Page 91 of Flagrant Foul
“Yeah, and you know what she’s like. Sheknowsthings.”
He hugs me tightly, sighing softly. “That makes me so happy.”
I hug him back and then look up at him. “She’s going to be okay, Sev, you’ll see.”
“How do you know?”
“I know because I know you.” I reach up and card my fingers through his hair, tugging his head down gently so his forehead rests against mine. “I know there’s a sideof you that you think comes from your dad. A part you don’t always trust, and that maybe, you haven’t always been proud of.” He knows what I’m referring to, so he gives a small, terse nod. “You think it’s a bad thing, something that has the propensity to make you dangerous, but you’re wrong. You’re not dangerous. You’re not violent or unpredictable. You’re a fighter. A survivor. There’s a difference.” I pull his head a little closer to mine and lean into him harder. “You’re not like your dad, Sev. You’re like your mom.”
He drops his head and nuzzles into my neck. “How do you do that?” he murmurs. “How do you know what I need to hear before I know I need to hear it?”
“Ah, well, see, the thing is,” I say, taking care to arrange my features into an earnest expression. “I’ve spent most of my life being obsessed with you, so I’ve observed you very closely, and it’s given me some great insights into your psyche.”
His eyes glitter with a smile before he sends them upward in an elaborate eye roll. He gives me a little slap on the ass that’s just hard enough to spread warmth to the lower half of my body.
“Are you ready for the game tomorrow?” he asks.
I scoot my top lip up and to the side in a mix of faux shock and actual swagger. “Are you kidding me? I wasborn ready. You shouldn’t be asking if I’m ready. You should be asking them ifthey’reready.”
Sev barks a dry laugh. It’s the last game of the season tomorrow, and we’re playing the Vipers. Born ready or not, we are at a major disadvantage. They’ve been all but unstoppable this season, and they’re the favorites to take home the Stanley Cup this year.
The game tomorrow will be here in Tampa, so hopefully that will give us an edge. God knows, we need it.
“Did you hear Ben might be at the game?” I say.
“Yeah, I heard that.”
The thought of Ben in the stands keeping an eye on us as we take on the Vipers is a nice one. A comforting, heartening thought. Something I think will boost team morale. I don’t want to get my hopes up though. There were a few times last season when he was supposed to attend a game, but it didn’t happen.
“Do you think he’ll make it this time?”
“He’ll be there tomorrow,” Sev says with the certainty of a man with inside information.
“How do you know?”
“I just do.”
“You spoke to Bryce, didn’t you?”
“Maybe I did,” he says as he finds a few more errant water droplets on my neck and licks them up.
“How’s Bubba?” Poor Amelia. She has a beautiful name, and none of us use it. The entire team calls her Bubba like it’s her government name. The good news is that she’s home now and she’s doing well. Bryce sends us regular video updates, and we’re all heavily invested in her cuteness. Every time she does something new, we cheer like she’s scored a game-winning goal. The other day, she managed to get her hand into her mouth, and she kind of looked like she meant to do it, and I swear, there were multiple guys in the changing room with tears in their eyes.
Bryce is out for the rest of the season, and though it hasn’t been made official yet, he’s decided to retire from the game. He’s played professional hockey for over twelve years, and he’s had an amazing career. I can’t say I’m not sad that he’s leaving, but I understand his decision. He’s one of those guys who was born to be a dad, and now that he is one, there simply isn’t enough money in the world to steal him away from his family.
“Bryce thinks she might be teething,” says Sev.
“Teething? Isn’t she a little young for that?”
“Yeah, but Bryce says she’s almost certainly gifted and thus likely to hit her milestones early.”
“Hmm,” I say. “D’you think early teething is a sign of giftedness? ’Cause I’m notsure about that.”
“I don’t know shit about giftedness. But either way, Bryce said he’d get a video of her drooling and send it to us tomorrow.”
I laugh, and Sev starts kissing my neck in earnest, nipping at my Adam’s apple.
“Fuck, you have no idea what that laugh does to me, Tee.”
