Chapter 27

Ivan

I snortedwhen I saw the clothes strewn across the floor.

There was no mistaking the red and black checkered button-down shirt Connor had been wearing. Or Effie's green dress.

Holy shit.

Had they… I couldn't even wrap my head around the gorgeous young woman wanting to sleep with shy, awkward Connor. I'd been grateful she wanted to talk hockey with him. There had been zero expectations of sex. I would've been happy if it gave him even a smidgeon of confidence.

"Holy shit," Chey breathed, her eyes wide. "Did they…"

"I mean, unless this was her undressing him on the way to the bathroom to puke. And somehow, I don't think she's strong enough to carry him."

"And she doesn't drink, so he wouldn't have been carrying her."

Our eyes met and we tried to hide our laughter.

"I swear to god, you two." Effie came out of the bedroom in a bathrobe. "If you wake him up and he hears you laughing, it's going to undo everything I spent all night doing!"

"I don't think you can undo that," Chey whispered through her giggles.

Effie rolled her eyes. "Look, you gave me a job. I think I did it pretty damn well. Don't you dare do anything to embarrass him."

"Sex was never part of the plan!" Chey whispered.

"No, but an excellent bonus for both of us." Effie wiggled her eyebrows playfully.

"Effie? Who're you talking to?" Connor came out of the guest room looking rumpled and sleepy, as naked as the day he was born.

"Jesus, Connor," I muttered.

Chey averted her eyes, quickly skirting around him and down the hall to her room. "Morning, Connor! I'm just picking up a few things and we're out of here."

"Put some pants on," Effie told him, leaning up to kiss him.

"Uh, yeah." Connor looked around, realized his pants were somewhere in the living room, and walked over to grab them.

I was equal parts proud and mortified.

I hadn't meant for this to happen.

I'd just wanted him to find his footing with dating and show him that it wasn't as scary as he thought it was. Apparently, he'd taken the opportunity and run with it.

Good for him.

If it helped with his confidence on the ice, I'd be all for that.

"OK, let's go." Chey came out of the bedroom with her bag and handed it to me.

I followed her into the kitchen where she pulled an intricately designed wooden board from the refrigerator and set it on the counter before picking up a beautiful bouquet of flowers.

"What should I carry?" I asked her. "The flowers or the food?"

"Uh, the food. I'm going to keep the flowers in my lap on the drive."

"Okay. You ready?"

"More than ready." She nodded and we called hasty goodbyes as we headed out.

"Well, that was fun," I said, laughing as we got settled in my SUV.

"I never told her to sleep with him!" she said.

"Maybe they actually like each other," I suggested.

"I hope so. She's sweet, but I don't know her that well. It could very well be rebound sex since she just broke up with her boyfriend."

"Rebound sex is okay for his first time."

"Look, they're both adults. He'll be nineteen in a couple of months, and she just turned twenty. She had a huge birthday party in New York City a month or so ago."

"When's your birthday?" I asked, realizing I didn't know when it was.

"Oh, it was in August. When's yours?"

"March."

"And you're turning twenty-nine?"

"Yeah." I glanced over at her, and she had an odd look on her face. "What's wrong? Is that old for you?"

She shook her head. "No, silly. Just wondering if you're planning anything special to kick off the last year of your twenties?"

"Anything that falls during hockey season doesn't get special plans."

"Well, we could celebrate the day before or after, depending on where you are and what's going on."

"I don't need big parties," I said. "It's just another day."

She smiled. "One of many things I love about you."

"What's that?"

"How easy everything is. How you take everything in stride and go with the flow. You don't care about who I can introduce you to or what parties I can take you to. You just like… me."

"Well, yeah. Of course, I like you. Why else would I be here? The sex is fantastic, and I don't mean to minimize what we share, but I'm sure we've both had good sex before. There's more to us than sex."

"There is." It looked like she wanted to say more, but we'd just arrived at her parents' house, and she sighed. "Well, here goes nothing."

"Don't stress," I said quietly. "I'll always have your back. And remember, bodyguard school is a great start for your brother. That should get them off your back for at least six months, maybe longer if we find a tough, intensive program. Because you're right—if he's going to be your driver, he has to be able to protect you as well as drive you from place to place."

She smiled. "Thank you for the reminder. And I appreciate you, Ivan."

Well, that was disappointing.

I wasn't sure how I felt about her appreciating me.

Had I been expecting her to tell me she loved me?

In a way, I had.

And I didn't understand it.

* * *

Chey's family was nice,if not completely shocked that she'd not just brought a guest but introduced me as her boyfriend. There had been a few photos of us online, and a little speculation, but we'd somehow managed to stay under the radar. Her well-known friendship with Harper probably explained her presence at Phantoms games, and my friendship with Gabe undoubtedly gave us reasons to be together in public.

