Page 39 of Make Us Yours
His jaw ticks. “Then we man up and wish the other luck.” He clearly doesn’t like that thought just as much as I don’t.
I honestly don’t know if I’d be able to deal with watching Ronnie and Noah happy together while I’m removed from the equation. But he’s also my best friend,and all I want is for him to be happy. I wouldn’t want to lose him over a girl, even if it’s my Vixen.
I reach my hand out for him to shake on our agreement. “May the best man win,” I say once he grabs mine.
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” he whispers before leaving for the stairs.
Yeah, let’s hope.
~ The Next Morning ~
Ronnie did end up staying the night. Morgan had called during the afternoon while she was still napping, asking if we wanted to come over for dinner. But we told her Ronnie wasn’t feeling well, and that we were going to stay home and watch over her.
She made some mushy comments about feeling the love in the air. Which made me laugh, while Noah just shook his head with a smirk.
Once Vixen woke up, we watched another movie while I made dinner, then we went outside to enjoy the sunset on our new patio, talking about everything and anything. Just joking around and enjoying each other’s company with a beer or two, except for Ronnie. It’s something I could get used to doing.
When we asked Ronnie if she wanted one of us to drive her home, she shook her head and said she would rather stay here for the night. That Aubrey would most likely spend the night at Greyson’s, which meant no one would be home, and she didn’t feel like being alone. Shortly after that, she wished us goodnight and went up to the spare room.
Having her close by, only a door away, felt right. I wanted to go to her, but I knew it wouldn’t be the right move in our new relationship, not yet. Instead, I laid in bed, awake most of the night. I could say that she consumed my thoughts, that knowing she was so close was the reason I couldn’t sleep. But the truth is I feared my nightmares would come to haunt me if I did. She’s already suspicious about my bedsheets, I don’t need her hearing just how bad it really gets.
After managing four hours of peaceful sleep, considering that my sheets aren’t clawed off the bed and there’s not a sweat stain in sight, I get started with my day by jumping into the shower. Once clean, I head into my closet and get dressed, checking the time on my phone as I head out of my room. 6:30 a.m.
I quietly step out of my room and into the hallway. I know Noah’s still sleeping, but he’ll be up in about thirty minutes. And from the silence I hear through Ronnie’s door, she seems to still be asleep as well, which I expected. Not everyone wakes up early like I do, and Vixen doesn’t seem like an early bird.
I slowly crack her door open and look inside to find her balled up in bed, the cover up to her neck, while the rest of the bed is now bare of any comforter.Ah, so she’s a cover hog. Good to know.Although the chances of us ever sleeping in the same bed are slim to none.
Retreating quietly, I close the door and head down to the kitchen. I place my phone on the counter and start pulling out ingredients from the fridge for a healthy breakfast that everyone will like, including those for my green smoothie.
My phone suddenly rings with an incoming call.Who the hell calls this early in the morning?I pick it up, checking the caller ID, and my mood instantly drops.Marshall. I growl and silence the call, flipping it face down.
I get back to my task, but now I’m distracted.What the hell does he want? And why is he calling me so soon?I try to shake off the sickly feeling that crawls under my skin, but it’s no use. He’s gotten inside my head with just a simple call.
Fuck it, I guess we’re having Greek yogurt with oatmeal and berries.There’s no point in making a gourmet breakfast now; it will just taste like shit.Exactly how I feel.
Seconds later, my phone starts to ring again.GOD DAMN IT!I breathe through my nose, eyes closed as I clutch the edge of the counter.Just ignore it, Ellis. Just ignore it. He’ll give up.But I know that’s bullshit. He never does. He’ll just keep calling and calling until he gets what he wants.
I can’t deal with this today. Today is game day, our sixth game in the Stanley Cup Finals. If we win this one, the Cup is ours. It will finally be ours. I need to focus on that. I need my head to be in the game, not dealing with my shitbag father.
As expected, my phone starts ringing again the moment it stops. “UGH!” I snatch it off the counter and accept the call. “What the hell do you want?!”
It’s silent for a second until his disgusting drunken voice comes through. “I need more.”
“You need more!? I just gave you a shitload two weeks ago! We agreed to once a month! You can’t just start demanding it whenever you’d like!”
“Listen to me, you little piece of shit! I’ll demand it whenever I want it, and you’ll give it to me. Unless you want that video of you and your bitch out there. I’m sure some gossip magazine would pay me a nice sum for that kind of information,” he spits out.
“Don’t you fucking dare!” I bark at him.
He laughs like this is some kind of joke to him. “Then you’d better send me what I want.” He hangs up.
“FUCK!” I send my phone sailing across the room and fist my hair. From the sound produced as it makes contact with the wall, it’s most likely broken, but I’m too enraged to look. I grab onto the counter like it’s a lifeline and bow my head as I try to steady my breath.
“Gabriel?”
My head snaps up at the sound of Ronnie’s worried voice. She’s never called me by my actual name, which tells me she’s more than just concerned.
“Are you okay?” She takes tentative steps toward me, as if she’s not sure if it’s safe to come near me. I hate that. I don’t want her to fear me.
