Status: Contest entry, let me know what you think!
Family Is All It Takes
Chapter 13
She furrowed her brow at the locker room door. Despite the win and his first goal as a Penguin, Brandon had breezed right past her after the game. Mac was getting mixed signals and she didn’t like it.
@MacLawrence- I suddenly feel like I’m back in high school… mixed signals are NO fun. Stop screwing with my emotions, man.’
She had never tweeted something like that and it probably wasn’t very professional of her, but Mac honestly didn’t give a flying fuck.
****
“Check out Mac’s tweet,” James smirked twenty minutes later.
Sidney and Brandon both took out their cell phones and took a few minutes to read through Twitter.
“Holy shit,” Sidney muttered. “What do you think that’s about?”
Brandon couldn’t help but feel that he had something to do with Mac’s tweet. But he couldn’t exactly say that, could he?
“No idea,” he shrugged.
‘@JamesNeal- @MacLawrence Aw, did someone get their feelings hurt? Who’s the lucky guy? Me, by any chance?’
“You’re a real ass-hat, you know that Nealer?” Mac asked coming up behind the group. She watched her son play with Pascal’s children a few feet away.
“I do, thank you very much,” he said bowing elaborately. “And you never answered my question.”
“I wouldn’t tell you the truth even if I did respond,” she shrugged.
“Right,” Sidney said dragging out the word. “I’m gonna go talk with Coach. Nealer, you coming?”
“Naw, man, I’m good,” he shrugged.
The captain stepped on his teammate’s foot, trying to drop a hint.
“Ow!” James jumped back. “That hurt!”
Sidney darted his eyes away.
“Oh, yeah. I’ll come,” James nodded trying to play it off.
*****
“They are so stupid,” Mac shook her head as the two hockey players walked off.
“I’ve got to agree with you there,” Brandon nodded. “So what was your tweet about?”
She shrugged. Mac wasn’t very bold when it came to the opposite sex.
“You’re not gonna tell me? Even after today?” he asked eyeing her.
“It was unprofessional of me. I should probably delete it,” she sighed.
“So it’s someone here?”
Mac looked at him, afraid to answer.
“It is?” he asked with wide eyes. “Who? Sid? Geno?”
“I’ve gotta go call Jordan,” Mac covered nervously. “C’mon, Jake. It’s late and way past you’re bed time.”
“Aw,” the little boy pouted.
“Can he come over?” Cody, Pascal’s son, asked.
“I don’t think so,” Mac shook her head. “Your daddy is probably very tired.”
“Mon cheri,” Pascal said putting a hand on her shoulder. “We’d love to have Jake stay the night. You said it yourself, he doesn’t have school tomorrow.”
Mac sighed. “Alright. Will you be able to swing by the apartment so I can get him a bag?”
“Oui,” he nodded. “Let’s get a move on. You look like you’re dead on your feet.”
“I am,” she nodded. “I am.”
*****
An hour and a half later, Mac was stooped over her island countertop with a glass of wine and her laptop out in front of her. She was reading an email from her editor.
‘We’d like you to use your personal ties with the team to give us some exclusive tidbits. Make us see the other side of players.
It made her furious. She didn’t have a problem with showing the other side of players. But using her ‘personal ties’ to dig up dirt? That was just wrong. Wasn’t he supposed to uphold the journalistic values and morals?
She was drawn out of her inner rant by a knocking on her door. Who could it be at this hour?
*****
Brandon stood outside Mac’s apartment pacing back and forth. He was debating whether he should knock or not.
He had sat in his apartment staring at Mac’s tweet for a good twenty minutes. Every time he read it, that pang in his chest would come back. He looked at pictures of her and Jake and realized that he wanted that too, that he wanted a real family.
‘Just do it,’ he told himself. ‘Just knock and go with the flow.’
He had no plan other than the fact that he needed to raise his fist and knock.
*****
Wrapping on the door, Brandon almost turned back around to go to his apartment. But it was too late.
“Brandon?” Mac asked squinting at him through her glasses. “What are you doing here?”
Not knowing what to say, Brandon… went with the flow.
He kissed her.
