Chapter 9: Chapter Nine

“Mommy, why are you mad at Demmy?”

Scott froze with his hand still on the cereal box he’d been putting away. All the muscles in his body tensed. He and Becky had been…pleasant in front of Casey over the past few days, but their little girl was observant. She frowned at her mother over the table, milk dripping from her spoon.

Becky opened her mouth. Closed it. Then gave an “everything’s okay” mommy smile as she finished packing Casey’s lunch. “I’m not mad at Demmy, mon petit chou. There’s a lot going on with the team right now and we’re all worried.”

Casey put her spoon down beside her bowl and nodded seriously. “With the playoffs coming soon, Demmy should be on the ice.” Her eyes teared and she lowered her face to her hands. “Uncle Tim wouldn’t have suspended the boys! I want him to come back!”

“Oh, baby!” Becky dropped to her knees and pulled Casey into her arms. She made a soft shushing sound as Scott stood there, feeling useless. He rubbed Becky’s shoulders, not sure she’d want him to touch her, but needing to be close to her as she whispered to their daughter. “I do too. But he’s with us always. You know that, right?”

“I want to see Demmy play with Daddy! And Daddy is always gone! Everyone is going away!” Casey sobbed and Scott’s heart broke. If only he hadn’t fucked up so bad, his little girl wouldn’t be dealing with all this. He blinked back his own tears as Casey reached for his hand over Becky’s shoulder. “Daddy loves you. He’ll forgive you even if you’ve been bad.”

Scott blinked fast and laughed. “You think I’ve been bad?”

Casey sighed and nodded, wiping away her tears with her tiny fists. “Uncle Luke and Vanek aren’t playing either. I read blogs, Demmy. You are all bad together. But I will kick you if you have bunnies in your hotel room like the reporter said—”

Becky put her hand over Casey’s mouth. “I told you no more blogs. You know Demmy loves us and… Okay, we are not talking about puck bunnies. You shouldn’t know about them!”

Laughing behind Becky’s hand, Casey said something. Then repeated it when her mother moved her hand. “Bunnies like kissing hockey players. They have big red lips and they’re gross. I don’t like seeing them near my daddies, but we have to be nice to them.”

Scott’s eyes widened. He completely agreed with Becky. Casey really had to stop reading those “sports blogs.” “Says who?”

“Hunt and Richards. I asked them last time Mommy let me go to the locker room and I saw them helping the bunnies fix their clothes.” Casey looked very sad. She fiddled with her spoon. “Bunnies are poor, you know. They can’t buy clothes that fit them right.”

Okay, he was going to have a talk with Hunt. And Richards. They shouldn’t be trying to explain anything to Casey. He picked up the wood-handled brush from the table and ran it through Casey’s curly blonde hair, gathering it into a ponytail then tying it with the soft pink scrunchie waiting on his wrist. “Casey, you don’t need to worry about that. I’ll be back on the ice soon.”

“And Mommy and you and Daddy will be happy again?”

“Hey, we all saw your report card. That makes us all very happy!” Scott leaned over to hug Casey tight. Things were a mess right now, but he’d fix them. He refused to consider a morning when he wasn’t on the road where he wouldn’t see Casey and Becky. This was his home, and unless he was behind bars, nothing could keep him from coming back here. “Casey, all that matters is everyone in this house cares very much about you. And about each other. You have nothing to worry about.”

“I want us to win.” Casey stared at her spoon. “We won’t win if you’re in trouble.”

“I’ll stay out of trouble.”

“Promise?” She gave him the sweetest, most trusting look.

All he could do was nod and make a promise he’d never break. Not if he could help it. And damn him, he’d make sure he didn’t disappoint her. “Pinky swear, baby girl. Now hurry up and get ready for school before you miss your bus.”

Not long after, he kissed Casey’s cheek and stood in the doorway, letting the cold in as he watched Becky walk Casey to the bus stop. He waited for Becky to join him before shutting the door. Then braced himself for the silence.

Instead, Becky shoved him against the wall and broke into tears. “You know, when I got that call about Tim, I thought I’d lost you! No one knew you’d stayed behind to sign stuff and show Justina’s brother a few moves. We thought you were with Tim. Every time you’re late, I see you inside that car!”

