Page 37 of Wild About You
“Right. Water it is.” He fills a glass and sets it on the island.
I take a seat on one of the large barstools in front of it and drink slowly.
Declan comes down soon after.
“How is she?” Ash asks.
“Sleeping. Ty tried to get her in the shower, but she passed out cold. Where in the hell was she?”
“The record store where River works,” I answer.
Declan shakes his head. “I told her that guy was no good.”
“We’ve all told her that,” Ash says. “I’m pretty sure she’s dating him just to piss us off.”
“Did Jack already take off?” Declan looks around for him.
“Yep. Stormed out of here all pissed off that Little Sharpie was drunk.” He grins.
“She knows how to worry the shit out of all of us, that’s for sure.” Declan blows out a breath and runs a hand over his jaw. “I guess I should get back too.”
“You’re welcome to crash here,” Ash offers.
“Nah.” Declan grins and it transforms his face into a less serious, more boyish expression. “I finally get to practice tomorrow, and I want to get there early.”
“All right. See you then.” Ash gives him a salute and Declan leaves.
“You guys have a whole team bonding thing going on that I was not prepared for,” I admit.
“You? Tim Vaughn’s niece doesn’t know hockey players?” His brows lift.
“When Uncle Tim talks about his hockey days it’s usually about certain games or achievements. I don’t think he ever mentioned raising teenage girls with his teammates.”
Ash laughs good-naturedly. “Yeah, well, I guess this is a unique situation, but I don’t doubt that he would have done whatever his guys needed.”
I nod, sure he’s right.
Ash’s gaze lifts above my head and I turn to see Tyler. His hair sticks up around his head and he walks like a man that’s run a marathon and is about to collapse.
“Beer?” Ash asks.
Ty nods and falls onto the stool next to me.
“I’m off to bed.” He slides the beer to Ty and then smiles at me. “Glad I finally got to meet you tonight, P. Vaughn.”
“You too,” I say before he steps out of the room.
Tyler tips back the bottle and takes a long drink. His throat works and I watch the column of this neck, noting how much he’s filled out over the years. He was always muscular but he’s broader now. Everywhere.
He sets the bottle down and looks at me. All the things I’ve despised about him are hard to remember when he looks so broken.
“Thank you. I don’t know how I would have found her without you.”
“You would have. You have a lot of people that have your back,” I note, meaning the teammates that showed up here for him and his sister. “But you’re welcome.”
“What the hell was she thinking?” He looks at me like he expects me to have the answer.
“I’m not sure, but go easy on her, okay?”
