Page 76 of Fair Play
Right, wrong, good or bad—we’re in this now.
I just hope we’re in it together.
Chapter 28
Rome
Spending an almostunlimited amount of time with Billie is all-encompassing. The sex is off the charts, and we’re having as much as we can before Bodi gets back, but our conversation that first night has been whispering in my subconscious.
Was she expecting me to make some kind of proclamation of love? Looking for longevity? A promise of some kind? It’s too soon, and I think she knows that, which is why she didn’t push it, but we’re going to have to address it. The problem is that there are no readily available solutions. Not until I know what’s going to happen when hockey season is over.
And for the first time in years, my self-imposed solitude is uncomfortable and frustrating. The team is on the road, Billie’s at school, and I’m done with physical therapy for the day.
Not only do I have nowhere to go and nothing to do, but I still don’t have any friends. Not really. I’m used to that part. What I’m not used to is the fact that it suddenly bothers me. That I’m fuckinglonely.
Impulsively, I turn toward my mom’s house. The house I grew up in. I rarely visit, because it reminds me of my dad, but today I need something. Something solid. Comfortable. Despite our differences, how she drives me crazy sometimes, she’s still my mom.
“Rome!” Mom answers the door in surprise. “Come on in. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. Everything’s fine.” I follow her into the kitchen. She appears to be baking something, and I settle on one of the stools at the island. “What are you making?”
She smiles. “Chocolate chip cookies. Tonight is book club, and I’m bringing dessert.”
“Does that mean I can’t have any?”
She laughs. “You can have one.One, young man.” She pretends to look stern and we both chuckle.
“What’s been going on?” I ask casually. “Anything new?”
“Not really. Cat’s been working a lot of extra hours so I haven’t heard from her this week. Athena is dating someone new but won’t tell me anything about him. What about you?”
I sigh.
Am I ready to open up about Billie? Can I trust her to keep her mouth shut when she goes to games? My mother is the most social of social butterflies and she’s already friends with several of the wives and girlfriends. This is the kind of gossip she lives for, and Billie and I don’t need the stress.
“Rome?” She cocks her head, pausing from where she’s using an ice cream scoop to put little balls of dough onto a cookie sheet. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong, but I need advice. I just don’t know if I trust you to keep a secret.”
She doesn’t take offense and goes back to scooping the dough. “Well, that’s up to you. But you have to know I’d never do anything to hurt you.”
I do know that.
“So there’s a woman.”
“Billie.” She doesn’t even look up.
Jesus H. Christ.
“How did you know that?”
She shakes her head, still not looking up, merely turning and putting the first tray of cookies in the oven. “Anyone with two eyes can see the way you look at her. And the way she looks at you. I don’t know what the big deal is, but I’m assuming it’s because of her brother. Athena has mentioned how overprotective he is.”
“It’s a huge deal, Mom. If there’s any chance of me playing here one more season, I can’t afford to be some kind of cancer in the locker room. That’s what I’m known for, so it wouldn’t be a big stretch for me to take on that role here, no matter how hard I’ve tried to change.”
She wipes her hands and looks at me. “Are you serious about her? Are you in love with her? Do you picture yourself with her long-term?”
“I…don’t know.”
