Page 39 of Make Your Play

“All right, boys.” Coach Landry’s loud voice echoes through the room as he steps into the doorway. “I will see each of you here tomorrow for our morning skate.” He looks directly at me. “Don’t be late.”

He’s referencing last week when I showed up late after running back to Riley’s house for my phone. The morning she was in the tub. The morning where I’m pretty fucking certain I heard her moaning in the bath. She claimed she hit her foot, but if I was hearing correctly, it almost sounded like she said my name.

I shake away the memory, although it’s one I can’t seem to get rid of. I’m dying to know if my ears were betraying me or not. I’m dying to know what the hell she was actually doing in there. My cock twitches at the possibilities.

“Earth to Nash.”

The room comes back into focus and I glance up at Ford who’s standing directly in front of me. “What?”

He purses his lips but doesn’t call me out on not paying attention. “Rowan and I were talking about going out tonight. Did you want to come too?”

I shake my head at the two of them as I think about Riley waiting for me at home. “I told Riley I would take her out to dinner tonight.”

Ford raises an eyebrow at me. “Are you still staying with her?”

“Yeah,” I admit, shrugging nonchalantly as I attempt to brush his curiosity off and rise to my feet. “I don’t think sheshould be alone, especially with her getting closer to the end of her pregnancy. I like being there to help her if she needs anything.”

“I can’t help but wonder what all you’re helping her with,” Rowan muses out loud, a chuckle following his comment.

Caleb stalks over to the two of them, hitting both of them in the back of the head. “Leave Simmons alone and mind your own fucking business,” he scolds them with a scowl. “You both need to grow up and find someone to occupy your time other than the women you both pick up from bars.”

Carson cuts his eyes at his brother. “We’re just giving him shit. None of it is harmful.”

Rowan grabs Carson’s arm, giving him a look that says to not start with his brother. The two of them are either getting along or arguing about something.

It’s been four years since Caleb lost his wife and as a single dad, he’s solely been focused on his career and his little girl. He already lived through the sleeping around phase that Carson and Rowan are still stuck in. Caleb found a woman he loved, married her, had a baby with her, and then lost her all within a three-year period.

He values the time and the moments he has a little more than his younger brother.

“Sorry, Nash,” Carson apologizes, giving me a small smile. “I’m glad Riley has you there to help her. Rowan and I didn’t mean anything bad by it.”

“Yeah, I was just kidding,” Rowan adds in, shrugging as he glances around the room, but no one else saw Caleb snap at the two of them. “I know you’re helping her with a lot… and maybe helping her with your dick too.”

Caleb slaps him in the back of the head again and Carson bites back a laugh, shaking his head as he ducks away from his brother. “You guys are both assholes.”

I can’t help it as I laugh at both of them, giving them both the middle finger. “I’ll see you losers in the morning. Try not to catch any STIs while you’re out tonight.”

“I make no promises, but I’ll try!” Carson calls out to me as I head out of the locker room, leaving them behind.

Not long ago, I would have been right there with them. I never brought home women the way the two of them do, but I was never opposed to a random hookup here and there. So much has changed in the past few months, and it’s not something I would even consider now. The women from my past, they never meant anything anyway. They were all just a distraction to keep me from going after what my heart really desired.

And now that I finally have my chance, I will not fuck it up.

***

“How do you feel about delivery and a movie instead?”

I look over at Riley as she comes into the kitchen, stifling a yawn. “I want to do whatever you want to do.”

“As much as I would love to go to dinner, staying on the couch in sweats sounds amazing.”

Smiling, I pull my phone from my pocket. “Where did you have in mind?”

“Ph??” she suggests, raising an eyebrow. “The baby really wants some.”

A string of laughter falls from my lips. “Oh, does he? Did he tell you that?”

Riley’s face lights up as she nods and I swear to God, my heart practically falls out of my chest at the happiness radiating from her. “He did, actually.”

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