Chapter 52: Sawyer

Practice kicks my ass today, and I think it has a little to do with the guys coming after me hard. They’re hounding me about how I’m whipped and no fun anymore. I know they’re messing around, but damn, am I sore. Bryn had to leave before practice ended because her professor called her for some help with the basketball team. Those assholes were able to get my girl to come to their aid even after I snatch her away. Part of me wants to think it’s intentional, but I know that’s the jealousy talking.

I don’t want any hot shot athletes near her, but I also can’t hide her away. She’s too bright and beautiful to be hidden from the world.

“Hey Raven! You want to grab a burger at Joe’s?” Ricky Dalton, our freshman right wing, asks.

The kid has some skill but a long way to come before he takes my place on the team. I’ve been watching him and giving him some pointers in case I have any issues with my knee this year, but as much as I like the kid, I hope it never comes to that. He still has three more years to prove himself, but this is my last chance.

“Yeah, come on man, or does the wife expect you to be home with dinner on the table by five?” Our back up goalie says laughing.

Bishop knocks the guy upside the head, but that isn’t enough for me. I walk over to him and invade his space.

“What did you say?” I ask him.

He scoffs. “It was a joke, man. Come on, are you that pussy whipped that you can’t take a joke?”

“Come on, man, knock it off. That’s Bryn you’re talking about,” Bishop warns him.

“No man. That chick has all of you following her like you’re the ones banging her. Well, I’m not about to tie my dick to some girl I get nothing from.” He says, and that’s the last straw.

I cock my arm back and slam my fist into his smug face. He’s not expecting it and stumbles back like a sack of potatoes. The guys are grabbing me before I can throw another punch, but no one goes to help him. These guys aren’t on his side, and Coach won’t be either when he hears about this. This guy doesn’t realize that anyone who meets Bryn loves her, and that makes him enemy number one.

“Don’t ever speak about my wife like that! Do you hear me?” I yell at him while the guys push me toward the exit.

I see the guy get to his feet and wipe blood from his mouth, and I don’t feel the least bit guilty.

“Calm down, man.” Channing says once we’re outside.

“He’s an asshole and a hothead, but you can’t let that get to you. You can’t get benched right now.”

It’s like cold ice waters is dumped over me. He’s right. If I get in trouble for fighting again, I could kiss my chance at the NHL goodbye. As much as that guy deserved a slug to the face, I can’t let my anger cost me my spot in the pros. Not with Bryn and our baby, depending on me.
“We’ll let Coach know what happened and he’ll deal with it. You need to focus on securing your spot.”

I shake the guys off and suck in a few deep breaths. “Yeah, okay.”

“Go home. We can do burgers another time. See your girl.”

They push me away, and I let them. I need to get out of here, anyway. That asshole is still too close, and I have an urge to storm back into the rink and kick his ass. I need space, so I climb into my truck and drive home. When I get there, I see someone walking away from our front door. I’ve never seen the guy before, but he has balloons in his backseat and what looks like a giant teddy bear. What the fuck? I turn off the engine and climb out of my truck and see a huge bunch of flowers sitting at the front door.

Who would send that ugly thing? It looks tacky and more like what you would get your sick grandma. So who sent it?

I jog up to the apartment and lean down to pick the flowers up. They’re so bulky that I get a few leaves and shit in my mouth and eyes. I have to move it to one arm and lean away so that I can slip my keys into the lock. Once I’m inside, I kick the door closed and carry the monstrosity to the kitchen bar. I set it down and go searching for a card, hoping it will tell me who sent this thing. The card is buried in there, but I find it and try to make out the scribbled words. It’s not easy, but I can tell that it is signed.

The note says:

*Congratulations on your new baby! I can’t wait to see you as a mother. I know you will glow brighter than the sun and I will adore you from afar. At least for now. It isn’t time for us to be together yet, but soon enough, my sweet Bryn.
*

What the fuck? Who would write this?

“Honey, I’m home!” Bryn’s playful voice comes from the front door, and I set the card down on the counter.

She comes into the kitchen with a big smile on her face until she sees the flowers behind me.

“What the heck is that?” She asks, sounding as disgusted by the thing as I was. “D-did you get these for me?”

I could laugh at the way she’s trying to hide her disgust, but I’m too pissed by the card to react too much else.

“Fuck no. This thing is hideous.”

She blows out a breath. “Thank god. It’s truly ugly, but I was about to fake loving it.”

“I appreciate that. The card doesn’t say who it’s from, but it says a whole lot of other shit that’s creepy as fuck.” I had the card to her and her eyes skim the words.

Her eyes lift to meet mine, and she looks as confused as I feel. “Who would send this? I don’t think I’ve met anyone willing to send me a bunch of ugly flowers. Seriously, those carnation colors are unnatural.”
I don’t know a damn about flowers, but some of them are bright blue and I don’t have to be an expert to see it’s been tampered with somehow.

“Let’s just throw them out.” I tell her before grabbing the offensive flowers and walking them outside.

The trash bins aren’t far, so I walk it over and throw it in with as little grace as possible. Those things don’t deserve to be thrown away gently. Dramatic, yes, but I’ve never claimed to be subtle. I walk back toward the apartment and notice a car idling across the street. When I try to squint and see if I recognize who it is, they take off. Weird.

Man, I’m beat.

I walk back inside and find Bryn laying on the couch. She has her eyes shut, but I can tell she isn’t sleeping.

“Hard day?” I ask her.

She smiles but keeps her eyes closed. “No, I’m just tired, but that isn’t new.”

Our baby has sucked a lot of energy out of her lately. She’s been falling asleep at random times in the day, even in the library once. The librarian had to call me to come get her because they were closing and she hadn’t left.

“Your growing a tiny human in your stomach. I would think some exhaustion is normal.” I walk around the couch and lift her legs so I can rest them on my lap.

She sighs when I start to rub her legs.

“Don’t start that or I will fall asleep.” She warns me, but that’s exactly what I want her to do.

Her school work has been keeping her busy, and she’s pushing through it even when she looks like she’s about to drop from exhaustion. I keep telling her to rest more, but she is determined to finish as much as she can, so that at least she will get her physical training classes out of the way. She has worked things out so that if…not when I get drafted, she can follow me to whatever city they send me and finish everything else online. If I was a better man, I would tell her to stay and finish up her schooling here, but I’m a selfish basatrd who couldn’t spend a day away from her.

Let’s be real, I’m no saint. She’s my obsession and I’m not about to put distance between us. I want her with me wherever I go, and she agrees. We’re going to make this work, my girl and me. And the baby makes three…