Legend (Arizona Vengeance #3)(45)

While he packs, I make his plane reservation. I’m able to secure a flight with only one layover that leaves at 1:10 A.M. and puts him in New York midmorning. I’m not sure when he’ll return so I made it a one-way.

    Erik texts me that he called our GM and that Christian was going to put out a team-wide message about what happened immediately because this was going to be hitting the news waves anyway. A professional hockey player getting mugged and shot to death is big news in and out of the sports world.

Our Uber driver gets us to the airport with no issues and I take a moment to step out of the car with Dax. While the driver removes his luggage from the trunk, I tell Dax, “You need anything, you just call. Let me know when the service is as soon as you can.”

He nods but truth is, it’s doubtful I or anyone on this team except for Dax will be able to go the funeral. Our schedule doesn’t wait for things like that and we have two away games in California this week followed by a home game on Saturday. I’m sure the management will be lenient with Dax missing out a few games even though he’s our first-line left winger but the rest of us won’t be given free leave.

At least I hope they’re lenient because Dax is the type of person to tell them to go fuck themselves if they were to demand he come back right away and miss the funeral or something. Then he’d get suspended without pay and the team would suffer for such an extended absence from him.

I shake Dax’s hand and pull him in for a half hug with a back slap. “Safe travels, man. Keep me posted on things.”

“Sure will,” he says as he pounds a fist against my shoulder blade. He pulls back and looks me in the eye. “Thank you for helping get me here.”

“Anything for you,” I assure him. We’re teammates, and that makes us brothers in a sense.

    I watch him walk into the airport and when he’s out of sight, I let the Uber driver take me home. I tip him well and trudge up my steps. It’s almost midnight.

Pepper isn’t in my house and Lucy is flying solo tonight with Charlie. Needing to get some work done, Pepper opted to just stay at her place and I didn’t think it was that big a deal. Surely, we could spend a night apart.

Except…I glance over to her house and realize that with everything that happened tonight—losing a colleague and watching my friend grieve—I really, really would like Pepper to be with me.

It might be selfish but I don’t hesitate in pulling out my cell phone. Her house is dark and I know I’ll be waking her.

She answers on the third ring, voice hoarse but alarmed because I’m calling so late. “Are you okay?”

“I’m on my front porch,” I tell her wearily. “Would you come stay the night?”

Pepper doesn’t question me. She can hear it in my voice. She merely says, “I’m on my way.”

I disconnect the call and wait for her to come.





Chapter 20


    Legend


It’s an incredibly nice day for mid-January. It’s almost noon and it looks like the temperature might hit seventy. As I drive through my neighborhood, I note people out working in their yards or washing their cars or strolling the sidewalks.

I just had a short team skate and workout, and rather than run on the treadmill, I did five miles outside. A shower and drive home, and I’m thinking about taking Charlie to the park or something. Not that she can do anything, but we can walk around and soak in the sunshine. I know I can talk Pepper into stepping away from her drafting board for an hour to go with me.

This is the week that she and I have settled into our relationship. She came over when I needed her after Lance’s death. She was my cheerleader even when I was away in California for a two-game trip there, texting and calling with encouragement. She eased my fears about letting Lucy stay with Charlie during this away trip, knowing she was close by.

And the orgasms.

Whether we were together or dirty FaceTiming each other, there were orgasms and they just get better and better.

Pepper came to my home game yesterday against the Dallas Mustangs while Lucy stayed home with Charlie. It was almost like a date night because it was about my girlfriend coming to the arena with my jersey on her back and cheering for me so loudly, her voice was almost gone when I saw her after the game.

    As I approach my driveway, I do a double take as I see what is sitting in my front yard. Just inside the bend of my walkway as it curves toward my front porch are three ceramic pigs.

Three pink pigs.

And I’m not talking small yard ornaments like Pepper’s little garden gnomes. The largest pig stands about two feet tall, the next pig slightly smaller, and the third pig maybe a foot off the ground. The tops of the pig’s backs are hollowed out and meant to be flower planters.

And that’s exactly what is inside each one. Flowing posies of pink, white, and purple that drip down the pigs’ sides.

When I pull into the driveway, my eyes catch sight of Pepper sitting on my front porch and looking at me with a shit-eating grin on her face. Lucy’s sitting next to her holding Charlie, who is holding a pacifier in her hand. She doesn’t keep them in her mouth and doesn’t seem to want one to soothe, but she likes waving them around.

I open the garage door and pull my Tahoe in. I don’t close it and enter the house through the mudroom door but head straight back out and to the front porch.