Whatever it was, her parents hadn't known, and while I understood that Chey was on the outs with her family right now, it still kind of hurt. I talked about her to my mother every time we spoke, which was at least once a week, and I couldn't wait for them to meet at Christmas.

Chey treated this like it was no big deal and it was another reminder that she most likely didn't feel what I felt.

I was so fucking confused but that ended today.

When we left tonight, we were going to sit down and talk.

I could be okay with casual if I was prepared, but I honestly didn't know how we could move forward as a couple if we weren't going to take the next steps. I'd already lived through a one-sided relationship, and I wasn't willing to do it again.

"Chey, set another place at the table," her mother said, frowning. "Why didn't you warn me you were bringing someone?"

"I'm sorry," Chey said contritely. "It's been a busy couple of weeks."

"So, you're a pro hockey player?" Wyatt handed me a bottle of beer. "That's pretty cool. I don't think I've ever met any pro athletes."

"Well, now you have." I smiled.

"Did you always want to play hockey?"

"Well, my father was a pro, so as his only son at the time, there was never any question of whether I would play, only at what level."

"That's awesome. I don't think there's been anything I've wanted to do like that, something I've always known was for me."

"Well, I hear you're considering bodyguard school."

"I am?" He looked confused for a moment, glancing over at Chey. "I mean, yeah, we talked about it, but I didn't think it was on the table."

"If you want to go, and you take it seriously, I'm willing to pay for it," Chey told him.

"You will?" He looked surprised.

"Wyatt, you're my brother. I want what's best for you, but I also have to worry about my safety. You don't see how much danger I'm in sometimes because I have a strong team to protect me. If you're going to be part of it, you have to have training. Hardcore, serious training. If you can get through whatever program we pick out, then I'll hire you."

"Holy shit, that's awesome!" He threw his arms around her, obviously catching her by surprise, and she hesitated a moment before hugging him back. "Thank you. I won't let you down. I mean it."

"You're welcome." She watched him run to go text someone and her eyes met mine. "Thank you," she mouthed.

I gave her a small nod.

The men, which included her father, Wyatt, and a couple of teenagers who were introduced as cousins, were all watching football, and I opted to join them. I was more of a baseball fan, but football was somehow expected so I'd learned to enjoy it in small doses. It was a big deal on Thanksgiving, and I settled in a chair as we watched.

"That's the way!" Wyatt yelled as the team he was rooting for scored a touchdown. "What'd I tell you?"

"Dammit." His father, Glen, took a ten-dollar bill out of his wallet and handed it to him. "How do you always do this?"

"You bet on each time they score?" I asked curiously.

"I've been able to guess which team would score first, and in which quarter, for years," Wyatt said, laughing. "Now they're making me put money on it."

"Wow, that's pretty impressive."

"Don't encourage them!" Chey called out, coming into the living room with a tray of something that smelled good. "Anyone hungry?"

We all descended on the dish, devouring the little jalapeno appetizers and I watched in amusement at the family dynamic playing out. They were a lot more traditional than I would have anticipated, considering how independent Chey was, but she obligingly hung out in the kitchen with the other women while us guys stayed in the living room.

My mother hadn't even done that when I'd been living in Russia, so it was odd to see it in play with Chey's family, and after about an hour, I went looking for her.

She was on the back patio with her mother and one of the cousins, and I had to pause when I heard my name.

"… didn't tell us about Ivan!"

"It's not like you show any interest in my life beyond my career," Chey replied in a testy voice. "If it's not about money, you're not interested."

Yikes.

She'd never mentioned money issues within the family.

"That's not true!" her mother protested. "But you're always so busy, and anyway, you've been very clear that you're not interested in getting serious with anyone, so I stopped asking after Kingston."

Kingston Knight.

The lead singer of the platinum-selling rock band Onyx Knight.

Chey's ex.

Whom she was still friends with.

I wasn't jealous or worried she might get back with him—he was involved with someone else now and he and Chey seemed to have stayed on friendly terms—but he was the type of guy she should be dating. Wealthy. As successful in his field as she was in hers. Someone who made just as much money as she did, if not more.

I made a more than respectable living, but it wasn't anywhere near what Kingston made. Or Chey, for that matter. We hadn't discussed finances specifically, but after my recent conversation with Gabe, that was something else we would probably have to discuss tonight.

I was just about to call to Chey when my phone rang and my Aunt Gayle's number flashed on the screen.

That was odd.

I rarely spoke on the phone to my mother's oldest sister.

I picked up right away. "Aunt Gayle. Happy Thanksgiving."

"Ivan." Her voice sounded strained

"What's wrong?" I asked quickly.

"It's your mom. You need to come to Buffalo. Today, if possible."