Page 90 of Flagrant Foul
There’s a large sheet of white on the screen and players scattered all over the ice. It’s a familiar scene, one I know like the back of my hand, but I find myself struggling to follow the game. My eyes are misted over because Sev’s here, and so is Nate. I’m at home, squished between my two favorite people. Nate has his arm around my shoulder, and Sev is holding my hand under the blanket. Now and again, he squeezes gently and catches my eye. When Nate isn’t looking, he mouths, “I love you, Teddy Bear.” And I do the same.
The best parts of my past feel close to me tonight, and so do the best parts of my future. I’m in the right place. Where I need to be. Where I belong.
Nate’s on my left and Sev’s on my right. I’m in the middle, grinning like the happiest man on the planet.
47
Epilogue
Teddy “T-Dog” O’Reilly- Four months later
ThecallSevhadbeen waiting for came three weeks ago. In many ways, it was a day like any other day. The big difference was the way Sev looked when he ended the call with his mother.
“This is it,” he said. “She’s ready.”
He looked ready too.
I’m not saying he didn’t look nervous or even afraid. He did, but more than that, he looked ready. And he was ready. We landed in Alabaster later the same day, and of course, Nate was there, waiting for us, when we arrived. He met us with his now-usual greeting—“If it isn’t the traitorous bastards”—and two of his signature knock-the-breath-out-of-youhugs.
Nate and I were both prepared to do whatever it took to get Maria out of that house, but as it turned out, we didn’t need to do anything other than stand in Sev’sslipstream. He faced his father without blinking and brought the full force of a storm with him.
If I’m sure of anything, it’s that his father knows who Sev is now. He was never an elephant. He was a boy chained to a post, and now he’s a man who pulls posts out of the ground. He’s not stuck, and he’s not a victim. He’s the best man I know.
Maria has been staying with us for the past few weeks. She’s been to see the apartment Sev bought for her a few times and loves it. Truth be told, I think she might be ready to move into it, but Sev wants to keep her close for a while, and honestly, so do I. She’s been through so much, and she’s a wonderful houseguest. It’s been so nice seeing how happy having her here makes Sev that I don’t want it to end.
Actually, happy isn’t the right word. Knowing his mom is safe has made Sev more than happy. It’s brought him peace. There’s a carefreeness to the way he moves through his day now that wasn’t there before, and at night, sleep finds him quicker than it used to.
“Holy shit,” Sev says as he walks into the bathroom. The lights in the rest of the apartment are out, and Maria is tucked in in the guest bedroom. “You look hot.”
He closes the door, and a lusty smile creeps up his face as he turns the lock.
I have a towel around my waist and nothing else on, and he’s not wrong. I do look hot. I’m fresh out of the shower, and I’m warm and clean, and possibility swirls around the room along with the steam.
Much as I’m enjoying having Maria here, there are certain downsides to having guests under your roof. One of those is not being able to get the sense pounded out of you on a regular basis. I’m starting to feel it, and I know Sev is too.
I meet his eye in the vanity mirror and let my gaze travel down his body.
Good God, he’s attractive. Little Gay Teddy didn’t stand a chance. That body combined with that smile and nose. Those lips. Oh God, those lips.
I’m amazed I behaved for as long as I did.
He stands behind me as I brush my teeth, kissing droplets of water off my neck and shoulders. Each little kiss leaves a prickle of heat in its wake.
I spit, rinse, and pat my mouth dry. Sev loosens his grip on me so I can turn to face him without him having to let go of me.
“How do you think my mom’s been today?” he asks.
“I think she’s had a good day. We went to Mae’s for coffee this morning, and while we were there, your dad tried calling her from a different number again. Shewasn’t having a bar of it. She ignored the first three calls, and after the fourth one, she took her phone out of her bag and calmly threw it in the trash.”
“She threw her phone in the trash?”
“Yeah, I’ve ordered her a new one. It should be here tomorrow or the next day.”
“You bought her a new phone? Why didn’t you just take the SIM out of the old one?”
I sigh. “It was symbolic, Sev. It was something she needed to do. You should have seen how she looked when she sat down afterward and sipped her coffee as though nothing had happened. Mae said, ‘Oh, honey, you’redonewith his bullshit.’”
Sev looks so proud and hopeful that it makes me want to cry. “Mae said that?”
