9. Jenner

Chapter 9

Jenner

Evie was quiet on our ride back to the house. I couldn't be sure if it was because Bristol's singing had damaged her hearing or if she had something else on her mind.

She was sitting right beside me, but she'd never felt further away.

Parking in the garage, she bolted from the car before I had a chance to open her door. Seeing her flee from me triggered something deep within my soul, so I quickened my steps to chase after her.

I couldn't lose her again—not when I'd just gotten her back.

"Evie?" I called out when I saw her take a detour into the kitchen.

Rounding the corner, I found her hidden behind the door of the stainless steel fridge. She closed it, bringing a glass of water to her lips and drinking greedily.

I couldn't deny that watching her throat muscles work on the swallow had all my blood rushing south. I knew exactly what that throat was capable of.

My voice was gravelly when I spoke again. "Are you okay?"

Setting the now empty glass on the island, she folded her arms over her chest. "Why didn't you tell me you were the captain?"

That's what she's upset about?

"It happened while you were gone. I didn't think you'd care."

Hurt flickered over her features, and it gutted me. Every cell in my body screamed for me to close the distance between us and pull her into my arms to tell her how much I still loved her, but I held myself in check, not wanting to scare her away.

"Of course I care," she said, her voice whisper-soft. "It's a big deal, Jenner. You've worked hard and earned it."

I shrugged. "It's bittersweet knowing my best friend had to be knocked out of the game due to injury for me to ‘earn' it."

Evie sighed, nodding. "I suppose. But I bet he sure loves bossing you around."

That had a chuckle breaking free from my chest. "Boy, does he ever."

"A little warning would've been nice, you know. I walked into that suite tonight, having no clue I was expected to be their leader."

I scanned her face, searching for any hints as to whether she wanted to take on that role.

"It's fine. Dakota handles most things with Braxton being the alternate captain." Which was what Evie had done when Maddox was our unmarried captain. "She's got lots of support since her sister-in-law is the wife of the Comets' captain. Bristol helps out when she's in town too, but can only do so much as she travels with the team. There's not a veteran wife up there if you haven't noticed."

Evie cocked her hip, and I bit back a smile as I braced for her signature sass.

"Oh, I noticed. But what you fail to realize, Jenner, is that I am the veteran wife."

I almost couldn't believe my ears, and I needed to hear her confirm what I thought she was saying.

"You want to take on those duties? To get more involved with the team and their families?"

"Isn't that what everyone would expect from me? Plus, it'll give me something to do. I can't just sit around here all the time."

Nodding, I replied, "If it makes you happy, I don't think Dakota will have any problem handing over the reins to you. She might even thank you for it, seeing as it'll give her more free time to write."

A tiny smirk curved on her lips, betraying that Dakota's status as a best-selling romance author had come up at some point during the evening.

"Make sure you get her my number, will you? I'm off to bed."

She stepped toward me, but as she walked past where I stood, I snagged her wrist, and she halted, turning her head to look at me in question.

"Thanks for coming tonight. It means a lot."

Evie ducked her head. "I did what I had to do."

And just like that, any hope that we were making progress died. She'd made it crystal clear that every action was aimed at bringing her closer to her ultimate goal.

I was simply a means to an end.

A clap of thunder boomed, shaking the house, but that wasn't what woke me from a dead sleep. No, it was the near-silent unlatching of my bedroom door.

Only one other person was in the house, and I knew exactly why she would venture into my room tonight, of all nights.

Evie was terrified of thunderstorms.

And she had good reason to be afraid. She'd grown up in Tornado Alley. Every year, there were devastating tornados that had the ability to tear entire towns apart.

Indiana, being flat, was not without the same risks, though the frequency was far less. I could count on one hand the number of times I'd heard a warning siren in my eleven years living here.

Her quiet footsteps were barely audible over the torrential downpour outside hammering on the glass windows surrounding the room. They paused when she neared the side of my king-size bed.

I held my breath, waiting for her next move.

When she simply stood there, I decided to go for broke and flipped back the covers in invitation. I would never turn her away. She had to know that by now.

The mattress dipped beneath her weight as she laid down beside me. I could feel the vibrations of her trembling, so I trusted my gut and looped my arm around her waist, pulling her closer until her back was flush with my chest.

I didn't even care that her hair was in my face as I breathed in her scent. Having her in my arms again was a dream I never thought would come true. We fit so perfectly together. I only wished she could see that, too.

