Along Came You

by Jerry Cole

  “You fucking asshole. You cheated on me. You. Cheated. On. Me. Why should I listen to anything you have to say?” She demanded, and I paused as his head snapped back.

  “You hit me,” he told her, and I kept going. His fists clenched, and I moved between him and the girls.

  “Let’s take this back a notch,” I told him, seeing his eyes narrow at the sight of me. “You deserved that, Jake. It’s out of her system.” He glared at my best friend, then at Taryn. “There are kids here.”

  “I’ll never forgive you. I moved on, Jake. It’s over.” Rosa stomped past me as Taryn followed, and I knew that she was pissed off.

  “Who the hell is that girl?” Jake asked, watching them walk away.

  “Our best friend. Leave her be, Jake. You lost a good one in her. Live with it.” I kept a steady gaze on his face, and he shrugged. “Why are you even here?”

  “We watch hockey sometimes. I didn’t know you all would be here.” He rubbed his jaw, and I was pleased to see a red mark on his skin.

  Point one for Rosa.

  “Us, too. My boyfriend plays here,” I boasted as Jake scowled.

  “We’ll come to another game. What’s his team, so I know for the future?” Jake asked, and I heard his friend sigh.

  “Timberwolves.” Jake nodded, and they headed to the door with several pairs of eyes following them. Rosa kicked his ass in front of a lot of people. Well, not kicked it, but she landed a good punch.

  I turned to join the girls on the bleachers. They were sitting together, talking. “You okay, sis?” I asked, taking a seat beside her.

  “I can’t believe that he was here. We never came here together,” she ranted as I grinned.

  “He was equally surprised to see you. He left, telling me he’d come back to see any other team playing.” I laughed, and they joined me. “Did you even get your drinks?” I stole a look at the rink, seeing both teams dressed to play.

  “No. Damn it!” Rosa cried out, and I raised a brow.

  “I’ll get them. Stay here and out of trouble.” I rose and smiled at Owen. He looked at all three of us with rising curiosity in his eyes. I simply blew him a kiss and got the girls their drinks, both with extra whipped cream.

  The game was as exciting as Rosa’s introduction. It looked apparent that these teams didn’t like each other with aggressive play. They would only be ahead by a point before the other team scored, making everyone work harder.

  Owen looked hot as he scored the last goal, making it a 4-3 lead. He threw his hands up in the air as Taryn screamed, jumping up to cheer him on. I stood also, lost on her supportive words for her brother as spectators grinned at her.

  We waited for Owen to shower, and he joined us by the front door. “You looked great out there!” Taryn said, throwing herself into his arms.

  “I had no idea you felt that way,” he teased her, looking at me over her shoulder.

  “Great playing, babe.” I winked at him, and he hugged me when his sister finally let him go.

  “You have to leave now?” Owen asked as Taryn nodded.

  “Work,” she stated as we all nodded. “I think I need to sit down and talk to Matt as well.”

  “Good,” Owen said, pulling her into a hug before kissing her hair.

  We walked out to her car, each of us hugging her goodbye. I took Owen’s hand as she drove out of the parking lot to the freeway. “Are you okay?” I asked him as he let out a sigh.

  “She’ll make the right decision for her,” he said.

  “Should we go somewhere for food?” Rosa asked as we all looked at each other.

  “Shimmers?” Owen asked as we all nodded. It was a new coffee shop that we loved, and they had great coffee.

  He drove us there, and we walked inside to look around.

  “Tell me what the excitement was about,” Owen said over our drinks, looking between Rosa and me.

  “My fucking ex was there. He asked me to go out and talk,” Rosa told Owen as disbelief passed over his face. “I told him no and punched him in the face.”

  “Damn, girl. I think you need to play hockey.” Owen threw his head back and laughed. “How was it, babe?”

  “She got him good. I stepped in to keep things under control for the sake of the families there. He promises never to come to see your team play, so we don’t run into each other.” I smiled at Rosa, and she beamed.

