Page 25 of Cheap Shot
Beau doesn’t move a muscle, his hand still waiting for me to grip pinkies with him. I could stand here all day and try to wait him out, but I know better. Beau is as hard-headed as they come. He won’t let this go until I give him something. I guess this is the lesser of two evils.
I roll my eyes, finally extending my pinky and hooking it with his. “Fine. Pinky swear.”
“Good, because I’m not going to leave you alone until you sign up. It will be good for you, Cole. For you. For the kid. For everyone.”
“Whatever you say, Beau. Whatever you say.”
Beau wraps his arm around my shoulder and continues pulling me toward the field. “I’m glad you're seeing things my way, little brother.”
A lacrosse field doesn’t look much different from a soccer field. Sure, the field linings are different, and the goal is a weird triangle shape instead of a rectangle, but the play is a lot different than I expected. Instead of some kids running in straight lines, tossing a ball back and forth to each other, this is a full-contact sport. Each player is using their entire body to leverage and protect the ball.
“It looks like playing hockey, but on the grass, doesn’t it?” Beau asks, and I nod my head, not allowing myself to take my eyes off the kid carrying the ball toward the opposing team's net.
I watch in awe as he makes his way down the right side of the field, faking out the defender and throwing one into the back of the net with ease. I fist pump in the air and cheer loudly for someone I don’t even know. I stop immediately, trying to cover my excitement for the kid with a cough, but Beau’s got my number.
Beau points toward the kid who just scored, looking at him with the pride of a father in his eyes. “Darius swears he’s a goalie, but he always seems to put just as many points on the board as the attackers on the team.”
“He must be your little brother.”
“Nope. He’s going to be yours when you join the program.” I open my mouth to respond, but he just shakes his head. “My little brother is Ford, the boy Darius is celebrating with.”
I watch as the two boys do some weird dance before jumping in the air and bumping their chests. The minute their feet hit the ground, the rest of the team converges on top of them. I look at the two boys, who look almost identical. Darius is a few inches shorter than Ford, but not by much. I only noticed because I was looking for it. They both have the same medium brown skin, but I can’t tell much about their hair because of the helmets, but it looks to be the same dark color.
“They seem pretty close.”
“They’re friends, and both played for Cooper’s hockey team this season. They both lost a parent when they were young and probably gravitated toward each other because of that.”
“Or they could just like each other’s vibe.”
“That, too, but those two are more like family than just teammates.”
Now that’s something I used to know a lot about. The Wolverines were my family. My teammates were my older brothers, giving me advice on anything and everything hockey. Even sometimes giving advice about things off the ice, as well. They were there for me, like my older brothers would’ve been if I’d let them. But that all changed a few years ago. Now they hold a level of contempt for me that is present both on and off the ice. That resentment has been building for years and finally came to a head when Leon punched me at the conference finals. I’m sure they all believe I deserved what happened to me, and I’d be lying if I said a part of me didn’t feel the same.
“I’m glad they have each other,” I respond, before turning my back on the field and heading toward the bleachers.
I’m only a few feet away when Beau throws his arm over my shoulder and points toward a familiar woman sitting on the edge of the bleachers, cheering loudly. “And there is our older brother’s lady love. Please behave. The last thing any of us needs is Cooper coming down here to raise hell for hurting his lady love's feelings.”
I guess Cooper really started a relationship with one of his players’ parents. Damn, I didn’t know the man had it in him. Cooper has always been a rule follower to the T. There must be something pretty damn special about Ramona for him to even contemplate breaking one of his precious rules.
“Something tells me Ramona can take care of herself.”
I haven’t said more than a few words to Ramona, but judging by the way my brother reacted to her in my hospital room, I doubt she could be considered weak in any sense of the word. She can’t be, especially if she is going to be putting up with my brother's bullshit for any extended period.
“That she can, but none of us have the heart to tell Cooper. He likes to think of himself as her guard dog, but he’s more of a lapdog, if you ask me.”
“Pot, meet kettle.”
“You’re one to talk. I have a feeling that you aren’t much different, either.” Beau stares off into the distance for a few moments before continuing to speak. “I think all the Hendrix men have a soft spot for the lady they're supposed to spend the rest of their lives with.”
I turn in the direction he’s looking and notice Alise climbing out of her car, then shake my head. Beau can try to fool himself all he wants, but he has no more control over being in love with Alise than I do over handling my problems. However, we are both sure going to pretend like we do. Only one of us is going to succeed, and that will be me. Alise and Beau getting together isn’t the end of the world, but if I can’t get this anger under control again, it will be the end of the world as I know it.
“There is no one for me, Beau. Unless you know a woman who’s okay with being mistress to my first love, hockey. That’s the only thing that gets any of my attention besides rehab these days. Oh, and Momma, but I doubt she wants to do anything with me besides feeding me.”
Beau makes a gagging sound. “Please, for the love of god, please never say anything like that about Momma ever again.”
“Hey, you’re the one who brought it up, Beau.” I chuckle, slapping him on the back before raising my hand to wave at Alise. “Now, let's get our asses over there and take a seat. Ramona does not look too pleased with either of us.”
Beau only nods before spinning on his heels and striding quickly toward the bleachers. He takes two at a time before plopping into the seat beside Ramona and planting a kiss on her forehead.