Scott shifted away from her, seeing that night again, thinking of how easy it had been to tell Tim to go on without him. “I should have been with him. I might have seen the other car—”

“You would be dead!”

“No! He would be alive!”

“You don’t know that!”

“I do! Everything would be different, and I wouldn’t be fucking everything up right now because he would tell me—he’d tell me…” Scott pressed the heels of his palms to his eyes. Tim had seen everything. Known everything. He’d have watched Zach with Zovko and told Scott what to do. Or made suggestions. All that mattered was he would be here if Scott had gotten into the damn car! “I wish I’d gone with him!”

“I don’t! I miss him, but losing you—” Becky grabbed his shoulders and shook him. “When I heard you’d stolen a car, all I thought was ‘Is he drunk?’ and then I curled up on my bed and pictured you on those icy roads. You hitting a tree and leaving me for good. I put on a brave face for Casey after losing Tim. And Tim…you know how much he meant to all of us. If I lost you… I’ll always be there for our baby, but you make me whole. I wouldn’t be whole if you were gone.”

“I wouldn’t drive drunk, Becky. You know that!”

“And I’m supposed to know you’d steal a car sober?”

“Only one specific man’s car.” He wrapped her up in his arms, wishing he’d considered how much he’d scare her before going all crazy. “Still stupid. I get that.”

She relaxed against him and let out a heavy sigh. “There’s more to this. You stayed up all that night. Last night, you slept on the sofa. What’s going on, Scott?”

“I just need time to sort things out. After I saw Zach—”

“Saw Zach what?”

No. He couldn’t tell her that Zach had kissed another man. This was something Scott and Zach had to figure out, and he wouldn’t have Becky picking sides. He couldn’t help but wonder if the right explanation would have her siding with her husband. They were in a ménage relationship, but only because Zach had needs that could only be met by a man.

Becky shared Zach with Scott. Maybe she wouldn’t understand him getting jealous. Maybe she’d think he was making a big deal out of nothing.

Maybe she’ll decide I’m too much trouble to put up with anymore.

She smacked his chest, snapping him out of the thoughts that had him sinking deeper and deeper into hopelessness. Her eyes narrowed and her hard expression made it almost impossible to believe she ever knelt to anyone. “Saw. Him. What? I know that look, Scott. You’re hiding how you feel because you don’t think it’s important. We’ve discussed this.”

“Yeah, but this time it really isn’t important.” He forced a smile and bent forward to steal a quick kiss. “Don’t worry so much.”

“Nice try, mister.” She huffed and slipped past him to get her briefcase. “Zach shouldn’t be at practice long. I want the three of us to have lunch. If he’d done something to hurt me, you’d be ready to kick his ass. You better be ready to tell me what’s going on before I have to drag it out of the two of you, or I might embarrass us all and crack him upside the head in the middle of the restaurant.”

He grinned, wrapping his arms around her from behind before she could walk out the door. Kissing her neck, he pictured the look on Zach’s face if his sweet little sub smacked him. And how red Becky’s face would get when she realized she’d so have to pay for it once she got home. “This I gotta see.”

She shook her head, her shoulders shaking with laughter. “You’re impossible! Get some sleep. Then play with your tools and try to relax. You’re back on the ice this weekend and I can’t wait. I’m tired of you moping around the house.”

Moping? He followed Becky to the door, lips twisted in a frown. “I haven’t been moping. I don’t mope. Things are what they are. I’m dealing just fine.”

She spun around with the door open and patted his cheek. “That’s the thing, mon amour. Sometimes you don’t have to ‘deal’ with things. Not alone anyway. You’re allowed to be upset with Zach. I let him know when I am because my ass is very sore if I’m not up-front with him. Maybe I should get him to spank you. Might help.”

“Not happening!” He laughed as she winked at him, but the sound died abruptly as he shut the door behind her. He stared at the dark wood and shook his head. He had tried to talk to Zach and all Zach seemed to care about was the mistakes Scott had made. There were plenty, which made Scott wrong and Zach right. Always.

Both Becky and Zach had told him again and again that he was as much a part of this relationship as either of them. And he’d believed them, but now…he wasn’t so sure. Talking about how he felt when shit happened wasn’t easy, but he could do it.

The problem was, Zach didn’t care.

