“It’s kinda rude to leave so soon after eating or when other guests just arrived. Don’t you want to watch some of the game?”
“Not really,” he mutters unconvincingly.
Quinn gives me a knowing look then walks out, leaving us alone. I lean into him and kiss along the underside of his jaw.
“If you’re worried about Liza being here, don’t be. I’m fine.”
His eyes scan my face, and he relaxes, slipping his hands into the back pockets of my jeans. “Staying until halftime then we need to leave. Four a.m. alarm is early, no matter what time we go to bed.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me. The bed’s lonely without you. ”
His eyes grow soft, and he leans down, pressing his lips against mine in a sweet kiss. A throat clears behind us, and he straightens. His face hardens.
“Sorry to interrupt, but I need to talk to you for a minute, Bryce.”
I turn partially and see Liza moving to a barstool. She doesn’t give me a second glance.
“What’s up?” he asks.
“We need to talk about Shawn. Had another incident you should be aware of.”
“No, if we talk about Shawn that means we’re talking about work, and I don’t want to talk about work on my day off.” He looks at his watch and then frowns. “I’ll be on base in less than thirteen hours. I’m positive this can wait.”
“It really can’t. Give me ten minutes. Let me brief you then decide if it can wait. If so, we’ll connect tomorrow morning.”
He reluctantly agrees by giving her a small nod. She slices her eyes to mine and waits silently. I start to feel uncomfortable and glance up to Bryce.
“Do you need privacy? Is this a confidential issue?”
“Yeah, babe, give me ten minutes and I’ll join you back in the living room.”
“Devon, this may take longer. Warning you now, Bryce, you’re going to want to hear all of it.” She looks between the two of us, and for once, I don’t feel threatened. Her expression is all business.
Bryce must sense this too because he blows out a deep breath and utters, “Shit,” before kissing me on the forehead and stepping back. I pat his chest and try to give him an encouraging smile then leave them alone.
Liza was right. It didn’t take ten minutes; it took an hour. Nate joined them for a little while then came back looking pissed. He sunk back on the sofa and chugged his beer. Tommy, Nicole, and Rick noticed but kept quiet.
When Bryce finally walks back in, Quinn is asleep on my shoulder, and my mind is spinning with possibilities of what took so long. His mouth is in a firm line as he runs his hands through his hair. Liza follows him out, hands him a beer, and then sits on the edge of the sofa, close to him. His eyes land on mine, and my heart falls. He looks so apologetic and torn; my mind clears of the earlier bitterness. Obviously, it was a real problem.
“Everything alright?” Tommy looks between them.
“Yes, work stuff,” Liza answers and focuses on me.
“He looks genuinely upset.” Quinn whispers, waking up.
I nod and catch Bryce’s eye, patting the empty space on the floor next to me. He sits and drapes his arm over my shoulder, tension rolling off of him.
“Babe, I hate to do this, but my schedule just got royally fucked. I need to be on base a lot earlier. We should probably go.”
I get up, and he rises too. Quinn decides to stay back with Nate for a while. She can tell we need some privacy so Bryce can share with me what’s going on.
We say our goodbyes, and I promise to call Nicole with our holiday plans once Bryce and I have decided. Tommy and Rick ask me to give them a shout out if the TV lands on me at Saturday’s game. Bryce groans, but everyone, including Liza laughs.
We are almost to the door, still smiling, when Liza finds a way to ruin my mood again.
“Bryce, you need me to pick you up?”
I stop walking and look at him. He hangs his head and takes a deep breath then turns to her. “No, Liza. I’ve got it.”