@MacLawrence- I suddenly feel like I’m back in high school… mixed signals are NO fun. Stop screwing with my emotions, man.’
She had never tweeted something like that and it probably wasn’t very professional of her, but Mac honestly didn’t give a flying fuck.
****
“Check out Mac’s tweet,” James smirked twenty minutes later.
Sidney and Brandon both took out their cell phones and took a few minutes to read through Twitter.
“Holy shit,” Sidney muttered. “What do you think that’s about?”
Brandon couldn’t help but feel that he had something to do with Mac’s tweet. But he couldn’t exactly say that, could he?
“No idea,” he shrugged.
‘@JamesNeal- @MacLawrence Aw, did someone get their feelings hurt? Who’s the lucky guy? Me, by any chance?’
“You’re a real ass-hat, you know that Nealer?” Mac asked coming up behind the group. She watched her son play with Pascal’s children a few feet away.
“I do, thank you very much,” he said bowing elaborately. “And you never answered my question.”
“I wouldn’t tell you the truth even if I did respond,” she shrugged.
“Right,” Sidney said dragging out the word. “I’m gonna go talk with Coach. Nealer, you coming?”
“Naw, man, I’m good,” he shrugged.
The captain stepped on his teammate’s foot, trying to drop a hint.
“Ow!” James jumped back. “That hurt!”
Sidney darted his eyes away.
“Oh, yeah. I’ll come,” James nodded trying to play it off.
*****
“They are so stupid,” Mac shook her head as the two hockey players walked off.
“I’ve got to agree with you there,” Brandon nodded. “So what was your tweet about?”
She shrugged. Mac wasn’t very bold when it came to the opposite sex.
“You’re not gonna tell me? Even after today?” he asked eyeing her.
“It was unprofessional of me. I should probably delete it,” she sighed.
“So it’s someone here?”
Mac looked at him, afraid to answer.
“It is?” he asked with wide eyes. “Who? Sid? Geno?”
“I’ve gotta go call Jordan,” Mac covered nervously. “C’mon, Jake. It’s late and way past you’re bed time.”
“Aw,” the little boy pouted.
“Can he come over?” Cody, Pascal’s son, asked.
“I don’t think so,” Mac shook her head. “Your daddy is probably very tired.”
“Mon cheri,” Pascal said putting a hand on her shoulder. “We’d love to have Jake stay the night. You said it yourself, he doesn’t have school tomorrow.”
Mac sighed. “Alright. Will you be able to swing by the apartment so I can get him a bag?”
“Oui,” he nodded. “Let’s get a move on. You look like you’re dead on your feet.”
“I am,” she nodded. “I am.”
*****
An hour and a half later, Mac was stooped over her island countertop with a glass of wine and her laptop out in front of her. She was reading an email from her editor.
‘We’d like you to use your personal ties with the team to give us some exclusive tidbits. Make us see the other side of players.
It made her furious. She didn’t have a problem with showing the other side of players. But using her ‘personal ties’ to dig up dirt? That was just wrong. Wasn’t he supposed to uphold the journalistic values and morals?
She was drawn out of her inner rant by a knocking on her door. Who could it be at this hour?
*****
Brandon stood outside Mac’s apartment pacing back and forth. He was debating whether he should knock or not.
He had sat in his apartment staring at Mac’s tweet for a good twenty minutes. Every time he read it, that pang in his chest would come back. He looked at pictures of her and Jake and realized that he wanted that too, that he wanted a real family.
‘Just do it,’ he told himself. ‘Just knock and go with the flow.’
He had no plan other than the fact that he needed to raise his fist and knock.
*****
Wrapping on the door, Brandon almost turned back around to go to his apartment. But it was too late.
“Brandon?” Mac asked squinting at him through her glasses. “What are you doing here?”
Not knowing what to say, Brandon… went with the flow.
He kissed her.
♠ ♠ ♠
Do you think the kiss came out of nowhere? I need to know your thoughts so that I can make this story as good as it possibly can be. I'm sorry that this one got kind of long, but I thought that it should cover a lot. Let me know what's on your minds, lovelies!