Page 20 of Interference

But we were safe for now.

Anthony, you will never know how grateful I am for this.

Chapter 7

Anthony

I came back down to the kitchen as quickly as I could so I wouldn’t leave Simon and Wyatt alone for longer than necessary. Wyatt had taken Lily outside, but they wouldn’t be out there forever, especially since I doubted the temperature was very comfortable.

Simon was typing on his phone when I walked in, but he quickly pocketed the phone and glared at me. “So, when were you going to tell me you had another guy spending the night in our house?”

I halted, both surprised by his question and… not. He’d moved out because he wanted space while we decided if we’d stay together or not, but ever since he’d left, he’d given me the third degree every time I so much as talked to a man. I should’ve known blindsiding him with a guy staying overnight would cause some unpleasant sparks to fly. In fact, I had known that. I’d known it to my fucking bones. But I still hadn’t told him, and as he watched me now, I had to wonder if I’d subconsciously done that on purpose. Which wasn’t normally my style—I didn’t like fights or confrontation except on the ice—but what could I say? I was frustrated that getting him to talk to me was like getting blood from a stone. The only time we talked at all anymore—at least about anything substantial—was when we were fighting.

So… why not fight?

God, we’re a mess…

I glanced toward the garage door Wyatt had probably gone through with Lily, then met my boyfriend’s gaze again. “I would’ve told you last night.”

The way his jaw worked, I knew the barb had hit its mark. I felt both guilty and vindicated; passive aggression also wasn’t my style, but hey, desperate times…

Simon crossed his arms over the Bobcats logo. “So it’s my fault you didn’t tell me you had an overnight guest in our house.”

I shrugged in that way I knew made his teeth grind. “You didn’t want to talk.”

“Uh-huh.” He shifted his weight and narrowed his eyes. “I didn’t want to FaceTime after you wanted to reschedule, so a text of, hey, Simon, another man is staying in—wait, when you said something came up…” He gestured sharply toward the door. “Is that what you meant? That you had company?”

“It was a last-minute thing,” I said with complete honesty. “He needed a place to go, so I—”

“Who the fuck is he?” Simon snapped. “Because you’ve never mentioned this guy once.” His eyes flashed with the fury. “Are you fucking him? Is that what’s—”

“No! I’m not cheating on you. Jesus Christ.” Anger tightened my chest at the same time hurt had my throat constricting around my breath. He’d accused me of cheating more than once since he’d left. I’d never given him any reason to believe I was, and quite frankly, sometimes I thought he hoped I was. So he could dump me with a clear conscience? So he could blame me when the team found out we weren’t together anymore? So I’d take the professional heat and media scrutiny?

“You’ve got a random dude staying here,” my boyfriend growled. “A random dude you’ve never bothered to mention. And I’m supposed to believe you’re not banging him.”

“He’s a friend of a friend,” I said, “and he was in a bad situation.”

“What friend?” Simon demanded.

I was saved from needing to answer that immediately when the door opened. Wyatt stepped in with Lily beside him, and he gave us both wary looks.

Simon muttered something under his breath. “I’ll be in the car. We need to leave now or we’re going to be late.”

With that, he brushed past Wyatt and stomped out into the garage.

The door banged shut, making Wyatt jump. Lily leaned into him, and he petted her as he turned to me. “I, um… If me being here will cause problems, I’ll—”

“It’s fine,” I said as reassuringly as I could. “You two need to stay in where it’s warm. Especially while she’s on her meds.” I gestured at the garage. “I’ll handle him.”

He didn’t look convinced. “Listen, I appreciate everything you’re doing, but I don’t want to cause issues with your boyfriend. I can talk to him if you need me to. Let him know there’s nothing going on…” He gestured at himself, then me.

My face heated. I hadn’t realized he’d heard that much through the door. I shook my head. “Don’t worry about it.” Before he could protest, I barreled on: “I’ll be back this afternoon, and then I have a game tonight, so I’ll be taking off again until probably eleven or so.” I paused. “You don’t have a phone, do you?”

“I, um…” He motioned down the hall. “I have a bottom-of-the-bucket cheap thing. Not a smartphone or anything, but it gets the job done.”

I nodded and took out my own phone. “Can you text?”

“Yeah. It’s limited—had to go with the cheapest plan they had—but… yeah.”

---