A Hockey Player's Proposal (Oh Captain, My Captain #2) (12 page)

“Well, thank you.” I’m not sure how it’s going to feel to have Bradley near me all the time, but we need Jessica out of the picture and until that happens, he’s here. I do know one thing for sure. I already feel safer.

Brody

I sit on the bench and look out at the ice. Practice is over, but I can’t seem to leave the rink. I think about the past month and all that has happen. Buying a house, dumping Jessica, and now being stalked by her. I think about Selene. The way her dark hair spreads out on the pillow when I lay next to her. The way she cuddles with me on the couch. The way her dark eyes sparkle right before we have sex. The way her laugh makes me smile. I love everything about her.

Love.

There it is again. The word that I thought I would never say to anyone. The only kind of love I have ever felt is the love of hockey. Being on the ice is what I love. Until now.

“I figured you were still here.” I look up to see Kris walking over to me on the bench. “You shouldn’t be alone until your stalker is taken care of.”

“Do you really think my stalker traveled all the way to Boston?”

“Did your stalker show up at your girlfriend’s house and go bat-shit crazy?”

I chuckle. “Good point.”

Kris sits down next to me. “What are you thinking about, Meatball?”

I look at Kris and debate if I should tell him that I’m sitting here, thinking about love. “I need to ask you something.”

“Alright.”

“You can’t laugh.”

“Okay.”

I clear my throat and shift on the bench. “When did you fall in love with your wife?”

“That’s easy. I fell in love with her on her doorstep the very first time I kissed her. I knew that moment that she was for me and there wouldn’t be anyone else.”

I look back out to the ice as his words sink in. I think about Selene, our first kiss, and all my feelings.

“Why are you asking?” I don’t answer him right away. “Brody?” he pushes.

“The other night when Jessica showed up and began to ramble on how much she loves me, I blurted out that I love Selene. Now, I’m sitting here in a fucking ice rink, thinking about how much I do love her. It’s killing me that I’m not with her, especially with all this shit that is going on. I know I sound like a damn girl, but I do. I love Selene.”

“So, is loving someone a bad thing?” he asks, sounding confused.

“No, but I didn’t plan on ever falling in love again. I had a bad relationship and I don’t want to get hurt again,” I say quietly.

“Brody, I’m going to say this to you because I think you need to hear it.” I look up at Kris. “Shut the hell up!” He shouts so loudly that it echoes through the arena.

“What?”

“Everyone has bad relationships. Everyone. The point of the bad ones is to show you when the right one comes along. I’ve never seen you this happy since I’ve known you. When we were at that dinner your face lit up every time Selene said something. It was a little nauseating, actually. Forget about that relationship and focus on Selene.”

I stare at Kris in disbelief. Not because he was so abrupt, but because he’s right. Why am I focusing on everything but Selene?

“Thank you, Kris.” I’m glad that he said that to me. He’s right.

“You’re welcome, Meatball. Now, let’s get back to the hotel and grab some food.” He slaps me on the back, gets up, and walks away from me. I look out at the ice again before I follow him.

I had a good dinner with the team, and for the first time, I didn’t feel so stressed out by everything. It’s nice, and I feel better. After I say goodnight to the team, I go up to my room. I want to call Selene, privately, and see how her day went today. With Bradley there, I’m sure it was okay.

“Hey, I figured that you would be hanging out with the team?” Selene voice instantly brings a smile to my face.

“Not yet. I wanted to call you first and see how you were.”

“I’m good. I have your mirror image following me around like I’m some Hollywood celebrity. All I need is some paparazzi, and I’ll be on the front of a magazine in no time.” She giggles.

I love that sound, and I’m glad that she’s okay. “We might look similar, but I’m better looking.”

She sighs a little. “I don’t know, Bradley seems to have the edge on that. Plus, he is older, and I do like older men.”

“Three minutes. That’s it. It’s only three minutes that he’s older than me.” I grind my teeth at her.

She laughs loudly. “I’m joking, Brody. Listen, everything is fine. No crazy bitches or stalkers coming around. My day was uneventful. Bradley, Allison, and I are heading out for dinner in a little bit.”

A ping of jealousy races through me. It’s not because of my brother, but because I want to be there with her. “I miss you, Selene,” I say before I can stop myself.

“I miss you too, Brody, but you will be home in a couple of days, and we can have some alone time,” she adds softly.