"Storm?" I asked, voice roughened by sleep.

"Mmhmm."

Bold under the cover of night, I kissed the back of her head, promising, "You're safe, Evie. I've got you."

The tremors racking her body slowly eased, and her form grew lax against mine. Her soft breathing was music to my ears, lulling me to sleep.

And for just a moment, I could pretend that in the morning, she wouldn't push me away again.

My wife was an angel, and no one could convince me otherwise.

Golden hair fanned out on the pillow like a halo around her head. Rosebud lips were parted as air rushed past them with each deep breath. Facial features were relaxed in sleep, devoid of any pain or worry that had marred her beautiful face over the years.

Evie hadn't stirred when my alarm went off, or when I'd crawled out of bed. Who knows how long she'd laid awake before gathering the courage to sneak into my room for comfort. It killed me to think of her scared and suffering alone during the years she'd been gone.

I wanted to protect her from everything, but I had learned the hard way that that was an impossible task. At the very least, I'd been able to be there for her last night when she needed me.

Wanting to give her as much time to rest as possible, I showered and dressed before sitting on the side of the bed and nudging her shoulder.

"Mmph." With that, she turned over, burying her face in the pillow.

"Evie, you gotta get up, honey."

"So tired," came her muffled reply.

"I know." I dared to stroke her hair. "Tell me where your keys are, and I'll get a ride to the rink and drive your car home."

She rolled over, and I watched as the realization of where she was—in my mind, where she belonged—dawned on her face. In my bed.

Both hands flew up to cover her face, and she groaned. "Sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about."

Evie scoffed. "I'm a thirty-one-year-old woman afraid of storms."

"Your fears are justified, given where you grew up. Everyone has something they're afraid of."

"I'm not a child anymore, Jenner."

"I wasn't aware the impact of past trauma had an age limit." A thought struck me, and I offered, "Would you believe me if I told you Bristol is deathly afraid of flying?"

Her eyebrows rose. "But doesn't she travel with the team?"

"Yep." I nodded. "First time she flew with us, she had a severe panic attack. It was so bad that she inflicted harm on herself. Damn near scared Maddox half to death, and they weren't even officially together yet. I guess she grew up near an airport, and there was a fatal crash near her house when she was a child. She's learned to cope, but it's still not easy for her."

Evie's eyes were as large as saucers. "Wow."

"As much as I'd love to stay and chat more, I do need to head to the rink. Just point me in the direction of your keys."

She began to slide out of bed. "I'll get up and take you."

I held up my hand. "Stay. It's no trouble."

Leveling me with a glare, she shot back, "Either way, I'm invading your private space. I'll head back to my room, if that's all right with you."

Standing, I nodded. "As you wish. But since you're already in here, please help yourself to anything in the closet. You'll find that it's exactly as you left it."

Her eyes darted to the closed door of what had formerly been our shared walk-in closet. I wondered if she was thinking the same thing I was—that it had been the last place we'd spoken to each other before she left.

"I suppose I should go through it and bag everything up to be donated. Nothing in there likely fits me anymore."

Before I could stop myself, I said, "I've noticed."

Head snapping up, she assessed me for a moment. Couldn't she see how much I loved her in any way, shape, or form? She was my soulmate, my perfect match. Fuck that cruel twist of fate that had ripped us apart.

Dropping a chaste kiss on her forehead, I headed for the door. "I'll be back later to pack."

Slipping into the backseat of the rideshare I ordered, I couldn't tell if we were making progress or if I was fucking it all up.

Only time would tell.

Asher Lawson, the left wing to my right wing on the starting forward line, plopped down beside where I sat at my stall in the locker room, lacing up my skates before practice.

"Dude. Evie's back?"

Asher was one of the few guys on the current team who had been around when I was married to Evie, so I wasn't surprised that her reappearance came as a shock to him.

Pulling the laces as tight as they would go, I began tying the knot. "Yeah."

He let out a heavy breath. "I almost didn't believe Tessa last night when she couldn't stop raving about a woman in the suite who was an absolute godsend while trying to deal with both kids alone at a game for the first time. I'd thought the sleep deprivation had finally gotten to her, but she was adamant it was your wife. When I asked what her new BFF looked like, she described Evie perfectly. Not too many blondes with purple eyes walking around the family box at the arena."

