I wake up with Tyler’s body wrapped around me, and I smile even before opening my eyes. I can tell by his breathing that he’s still asleep, so I turn in his arms and drop my mouth to his neck.
He doesn’t shave during away games, one of those weird superstition things, I think, so depending on how long he’s gone, he always comes back with a varying degree of facial hair somewhere between sexy stubble to the beginnings of a beard.
I have no idea what time he got in last night or this morning, and I should let him sleep but I’ve missed him so much and I have to go pick up Everly soon.
I press my body tighter against him and suck lightly on the warm skin just above his collarbone. In a flash, he has me pinned underneath him. A sexy, sleepy grin pulls at his mouth.
“Morning, baby.” His voice is thick. “Miss me?”
“Yes.” I run my hands up his chest. “I had a whole ‘shove you into the corner of the bar and have my wicked way with you’ thing planned last night.”
A look that I can only describe as guilt crosses his face. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” I say with a light laugh. “Heather drank too much, and I ended up holding her hair back for an hour in the bathroom.”
The playful and sexy glint still doesn’t return to his eyes.
“I could shove you into the corner of the shower instead.”
He nods and we get up and head to the bathroom. We strip out of our clothes and step into the warm water.
“What time did you get home?” I ask.
“Around seven.”
“You have to be exhausted. Do you have the day off?”
“Yeah, but I need to go to the realtor’s office to sign some stuff for the house. What time is Everly coming home?”
“I’m supposed to pick her up at eleven. She and Declan are doing another practice drive before her test on Monday.”
“Oh shit.” He rubs body wash all over himself. “I forgot.”
I lather up myself and then run my hands along his sudsy body. “That’s okay. You don’t need to do anything but pick her up and take her.”
He nods and lets out a slow breath.
After showering with my best sexy, cheer-up seduction, Tyler leaves looking a smidge happier. I know everything that’s going on is wearing on him. Even Ash, who always seems to be peppy and upbeat, is quieter when I get back with Everly.
She goes up to her room, but I go to the kitchen where Ash is pouring a cup of coffee.
“Long night?” I ask, reaching for a mug.
He pours my coffee before answering. “Long month.”
“Is it always like this?”
“What do you mean?” He leans against the counter and takes a sip from his mug.
“I’m not even sure how to describe it. You all just seem extra stressed lately.”
“Final months of the season are a push. We’re playing so inconsistently I think it has us all on edge more than normal.” He stares at me for a beat. “It’s his first year. It would be stressful even if everything else in his life were going perfectly.”
“I just want to take some of that weight off him, but I think I accidentally added to it last night.”
His brows pull together in question, so I tell him about how Tyler was supposed to meet up with me after they got back last night.
“That shit happens all the time. Not that exact scenario, but something in our schedule is always changing. He’s going to have to get used to that. So will you.”
He says the last part as Tyler is coming in from the garage.
“Hey.” Ash tips his head to him. “Are you officially a homeowner yet?”
“Closing is tomorrow.” Tyler looks at me. “Ev home?”
“Yeah, she’s upstairs.”
“Cool. I asked Declan if I could take her for her final practice drive.”
“Oh, okay. Do you want me to come?”
“No.” He shakes his head. “Take the day off.”
He blazes past me to make a protein drink, and I stand there trying to decide if he’s being considerate or pushing me away.
Everly gets her license Monday and that night a bunch of us go to Jack’s for a little mini celebration. Ash, Declan, and Jack are teaching Everly how to play poker while Tyler and I sit on the couch with Scarlett and Leo.
Tyler has one arm thrown around behind me and a beer in hand, but he’s barely drinking. He’s barely speaking, too.
Scarlett is on the other side of me. Leo’s holding the hand closest to him, his thumb gliding over the diamond on her left finger as he watches her so adoringly.
“I can’t believe you’re going to be moving,” Scarlett whines. “I love having you across the street.”
“We won’t be that far away.” I lean back a little more against Tyler at the same time he sits up.
“I’m gonna check on Everly,” he says, but he goes toward the kitchen instead of where I can see his sister sitting in the dining room.
Scarlett doesn’t comment on his sudden departure, and I excuse myself to go after him.
He’s in the kitchen, both hands braced on the counter. He looks up when I enter.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m sorry. I’m shit company tonight.”
“It’s fine. What’s going on?”
He works his jaw back and forth. “I didn’t sign on the house today. I’m not sure it’s the right time. I asked Jack to give me a couple days.”
“Okay.”
“That’s not all.” A muscle in his cheek flexes. “I talked to my mom today. No, actually I yelled at her. Or her voicemail, anyway.”
“Oh.” I go to him.
He pushes off the counter and stands beside me, body brushing against my side. “Everly told me today she hasn’t talked to her in weeks.”
“You thought they were still in touch?”
“I know it’s been spotty, but I didn’t realize she’d just gone silent,” he says as he rakes a hand through his hair. “I don’t get it. I mean, when I left home, it was different. I was staying with another family, and I didn’t run off because I was getting into trouble at school.” He shakes his head. “She just doesn’t care. Not about me and not about Everly. What the hell is wrong with us?”
“Nothing.” I wrap my arms around him as my heart breaks for him. “This is about her. You are amazing. So is Everly.”
I squeeze tighter and he drops a quick kiss to the top of my head. “We have a couple of days off next week. I’m going to take Everly to visit her top college choices.”
“Oh, that’s great. She’ll love that.” I tip my head back to look at him and then lift onto my toes to place a kiss on his lips. “You’re a good man and a great brother.”
He hums. “Today, maybe, but ninety percent of the time I just feel like I’m a bad substitute for the parent she deserves.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself.”
“I’m always letting you or Everly down. Most of the time I’m not any more reliable than my mother.”
“Hey.” I smack him playfully. “It isn’t the same.”
“It isn’t?” he asks. “I’m gone half the time, and even when I’m here, I can barely find time to do stuff with her or you.”
“The difference is that we feel your presence even when you’re not here.”
“Is that really enough?”
“I love you, Tyler. That includes all the things that make up who you are, your insane hockey schedule, and the fact you’re basically raising your younger sister. So, yes, it’s enough. You’re enough.” I pour every bit of emotion I can into the words, but if they soothe him, I can’t tell.
He doesn’t say anything back, but he wraps himself around me, like he seems to be doing more and more lately. Like I’m the anchor holding him steady.
