, little bro.”

“Hun, I think the moment’s passed now,” Finn tells Aries in a delicate tone.

“Yeah, man. No daisies here. Let’s get inside before the others come looking for us.”

With that, they turn to go through the open doorway behind us. I stay back with Rodney for a moment since I want a chance to soak him in alone.

“Missed you, little genius,” I say softly.

It’s honest.

I did miss him. More than I probably should at this stage. I can’t help that I’m already addicted to all things Rodney Merry.

He smiles up at me, then raises on his toes until he can press a soft kiss to my lips. When he drops down, he says, “Missed you too, Daddy.”

No matter what happens in this arena, my day is already made. Rodney wanting to be around me is the greatest gift I can have.

And soon, I think he might fall in love with me.

Wouldn’t that be something?