* * * *

Stuffy and boiling hot and shivering and… Luke blew his nose, pulling the blanket over his head as his brain tried to implode in his skull. He sank deeper into the bed, every part of his body aching like he’d been rolled over repeatedly by a monster truck.

This was it. He was dying.

A big hand yanked the blanket away. Luke frowned at Seb who felt his forehead. Seb clucked his tongue. “You have a fever, mi pobrecito. Have you taken anything?”

Before Luke could answer, Jami came into the room, his sweet, wonderful angel carrying a tray with a steaming bowl of soup and a tall glass of root beer. She glanced over at Seb expectantly.

Seb arched a brow at her.

She jerked her chin at the top of the bed. “Please help him up and fix his pillows. He needs to eat something. I’m going to run to the store to get him some cold medicine.”

“Do we not have some, mi cielo?” Seb looked at Luke as he took hold of a pillow. The only warning he’d probably give before yanking the pillow out from under Luke’s head. Seb clearly wasn’t human—he never got sick and he obviously didn’t understand how miserable Luke was.

Luke dragged himself to a sitting position. Panted as the stuffy feeling practically smothered him.

Jami unfolded the legs of the tray and put it over Luke’s lap. “We have medicine, but he doesn’t like Buckley’s.”

“I see.” Seb folded his arms over his chest, making Luke nervous as he watched Jami fuss with the pillows, then pick up the spoon. He barked a laugh when Jami tested the soup with her lips and brought the spoon to Luke’s mouth. “He is not a child, Jami. Luke, feed yourself.”

Ugh, go away, Seb. Luke closed his lips around the spoon and swallowed. The soup was salty. Very salty. But at least Jami had some sympathy. “She likes taking care of me.”

“As do I, but this is too much. Take some medicine and I will see that you’re not bothered.”

“She’s not bothering me.” A racking cough tore its way out of Luke’s chest. Gah, his throat was killing him! He slumped back on the pillow. “Just go then. I’ll be fine.”

“Yes, you will be because I’ll make sure of it. I—” Jami held up a finger as her phone buzzed. She pulled it out of the pocket of her tight jeans and held it to her ear as she grabbed a thermometer from the tray. “No, Mrs. Carter—sorry, Mom.” Jami smiled and brought the thermometer to Luke’s mouth. His lips parted and he waited with it under his tongue while Jami nodded at whatever instructions his mother was giving her. “I’m checking now. He feels warm to the touch though. Yes, I made him soup and I’m going out to get him that honey-flavored medicine you—yes, that one, I wrote it down—”

His mom would help Jami manage his illness and make him all better. Luke relaxed onto the pillows, let Jami take the thermometer, then reached for his root beer. His girl had even brought him a straw. Damn, she couldn’t be more perfect.

The glass was taken out of his hand. The straw pulled away from his lips. He glared at Seb.

Seb turned to Jami. “Please ask Luke’s mother if root beer is really the best thing for him right now.”

Oh shit. Luke winced as he heard his mom yelling. She hated him drinking soda on a good day, which meant he’d have nothing but herb tea until he wasn’t sick anymore. This was gonna suck. He crossed his arms over his chest. “Thanks a lot, Seb.”

And hell, didn’t Seb look confused. “Do you not want to get well?”

“’Course I do, it’s just—”

“Your mother knows what you need. I will see to it that you get it.” Seb brought a spoonful of soup to his own mouth. Put it down and gave Luke the first bit of sympathy he’d shown so far with a slanted smile. “I suppose the salt will soothe your throat. Is this your mother’s recipe?”

“It is, but the top came off the saltshaker. I tried to get most of it out… It’s not that bad, is it?” Jami took the spoon from Seb and passed him the phone. “She wants to talk to you.”

Crossing the room with the phone, Seb nodded, speaking too low for Luke to hear. He leaned against the wall by the door, his brow furrowing, rubbing his jaw as he watched Luke over Jami’s shoulder.

Jami sat on the edge of the bed and took Luke’s hand. “He’s not trying to be mean. You know how he is when he’s sick.”

Luke snorted. “When have you ever seen him sick?”

“I guess I just pay more attention to him than you do.” Jami withdrew her hand. “He toughs it out and won’t let anyone fuss over him. Believe me, I’ve tried.”

“I would’ve too if I’d known. And I’d sure as hell be nicer to him than he’s being to me.”

