“You’ve been thinking about this for a while now, haven’t you?” Bryce asked. I nodded in response. It was something I’d considered in passing back when Bryce and I had first met, but that had only been in an abstract sense. This week, I’d started to obsess over it more because everyone in my personal life was getting ready to spend time with their families and then I’d walk into the center and see kids who’d give anything to have one person to love them, much less an entire support system. “I think that’d be wonderful. Again, I’ll have to check on the logistics, but I’ll try to get an answer on that by the end of the weekend so we can start planning everything.”

“Thanks.” I felt lighter as I laid back down in the bed and allowed Bryce to curl himself around my body. With all the worries gone, I began to realize just how tired I was. I was still worried about Eric, but I had to believe that everyone was right when they said he was fine. As I drifted off to sleep, I wondered how soon was too soon to admit I felt like part of me was missing when either of them were gone.

Chapter 19

“You got home late last night,” Drew accused over his morning coffee. He’d been stiff and kept his back turned to me all night, a sure sign he was upset by my disappearance. By the time I’d pulled into the driveway, the house had been dark and Cam had the kitchen looking as though no one had been in there. I hadn’t thought that’d be possible. And now, Cam was already hard at work while Drew sat on the other side of the island chatting with him.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” I apologized. In my haste to get away from my boyfriend who was still young enough to only see the sparkle of the major leagues as well as the consummately realistic one, I’d left my phone sitting on the couch where I’d thrown it after hanging up with Sam. There was one missed call from Drew and it was sitting on the edge of the counter when I’d walked in. “I went for a drive and stopped by to see Mason.”

“Yeah?” Drew seemed confused about the fact that I’d said Mason, not Sean. “How’d that go?”

I poured myself a cup of coffee and quickly got my ass out of the kitchen, which I’d been informed long ago was actually Cam’s kitchen whenever he was in it. As long as he kept whipping up food like he did, I’d gladly let him claim what was once mine.

“Not bad, actually.” I took a seat next to Drew and placed one hand high on his thigh. “It might seem strange, but I really hadn’t planned on going to see him. When I got to their house, though, it seemed right that I should talk to him.”

“Why’s that?” Cam questioned, injecting himself into our conversation.

I wished we didn’t have company and that we weren’t about to have even more. This wasn’t a public conversation, but it seemed there were no boundaries. As if they knew something important was about to be said, Jason came down the stairs just as Bryce stumbled out of the bedroom. He looked about as rough as I felt. I hadn’t slept much because it’d been impossible to turn off my mind.

“I’ve made a decision,” I said once everyone had coffee in hand and Bryce had inserted himself between Drew and me. I wrapped my arm around his waist, moving my other hand to Drew’s leg. I needed to be touching both of them, to have the reminder that even if I didn’t have the game, I had them. And Bryce was the one who planted the seeds of this evolving from three guys fucking to three guys in a committed relationship. That meant they had a right to know what was going on. I wasn’t about to fuck up the way Mason had and keep this to myself.

Bryce kissed the top of my head and leaned toward me. He was our rock. He’d become the one both of us turned to when we were upset, the one who pointed us the direction we needed to go when we felt lost. I needed that now.

“Unless someone offers me a deal I can’t refuse, I think it’s time for me to retire,” I told them. Jason nearly choked on his coffee as Drew argued that I was too young for that. “I’m almost ten years older than the average player. It’s not like I didn’t know this would happen eventually.”

“But you’re not that old,” Drew protested. I gave his thigh a squeeze, loving him for trying to make me feel better.

“Yeah, I am. And Mason made me realize that it’s okay to grow up.” Everyone had a good laugh at that. Mason was the last one any of us would accuse of being the mature adult of the group. Somehow, being a stay-at-home dad seemed to have turned back the hands of time and he was even more juvenile than he’d been when he was playing. Of course, he was the epitome of a responsible parent, but his pressure valve tended to be his awful jokes and tendency to come up with elaborate pranks.

“So what are you going to do?” Jason asked. Cam pulled a breakfast casserole out of the oven and the rest of us were digging into it before it had a chance to cool. He’d warned us ahead of time that this was the only breakfast we were getting because he didn’t want us in his space today and no one had argued. Again, we weren’t stupid enough to turn down gourmet food on a daily basis.

I looked over to Bryce and decided I needed to sit down and talk with him before announcing my thoughts to the rest of the room. For all I knew, he might laugh in my face when I suggested helping him. Or, he could tell me that finding someone else to run the Milwaukee facility would mean he had to head back to Portland, which kind of blew apart the entire idea of the three of us figuring out if there was something between us that could last long-term.

“I’ll figure it out,” I promised them. “I’m not sure anyone will want to hire me based on my degree since it’s been fourteen years since I did anything other than play ball, but there’s something out there for me.”

“You know it,” Bryce agreed with another kiss. “I’m proud of you. I half expected you to be hungover and puking this morning. You seem to be taking the news fairly well.”

“Yeah, I guess I am.”

Bryce checked the time and then reached for his keys. “I’ll be back shortly.”

“Where are you racing off to this early?” I asked. Okay, so it was already almost ten in the morning, but still, it was a holiday. There couldn’t possibly be anything he needed to do at the office, and I couldn’t think of anyplace else he’d need to go today.

“He’s going to pick up Cody, so he’s not stuck at the center today,” Drew informed me.

“Oh, he is, huh?” It wasn’t the least bit shocking to hear that Drew had somehow managed to con Bryce into springing his new best buddy out of Pot of Gold for the day. That was fine with me since I knew Drew would be miserable if he had to sit here and stew about Cody being alone on a holiday. Where I’d begrudgingly gotten used to the solitude, he still wanted the house to be filled with love and laughter and thought everyone should have the same.

“Yeah, is that okay with you?” Drew asked. His cheeks flushed a light pink. I hated that he still thought of this as my place and considered himself little more than a boarder. I’d told him repeatedly that he was free to do whatever he wished as long as none of my shit went missing.

“Yeah, that’s fine,” I assured both of them. Bryce quickly kissed each of us goodbye and headed out to the driveway, bitching about how cold it was. If he didn’t get back before the snow started coming down harder, the cold would be the least of his concerns.

“You’re really okay with it?” Drew asked a while later.

I placed my hands on either side of his face and forced him to look at me while I spoke. Maybe that was what he needed for it to finally get through his head that I really didn’t care. “This is your house as well. You’re paying your share of the bills which means you have an equal say in who’s invited over.”