Page 56 of One Baby Daddy
Hayden pushes Holden in the shoulder, throwing his balance off and sending him against the chairs behind him. “Get out of here before I kick your ass.”
Chuckling, Holden goes back to his plate of food where Halsey is sitting now, picking at the French fries. “There’s something you have to know about our brother,” Holden says, taking a seat. “He’s one of the good guys, always has been. Works hard, is determined, and doesn’t take his relationships lightly. You’re going to be waiting a long time, so saddle up and enjoy the slow burn, because the man is the master at it.”
Looking proud of himself, Hayden nods his appreciation and presses a kiss to the back of my hand. “It’s true . . . the absolute master.”
I just wish theabsolute masterwould get to thesaddle-upstage . . . I’mmorethan ready to ride.
* * *
“You have our numbers, so if you need anything, and we mean . . . anything”—Holden emphasizes the word with a wiggle in his brow—“you let us know. We’re only a few hours away.”
“Get out of here.” Hayden steps in and pushes his brother away. “She doesn’t need your numbers.”
“Too late, we plugged them in her phone and made her text us so we had her number.”
“You did?” Hayden turns to me, shocked.
“You were in the bathroom,” I answer. “They pressured me. Don’t worry, I’ll give you a few more weeks before I search them out for my womanly needs.” I wink, causing Holden and Halsey to laugh.
Shaking his head, he pulls his brothers in for a hug, one at a time, speaking quietly in their ears. Holden and Halsey both nod, a serious look on their face, listening intently to their older brother before pulling away and conducting a small secret handshake that makes me smile at the camaraderie between the brothers. They remind me of my siblings, how we playfully rib each other, but still love in our own way.
As I wait, I watch the three of them—all extremely handsome versions of each other—draw the attention from passersby, women making their intentions known with their eyes. There is no doubt in my mind the Holmes brothers were put on this earth to give the female race a run for their money. Their poor mother, what her life must have been like, raising three hockey players.
The smells.
The fighting.
The constant competition.
She has to be a saint.
Now it makes so much sense why she was so excited to talk to me. She’s probably looking for a little estrogen to balance all the endless testosterone in the family.
Waving, I say, “Drive safe, you guys.”
“Bye, Adalyn.” Halsey holds up his hand while Holden mouths for me tocall himlike a fool.
When we start walking toward Hayden’s car, I ask, “How on earth did you three not kill each other growing up?”
“There were some close calls.” Hayden takes his hand in mine. “But we’re pretty cool with each other now. There’s some animosity between Holden and Halsey sometimes, twin-rivalry type shit, but we get along.”
“I can see that. What did you say to them when you gave them a hug, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Never.” He places a kiss on the back of my hand, holds the door to the arena open for me, and then unlocks his car. “I told them that even though it was summer break, they have responsibilities to continue training. They’re going into their senior years, and it’s important for them to keep focus if they want to go professional.”
“They both want to play professionally?” He nods. “Do you think they’re good enough?”
Hayden helps me into his car and stands in the doorway. “Yeah, no doubt in my mind they have the talent for it, but they just have to keep their heads in the game, that’s all.”
“Have they been known not to do that?”
Slowly Hayden nods, his lips pressed firmly together. “Competition is a funny thing. It’s good to have a little competitiveness in you, because what else would be the driving force for you to grow as a human? But with my family, with my brothers, competition bleeds from our veins. It consumes us. It takes over every last inch of our bodies until we’re helpless, unable to think of anything else. I’ve found ways to curb the feeling, to help ease the anxiety when I start to feel like it’s overtaking me. But Halsey, and especially Holden, they run hot. They’re still trying to learn how to control their fire. How to manage when they’re feeling anxious.”
Playing with the button on his suit jacket, I ask, “You’ve had issues with your competitiveness?”
“Big time. Last season, I went through ten mouth guards because I was grinding down on them so hard. I don’t like losing, Adalyn.”
“That explains your Boggle fit.” I pull him closer to the car. He ducks and grips the edge of the doorway.
