Page 29 of The Call-Up
When we step out of our room, I see Danton open up his door across from us. “Where do you two think you’re going?”
Ryan gestures at me with his thumb. “Gotta take Baby over here out for his pregame walk.”
“What? Like he’s some kind of puppy?” Danton’s eyes twinkle with joy at his joke.
“Pretty much,” Ryan says.
“At least he’s not throwing up,” Danton says.
I glare at them both. “I will literally punch both of you.”
“Will it get you to take a nap?” Ryan asks.
“Probably not,” I bite back.
“So the nickname is fitting, then,” Danton says. “I have a lot of experience with babies not wanting naps.”
I narrow my eyes at him and shake my head. “I’m sure you do. I’ll ask Vicky when we get home who’s better at getting your kids to bed. I think we both know that answer.”
He grins mischievously at me. “I’ll put you to bed.”
“No thanks,” I say at the same time Ryan says, “I’d rather you didn’t.”
Danton squints his eyes then looks back and forth between thetwo of us. “Well,” he says, quickly, then goes back to his usual grinning self. “You two have fun out there. Stay out of the water. I don’t need either of you playing tonight with sea legs.”
“Aye aye, Captain,” Ryan says, giving him a two-finger salute. He turns to face me. “Come on, Baby. Let’s go for our stroll.”
Ryan
Okay, as much as I hate missing my pregame nap, I am enjoying the way the Florida sun feels on my exposed skin. Yes, it’s April and the world, probably with the exception of Winnipeg, has thawed; nowhere feels nearly as summery yet as here.
“You’re enjoying this,” Brandon points out.
“Who isn’t?” I laugh. Even the sand is warm underneath my bare feet.
He bumps my shoulder. “If you love the sun so much, Texas, you should ask for a trade.”
I turn to look at him on my side, then bump him with my shoulder in return. “Is that what you think, Wisconsin?”
“Wisconsin doesn’t work for a nickname.” He laughs.
“So you admit, you like being called Baby.”
“No.” He blushes. “I really don’t.”
I bump him again. “Why do I think that under the right circumstances, you might?”
He looks over his shoulder at me and studies my face. I have to admit, it’s moments like this when I’m convinced he’s as into me as I am into him. But if I confirm that, then I have a new problem.
There would be no reason, if we were both into each other, for us not to hook up.
Which maybe is not a problem at all. Maybe what I need to do is kiss him. Fuck him. Get him out of my system. It might clear up some of this confusion I’m having. If the sex is awkward and weird given our history, then I know my feelings are just that. Affection and nostalgia for the past. If the sex is outstanding,well, then there’s another problem. Because then it will turn out that I am completely wrecked for my teammate.
“There are zero circumstances where I like being called Baby,” Brandon says.
I flash him a sly grin. “What if we’re all calling you that while you’re hoisting the Stanley Cup at the end of this season?”
“If we win the cup,” he laughs, “you all can call me whatever you want.”
