Page 5

Chapter Five

Bash

“You’ve got a great setup here for a pool and hot tub combo. Here’s my card if you ever want to talk about options. I own a pool construction business.”

Shitty Shane Thompson passes Coach Turner a business card, a flicker of embarrassment passing over Lainey’s face. I’m giving Shane the Clint Eastwood get off my lawn squint, even though the fucker deserves a dick punch.

“Let’s not talk shop today,” Lainey says lightly. “Where should I put the dip I brought?”

Lainey, Shane and I just got to my head coach’s house for a team cookout, which happened to be scheduled for the day Shane was coming to visit. My choices were to invite Shane and Lainey to come with me or leave them at my house alone, where he would’ve tried to have sex with her.

That’s not really a choice at all.

“I’ll take that,” Coach’s wife Angie says. “Oh, it looks delicious!”

Our head coach, Noel Turner, is the polar opposite of his wife. She’s a bubbly tan blonde and he’s a grouchy dick who’s graying at his temples. Said with love, of course. I wouldn’t want to play hockey for anyone but him, but his coaching style isn’t for everyone.

He pulls no punches and expects hard work, but he works just as hard as his players. He’s not a warm, encouraging sort. When he praises his players, we know we earned it and he means it.

“You keeping the pounds off, Stone?” he asks me wryly, clapping me on the shoulder.

“He’s Fatman,” our goalie Isaac says from nearby, not missing a beat.

I roll my eyes. “Shit, man, your voice is about ten octaves too high to even try saying that.”

Leo walks up and puts an arm around me, doing his imitation of the kid from Shrek. “Do the roar.”

It’s not a roar, but that’s what he says when he wants me to do the Batman thing.

“I don’t like being objectified,” I gripe. “I’m more than a sexy voice, a killer body and a perfect face.”

That draws laughs and even a rare quirk of the lips from Coach. I glance at Lainey, who’s giving me a warm smile.

“Do it, Stone,” Isaac calls out.

“I’ll do it once. After that, you’ll need to discuss terms with my agent.” I clear my throat, drawing it out because I like having Lainey’s undivided attention.

“I’m Batman,” I say gruffly.

“Outstanding.” Leo claps my shoulder. “Never gets old.”

“It does after a decade or so,” Shane quips.

Leo and Isaac look at him, both unamused. Shane puts up his palms.

“Hey, don’t knock my teeth out. I went to high school with him. It was a joke.”

“You guys went to school together?” Coach asks.

I nod. “I’ve known Shane since he wasn’t balding. That was a long, long time ago.”

My coach and teammates in earshot freeze, like they don’t know if it’s okay to laugh. Shane puts an arm around Lainey’s shoulders.

“Yeah, I still remember when you got cut from the high school hockey team junior year,” he says.

I shrug, my fingers twitching at the thought of landing just one solid punch on his smarmy face. If someone would take a photo of his expression as I’m about to hit him, piss running down his leg as he panics, I’d make it my phone wallpaper.

“Turned out okay for me.”

“Drinks,” Lainey says brightly. “Why don’t we get some drinks?”

She takes Shane’s hand and leads him over to the outdoor bar, which is being worked by two bartenders today.

Coach Turner was a legendary player before becoming a coach, and his home is spectacular.

There are floor-to-ceiling glass doors on the massive sunroom that slide open, making the space indoor and outdoor in the summer.

Several patios have seating areas, one of them with a long dining table that seats twenty people.

The landscaping is all professionally maintained, with fountains gurgling around the perimeter of the yard. There’s a guest cottage that puts the little two-room cottage in my yard to shame. It has a bedroom, a poolroom, another bar, a full kitchen, a library and a big living room.

I’d love to have a place like this someday, with kids in the yard to play catch with. It wasn’t something I thought about much until I saw Carter pretty much become a dad to three girls overnight.

The transition hasn’t been perfect. But now that I know each of his girls and I’ve heard him talk about their vulnerabilities and quirks, I can’t imagine him without them.

Suki and the girls are his team now. He’d walk through fire for any of them, and even though there are hard days, I sometimes envy the adoring looks and stolen kisses I see between him and his wife.

Hallie thinks Carter hung the moon. Olivia and Charlotte ask him for advice and beg him to take them out for one-on-one coffee dates.

I assumed marriage and kids were way down the road for me, but maybe not.

“Hey.”

I look over my shoulder and find Carter giving me a half glare.

“You should make sure the people you invited here don’t feel like outsiders,” he scolds.

