I turned to Alec and saw him watching me. I pressed my lips together, attempting and probably failing to smile, and tried to focus back on the conversation around me. Alec identified as bisexual, but I understood not wanting to come out, especially not with his teammates, who he shared a locker room and even a bedroom with when they were doing road trips. It would make things especially uncomfortable for Alec if they weren’t cool about it. Then again, it was probably the last thing Monroe needed, too, given the notoriety of Tristan’sTarnished Crownpodcast. If anyone found out that we’d all been together, it would probably be all over the gossip sites.
“Relax,” Alec whispered in my ear when his teammates kept talking around us, teasing and laughing with each other.
“I’m going to stain your pants,” I whisper-hissed.
Alec hummed. “I like that idea.”
“You’re twisted,” I teased.
Alec barked out a laugh. “You have no idea.”
“I’m worried about Monroe,” I added.
Alec nodded, flicking his gaze over my shoulder. Tension gathered around his eyes and his brows creased. “We need to talk.”
My gut sank, plummeting to the ocean floor. I swallowed and opened my mouth to speak. I had no idea what I wanted to say, but those words weren’t uttered unnecessarily, and they were never followed by good news. But before I could figure anything out, Monroe returned and placed two of the three drinks he was carrying down. With his free hand, he gestured to the lounges behind us.
“I’m going to go and sit with my daughter and her partners. Enjoy your drinks.” He didn’t wait around, immediately heading toward Zali’s table.
“Monroe,” I called, but he waved me off, dismissing me with his hand held up in a stopping gesture.
Alec held me close, not relaxing his grip on me. Anger built up inside me, simmering slowly until I was boiling. I wanted to shove Alec off me, to chase after Monroe and tell him how much I wanted him with us.
But how could I? The bar was full, and people had already stopped and turned to look at us when I called out to him. And what would that mean for Alec? I didn’t want his teammates to think that Alec wasn’t enough for me.
A waiter stopped at our table, holding a tray with four beers on it. “Gents, these are from the ladies at the bar.” He placed one in front of each of the guys—Alec included—and gave me a sympathetic smile.
“Can you please express our thanks, but let them know we’re all in relationships,” Jackie said politely. The waiter nodded and walked away.
“Well, this is awkward,” Hewitt muttered. He plastered on a smile and raised the glass to the ladies in thanks before he set it down again, not even taking a sip.
Alec simply pushed his glass to the middle of the table. I bit back a smile, my giggle coming out as a hiccup. I flushed, and Jackie looked at me from over the rim of his ginger beer.
“You’re still that cute kid who used to follow me around like you idolized me,” he teased.
I coughed, heat suffusing my cheeks. “I didn’t follow you around—”
“But you did idolize me.” He grinned and shook his head. “It’s surreal being back, especially when we were in Brisbane. I still can’t believe you’re all grown-up, yet your mum hasn’t aged a single day.”
“Fuck,” Hewitt groaned. “They’re coming over.”
Alec made a show of checking his imaginary watch and said, “Oh look at the time. It’s curfew.”
They didn’t have a curfew unless it was the night before a game, but those ladies didn’t need to know that.
“I’ve got the tab,” Hewitt said, leaving singed tracks in his wake as he sped to the bar.
Jackie met the ladies head-on and thanked them before excusing himself and the others, explaining that they were just leaving. Alec gave me a small smile and said, “I’m wrecked, but I don’t want you to miss out on spending time with your friends. Why don’t you join them?”
“You could come?” I smiled hopefully at him, holding my breath. He’d wanted to introduce me to his friends. I really wanted to do the same thing. I wanted Zali to meet him. I wanted her to understand why I couldn’t choose between Alec and Monroe.
He gestured to the lifts across the lobby. “I need to get some ice on my joints.” My smile fell, and he squeezed my shoulders. “But I’d love to meet them first.”
Hand in hand, I took him over to the group. “Everyone, this is Alec. He’s part of the Seals. Alec, these are my friends—Zali, Flynn, Tristan, Ezra, and Ryder.” I smiled at Monroe, who was sitting next to Ry with a spare seat next to him—my seat. It was clear who’d come to the game tonight—Zali, Ezra, Ry, Monroe, and I were all dressed in Seals jerseys.
“Hey,” Alec greeted Ezra with an up nod before turning his attention to the others. “Glad you got to see the game. Thanks for coming along and supporting us.”
“Great game, mate,” Ry responded.