“Hmm, I can’t wait. I’ll talk to you soon.” She tells me the same thing, and I lay back on the bed when I hang up.

I’m relieved that nothing has happened to her today. Maybe everything is working out, and Jessica got the hint. I look at my phone and realize the game is a few hours away, and we need to get ready. I jump up and hit the shower. When I’m done, I get my suit on and meet up with the rest of the team.

The game was rough, but not as bad as I thought it was going to be. I’m a little surprised that we won, but Kris is good at last minute goals. After several media reports and numerous questions about my absence, I’m back on the bus. Of course, everyone’s happy, laughing, and joking on the bus. Normally, I would yell at the rookies for being overly loud, but not tonight. Let them have their fun.

I pull my phone from my pocket, and I see two missed calls from my lawyer. Why is he calling? My heart speeds up a little. Is something wrong? Is Selene okay? I send a quick text to Bradley.

Me: Everyone ok?

Bradley: All good here. You ok?

Me: Yep, just checking in.

Bradley: Good game, by the way

Me: Thanks

I become more anxious as we pull up to the hotel. I don’t want to talk to the lawyer in front of the team. They don’t need to know about my personal problems.

“We have a problem,” my lawyer answers. I dialed his number as soon as I walked into my room.

“And what is that?” I ask.

“Jessica’s lawyer contacted me. She’s claiming that she is pregnant with your baby.”

I nearly drop the phone. This can’t be happening. “Are you kidding me?”

“I hate to ask this, Brody, but is there any possible way that she is?”

I try to think in my head if this could be possible. “I used a condom with her. I never have sex without it.”

“Well, her lawyer is supposed to be getting me the doctor’s confirmation on this. As soon as I know more, I will contact you.”

I don’t say anything else and end the call. I’m in complete shock. The second I think that I’m in the clear from that crazy bitch, she pops right back into my life. How am I going to explain this to Selene? She’s already unsure of a relationship with me. Then again, I’m not sure I want to cause her anymore stress.

Hell, I don’t want any more stress. This time last season, I was on the track to over fifty goals. Now, I’m lucky if I’ll get twenty the whole damn season. Not only is Jessica affecting my personal life, now it’s my professional. I’m not going to take this any longer. She can’t be really pregnant. There’s no way. Yes, I had sex with her, but I never, ever forget to wear a condom. I shake my head as I strip off my suit. I’m not going to tell Selene over the phone. I owe her the respect to tell her face-to-face. That way she has the right to slap me right across it.

This sucks so much.

~ ~ ~

The plane ride and the car drive home is torture. I don’t want to have to say these words to Selene, and I don’t know what her reaction will be. I pull into my driveway and see her car is at her place. Man, I wish I didn’t have to do this. My stomach is in knots. All I want to do is hold Selene, make passionate love to her, and not think of anything else.

“Brody!” She leaps into my arms, and the smell of fresh flowers is intoxicating.

“I’ve missed you,” I whisper, holding her tightly in my arms.

“Missed you too.” She pulls back and kisses me. Her soft lips against mine is something that I have missed so much. “Glad you’re back.”

“Oh, you might not be saying that in a few minutes.” I have to tell her right away. I can’t wait until later.

“What? Why? What happened?” Her eyes widen as I place her back down on her feet.

“Let’s sit down.” I hold her hand tightly. “Where is Bradley and Bonkers?”

“No, Brody.” She pulls on my arm to stop me from walking any further. “Just tell me right now. I let Bonkers out and your brother is upstairs, taking a shower. What’s going on?”

“Before I tell you, I want to let you know this.” I take both of her hands and look right into her eyes. “I truly care for you. It’s the first time in a very long time that I have been able to care for someone the way I do for you. I hope that when I tell you this that you remember that.” I want to tell her that I love her, but I don’t want to add more stress on her.

“Brody, you’re scaring me. What happened?” Her eyes show confusion and fear.

I hate that I have to tell her. I take a deep breath. It’s best to give it to her straight. “Jessica’s lawyer got in contact with my lawyer. She’s claiming to be pregnant with my kid. We are still waiting for confirmation, and I swear I used a condom every time. I don’t believe her for one second that she is having my baby.” There, I said it all in one breath.

“I...but...what? She’s saying she’s pregnant?” She releases my hands and steps back.

“Yep, she said that I’m the father.” I want to reach for her and pull her into my arms. Then again, she might not want me to do that right now.

