Page 93 of The Closed Off Captain

Brielle takes in my words, and then her eyes widen. “What? Oh my goodness, no. Aiden’s not...there’s nothing...he’s...” She pauses and takes a deep breath. “I came to see you because I want to plan a birthday party for him, and it’s so hard to figure out around his schedule. I figured you would know best when he’s coming and going for flights and how I could plan one around all that.”

“Why did you look like you’re about to cry then?” I ask in confusion.

She waves a hand. “I’m always about to cry.” I make a mental note to never ever get pregnant. I pull up the team schedule on my laptop. “All right. What month are we looking at?”

“Sometime this month.”

We discuss dates for a moment before she gets distracted. “Those flowers are gorgeous, Chloe.”

I lift my head at the change of subject and look at the flowers. “They’re from Gunner,” I finally admit. There’s no getting around it. And even I can admit, they’re gorgeous—as have been all the other flowers he’s left for me on my desk. Every single Monday since Thanksgiving, there’s been a gorgeous bouquet of flowers on my desk. Even if we’re out of town, when I come back, there they are. The only reason I even know they’re from him is because they each come with a tiny card that just has his name. The first time they came, I sought him out, looking for an explanation. But I chickened out and just said thank you. Now each time they come, I simply text him a thank you.

“You and Gunner finally stopped fighting this thing between you? Good for you!” At the look on my face, she lifts her eyebrows. “Wait, you’re not?”

“Not what?” I ask.

“Not together, not dating, not in love...pick your choice.”

“We’re not any of those things,” I tell her, even as I glance at the flowers.

Brielle laughs. “Oh, Chloe, you may be the smartest woman I know; but in this you are just clueless.”

I frown. “Clueless?”

“Yes, the man is in love with you. He has been forever. He knows it, the guys on the team all know it, even all the wives and girlfriends know it. I’m pretty sure even the coaching staff knows it.”

I’m already shaking my head. “No, he’s not. We were just fake dating for a little while because he needed me to, but there’s nothing between us.”

She gives me a sad smile. “You are in denial. Complete denial because that man is so head over heels for you, it’s not evenfunny.” I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. I sit back in my chair and try to think if there’s any truth to what she’s saying. I start thinking about how many times he’s brought me lunch, making sure that everything is allergen free for me and how many times he’s driven me places, how many times he’s come with me to Grandma May’s, the flowers...I put my hand over my mouth but can’t hold in the groan. Brielle gives me a sympathetic smile. “It’s just hitting you, isn’t it?”

I stare at her with wide eyes. “He paid for Grandma May’s care for basically the rest of her life.”

“Is Grandma May your grandma?” she asks gently. I nod because it’s close enough.

“She’s in a nursing home and needed more care, and I didn’t know how I was going to afford it. When I went to the finance office to talk to them about it, they said it had already been taken care of.”

It’s Brielle’s turn to put a hand over her mouth. “He paid for it?” Her voice is filled with emotion. I can only nod. “Oh, Chloe.” And then she starts crying right there in her chair. Not like a single tear; no, this is a full-on sob. I stand up, alarmed.

“Are you okay?” I ask as I walk over to her.

“No,” she sobs.

I don’t know what to do with her. I panic and look around my office for tissues. Finding a box, I put it in her lap. When there’s no sign of her tears stopping, I pat her shoulder. “I’ll be right back.” I stride down the hallway and make my way to the weight room. When I get there, I knock loudly on the door. “I’m coming in.” I throw open the door and step inside the room that smells like sweat and disinfectant. “Brooks,” I call out, scanning the huge room. Aiden strides towards me a moment later, a wary look on his face. “Your wife is crying in my office.”

“Why is she in your office?” he asks with narrowed eyes.

I raise my hands. “I didn’t do anything, I promise. She was just talking to me, and I told her about—” I pause and lower my voice. “About some of the stuff Gunner has done for me, and she burst into tears.”

His face softens. “Yeah, she’s been doing that a lot lately. I’ll take care of her; thanks for getting me.” He strides out of the room, and I turn to follow but a large body steps in front of me.

“Chloe, everything okay?”

I swallow and do my best to look at anything besides Gunner’s sweaty, toned chest. Aiden just stood before me without a shirt and just as sweaty, and it didn’t bother me in the least. I barely even noticed. And then Gunner does the same thing, and I can’t even form a sentence.

Chapter 41

Chloe

“I just got Aiden because Brielle was crying in my office.”

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