Alive”—Avenged Sevenfold
Simon had held me back when I tried to go after her. I was pissed and fighting him until he looked at me and barked, “Alex! Stop! Or I’ll do whatever’s necessary to have you thrown off the team.”
His words got through to me, and I dropped my shoulders. He gave me a shove as he let me go, causing me to stumble back and to the ground.
“What?” I asked in disbelief, sitting on my ass in the yard.
He leaned toward me as he gritted his teeth. “I don’t know what the fuck my niece was doing getting dragged into your shit show, but it’s obvious there’s more than her stopping by to go over foundation stuff with you. Whatever it was, is over. Done. Do you hear me? You stay the hell away from her.”
His niece? What the fuck? Putting that aside to analyze at a later time, I clenched my jaw. I heard him loud and clear, but in my head I was plotting how to explain what the fuck had happened and trying to figure out a way to get her to forgive me. For once in my life, I’d found something that was more important to me than hockey, and I’d managed to fuck it up.
I hadn’t been lying to her.
“I’m going to try to get this mess figured out. We’ve demanded a rush on the paternity test due to the current circumstances. Keep your nose clean and your business private. That means leave Sydney out of this. I was dead serious.” Simon certainly didn’t have the same friendly countenance he’d had the morning before.
My brother walked out the front door. “What the hell is going on?”
I looked over my shoulder to where he stood on the front porch. With his eyes narrowed, he looked from me to Simon, who threw his hands up to pull on his hair.
“I’m trying so hard to stay professional with you right now,” he gritted out.
“Well, can we bring this inside before we make more of a spectacle out here? There has already been one person driving by to gawk.” My brother crossed his arms and glared at me and Simon.
Without argument, we all moved inside. I slammed the door, and the baby started crying again. “Shit!” I groaned as we stopped into the kitchen.
Mattie came walking out holding the baby, who was snuffling. She really grown since the last time I saw her, when my brother first got patched and I flew down for his patch party.
“What the heck are y’all doing here? I just got him settled down and someone slams the door.” She looked ready to choke one of us.
Sheepishly, I raised my hand. “Sorry, kid,” I said.
“I’m not a kid anymore, Alex. I’m almost eighteen,” she drawled with an unamused expression. Shit, I’d never peg her for that young. Smoke was so screwed with her.
“Don’t remind me,” Cooper groaned. Mattie rolled her eyes. “And that’s Uncle Alex to you,” he grumbled. As if the kid had any interest in me. She had never acted in the least inappropriate, nor like she looked at me as anything other than a cool hockey player she knew.
“Mattie, thanks for coming over to help. You have no idea how much this means.” My palms pressed to my eyes, I sighed, then dropped my hands.
“It’s no problem at all. He’s really pretty sweet. He was just hungry and wet. But I have school, so I won’t be able to watch him tomorrow.” She appeared apologetic, and I started to panic. We didn’t have a game on Wednesday, but by Thursday, I needed someone to watch him.
“It’s okay. We’ll figure something out. I’ll see if we can vet a nanny. There must be a reputable agency that can help us on short notice,” Simon said as he clutched the back of his neck, kneading the tense muscles. He’d lost the suit jacket, and it hung from one of the breakfast bar stools.
“I put a call in to Gunny’s ol’ lady. She works with CPS, but she will keep everything under the radar. I can stay for tonight to help and we’ll tag-team. I’ve had experience with all the kids that keep popping out left and right with the brothers’ ol’ ladies. Who would’ve thought I’d be teaching you how to change diapers,” Coop offered with a snicker. I glared at him.
“Thank God,” Simon muttered. “Okay, there’s not much else I can do. I only stopped by on my way home to