“Stop sulking. I’ll go make you a chamomile tea.”

“I’m not sulking. I’m sick. And I hate tea.” No use, Jami would make him choke down the nasty boiled flowers with honey because his mom had told her to. As if just being stuck in bed in pain and misery wasn’t bad enough. He sighed as Seb hung up with his mother and came to stand by the bed. “What now? Should I be working out to sweat away germs or something? Why don’t you just take the pillow and get it over with.”

“I am grateful that you are not sick often, niño.” Seb’s lips slanted and he brought a spoonful of soup to Luke’s lips. “You should rest, and someone will need to care for you. I will do so until the team meeting before the game tonight. Thankfully we do not have practice today.”

Oh, that was a bad idea. Seb take care of him? Maybe he shouldn’t have suggested using the pillow. “Or Jami could do it?”

“Jami tends to Amia too often to risk being exposed to your germs. You wouldn’t want your goddaughter to feel as poorly as you do now, would you?”

“No.” Luke didn’t have to think about that for a second. He smiled a little as he pictured Landon’s daughter, cooing at him and leaving patches of drool on his shirt. Or puke sometimes, but he never minded. She was getting bigger, but she was still too little and fragile and he’d stay sick for a month, longer even, rather than see her sick for so much as a day. If that meant suffering while Seb “cared for him”…? Well, if it got really bad, he could always call his mom. The only reason she wasn’t here now was because Jami had promised she’d do each and every thing Mom did for him when he was sick.

Telling Jami she couldn’t do that anymore was rough, but she agreed with Seb’s reasoning. She left to meet with her friends, Akira and Sahara, guilt in her eyes until Luke sat up straight and told her knowing she was having fun would make him feel better.

As soon as she was gone the coughs he’d been repressing tore out and left him weak and shuddering on the bed. Sweat soaked the sheets and he turned away from Seb, knowing his Dom would want him to tough it out. But he couldn’t.

Maybe being left alone would be best after all.

The door opening and shutting told Luke Seb had gone. He stifled a groan with his pillow and glanced over at the nightstand for the TV remote. So far away. Guess he’d just suffer in silence.

The door opened. Luke hid his face with the pillow and pretended to sleep.

Seb took the pillow away and gently wiped Luke’s face with a cool, damp cloth. “I brought the medicine, niño. You may have your root beer to get rid of the taste if you take it.”

This time, Seb helped Luke sit up. Poured the medicine into a spoon, spilling a little on the blankets as he brought it to Luke’s mouth. He even held up the root beer for Luke to take a few sips. Luke smiled at Seb, noticing how uncomfortable his big man seemed, like he wasn’t sure he was doing this right. Jami’s words made a lot of sense, but Luke thought there was more to it than how Seb handled being sick himself. No one had ever done this for Seb, not even when he was a kid. Which made his trying even more special.

“Thanks, Seb. I really appreciate all this.” Luke’s eyes widened when Seb’s lips covered his, but Seb held his jaw to keep him from turning away. And the kiss made it damn hard to talk after. Luke managed though. “You’re gonna get sick too!”

“Perhaps, but I hoped some affection would make what I must do easier.” Seb looked over his shoulder and made a beckoning motion with his hand.

To his sister, who was standing in the hall, not really looking like she wanted to come in. But inching forward as if she had no choice.

Aw fuck!

“No. Seb, you can’t leave me with her! She’ll lock me in here and steal all your stuff. She might even take my puppy, and I can’t lose my baby!” Luke grunted as “his baby” pounced on the bed, paws landing on his gut. He hugged Bear and scowled at his sister. “She takes Bear and I’ll have to hunt her down. And then I’ll go to jail. So it’s a bad idea all around.”

“You will not harm your sister. And she has nowhere else to go.” Seb put his hand on Luke’s shoulder and straightened as he faced Sam. “I have given you a place to stay and will see to your needs for as long as necessary. In return, you will tend to your brother and do small chores around the house.”

Sam nodded quickly, hands in the pockets of one of Jami’s animal hoodies. This one looked like a fox. Even had a tail.

Fucking fitting.

