Chapter 33
Chapter
Lennon
We spent the next morning at my mom’s, enjoying a nice brunch my sisters brought over. I loved how well Nina and Mia got along with Vivi—how seamlessly she fit into our family dynamic. Satisfaction reared up, and I must have looked smug because Vivi rolled her eyes at me.
“What do you two have planned this afternoon?” Mom asked.
I shrugged. “We could play some games?—”
“You have this one day off and you want to spend it with me? No, you are young and in love. You two need to go out and live a joyful life. My boring daughters will stay with me.”
“Oh, we will, will we?” Mia asked, hands on hips. “I think you’d better ask nicely.”
Mom played along, her eyes shining even as she stuck out her lower lip in a pout. “Please, my darling, please stay with me so I’m not alone in my invalid state.”
Nina kissed Mom’s cheek. “You are a menace.”
Mom cackled. “I love having adult children.”
“You liked us little, too,” I said.
“Well, I’ll love my grandbabies even more. Now, you two, scoot!”
She hugged Vivi and me, and we ended up in the driveway. I let Belladonna into the backseat before holding out my hand to Vivi to help her into the front.
“Your truck is huge,” she said.
“I fit well in it,” I said with a wink.
“Something like that,” Vivi replied. She settled in and buckled up, seeming pensive as I started to drive.
“You okay?” I asked, glancing over.
“Yeah.” She sighed. “Just missing my mom. I wish…” She bit her lip as she turned to face me. “I wish she could have met you.”
“I wish that, too.”
Vivian closed her eyes. “It just hit me—that I’m all alone.”
“Vivi, you are the farthest thing from alone.”
She offered a faint smile, but I saw the shadows in her eyes. She really believed that. I tightened my hands on the steering wheel. That wouldn’t do. At all. “Let’s take Belladonna ice skating,” I said.
“She ice skates?” Vivi asked.
“Loves it. She needs some exercise. It’ll be fun.”
“I can’t ice skate,” Vivi said.
“Well, little grasshopper, you’re about to learn.”
The practice arena was quiet, as I’d hoped. I grabbed my gear, then realized I didn’t have skates for Vivi—an oversight I should have considered.
“It’s okay,” she said. “I’ll watch you.”
“No way. I want to skate with you.”
I dialed Cormac’s number, and he gave me permission to use Keelie’s skates. Thankfully, Vivi and Keelie wore the same size shoe. Once I got her into the footwear and laced up mine, I opened the gate. Belladonna had been sitting, ears perked, ready to go. She bolted onto the ice, her nails skittering across the surface.
“You weren’t kidding,” Vivi said, watching the dog.
I stepped out first, then turned and took her hands in mine. Her skin was cool and soft, her eyes filled with that faintest hint of sadness, as well as trepidation.
I looked into her eyes as we poised at the edge of the ice. “I’ve got you, Vivi. I won’t let you get hurt.”
With a gulp, she stepped forward. I eased backward. She wobbled, and I steadied her. Belladonna raced around the rink on the other side, yapping as she tried to catch the shards of ice she flung into the air.
I released one of Vivi’s hands, and she yelped as she stumbled, but I caught her around the waist and tucked her against my side. “Long glides, like this.” I showed her, and she slowly improved from her tiny fumbling steps. “Good.”
We made two laps around before she gained enough confidence to take her gaze off the ice. She smiled up at me. “This is fun.”
I smiled back. “It is.”
I leaned down to kiss her cool lips, enjoying her taste. I shifted to skate backward, with her front snuggled to mine, as I deepened the kiss. I kept Vivi with me as we made a lazy tour of the ice, all while I devoured her mouth.
A moment later, something slammed into my calf like a damn torpedo, and I went airborne. I tore my lips from hers as I wrapped my arms around her, tensing for the impending crash. From the corner of my eye, I saw Belladonna slinking away.
The impact started in my left shoulder, then traveled down my ribs to my hip. Vivi’s weight was pinned to my chest, but her pelvis slammed into mine, causing me to groan.
Belladonna skittered over to me, sniffing and whining as I tried to regain my breath.
“Not the best landing.” I heard Maxim’s voice.
“I give it a two,” Stol said.
I still hadn’t managed to get my breath back.
“Nah,” Cormac said. “He was at a ten with that kiss move, and the dog fucked his game. I think he deserves a seven because he took the brunt of the fall.”
“Fair,” Naese said. “Looked like it hurt, even if he did land properly. That’ll bruise. Poor bastard.”
“You okay?” I gasped at Vivi. The pain in my dick had receded enough for me to get the words out.
She nodded, her eyes wide. “Are you?”
I laid my head back on the ice. “I’ll be fine. In a minute.”
“Oh. Oh!” She shifted, no doubt to clamber off me.
I groaned as her hip grazed my crotch and gripped her more tightly. “Don’t move. Just…give me a minute.”
“Aw. He’s injured. We gotta help him,” Stolly said.
I gritted my teeth. He was such a dick.
Belladonna licked my cheek. I opened my eyes and found Vivi’s filled with concern. I turned my head and noted Belladonna lying on the ice, her nostrils half an inch from my face. She whined and rested her muzzle on her paws.