  She sipped her coffee and nodded. “That felt good, but I didn’t want to kick his ass all over the place. I just needed that one good hit.” She clenched her hand and smiled at it.

  “Does it hurt?” Owen teased her as she examined the small bruises.

  “In the best way possible.”

  We moved on to the game, and he told us all about the cussing that happened between the teams. They keep it family-friendly there, but underneath it all, there was a lot of shit talk. I found it to be hot, and Owen’s knowing smile showed that. “You played great. I love watching you out there.”

  “I love you,” he told me, and Rosa pretended to gag.

  “Take it to a room,” she grumbled cheerfully, as I leaned my head against Owen.

  We went back to the apartment, settling in around the couch. There was a void without Taryn, and we played a movie to fill it.

  Rosa went to bed first, and Owen and I followed shortly after that. “Will you just move in here?” He asked as he held me in his arms.

  “I already stay here a lot. Isn’t that enough?” I asked, leaning forward to kiss him.

  “Never.”

  We made love, falling asleep afterward. I heard Rosa leave for work, but didn’t have the energy to get up and say goodbye. Tonight was a later one for her in the office, so we were on our own for dinner.

  Owen rose first, making coffee about an hour after Rosa left. He had a camp starting this week, the last one of the summer. I had a lot of client work to finish. I pulled on shorts, getting a large cup from the cupboard, and pouring coffee into it. “Thanks, babe.”

  “No problem,” he replied, walking over to kiss me. He usually checked the news on his tablet, with just enough interest to be informed. He hardly debated about anything, thank fuck.

  I warmed up my computer as I sipped coffee. I had two projects to complete, and I knew that Owen would want to go to the gym. Did I have time?

  I did. We got a quick workout in and had sex in the shower. I got out first, drying off to dress in shorts and a loose tee-shirt. Owen dressed for the ice, going to skate for a while and teach some kids.

  Once alone, I got lost in work. I kept sipping coffee and water as I worked, playing some classical music in the room to keep things calm.

  I looked around several times, as I wrote. This was a beautiful place. I loved my loft, but I was rarely there now. I worried a bit about the possibility that Rosa would choose to move out, and she needed a place to go.

  What if it didn’t work out with Owen and me? I got a great deal on the loft. I’d never be able to get that in a new lease.

  I’d continue to stay here like I was, keeping the loft. At any rate, it gave any one of us some privacy when we needed it.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Owen

  I grinned at the ten-year-old boy as he demonstrated a breakaway at the end of the rink. “Those are my favorite goals to score,” I told him as he beamed at me. I loved that kids still wanted to play hockey when there were electronics at every turn.

  “Me, too,” he said as he turned to do another one. I didn’t spend a lot of time with each kid, but a little bit often interested parents. They saw how much fun their kids were having, and most parents want to make them happy. It was good advertising for the camps.

  I watched as people came and went. There were a lot of families here in the later afternoon, and I looked at the clock. The practice was in two hours. I was taking my man to dinner tonight since it was Rosa’s late one at the office.

  I thought back to last night. I wanted him to live with me officially. I knew that he stayed with me
almost every night, but he still had the loft.

  What if he had doubts about us?

  I told the boy to have a great night, heading to the side for a long drink of water. I closed my eyes as I sipped it, considering switching rinks to practice my skills.

  I did just that, walking over to that space. I left the lights off, knowing this place well. I was just headed to the center to practice goal shots when my phone rang. I sighed, skating over to see if it was necessary.

  “Hey, Tar. What’s up?” I asked, curious as to why she called so soon after her visit.

  “You aren’t going to believe this,” she said as I frowned. “Matt proposed to me over dinner last night!”

  “He…what? What did you say?” I asked, unsure of how this changed anything.

  “I told him I needed to think about it. He is set on moving to the city, and you know I’m not so sure about that. If I say no, I’d think it’s over,” she ranted as shock washed over me.

  “You weren’t dating that long. Why marriage?” I asked as she sighed.