“I don’t know what to say, what I’m supposed to say. I...this is
crazy
,” Selene’s voice rises an octave.

“I can’t explain it either. I’m just worried about you.”

“I need to let Bonkers inside and then I need to sit down. Because this is ridiculous. I don’t even know.” She walks past me and heads towards the back door. I follow her because I want her to talk to me. I want her to tell me what she’s feeling. Bonkers comes running from the backyard. When he sees me, he starts barking and spinning in front of me. I love this crazy dog. I bend and try to calm him down. Instead, it ends up being a wrestling match, which I think I’m losing. The damn dog has me laughing, but when I look up, Selene isn’t smiling.

“Selene,” I stand up and step closer to her, “please, I don’t want this to pull us apart.”

“It’s not.” She shakes her head. “I’m sorry, Brody. That’s not what I meant. I just don’t know what I’m supposed to do about this.” She let’s out a deep breath and pushes her hand through her hair. “She said she’s
having your baby
.” She begins to pace around the island that’s in the kitchen.

I let her walk round and round and try to explain. “She’s claiming that. My lawyer still hasn’t received anything saying that she is telling the truth yet.”

“And if she is?” She stops and looks me dead in the eye.

“I’ll be honest with you.” I’m not going to lie to her about this. It’s too big of deal for me to hide my true feelings about this. “I will be there for my child, but not her. I want you and only you.”

“I want you too, but she needs to be committed. This is a lot. It’s too much. I can’t handle this, Brody. I can’t. She’s too fucking crazy.” Selene throws her hands up in the air. 

“Selene, I know that she is, and you have every right to be leery of this situation. But,” I grab her hips and pull her close to me, “please, don’t push me away. We don’t even know if she’s pregnant yet. I won't jump to any conclusions until we have proof in our hands.” My voice is stern because that’s how I feel.

“I’m not trying to push you away.” She reaches up and wraps her arms around my neck. “You’re right, I guess. We don’t know anything for sure.” She presses her lips against mine. “I really am happy to see you.”

I know that’s not the end of it. “How about I make a deal with you?” She looks confused for a moment. “If she's telling the truth, which I don’t think she is, but if she's pregnant, then you can flip out on me, and,” I pause because I don’t want to say the words. “If you want to leave, I won’t try to stop you in any way.”

“Okay, but you didn’t say what would happen if she’s lying. Something has to be done, Brody.” The tone of her voice means she isn’t joking.

“If she is lying, then she can be charged with fraud. Because I know that she is going to try and get a ton of money from this little plan she concocted. I promise you, I will make sure that she leaves us alone. I swear it.”

“Alright. I trust you.”

Selene

Why can’t it just be Brody and me? Simple. Normal. But no. It has to be Brody, Jessica, a possible baby, and me. Part of me refuses to even think about this because it’s too outrageous. I was so excited about seeing Brody, and then
she
had to go and ruin it for us.

Again.

Brody has his arms around me as we stand in the kitchen and Bradley comes down the stairs wearing fresh clothes and wet hair. Bradley is pretty cool to hang out with. It’s been odd having him around all the time, but we’ve gotten into a routine of sorts. I’ve enjoyed getting to know him and in turn, Brody as well.

“Hey, baby brother,” he grins, walking into the kitchen.

I laugh. I can’t help it. Brody still looks worried, but he manages a smile as he releases me to hug his brother.

“Shut the hell up, Bradley,” he chuckles. Brody comes to stand behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. “Thank you for taking care of Selene for me.”

Bradley glances at me, smiling. “No problem. Is everything close to being over? We haven’t seen her and I’m assuming you haven’t either.”

Brody tenses behind me and I freeze as well. I don’t want to talk about this anymore. I’m tired of that girl running so much of our lives. Brody sighs and Bradley loses his smile.

“We don’t know for sure yet, but her lawyer has contacted mine with a claim that she’s pregnant with my baby. I don’t think she is, though.”

Bradley’s jaw drops. “Wow.”

“Yeah, exactly,” I mutter.

“It’ll be over soon. All we need is the test results and it’ll all be over.” Brody seems to be speaking to me more than anyone else. I lean into him, hoping it’ll relax me, but it’s not enough.

“Right. Brody’s right. It won’t be long until she’s no longer a problem. I’m going to hang out at your place for a while, Brody. Might go out later to drive around and explore. I’ll see you two later.”

