the air—“their calls were more because the video with Liam still has traction.” I know she worries about how I’ve been questioned about what went down, but why is she looking at Em when she says this? Why is she apologizing to Em?
My confusion only grows when Em brushes her off, adding, “This will all blow over and they’ll get over it.”
Who are they?
Kay doesn’t seem convinced, the furrow between her brows deepening and her frown increasing.
Unable to see her upset over that fucknut who just won’t go away, I scoop Kay into my arms and place her on my lap, pressing a hard kiss on her lips. It only takes a second for her to melt into me, the drama forgotten.
For now.
#Chapter25
All the zen I was able to find after coaching at The Barracks for the first time in almost a month disappears as I pull to a stop in front of the closed gates at Mason’s family’s estate. I haven’t been back here since the night I accidentally slept over at the start of our relationship. I don’t know why, but I feel intimidated being here now.
Could it be that you’re finally going to have the lady balls to have that conversation with Mase and Trav about their split-personality ex, the one you’ve been putting off? I could do without the judgmental tone from my inner cheerleader.
With a deep breath, I roll down my window and type in the code Livi calls out to open the gates. She and her twin brother Olly have been bouncing with excitement in my back seat the whole drive. Since I knew I was coming here after coaching the Admirals practice, I offered to drive them, giving Grace Nova-Roberts—Mase’s and their mom—a free afternoon instead of having to hang around The Barracks.
I follow the long curving driveway, taking note of the cars parked in it, and choose the spot next to Em’s Lexus to park Pinky, my Jeep. Looks like G’s basketball game is over and we’re the last to arrive.
Tessa, who stuck around after the Marshals practice to join us, has her eyes out on stalks as she takes in the massive gray stone mansion and large white columns. I can’t say I blame her.
There’s no one around as we step into the echoing foyer. “I bet they’re in the game room,” Livi says, walking down the hallway branching off to the right.
“Game room?” T asks, the whites of her eyes still visible as she does a full three-sixty.
“Does it really shock you that there’s a game room in”—Olly spreads his arms out wide—“all this?”
From over her shoulder, T meets my gaze, and we share a Holy shit! head shake. First the theater room, which was pretty much a mini home movie theater, now a game room. What’s next, a bowling alley? I swear this place could eat E’s Baltimore home for a snack and still be hungry.
We come to a set of large mahogany doors, similar to the theater room’s, cheers and shouts drifting out into the hall since one of them is propped open. I cross the threshold and come to an abrupt halt. The space is close to, if not the same size as E’s home gym—and that’s two thousand square feet of a gym rat’s wet dream.
One wall has an eighty-inch flat-screen and a built-in entertainment center with every gaming console imaginable underneath. A large black leather sectional as well as four gaming chairs placed in front have me searching for CK in the room. I bet he’s drooling over this setup. G is the only one he’s allowed to see the video game he’s designing, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he lets Mase see it for a chance to play it here.
On the wall opposite gamer heaven is a black wooden bar with purple cushioned barstools. Another flat-screen, this one a modest fifty inches, hangs on the wall, and as I begin to walk again, I can see, in addition to the extensive liquor collection on display, there are both a wine and mini fridge.
There’s also an old-school Mrs. Pac-Man machine, an air hockey table, and even foosball. In one corner there’s a dartboard with a custom Nova-Roberts scoreboard. I gotta give Brantley credit—the designer he chose to create the space did an excellent job not making anything feel crowded, each section of the room able to be utilized without anyone bumping into another.
I say hello, giving hugs and cheek kisses to any of my