I scoff, speaking under my breath. “Shane can kiss my entire asshole. Can’t you see what a douchebag he is?”

He follows my gaze over to Lainey, who’s looking at Shane as he talks animatedly to Suki, probably about pool maintenance, his favorite topic.

“Have you let her know how you feel about her?” he asks in a low tone.

I pinch my brows together. “It’s how I feel about him that’s an issue.”

He rolls his eyes, exasperated. “I’m a grown-ass adult who has plenty of childish bullshit to deal with from my own kids. I’m done dancing around this. It’s your feelings for her that are creating your feelings for him. You get that, right?”

I grunt my disagreement. “I just don’t want her to make a huge mistake with him. She can do better.”

He holds up a palm. “Your jealousy is so fucking transparent, man. I saw the way you looked at her at my house the other day.”

Tension knots in my stomach. I don’t like this conversation. It’s one thing having an attraction to Lainey buried deep inside, where I don’t have to actually acknowledge it. Being called out on it is different.

I look over both shoulders, not finding anyone in earshot. But still, I nod to an empty part of the yard and Carter follows me there.

Making sure we’re standing somewhere no one can read my lips, I take a deep breath. This is harder than I thought it would be. I practically whisper even though we’re a hundred feet from anyone else.

“Lainey had a crush on me when we were growing up. But she was Eric’s little sister.

She’s four years younger than us. And she made a play for me once.

I broke her heart and she finally moved on.

So yeah, there’s been an attraction to her for a while now, but I can’t.

..” I look away. “It wouldn’t be fair for me to tell her.

I just don’t want her to marry Shane. He’s not good enough for her. ”

“Okay, but what if...you had a mature conversation with her instead of making fun of his receding hairline in front of your teammates? Just throwing that out there as an option.”

I cross my arms and huff out a heavy sigh. “I’ve tried. She gets defensive and says I don’t know him.”

“You need to be honest with her about your feelings.”

I shake my head adamantly against that. “No way. She’d either smack me or start crying. Maybe both.”

My team captain squints at me with a look that says, Are you fucking serious right now ? “I think you can handle it, Bash.”

“Right. Because you love it when Suki gets all emotional.”

He scrubs a hand down his face and looks up at the sky. “I don’t love it, but I deal with it.”

“Daddy!”

Carter looks over at Hallie, who’s smiling and holding a hockey stick.

“Come play hockey with us!”

“She just called you Daddy.”

“Yeah, she started that recently. I don’t know if she realizes it yet, but if she said, ‘Daddy, will you buy me a Porsche?’ there’d be one in the driveway by the end of the day.”

My stoic, grouchy teammate is already walking toward Hallie, the kids in the driveway cheering.

“We’ll finish talking another time,” Carter calls over his shoulder. “Go do what I told you to.”

Fuck. I’d much rather play field hockey with the kids. Actually, I’d prefer lying down and letting the kids beat me with hockey sticks to being nice to Shane.

But for Lainey, I’ll try.

I walk over to Lainey, Shane and Suki, my forced friendly look feeling super weird. It has to look weird. Shane makes me scowl—I can’t help it.

Lainey gives me a quick, frosty glare that hits me right in the chest.

Fuck. I have to be nice to Shane and I’m stone-cold sober. I wait for a break in the conversation and say, “So, Shane, how’s business? It’s your busy season, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, we can hardly keep up. I’ve been working every day, but I shifted some things around so I could come see my wifey-to-be.”

It’s hard to look like you’re smiling casually while grinding your teeth until pain shoots through your jaw. If I had a can of beer in my hand right now, I’d crush it. Full or not. I can’t stand the sound of him calling Lainey his wifey-to-be.

“Oh, that’s right!” Suki smiles brightly. “You’re engaged. Let’s see that ring.”

“You’ll need a microscope to make out the diamond,” I quip. “If you see a speck of dust on it, don’t brush it away because that?—”

Lainey silences me with a murderous look. “Bash, you have five seconds to get out of my sight before I clock you. I mean that with every fiber of my being.”

I turn and go, heading for the closest bar. While I don’t like Lainey being pissed at me, I’m not sorry. Eric told me he was floored when he saw Lainey’s engagement ring, a simple silver band with a fleck of a diamond set into it.

She said it’s perfect for her because when she works in a lab, a bigger diamond would only get in the way. Bullshit. She’s just an apologist for her cheap-ass boyfriend.

I slide onto a stool at the bar next to Isaac, our starting goalie.

“How’s it going?” he asks.

I grunt at him as the bartender approaches.

“I’ll take a double shot of whiskey,” I say.

