Page 9 of Break

Do I spread my wings and fly, falling to the ground in a heap? Or do I wait for her to come back? Be patient and calm? Ha.

Hell, I don’t even know how to cook aside from barbecued food. She did all of that. Shopped for everything for the girls, goes to their parent-teacher conferences, and is here when they can’t attend away games because they’re still in school.

I tap my phone against my palm and knock on the girls’ doors and wait in the hall for them to emerge.

They peek their heads out and frown at me simultaneously.

“I have a game tonight… Do you want to come?”

Alyssa sighs and looks over at Caroline and they both shake their heads. “Not without Marie. I hate sitting alone with the WAG’s. Maybe we can go to her house and stay the night?”

I frown at them and stare down at my dark phone. “You know where she is? Where she lives?”

Caroline blinks at me and opens up her door, padding closer to me and crossing her arms over her chest. “She sent us her address the day she moved in. Is there something you’re finally going to tell us?”

I sigh and lean against the wall and stare down at my bare feet. “I think it has something to do with Alex…”

Alyssa groans and slams her door closed, leaving me alone with Caroline, who is now glaring at me. “Well, that’s probably the issue. She’s fine, she sent us photos of her house and she even has rooms for Lyss and me.” She shrugs and runs her fingers through her long, blonde hair, the same shade as mine. “Whatever you did, that’s on you. If you really move that puck bunny into the house maybe we’ll just stay with Marie… I think Lyss already wants to leave anyway. The house sucks without her. You’re never home anyway.”

She waves and glides back into her room and closes the door softly, the click of the latch making me flinch, even with how quiet it is.

Fuck.

I toss my hands up in the air and bite down on my tongue so that I don’t shout.

I asked Alex to move in with me before we decided on going to the appointment when I got tested. She happily agreed and started rattling on about what she wants to change and get rid of as soon as she stepped through the front door. I was confused about Marie just up and leaving and wasn’t paying too much attention when the girls met Alex.

I was staring at my dark phone house and gazing at the table that we picked out together. It was filled with food like any other night, but it wasn’t homemade or made with love. Or anything that Marie would have picked.

Even her scent is gone from the house now. Instead of lavender, it smells like stale pizza and old Mexican food still in the trash can from dinner a few nights ago.

I’m starting to feel more and more empty every moment.

Alex didn’t know about Marie living here. Maybe it was doomed from the start… I remember telling her at one point that I had a friend living with me and that my sisters are here. But she just shrugged. Maybe she didn’t hear me and was just excited about moving out of her vacation house. She’s always talking about the sprawling mansion she grew up in and says my home is adequate.

Coming from a trailer park - a fucking roof, full fridge, and clothes areadequatefor me. But I held my tongue. She doesn’t know about my past. Not many people do.

I should have introduced everyone sooner, I should have told Marie from the beginning.

Is this fast? Probably. But I’ve known Alex for months, and she refused to date me.

Fuck me? Yes. She said that she traveled too much for work and didn’t know when she would be around more.

Puck bunny she’s not, though. She’s never been to a game, doesn’t care about contact sports. Her mom is a makeup artist that started selling her own makeup and jewelry products in the 90’s, and they’re rich as hell now. They have a vacation house here in Minnesota and we met during one of their trips last Christmas.

She moved here for good a few weeks ago, we reconnected, and I asked her for another chance. She accepted, and then while drinking I figured she should just move in so that she’s not in their vacation home all alone. I feel good around her, we drink and have fun. She doesn’t like kids, doesn’t want me for the sport I play.

I live in a safe, gated community and would rather her be safe and comfortable. To see where this goes. You apparentlylearn more about people when you live with them, and there’s no way I’m moving out. I didn’t want to be away from Marie or the girls any more than I usually am with the team.

But losing Marie and the girls in the process?

No. They’ll come around.

Right?

_____________

I park in the parking lot behind the arena and sigh as I make my way to the locker room. I nod and slap the backs of my teammates, I wave to the coaches as I pass by.

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