I was a fetal position kind of sleeper so it didn’t bother me at all. In a weird way we fit together perfectly. So for a little while I didn’t move. Instead I soaked up the sounds and smells of his room. The condo was high enough up that I didn’t really hear the sounds of cars or traffic. Instead it was the whir of the air conditioning clicking off and on, attempting, even in the early hours of the day, to keep the room cool. His fan spun above us. There was a littletick, tickit made every secondorso.
The only other sound was Erik’s soft breaths. Seth had chosen to sleep over at his on-and-off again girlfriend’s apartment so it was just the twoofus.
After a little bit I flipped over and faced him. Dawn had broken so some light was creeping in around his blackout curtains. I’d already learned that Erik liked to sleep as long as possible after being on the road, so the curtains were a necessity, but it was just bright enough that I could make out the lines of his jaw and nose, see the stubble shadowing his chin. He and Wes joked that they’d grow playoff beards but I wasn’t so sure it was a joke. I liked that Wes and Roman had pulled Erik into their goofball plans. I understood that Erik would always be the serious one, but it was nice to see him loosen up alittlebit.
Honestly it was his serious side that I was so attracted to. It made him easy to read. It was obvious what he cared about and he made it abundantly clear how he expected everyone else to care as well. He was loyal and loving and just plain amazing. It scared me a little how integral he already felt to my life. If he were hurt or had to leave for some reason, I knew it would hurt more than anything I’d ever feltbefore.
Which of course made me feel a lot of things that were too much for lying around in bed, so I quietly slid away, grabbed one of his shirts, and slunk off to thekitchen.
After brewing up a pot of coffee and scrounging up a plate of cheese and crackers, I settled into the couch to work on my next chapter. I was so deep into my scene that I didn’t even notice the sound of a key inthedoor.
I also managed to miss the door opening. It wasn’t until Jack was closing the door that I noticed anythingatall.
“Well, well, well. You have no idea how happy I am to see you in my little brother’s t-shirt,” he chuckledsoftly.
I jumped, not that crushing my laptop to my chest would have stopped a robber, but human instinct is what it is. “Jesus, Jack. Youscaredme.”
He shrugged, not looking at all sorry. “I promised Erik I’d stop by and drag him out to breakfast. He gets jittery before big games. I’m guessing something distracted him and heforgot.”
The ridiculous grin on his face told me he was genuinely happy about this little mix-up. “Why are you so happyaboutthis?”
“Because,” he made himself quite at home by pouring a cup of coffee, “I like you and I think you’re a good fit for him. The Cassidy family is very serious about relationships, in case you haven’t noticed. Erik inparticular.”
“What does that even mean?” I set the laptop down and made sure the blanket on the couch properly covered my verybarelegs.
Jack and Erik looked so much alike. It was a little disconcerting, actually. Their eyes were slightly different shades of brown and Jack kept a beard, but they had the same coloring, same build, same face shape. Even their voices were similar. So as he made himself comfortable in the armchair opposite me, I had to remind myself it was Jack,notErik.
Soweird.
“My brother’s not a saint. He has dated for fun a few times, but serious fun,youknow?”
I had a good idea, actually. “Someone he liked and respected and had a good time with. Short term. Ended it when he realized they really weren’t goinganywhere?”
“See? You know my brother as well as any of us. Which means you get him.” He shrugged as if that was in and of itself anexplanation.
“Is there a point to bringing up his exes or are you enjoying watching me squirm?” I knew Erik loved me but I really didn’t want to think about the women who camebeforeme.
Like,ever.
“I brought it up because, as I said, Erik takes relationships very seriously. He ends them as soon as he knows they’re going nowhere. But the day of his first playoff game I find you here in his condo, wearing hisshirt.”
Oh, this was the Big-Brother-Warning-Talk. The Don’t-Break-His-Heart-Lecture. He was a little lateforthat.
“Ilovehim.”
Jack smile. “I know. I’m glad to hearyouknow it. I was a littleworried.”
“Worried?” That I’d hide my head in the sand and run away from the inevitable? It was a valid concern and I didn’t begrudgehimit.
“Belle mentioned some things. Nothing specific. It just made me wonder, after seeing how aloof you were with him, if maybe you weren’t ready for the intensity that comes with dating aballplayer.”
Nowthatwas a whole other thing. “My life as a writer isn’t exactly drama free. Erik has spent some time getting to know my world, the people I work with, what my days look like. I’ve been around the team for a couple of years now and I had a good idea of what Erik’s life was like, but he’s also spent a lot of time explaining his schedule, his road games, what the playoffs will be like. I think I canhandleit.”
Jack nodded once and went back to sipping hiscoffee.
But my curiosity got the better of me. “Is that what happenedtoyou?”
“Yes,” he said bluntly. “But Erik and I are two very different people. Plus he’s meeting you at thirty-three. He’s much wiser and ready for a relationship. Berlin and I were young and I was stupid. And now I’m divorced.” He finished off his coffee, setting it on the coffee table. “Moral of the story is, don’t let your ego get bigger than your heart. You can live without an ego but can’t live without aheart.”