“And there’s my answer,” Isaac says.

“I don’t feel like talking.”

“Fair enough.” He holds his glass up and I clink mine against his.

“Cheers,” he says.

“Yeah, whatever.”

By evening, I’m a little drunk. I drove us to the cookout in my Jeep Wrangler, and Lainey drives it back to my place.

I play loud music so I don’t have to listen to Shane.

Lainey’s definitely still angry, and even though I’m a happy drunk, I have to fight my urge to turn off the music and start an argument with her over Shane.

I need to wait until I’m sober.

The top down in my jeep, Lainey’s red hair flies all over in the wind. When we’re stopped at a light, she pulls it back into a ponytail, refusing to look at me.

By the time she pulls into my garage, I’m sure she’s going to take me out back and beat me or something. There’s fire in her eyes and her lips are pressed into a thin line.

She storms into the house, Shane smirking. I want to run him over so fucking bad. Just one time, with my truck.

When I follow Shane into the house, Lainey’s petting Bruce, his tail wagging as he burrows the side of his face against her.

“Go to bed, Bash,” Lainey says. “I’ll feed Bruce and take him out.”

I get a bottle of water from the fridge and take a big swig from it. “I’m fine. I’ll take care of him.”

“You’re not fine.”

I lock my gaze onto hers. “I know whether or not I’m fine, Lane.”

“Uh...” Shane clears his throat. “I’m gonna go get my bags.”

“You’re in the last room on the left upstairs,” I say.

Lainey’s jaw comes unhinged. “No, he’s in my room.”

I shake my head, adamant. “It’s my house and I assign rooms. Lainey, you’re in my room tonight and I’m on the couch.”

“Oh, hell no,” Lainey mutters.

No way am I listening to Shitty Shane bang my best friend’s sister all weekend in my own goddamn house.

I thought about it as soon as I agreed he could stay here, and this is the solution.

Lainey will be in my bedroom on the main level, and from the couch, I’ll be able to see if she leaves the room.

“Shane, go get your bags,” Lainey says.

“Maybe we should just go to a hotel.”

I scowl at him. “I said you can stay here. It just won’t be a fuck fest. You aren’t even married yet. Have some class, man.”

Lainey sounds like a boiling teapot—and she looks like one, too.

“What is wrong with you, Bash?” She launches the words at me. “Why are you being such an asshole?”

“I’m just looking out for you.”

I walk past her to the living room, where I lie down on the couch. Bruce follows, curling up at my feet. She’s on his heels.

“I’m almost twenty-five, you know. I’m an adult and I’m engaged.”

“Good for you. I’m almost twenty-nine. I’m an adult and I’m single.”

I know I’m being obnoxious, but fuck it. Lainey is smart, beautiful and funny. She deserves to be treated like a fucking queen. And if she won’t see reason, I’ll sabotage her shitty relationship however I can.

“You’re just being a mean asshole.” She folds her arms and narrows her eyes at me.

I scramble into a sitting position, Bruce jumping into my lap. “He still had an active Tinder profile three months after you guys started dating, Lane. Good guys don’t do that shit.”

Her face reddens. “Eric told you that?”

“What the fuck, Lainey?” Shane demands, coming into the room. “You told your brother about that?”

Her eyes widen with alarm as I shoot up off the couch. I advance on Shane, pointing at him.

“Raise your voice to her again and see what happens, you son of a bitch. You don’t get to be pissed at her about that! You should be groveling at her fucking feet!”

He looks past me to Lainey, his voice lower this time. “What else have you told them?”

My laugh is humorless. “What else is there to know, motherfucker?”

He shakes his head. “You know what, I’m just gonna go.”

“Shane, don’t,” Lainey says.

“You know where the door is,” I say sharply.

He turns to go and Lainey follows, giving me a withering look. It takes all my self-control not to follow them. Instead, I go to the front window, watching Shane’s SUV as she follows him to it. If he even looks like he might lay a hand on her, I’ll be on him so damn fast he won’t know what hit him.

He gets inside and drives away without another word to her. Asshole.

Lainey comes back inside, tears on her face as she walks past me to go upstairs.

“Lane,” I say softly. “Hey.”

She won’t even acknowledge me. I hear her bedroom door open and close upstairs, and I sit back down on the couch. Bruce lets out a quick, soft whine.

“Don’t you start with me, too,” I grumble.

He yowls, talking back. I ignore him, curling up on my side since I can’t fit my entire body on the couch.

I’m feeling sober as fuck now. Even my dog is mad at me.