My gaze falls on Ezra as he leans against the stall, his phone in hand. With the smile on his face, it’s clear he’s texting Kaeli. A fizzle of envy skates down my spine at their relationship, followed by guilt for being jealous that my best friend found his happily ever after.
Cautiously, I walk over to him, needing to make it right between us. “Hey,” I mutter, just enough for him to hear.
His shoulders visibly stiffen, and his smile drops at the sound of my voice, making a lead weight settle in my stomach.
Without looking at me, he types out a quick response and places his phone in the stall, finally moving his eyes to me.
He must’ve seen something on my face, because the stiffness eases a bit. “Hey,” he sighs, waiting for me to broach the subject.
“I’m sorry for snapping at you.” I apologize. People might see me as grumpy, a brood, a man with an attitude problem. I won’t lie and say I’m not, because I am.
But I also always try to do the right thing, apologize when I hurt the people I care about—intentional or not.
The tension bleeds from both ourbodies. “No worries, man. It’s my bad for prying.” He waves his hand in the air, his lips lifting in a smirk.
“Got any plans after this?” he asks, his arms folding over his naked chest, a towel slung low on his waist.
My brows furrow. “I guess not,” I shake my head, wanting to know where this is going.
“Good. I’m gonna crash at your place, and you’re gonna make me something delicious because Kaeli, Andie, and her friend Aurelia are having a girls’ day today. Which means I’m not welcome at home until late in the evening,” he grumbles the last part, not the least bit happy at having to stay away from his girlfriend.
Humor at his grouchiness makes me smirk at him. “And they callmegrumpy,” I comment, not missing a chance to pull his leg. Who’d have thought Ezra Moore would be tied down?
He rolls his eyes, mirth dancing in his eyes nonetheless. “Fuck off,” he chuckles, jabbing my shoulder playfully.
“Any special request for your meal?” I cock my eyebrow at him, letting him off the hook, my heart feeling a little lighter now that everything’s okay between us.
“Chef’s choice,” he says, standing straight andpicking up the phone once more as it buzzes with a notification, no doubt from Kaeli.
Before I can reply, Seb yells the second he comes back from a shower, “I heard that! I want to eat Daddy’s food too!”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” I groan under my breath, shooting a glare at Ezra, who chortles at my luck.
“What!? Don’t look at me!” Ezra raises his hands, trying his hardest to suppress the laughter that spills the moment Seb comes closer, because the kid doesn’t know when to stop.
“You’ll let me come, won’t you, Daddy?” He wiggles his eyebrows, his smile resembling that of a clown everyone is scared of, giving me the hives.
The rest of my teammates laugh at his antics and invite themselves to my place.
“Don’t call me that,” I growl at Seb. If I thought that a glare would stop him, boy, was I wrong.
“What?” He blinks at me innocently, dropping his towel, not a least bit ashamed about being naked as the day he was born, before he slips into his briefs. Not that any of us are. We’re pretty desensitized to seeing each other’s junk out in the open.
“You don’t want me to call you ‘Daddy’?” Seb continues. “But I love it,” he pauses, “Daddy.” He feigns a pout, making the remaining guys in the locker room snicker, enjoying every second of my torture.
“Ughh, Goddamnit, Rookie!” I grunt and turn around on my feet, raking a rough hand through my hair, desperate to leave this conversation as I pick my towel from the duffel.
Seb yells at my back, making a show of wearing his clothes hastily. “Oh, don’t leave me, Daddy!”
The locker room rings with the laughter of the guys, placing bets on what it would take for me to rip Seb a new one.
The kid’s going to make me go bald with how much he makes me want to pull at them.
Seb’s teasing voice follows me to the shower, as I shake my head at him, a small smile sneaking on my face when no one can see me.
“Daddy! I’m coming!”
Fourteen