  “Maybe he knew that I was hesitating on the move. I know that he loves me, but we’re not even at a year yet.”

  “Did you tell Mom and Dad?” I asked as she snorted on the other end.

  “No. I need to decide first.”

  We talked about her options for a while, and I noticed some of the other guys from the team. “Can I call you later?” I asked, feeling like it was a good time to end the call.

  “Of course. Stay safe. I love you,” she told me before ending the call.

  “I brought some food. I assume that you’ve been here most of the day.” Nathan grinned at me, holding up a bag from the local deli.

  “Just half. I have a date later,” I told him, moving to sit on the bleachers. He handed me a wrapped sandwich, and I drank some water before opening it. “Damn. This Italian one kills me every time.”

  We ate, talking about the game and what was to come.

  “I heard your sister hit some guy,” Ryan told me as I burst out laughing.

  “It was our friend Rosa. She comes here with Peter a lot. It was her ex-fiancé who cheated on her.” I explained, and they nodded knowingly. My friends weren’t perfect. Some of them had this issue in relationships in the past, and it never ended well. “Scorned woman and all that.”

  “That was Taryn that was here, right?” Ian asked, and I nodded.

  “She visits when she can. She managed to stay for the game, but headed home right after.” I smiled, taking a look at the guys as they grinned. “What?”

  “They’re both hot. Single? Are they into guys?” Tate checked as I groaned.

  “Taryn…no. Not single and into guys. Rosa also into guys, and single.” I stared at them. “She’s another sister to me, guys. I can’t have you fucking this up for me. You already know that she’s got a mean right hook.”

  “How long ago did she end the engagement?” Nathan asked as I remembered that phone call.

  “Just a couple of months. She’s a workaholic right now.” I nodded as he smiled. He knew that she was my roommate when nobody else did. I didn’t want any of my friends dating her or my sister.

  We got to practicing. We got into some skill work, shooting pucks at the goalie. It took about three hours, by which time I was starving. I showered quickly, dressing to head home. The light was on in the apartment, making me smile as I jogged up the stairs.

  “Hey, babe.” I looked at Peter as I walked in, seeing that he was still in front of his computer. “Are you still working?”

  “I took breaks.” He kissed me as I stood beside him. “How was your day?”

  “Good. I taught a few kids how to skate and practiced.” I looked at the screen. “Do you want to go out to dinner?”

  “Yeah. Where?” He asked, running a hand through his messy hair.

  We decided on a steak house, changing into slacks and button-up shirts before heading out of the house. We found a table in the large room, ordering beer before looking at the menu. I told him about Taryn’s call earlier, shocking him as much as she shocked me. “What is she going to do?” Peter asked as I shrugged.

  “No idea. It wasn’t an instant yes for her, given everything that’s going on. I hope he’s not doing it to hold onto her.”

  “Your sister is not that girl at all.” He gave me a serious look, and my heart melted.

  “Tell me about it. I almost feel bad for the guy.” I grinned as the waiter appeared. We both ordered steak and lobster with steamed vegetables, enjoying rolls as we waited for the entrees.

  Peter told me that he was ahead on his work, and a new client contacted him tonight. I reminded him not to take too much on. He promised me that he wouldn’t, but I knew he was lying to make me feel better. I didn’t want him to suffer burnout.

  We lingered over the meal, eating slowly and talking like it was our first date. It always felt that way to me, and I wondered if that’s what Matt thought about my sister. Did she think that about him? They looked happy together.

  We headed home after nine, walking up the stairs as Rosa was opening the door. She gave us a weak smile. “Hey.”

  “Are you okay?” I asked as she nodded.

  “So busy. Too much coffee. I ate fast food for dinner. Gross.” We all walked inside the room. “Where did you guys go?”

  Peter named the restaurant, and she groaned with a smile. “We’ll go with you next time.”

  “I am going to take a shower and hit the sack for another long day tomorrow.” Rosa hugged us and headed down the hall as I watched her.

  “That girl works hard,” I said, and Peter nodded.