I don’t want him to feel like he has to leave. After all, he’s been here helping me. “You don’t have to go just because Brody is here. You’re more than welcome to hang out with us. Unless you want to go, of course.”

Bradley chuckles. “I’m sure you’ve had enough of me already. Don’t have too much fun without me.” He waves before turning and leaving us.

Bonkers whines a little when he closes the door. Brody kisses my shoulder and then walks around, holding his hand out. I take it easily, but once he starts leading me up the stairs, I have to say something. I’m in no mood for sex. I wish I was, but I’m not.

“Brody, I’m not-”

“We aren’t,” he interrupts.

“Then what are we doing?” I ask, confused.

“I need you to relax, baby. That’s what we’re going to do.”

What? We enter my room and before I can question him, he tells me to undress from the waist up and lay on my stomach on my bed. At this point, all I want is to relax and I trust him, so I do as he asks. Brody leaves me, but returns seconds later. Bonkers jumps onto the bed and lays at my feet. The bed sinks a little with Brody’s weight. I feel his legs on either side of me, hear the top of a bottle opening, and then feel something cool being drizzled on my back.

Brody’s voice is soft, just above a whisper. “So glad you had massage oil in your bathroom.”

He leans over, and I see him set the bottle on my nightstand. Then his large, calloused hands are on my back, mixing with the oil. Thanks to that oil and his warm hands, my skin heats up and begins to tingle. I moan into my pillow as he kneads into my shoulders. Brody chuckles at my response. He’s so good at this. I can’t help it. I almost want to shiver when his hands move down to my lower back, massaging as he moves back up.

“You’re amazing,” I mumble, my muscles are starting to loosen up.

“Feels that good, huh?”

“Mmm.” That’s all I can say.

Brody laughs softly, but his hands don’t stop moving. It takes about forty-five minutes before I’m completely relaxed, a warm, melted puddle beneath his hands.

“Thank you.” I’ve never meant those two words more than I do right now.

“You’re welcome. For you, anything, any time.” He presses a kiss to the base of my neck, his hands still massaging my back.

“You can stop now.”

He does, moving to sit on the bed next to me, so I can move. I instantly miss his touch. I get up to sit across from him. His eyes roam over my breasts before traveling back up to my eyes. With my hands on my knees to anchor myself, I lean forward to kiss him.

“Do you want me to give you one now?” He shakes his head. “Are you sure? I want you to be relaxed too.”

“I am. Doing that relaxed me.”

My rumbling stomach interrupts what I was going to say.

Brody smiles. “I’ll order something to eat.”

“Okay. I’m going to shower then.”

I’m almost bummed. I want to be close to Brody. I’ve missed him, but he almost seems like he’s scared to do too much or just be him. After my shower, I skip down the stairs to see Brody paying a pizza delivery guy. Even with Jessica around, I want things to stay as normal as possible with us. We can’t let her change things between us. Brody smiles when he sees me.

“Pizza sound good?” he questions.

“Yes.”

We walk into the kitchen and Brody sets the box on the table. I don’t sit down yet. Brody opens his mouth to say something, but I take hold of his neck and pull him to me. His eyes widen with surprise, but soon close when I press my lips to his. My tongue forces its way into his mouth desperately. Brody groans, gripping my hips to tug me closer. Oh, I’ve missed this. He kisses me relentlessly, devouring me as if I could disappear at any second. I slow us down a bit before pulling away, my lips buzzing.

“What was that for?” he asks in a breathy pant.

Honestly, I say, “I missed you.”

Brody smiles. “I missed you too, Selene. C’mon, let’s eat.”

We sit down, begin to eat, and Brody asks how it’s been with his brother around. He seems a little concerned about it for some reason.

“I like him. It took a bit to get used to having him around, but now he feels like an old friend. Bradley is funny too. He must have gotten the jokester gene between the two of you.” I stop because I don’t want to make Brody feel bad or anything that I am spending so much time with his brother and not him. I know that he rather be here, and I don’t want to rub in his face how his brother has been able to keep me sane since he’s not here to do it himself. Bradley truly feels like an old friend or in some cases, a protective, caring, older brother.