“He needs fluids. Must be kept warm. Chicken soup and tea—the tea will help you, Luke.” Seb seemed to sense Luke making a face at him because he frowned and tightened his grip on Luke’s shoulder. “If you harm him, if a single thing goes missing from this house…” Seb’s tone became hard, menacing. Sam paled as she stared at him. “I will have you arrested. You are being given an opportunity because you are Luke’s sister, but I am not a fool. I have seen the harm one’s own siblings can do. You will very much regret abusing my trust.”

Luke swallowed hard, thinking about Scott’s brother, Jimmy. Sam stealing from his mother was nothing compared to what that dirtbag had done to Scott. He wouldn’t put his sister in the same league as Jimmy, but he wasn’t sure he could ever forgive her. And the last thing he wanted was for her to fuck over Seb. Yeah, his man was rich, but everything he had was worth more than money, it was security he’d never known as a child. Food, shelter, comfort. Luke knew he was lucky that Seb had forgiven him for the damage he’d done to the garage door. He wouldn’t have gotten off so easy if he wasn’t sick.

But his sister was sneaky and selfish and she wouldn’t care who she hurt. Luke couldn’t let Seb trust her.

“Give us a minute, Sam.” Luke watched Sam retreat from the room and put his hand over Seb’s on his shoulder. “She’ll take off before you could make her regret it, she—” Another coughing fit. Fuck! He gasped to catch his breath and choked the last words out. “You don’t know what she’s capable of.”

“Your mother gave me all the details. I am well aware of the kind of person your sister is.”

Now that surprised Luke. He stared at Seb. “My mom knows you’re leaving me alone with her?”

“No.” The hint of a smile crossed Seb’s lips. He pulled the elastic from his long hair, combed the dark, silky length with his fingers, then tied it back up at the nape of his neck. Luke knew he was trying to come off all relaxed, but he knew his man’s tells. If they were playing cards, Luke could call a bluff the second Seb’s hand went anywhere near his hair. Seb wasn’t the type to mess with his hair very often.

To top it off, Seb handed Luke the root beer. Like a reminder.

Luke grinned. “Right, so we ain’t telling her. Because she’d kill you if she found out.”

“She certainly wouldn’t be pleased.”

“Then you might want to get rid of the punk before she murders me in my sleep and kidnaps my dog and you’ve got to explain all that to my mom.” Satisfied that he’d made his point, Luke called Sam back in. She looked like she was going to start crying. He hated to see chicks cry, but this was his no-good sister and she was their father’s daughter. She’d play on his emotions to get what she wanted. He did his best to shut them down. “Was nice of you to visit, sis. We should do this again sometime. Call me!”

“Luke, give me a chance!” Tears trailed down his sister’s pale cheeks and her bottom lip quivered. “Please.”

“No fucking chances.” He couldn’t face her anymore. He stared at the tray on his lap and hoped she’d just give up the act and go away. “You lost the right to ask me that when you—”

“Niño, stop.” Seb held a hand up to Sam and bent down, one hand on Luke’s cheek. “You are not this cruel. Is it your father you see when you look at her? She should not pay for his sins.”

Fuck that shit. Luke ground his teeth and met Seb’s eyes. “Don’t you mean my sins? And this has nothing to do with him. No one fucks with my mom.”

“Your mother loves Samantha, Luke. She sounded very sad when she told me what happened. I think she would like to put this behind her, but she doesn’t know how.”

“And I’m supposed to figure that out?”

Seb inclined his head. “I think it would be good for you both. And I believe your mother would be very happy if you could tell her Samantha deserves another chance.”

Damn it, Seb’s right. Luke grabbed his root beer, drinking it all before nodding. “Fine. If she deserves it. Just win the game tonight and come home quick so you can see if you have a body to bury.”

Chuckling, Seb kissed Luke’s forehead, then went to stand beside Sam to whisper something, probably a warning by her expression. He left the door open when he walked out, and not long after Luke heard him leave.

Sam just stood there, looking lost, using the sleeves of the sweater to dry her tears. Luke rolled his eyes and pointed at the remote on the end table.

“Oh! That’s a good idea!” Sam bounced on the soles of her feet and skirted out of the room. Before Luke could drag himself out of bed to see if she was ransacking the place, Sam was back, holding a DVD. “This used to be your favorite. I noticed it when I was looking for a movie to watch yesterday.”

“How many have you pawned so far?”

She went still. Then glanced over her shoulder at him while setting up the DVD, her eyes in narrow slits. “Not that you’d know, but you don’t get much for DVDs anymore.”

