Chapter 20

Twenty

Rowan

I jog down the steps, out of the security gate, and into Peeper's Alley. Conor isn't anywhere that I can see, so I stop at the bar to ask Ruby where he's at.

"Back room," she says before I have a chance to even open my mouth. "Where's my girl?"

"She didn't want to come," I say and turn toward the back room, not interested in getting any shit from her. I asked Leigh, she didn't want to come. End of story.

Conor sits alone at the big, round table in the room that's always reserved for us and has a television to watch the games. Ruby set this up for the Grizzlies years ago, and us Falcons have taken it over as our own to get away from any fans, a.k.a. puck bunnies, who might come in looking for us.

"Pinkie," I say, patting him on the shoulder when I approach.

He turns with his beer in his hand, then he slides out of his chair and shakes my hand, pulling me in for a hug. "It's been too long."

Though we haven't been close in recent years, I can tell he's still the same guy who was my closest friend in college. The cocky dark-haired guy all the girls loved. He'd show up anywhere from class to a party and be surrounded. Sure, a lot of us would, but Conor had this way with the ladies that made him seem older, more confident. The girls just swooned over the guy. He still has the calm "take life as it comes" demeanor about him.

I sit down in the chair, and Ruby brings me my drink, setting it in front of me. "If you would've stayed for a second, I wouldn't have had to walk all the way over here." She puts her hand on Conor's shoulder. "Need another one, sweetie?"

What the hell?

"I'm good with this one for now. Thanks, Rubes."

Conor's ability to already shorten her name—which she's not a fan of unless you know her well—just confirms my earlier thoughts. The man wins over everyone.

"Thanks, Ruby," I say before she can leave the room.

"Uh-huh," she says under her breath.

Okay then. I guess I'm the asshole today.

"This place is great." He sips his beer. "I wish you had a fourth unit here. I'd move here in a heartbeat."

I nod. I have a second bedroom, but I'm a little old for a roommate. Unfortunately, the first thing my mind goes to is how I could possibly fuck Leigh all over my condo with a roommate? "It's a good setup."

"Kale's got a hookup, but it's not ready for a couple weeks. I might buy something anyway."

"What about your parents? Could you stay there until it's ready?"

He shrugs and gulps down his beer. Once he rests it on the table, he stares at the television for a beat. "That's not an option, and my sister only has a one-bedroom."

"You have a sister who lives here too?"

He side-eyes me. "You don't remember Ky?" He looks at the ceiling. "I guess she was pretty young when we were in college, right? Think you only met her a handful of times. But yeah, I could crash on her couch if I really had to, but I won't fit on it. Not to mention it's hard to bring women home to my sister's place. Probably gonna be a hotel."

"Where are your parents at?" I ask, assuming they're in the suburbs somewhere.

"They're in the city, but not around here." He sits up straight, holding his beer mug between his hands and staring inside it. "Things are rocky."

"Really?"

From what I always knew of Conor's family, it was perfect. I was jealous of the relationship he had with his parents. Care packages would always arrive, and he'd be on the phone with them a lot. My mom tried to come see me at college a few times, but it was always hard for her to get off work. Eventually, she never mentioned it, and I got used to being alone during parents' weekends. So to hear things are rocky with his parents is a real surprise.

"My sister found out my mom is cheating on my dad. Like witnessed her and the other guy making out in my mom's office."

Fuck. That sucks.

"I'm sorry, man."

He nods and tips his beer back. "Yeah, well, my sister doesn't handle things like this very well, so she's an emotional mess, and my mom is trying to act like she didn't get caught and is just ignoring it. My dad is presently in the dark, so coming back to Chicago is nice, but not what I thought it would be. At least I can be here for my sister through this shitty time."

I tip my drink back, unsure what to say.

I mean, I had a shit childhood, one that still torments me and threatens to ruin any happiness I try to obtain, but it was that way from birth. I never knew any different. Finding out in adulthood that your family isn't the perfect one you always envisioned has to be a hard pill to swallow.

"I'm sure she'll appreciate you being here."

He chuckles. "So much so she told me she was busy this afternoon and that she'd catch me tomorrow morning. We're going to check out a lead on a place Jagger gave me, and if I don't like it, we're going to see a few other places."

"These trades are such short notice. I'm sure she's got stuff to do."

"I guess, but so far you're the only one who seems excited to have me."

"I can call Tweetie. He's hyped to have you on the team. Hell, I'm excited to be back on the same team as you." I finish my drink. I was going to call Henry and Tweetie last night, ask them to join us, but I think Conor needs some time not having to be on for everyone. "And if the apartment thing falls through, you can always crash at a hotel for a bit."

He groans. "Just the thought of spending every night in a hotel—reminds me of being on the road. But I'm happy to be back in Chicago regardless of all the shit going on. We're going to have a killer line."

"I wish I had something to make you feel better about the situation with your family, man."

He cracks his neck and looks at the television. "It's okay. It's just hard. I put on a brave face for my sister, but I don't know… I thought they were happy these days. It feels like everything I believed was bullshit. Plus, what does this mean for the future? Separate holidays and shit?"

I continue to listen, not having any advice to give him and wishing I had some wisdom like those quotes you see on social media or billboards. Something to make him feel better and give him hope it will all work out.

"It's good to be back with you. You always were such a rock for me." He finishes his beer.

"I'm not sure I remember it that way." He was the closest thing I had to family in college, a time I felt so alone. He was the one who was always there for me.

"You always had all your shit together."

I laugh. "No, I didn't. And I don't know. I mean there's this wo—" I stop talking because I'm not going to make it about myself tonight. I'm not even sure how to describe what's going on with Leigh and me. Eventually, I need to talk to someone about her.

"You losing your bachelor card?"

"Fuck no," I say. I'm not lying, but also, I'm skimming the truth. If Leigh wanted something more, I'm not sure I would say no, and that's a step I've never taken. Thinking about it makes my heart pound like my first game in the league.

He stares at me long and hard. "You cannot get all serious with someone right as I come into town. We're going to relive those college days. Between you, me, and Tweetie, we'll own the clubs."

I refrain from agreeing or saying no, instead pushing the topic to something else. "How was living in Florida?"

It's a lame question, but I don't want us to venture into a conversation about what our nights will look like. Right now, it's great being with Conor, but I wish Leigh was right next to me, or better yet, on my lap.

He tells me about Florida and how he's going to have to get used to the Chicago winters again. We talk about some bullshit topics, and Ruby gets us each another drink. By the time we call it quits, and we're walking out of Peeper's Alley, I realize having Conor back as a teammate makes Chicago feel more like home.