“Yeah,” Brody rolls his eyes, “he’s hilarious.” There’s a faint smile on his lips. “I have home games this week, so he won’t be around as much. Plus, your hockey date is this week. Bradley can come with you or if you want to bring Allison, I’ll get him a ticket.” Brody takes a moment before he adds, “Do you want me to get him a ticket in the 300s with you for the other games?”

I can’t fathom sitting elsewhere, much less having Bradley sit in Stacy’s seat. The mere thought of going to a game and not sitting there makes my heart squeeze as if it’s about to burst. I love that he’s offering an additional ticket for Bradley. Shaking my head, I quietly tell him, “I don’t want the glass seats, Brody. Give them to Kris for his wife or something. Maybe if it was an away game at a different arena, I could do it. I just don’t think I can, so we’ll sit in my regular seats. I’d love it if you would get him a ticket on the other side of me.”

He smiles and nods. “That’s fine.”

“Does this mean you’ll be spending the night with me then?” Part of me hates that a reason I’m asking is because I don’t like being home by myself anymore.
She
ruined that for me and having a Ross around 24/7 doesn’t help me overcome my fear. Not that I particularly want to anytime soon. Not until this is settled. There are too many unknown possibilities of what might happen. Being here by myself without the security of Brody or Bradley isn’t an option.

Brody grins. “Yes, I am. Wouldn’t miss an opportunity to wake up next to you.”

My heart skips a beat at his words. “Good. Is Bradley going to stay here too?”

“Yeah, might as well. As long as you’re okay with that,” he hastily adds.

“I don’t care. I would feel bad if we kicked him out and made him stay at your house though.” I can’t believe I’m bringing her up, but I want to know. The initial shock is gone, and I’m much more relaxed now, thanks to Brody. “How soon until we find out?”

The stress never left his tense shoulders or the fisted hand on the table, but now it’s back in full force. Damn it, I shouldn’t have asked.

“Within the next couple of days, I’m assuming. I don’t know. I guess it depends on when she goes to the doctor.”

He frowns and I don’t want to see that, so I change the subject. “What do you want to do tonight? I kind of want to get of the house, but you’ve been on the road, so do you want to stay here?”

“If you want to go out, we can do that, Selene,” Brody says, but he looks tired. I decide I don’t want to leave the house tonight.

“How about we stay in and go out later this week? As long as I’m with you, I don’t care where we are or what we do.”

Brody finishes off his slice, smiling. “Good because I really didn’t want to go anywhere.”

I laugh. “You should have said that,” I playfully scold.

We're done eating, so Brody puts what’s left of the pizza in the fridge while I let Bonkers outside, staying by the door to watch him. Suddenly, Brody’s arms wrap around my waist as he kisses my neck.

“You know, we’re alone only for a little while.” His lips move over my neck. Brody pulls me flush against him, so I can feel his hard cock through his jeans against my backside.

“What got you so hot all of a sudden?” I ask curiously, wishing Bonkers would hurry and finish.

“You did,” he mumbles. “I looked at you, and here I am.” Brody pushes his hips against me as evidence.

“Here you are,” I agree.

Bonkers comes to the door, so I let him in and then Brody is hauling me up the stairs to my room. Our sex starts out frenzied, passionate, and full of the sense of feeling out of control with the situation we’ve found ourselves in. Brody’s thrusts are hard as he brings me to the brink, but skillfully holds me there until he’s ready to fall over the edge with me. Afterwards, there’s nothing but a calm love in his actions. He kisses me sweetly, runs his hands over my body with loving care, and with his lips and touches, he silently assures me that everything will be fine.

He’s not going anywhere. He’s not going to hurt me. In fact, he wordlessly promises to take care of and protect me. Brody shows me that he loves me too much for anything less. He glances up at me, coming to a rest next to me.

“Sometimes, I feel like I’m waiting for you to kick me out like you used to,” he chuckles.

“If you miss it, I can start doing it again.”

“No, I don’t miss that at all.”

“Good.” I smile. “Let’s give your brother the all clear and go watch TV.” I start to get up, but Brody reaches out for me. Looking over my shoulder, I give him my attention.

“Selene,” he begins tentatively. “I-” His voice falters on that one word. Brody is struggling terribly with this mess. Who wouldn’t?

“You don’t have to say anything, Brody,” I tell him softly.

“I need to,” he objects.

“No, you don’t. I already know, so don’t feel like you need to verbally tell me.” I turn to give him a kiss. “I’m happy you’re here with me, Brody.”