All right, he hadn’t known that. But it was beside the point. “So Seb and Jami just gave you the run of the house?”

“No, Seb doesn’t trust me.”

“Smart man. And Jami?”

“Jami’s a sweetheart. She stopped me from leaving after you told me you wanted me gone.” Sam bowed her head, her voice soft. “She thinks you’ll eventually forgive me. I think she’s wrong.”

Between Jami and Sam, he’d much rather side with Jami. But he didn’t have any reason to besides the fact that Seb seemed to think his sister could make things right and Jami believed in her. And that wasn’t enough. The best he could do was…well, if it were up to him, he’d still get rid of his sister. Only, out of respect for his man and his girl, he’d do it nicely.

Actually, it was up to him, wasn’t it? Seb had suggested giving her a chance; it wasn’t an order. And Jami would understand if Luke sat down with her and explained everything real calm and rational. The only reason Sam was still here days after him asking her to leave was because he’d ignored her presence, hoping she’d take the hint.

The movie started…Mr. Deeds, which was still one of his favorite movies. He laid back on the pillows as Sam took his tray without looking at him.

“I’ll make you some more soup—your mom taught me…” She trailed off and bit her bottom lip. “Uh, if you want me to.”

“Sure, and I guess you can make me some of that herb tea.” There. He was trying. He watched Sam scurry out and let the movie distract him. By the time Sam returned, the movie was almost over and he’d been laughing so much his chest was sore and his throat was painfully raw. A bite of soup kept him in a good mood even when Sam sat at the end of the bed to finish watching the movie with him. He waited until the credits were rolling to speak. “Why’d you come here, Sam? Maybe if I knew—”

“I’ll tell you when you’re feeling better. Right now I wanna focus on you. Your man kinda scares me. I’m not doing anything to piss him off.” Sam ducked her head. “And I gotta tell you, I’m totally jealous. You’ve got much better taste in men than I do.”

He cocked his head, a little surprised with her acting like his being with a man was no big deal. “You know Dad wants nothing to do with me because I’m with Seb?”

“So? I don’t care what Dad thinks. Not anymore.” She toyed with the string on the hood of the sweater, pulling the hood over her head so the pointy ears stuck up. Reminded him of when they were young—she’d always gone trick-or-treating as some kind of animal. “You have two people who love you very much. That’s all that matters.”

Luke smiled a little, but he couldn’t help wondering if Sam was just saying what she thought he wanted to hear. The movie, her being all understanding, was bringing back memories. But she wasn’t the little girl he’d looked out for, the sixteen-year-old girl he’d gotten in a fight for with one of the toughest guys in the league just to protect her “honor.” He couldn’t say for sure he knew her at all. Or if he ever had.

“I brought out the Van Wilder movies. I know you love those.” Sam stood and went to the DVD player to put on another disc. “You want me to stay and watch it with you?”

He almost said yes. He wanted those times when they could chill out and talk and she could just be his little sister. If he could, he’d pretend like she’d never hurt his mother so badly. That his mother hadn’t asked for Sam when she was sure she was going to die.

But he couldn’t. Not yet.

Maybe not ever.

“Naw, I’m just gonna sleep anyway.” Fuck, he could tell she was gonna cry again and he felt like he was being an asshole. Which was messed up because he was doing his best. He hadn’t asked her to get lost for a couple hours at least. That had to count. Bear nudged his palm with his cold, wet nose and he grinned at his puppy. He had an idea. “You wanna let him out back? He’s probably gotta go.”

“You trust me with your dog?” Sam gave him a brilliant smile, the same one she’d given him when he’d cheered her on while teaching her to skate and she slid the first few feet on her own.

He returned her smile with a crooked one of his own. “He’s Jami and Seb’s dog too. Jami won’t be so nice if you hurt Bear and…well, you think you’re scared of Seb now?”

“Got it.” Sam opened the door and called sweetly to Bear. “Come on, handsome boy! Outside?”

Bear looked at Luke, then hurried after Sam. Luke rolled to his side, sleep pulling him down, his eyes drifting shut. But he couldn’t sleep until he heard the click of Bear’s nails on the kitchen tiles. This was the punk’s chance to prove to him she’d changed.

The problem was, he had a feeling he’d regret it.