“I’m fine. Nothing’s broken.”
“You sure, man?” Cormac asked. “That was a nasty fall.” He crouched. “Don’t listen to Stolly or Naese. They’re young and dumb.”
“I heard that, dick,” Naese muttered.
“Cormac is correct. You are often quite stupid,” Maxim offered. “May I?”
He gestured toward Vivian, who blushed as she realized she was sprawled on me while the guys looked on.
“Erm. Yes. Oof!”
Maxim gripped her waist and settled her on her skate blades in an easy move.
“Careful,” Stolly said as Vivian’s feet came out from underneath her. “Why don’t I hold you up as we skate to the benches?”
“Good idea,” Vivian muttered. “I’m not stable, and I don’t want to hurt one of you.”
“I’ll hold your other hand,” Naese offered. “We’ll get you to safety.”
Cormac offered me his hand. I gripped it, and he tugged me upright. “You okay?” he asked again, quietly. “That was a tumble.”
I shifted my shoulder, wincing. “It’s bruised, and I’ll be stiff for a few days, but I think I’m fine.” I watched as Vivi stuttered her way to the edge of the rink.
“Have the trainer look at it. Just to be sure.” Cormac, ever the team captain, worried over us all. “We need you in prime health for the playoff opener next week. We have a trophy to win.”
“So we do.”
Maxim glanced at Belladonna. “You fucked his moment.”
Belladonna dropped her head back to her paws and whined.
“Don’t shame my dog,” I said. I petted Belladonna’s head and gave her a good scratch. “You’re a good girl. Maxim’s just an ass.”
“Blade wouldn’t behave so poorly.”
“Need I remind you of the racoon incident?” I asked.
Maxim’s resting pissed-off face shifted into a darker scowl.
“I bet Naese’s balls still shrivel whenever anyone says racoon,” Cormac said with a snicker.
“Stop talking about my d—er, package,” Naese called. “There’s a lady present.”
I skated over to Vivi, ignoring my teammates. “Want to get those skates off?” I asked.
Vivian surprised me. “Okay, but I’d like a lesson sometime soon, please. So that next time we skate, you don’t have to be so concerned about me.”
I cupped her cheek and kissed her. “There’s nothing I’d rather focus on than you.”
“Er, dude, I think you’re supposed to say a championship,” Stolly said out of the corner of his mouth. “Especially with the captain right behind you.”
I continued to gaze down at Vivi, much more interested in the play of emotions across her face. “Cormac knows I’ll focus on the game. He knows I’m all in for the Cup. But he also knows that Keelie’s his top priority.”
“He’s not wrong,” Cormac mused. “Except you forgot my son. My family is my top priority.”
I kissed Vivi—just a soft buss. “Exactly.” I pulled back and looked at the crew. They’d formed a loose circle around us. “What’s up? Why are you here?”
“Well…mostly to skate,” Cormac said. He fidgeted. That meant something else was going on.
“Wait. Where are your wives?”
If these guys weren’t at practice or at a game, they were with their partners.
“You are shit at this,” Maxim rumbled.
“It’s not easy to deliver subterfuge,” Stolly muttered.
“It’s got, like, subtle in it, and we’re not really known for being subtle,” Naese pointed out. He winked at me.
Cormac threw up his hands, clearly exasperated. “Why don’t you come to the locker room?”
Stol rubbed his hands together. “We have a surprise!”
“Way to ruin it,” Maxim said. He stomped off, grumbling.
“He’s really bad at social interaction.” Naese shook his head.
“And somehow he got a wife before most of us,” Stol said with a shrug.
“You okay with heading off the ice?” I asked. “We’ll do the lesson some other time. I promise.”
Vivi nodded. “We should ice your shoulder.”
I’d worked hard not to wince, but she was correct. My whole side throbbed as we exited the ice and put on our regular shoes. I raised my eyebrows as I heard voices spilling out into the hall from the locker room. When we got there, they transformed into whistles and whoops.
Hana came over and hugged Vivi, who seemed shell-shocked. “What…?”
“This is a surprise engagement party since you surprised us by getting engaged,” Hana said, beaming.
“We’re having it here because we found out you were already here,” Paloma, Coach Whittaker’s wife, said. “I would have preferred to have a gathering at our house, but we’ll do that soon.” She offered me her hand with a friendly smile. “Welcome to the CATS.”
“Thank you,” Vivian said.
“We also needed to eat a bit of crow,” Millie said. “The guys did better than we did with you two.”
“Did you just admit—” Stol began.
“Don’t push your luck, big guy,” Millie said, smirking at her husband.
He chuckled as he reeled her to his chest. “Wouldn’t dream of it, Millie, my love.”
“They really did do a good job,” Keelie said. “The doggy date was inspired.”
Vivi looked up at me and smiled. “I like to think Lennon and I figured it out all by ourselves. Though I did enjoy meeting all those wonderful dogs and their people.”
“Whatever helps you sleep at night—or not,” Naomi said with a wink. “Now, let’s party!”