  “Always has.” He stretched as I watched, dropping the keys on the kitchen counter. “I think sleep sounds great. Want to watch a movie in bed?”

  “Perfect,” I replied, following him down the hall with a bottle of water. We found a series that we’d been watching, both of us tired from our individual days. We fell asleep easily, too tired to do anything else.

  The week went by with the same daily routine. We all worked in one form or another, meeting up at night for dinner. I started another camp Wednesday afternoon, seeing a new group of eager kids that wanted to play hockey.

  Rosa brought home Thai food for dinner on Friday, and we sipped wine to go with it. There was a call with Taryn on speaker in which she told us her final answer was no. That resulted in Matt being hurt and angry, which led to him asking for a break. She was tearful over it, but we all agreed that saying yes when she wasn’t sure about marriage was a bad idea.

  We rented a new movie when the call ended, feeling a little down about my sister’s situation. Rosa didn’t make it through the movie, and we covered her with a blanket before going to bed ourselves.

  “Is she going to be okay?” Peter asked, and I pressed my lips together.

  “Yeah. Just a tough time.” I stripped out of my clothes. I got ready for bed, joining him as I kissed him deeply. “I need you, babe.”

  “I know.” He allowed me control, cumming in my mouth before I took him hard from behind. I knew that I was rough, but he pressed back. Peter asked for more, and it was a struggle to stay quiet. I came hard, feeling my stress release in the orgasm.

  We fell asleep quickly after that, sleeping in later than planned. I had camp in a few hours, and he had a full day of work. Before Peter, I thought freelance work was a lot easier. I figured they worked for two hours and took several breaks. I was wrong. Peter worked his ass off, helping with the apartment bills more than I preferred him to. I knew that he was holding onto the loft and still paying rent there.

  I came home to find Peter cooking as Rosa chatted beside him. They made spaghetti for dinner, along with fresh garlic bread. Rosa threw together a salad, and we ate at the table to catch up.

  Taryn was still sad but feeling better. Rosa enjoyed her day off, visiting with Jane. Peter worked because that’s all he ever did. Rosa mentioned that Taryn wanted to come for another visit soon, and I made a mental note
to call her. I was always here for my sister or anyone in my family. I knew that she talked to Mom, telling her about the proposal as well as the consequential break. Taryn had people on her side.

  We stayed up late, watching movies and drinking beer. I had a game the following day, but it wasn’t until the evening. It also wasn’t as critical as the one last week.

  Rosa and Peter were there to cheer me on, and I smiled at them. Taryn mentioned that she might make it, but with work, that would be difficult. I’d rather her make the drive for a full weekend.

  We lost the game that night, but it wasn’t nearly as aggressive as last week. I wasn’t upset about it and happy to grab some sushi when it was over. Rosa told us that there would be some overtime for her the following week, and she would not be home a lot for dinner.

  I had camp every day until four and planned on some date nights since we were alone. I wanted to take him to the movies and places that I neglected to take him to. We jumped from dating to settled in quickly, and I didn’t want to lose him.

  I came home one night and found Peter working. He seemed sullen, and I searched his face as I set my keys down. “I’m going to take a shower. Do you want to go to dinner and a movie?”

  “Sure,” he replied, lifting his eyes to glance at me. “I did all of that earlier after the gym, so I’ll get dressed when you’re finished up in there.”

  “Okay. That sounds perfect.” I walked forward to kiss him, closing my eyes as I breathed him in. “Are you okay, Peter?”

  “I am. I just need a break from working.” I felt his smile against my lips.

  “I can provide that for you once I clean up.” I pecked his lips again and walked down the hall into my room. I wasn’t convinced and hoped that Rosa was good. He just seemed off.

  We dressed for a casual night out, hitting a fish and chips place for dinner before going to the movies. Peter revealed that he’d seen an ex at the gym, his most recent one. The guy was an asshole and gave Peter the list of reasons why he cheated on him outside as Peter left. “I know that I am not an awful guy. It just cut deep when he had so many bad things to say about me.”