Page 7 of Subtracting the Heart

“If you think you’re man enough to take it, QB, you come get it but don’t expect me to give it up easily. I only give it up to…” he began before he was rushed and picked up by most of his defensive line. He struggled to get away, but he couldn’t get a firm grip on anyone.

When they went into the trainer’s room, they proceeded to drop him into one of the ice whirlpool baths… in his practice uniform… and held his hands and feet so he couldn’t get out, but they didn’t push him under, thank goodness.

They all laughed, along with the rest of the team, as he gasped at the feeling of the ice water soaking through his clothes. It seemed to be even colder being in the bath dressed than it did when he was naked.

It wasn’t pleasant, but it was a lot better than what he imagined they might do to him. After five minutes, they pulled him out and took him into the steam room to warm up. Colby and Denny sat with him as his teeth chattered.

“You okay?” Denny’s question came out between laughing fits.

“Y-y-y-you mother f-f-f-uckers.” Jax quickly stripped off the frozen pants and leg pads in order to warm up before he turned bluer.

Denny pointed to his prick, which had tried to crawl into his gut. “No wonder Cade dumped him. Look how small that thing is.” Jax laughed, grateful his friends on the team understood things he’d hesitated to explain so as not to make them uncomfortable.

“Just g-g-g-give it a f-f-f-few minutes. I’ll show y-y-y-ou my a-a-anaconda,” he threatened as his body slowly began to thaw.

Both guys laughed with him, and when the door opened again, one of the trainers came in with towels for them and to take Jax’s practice gear out. “Five more minutes, guys. Anybody need a rubdown?” The guy stood by the door waiting for their responses.

Jax laughed. “I’ll get one at home tonight. No worries, Eddie.”

The other two men with him laughed. It was good to be back in the company of his fellow warriors. He’d missed it.

After he showered and dressed, he checked his phone to see an SOS from Ford, begging him to come home as soon as possible. He tried to call but there was no answer, so he went out to the Hummer, still feeling chilled to the bone.

He was bound and determined to build a fire in the fireplace in the great room when he got home. Maybe soak in the hot tub if Cade came over? That would definitely warm him from the inside out.

Jax pulled into the garage just after four o’clock to see Ford’s BMW parked in its spot. It occurred to him that if Cade would consent to move with them to the Greystone they’d bought, they’d need to get him a car. Thankfully, they had a third bay of the garage sitting empty so that was handy.

Jax was certain Cade would love the house as much as he and Ford loved it. It even had a small, marble lion on the newel poston the front porch. It was five thousand square feet of happiness waiting to happen… which was corny, but he didn’t care. Life had turned around and the future was bright again, not dark and sad as he’d felt in the months following Cade’s abrupt departure from their lives and the uncertainty of whether they’d survive it.

He exited the garage and walked through the back courtyard around the outdoor covered portion of the pool, glancing through the thick, vinyl curtain separating the outdoor pool from the indoor pool. Ford and he had decided to leave the outdoor pool open until January when they’d drain the pool to the dividing wall and close the thick, glass door which resembled a garage door.

The indoor pool and the hot tub in the basement could still be used, but they’d shut down the outdoor pool until spring. Jax enjoyed sitting in the hot tub and then plunging into the cold water outside. It was shocking to the system, but sometimes, it was the way he dealt with the lingering sadness. If Cade came home, Jax knew he wouldn’t feel that way any longer.

Jax went in through the basement, depositing his gym bag in the laundry room. He unzipped it to let some of the funk out before he proceeded upstairs to look for his men.

What he was met with was the smart-ass kid from earlier in the day who Cade believed to be his little brother. The boy was slouched on the overstuffed leather sectional in the great room watching television with a bowl of popcorn in his lap. He didn’t acknowledge Jax as he walked to the kitchen.

Ford was sitting at the counter watching Winnie make cookies. “Hey,” Jax greeted before he kissed Winnie on the cheek and moved around the counter to sit next to Ford, kissing him on the cheek as well.

“What’s that kid doing here?”

“I agreed to keep an eye on him for Kincade, who was going to speak with Hudson today to find out what happened. I haven’theard from him yet. I’ve tried to engage the boy in activities, even offering to take him by Rainbow House, but he just ignores me,” Ford was obviously upset.

“That’s bullshit.” Jax walked out of the room.

Winnie tried to grab his arm, but he slipped by her and went to the great room, picking up the remote to turn off the television. The boy’s harsh bark, “Hey, I was watching that,” was expected.

“Did your dad kick you out?” Jax’s voice was demanding, and the kid turned to him with shock and fear. He hadn’t meant to be so intimidating, but if it was required, he wasn’t about to soft pedal it. The authorities needed to be contacted if that was the case.

Ashton glanced at the floor and looked up, defiance in his eyes. “No, but I didn’t give that homophobic prick the opportunity. I’m queer, like my brother, and I’m not gonna let Hudson Hayes be a bastard about it. I left on my own terms.”

Jax sat next to him and wrapped his arm around the kid’s shoulders, feeling the boy break down. The kid was thirteen. It wouldn’t take much for the enormity of the situation to hit him, Jax was sure.

“Yeah, well, you’re with people who care about you now, so you just let it all go, little buddy. We’ve got an awesome media room with all kinds of video games and movies. It’s pretty cool up there.” Jax held the kid as he cried.

Jax was tapped on the shoulder and turned to see a handkerchief attached to the slender hand of his blond lover.

He handed it to the boy as Ford sat next to Ash. “Hey, I’m not unfamiliar with your situation. My parents disowned me when I started college. If I hadn’t met Jax, I’m not sure what I’d have done.” Ford’s loving smile touched Jax’s heart as their eyes met.

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