It didn't surprise me that Evie would gravitate to Asher's young family. I could only imagine her picturing herself in Tessa's shoes, wrangling two little ones.

Asher whipped out his phone. "I'm supposed to get Evie's number for her. She said something about going on park dates or something with the kids? Lord knows Tessa could use the company. She's struggling with being home so much since Bailey was born."

I took the offered phone and typed in Evie's cell number before handing it back. "How are you guys adjusting to two under two?"

"Not gonna lie. It's been rough. Timing wasn't great."

"You getting enough sleep?" I couldn't help but notice the dark circles under his eyes, though I hadn't noticed any dip in his performance during the game last night.

He shrugged. "Enough. I know some guys leave it all to their wives during the night, especially during the season, but she did all the heavy lifting with the pregnancy and birth. It doesn't feel right not to help out."

I clapped my teammate on the back. "You're a good man, Asher." I stopped just short of saying that I hoped I would have the chance to be as supportive of a parenting partner if that day ever came.

Braxton walked in, dropping onto the seat on my other side to remove his street shoes before gearing up.

"Hey." I nudged him. "Can you have Dakota add Evie to the WAG text chain if I send you her number?"

"Sure." He stood to strip down to his base layer. "I'm surprised Dakota didn't ask for it herself. The way she was talking this morning, Evie is the newest member of the Indy Speed chapter of the girl gang."

My brows drew down. "What the hell is a girl gang?"

Braxton rolled his eyes, but the smile never left his face. "It was something they had in Connecticut. My sister-in-law's girlfriends and the core Comets' significant others. Since the move, Dakota and Bristol are honorary members, but I think they're trying to recreate it here in Indy."

Asher practically leaned his entire upper body over my lap. "Hey, can Tessa get in on that?"

"Don't see why not." Braxton shrugged.

Maddox stepped into the locker room, dressed in his Speed-branded tracksuit, already wearing his skates. He took one look at us, only partially geared up, and barked, "Social hour is over, boys. You have ten minutes to hit the ice, or you're skating suicides."

Nothing could light a fire under a hockey player's ass faster than that threat, and we all zipped our lips and rushed to finish getting ready for practice.

By the time I walked in the door, I had less than ninety minutes to pack and turn it around before I needed to leave for the airport. Thankfully, our first road trip was short—two games over three days—and I was an expert at grabbing only what was necessary.

Every year, we had fun razzing the rookies who showed up with a giant suitcase like they were packing for a week-long tropical vacation. It didn't matter that we'd all been in their shoes once; we had earned the right to bust the balls of the new guys.

I found Evie perched on a stool at the kitchen island with a book in her hands. She placed it face down on the countertop and raised an eyebrow at me.

A chill rolled down my spine, and I held my hands up in surrender. "Whatever I did wrong, I just want to say I'm sorry."

A smile tugged at her lips before she tapped a finger on the book. "Hockey smut? Really, Jenner?" Before I could respond, she continued, "I mean, I get it. You guys are like unwrapping a Christmas gift. The prize is hidden beneath all that bulky gear."

When she stopped, I waited a moment to make sure she was done before replying, "While I don't disagree with you, I'd be mindful of using the S-word in front of Dakota."

"What? Sex?"

I shook my head. "Smut."

A look of confusion filled her face. "Why?"

Directing a pointed look at the paperback, I explained, "That's one of hers."

Evie picked up the book, scanning the cover before turning it to face me. "No, it's not. See? It's written by someone named D.D. Morgan."

"She writes under a pen name."

Eyes widening, she gripped the book tighter. "Hush your mouth, Jenner Knight, and stop messing with me right this minute."

"Swear to God." I made a crossing gesture over my heart.

"Well, damn." A breath flew past her lips, and she opened the book again, flipping through the pages. "Now I have questions."

That had me rearing back. "What kind of questions?"

"Whether she's writing from real-life experience or not. Because, good Lord, sex in the penalty box? I'm walking a fine line of jealousy over here."

That book had been Dakota's big break, and that particular scene had threatened to break the internet. Neither one would confirm or deny that it was written about the two of them, but the smirk on Braxton's face when it was mentioned said it all. They'd most definitely christened the sin bin at Comets Arena.

When I simply shrugged, Evie shook her head, a wistful smile on her face. "Oh, to be young again."

She might be lamenting the loss of how wild and reckless we'd been in our younger years, but I was itching to discover what a mature relationship with my wife might look like.