Barefoot Blue Jean Night

I tried to shake him from my vision as I let go of his hand and try to go look for my son.
I feel his hand grab my forearm and I’m pulled back in front of him.

“Please, Lauren, I really want to talk to you and apologize for what I did to you.”
I growled and yanked my arm from his grasp.

“You want to apologize for what, Tyler? You want to apologize for literally breaking my heart into pieces? For dropping it to the floor and stomping on it? You’re the whole reason I stopped dating. I couldn’t trust any guy because some asshole ruined it for the rest of them. I feel stupid for not seeing what was in front of me the entire time. A cheating bastard who preferred fucking whores instead of the woman who took care of him, stayed up all night just to say hi to him after he got back from a road trip, or the one who he spent months [i]in this very arena[/i] trying to convince her that she was the only one for him. Please tell me how you think ‘I’m sorry’ could possibly fix everything you did to me?”

Apparently my yelling disturbed some people. There was a crowd at either end of the hallway watching the interaction between Tyler and I. He just kept his head down.

“I don’t know, okay? What I do know is that what I did was wrong. I was young and stupid. I didn’t know what I had right in front of me until it was too late. By the time I was ready to come after you, you were already with Steve. I couldn’t hurt Mason like that to try and get you back.”

I walk up and stick my finger in his chest. “Don’t you dare bring Mason into this.”

He just stares at me, his eyes flicking down to my lips at every other glance. I back away and wave my finger at him.

“You DO NOT get to look at me like that!” I turn to Mason, “Honey, cover your ears.”
I see two of Tyler’s teammates throw their hands over the boys’ eyes and ears.

“You do not get to look at me like we’re headed for the bedroom. You lost that right the minute you fucked all those girls after you won the cup. Say whatever you want, but I know about all of them, you lying, cheating bastard.”

Before I can stop myself, I raise my hand and it hits his cheek with such force his head swivels to the side and back.
“Fuck you. Don’t ever talk to me again.”

I turn on my heel, grab Mason and Nathan’s hands and walk with my head held high right out the door.

I get the boys into the car and I sigh, sagging down in my seat.
“I’m really sorry I ruined your night boys. I promise to make it up to you.”

I look back at the boys in my rearview mirror. They both grin from ear to ear.
“Are you kidding? That was awesome, mom! You told him!”

I let out a little giggle, throwing the radio on and heading back home for Mase’s birthday sleepover. Both boys pass out 5 minutes into the ride home and I’m left with the the low hum of the radio as my friend for the night.

I help both sleepy boys into the house when we arrive, telling them to change and brush their teeth before heading to bed. I make my way to my room and change into some tights and a tank top before walking into the bathroom. I wipe my makeup off and throw my hair into a bun on top of my head. I stare at myself in the mirror and I feel like crying at how sad I look. Seeing Tyler and bringing all those memories back really killed me.

It’s still a little early, so I pour myself a small glass of wine as my reward for not doing something worse than that little slap. I was fired up at that moment, I could have easily punched him.

I throw the tv on to a random movie and I relax.
A pounding on my front door wakes me out of my sleep. Obviously I was very relaxed and fell asleep on the couch again. By the light coming through the window I can tell its the middle of the night. I run to the door to stop the pounding.

“You’re going to wake the boys.” I notice it’s Steph and she has a worried expression on her face.

“Put a sweater on and head to Brew. The guys need your help. I’ll stay here and keep an eye on the boys.”

Without question, I do as she asks. I grab my keys and head over to the bar. I’m not sure what I’ll find when I get there, but she sounds desperate.

I walk in the door and immediately there’s someone at my side.
“I’m really sorry you got dragged here. It’s all my fault. I’m Jamie, by the way.”

I recognize him from earlier. He’s the captain of Tyler’s team.
Suddenly my breath catches. I know exactly what I’m doing here. Jamie grabs my hand and leads me over to a booth.

“He’s so wasted and we can’t get him to leave. You were the only option.” Jamie points over to Tyler with a gaggle of girls around him.

Suddenly I kick into mom mode. I make my way over to the table.
“Tyler Paul Seguin, get your fucking ass up and out the door this instant.”

The girls immediately disperse and Tyler is left alone. I see realization hit him and he swallows loudly. He refuses to get up so I walk over to his side. I grab his ear and drag him out of the booth. Some of his teammates snicker at the sight but I send a glare in their direction and they cease immediately.

“Ow, fuck Lo, that hurts.” I ignore the fact that he uses my nickname. I throw him into the backseat of the cab and face Jamie.

I slip my number to him. “Let me know how he is in the morning.”

Notes