Chapter 52
Weeks have come and gone since Lily’s birthday party. Mom stayed for two weeks after the party, and as much of that time as possible was spent with Lily. She loves Quebec too much to give it up, but I’m well on my way to convincing her that spending more time in the States is worth it. She blended in with Rachel and Lily so well that I feel like it would be great to have her around more often. Beyond the party, the boys and I have been busy with the newfound success of the podcast and Rachel with work, but we all have something big to look forward to before the start of the new hockey season.
There is limited time during the hockey off season. This is usually when we take an extended break, plan vacations, plan weddings. Which is exactly what Elliot’s one requirement was when he and Ziggy were planning their wedding weekend in paradise. At least, that is what Ziggy keeps calling it. It's important to Elliot that his former teammates are able to be a part of their wedding. Even now, as a broadcaster, his schedule still revolves around the season, so it has worked out well for everyone, especially the September beach trip that came from this excursion we are all embarking on.
They are keeping the party small so that most of the wedding party and the guests are on the same flight. Those of us in Atlanta all flew out together, and everyone else ended up on our connecting flight from Los Angeles. I can’t believe that we are on our way to Hawaii. For Elliot’s wedding, of all things. And I am doing this with my two favorite girls. This is a whole ass trip, it's kinda surreal. The hum of the plane engine vibrates my seat as I look over at Rachel and Lily. They are both sitting peacefully next to me. Lily’s clutching her stuffed animal, her tiny eyelids fluttering as she drifts in and out of sleep, trying and failing to fight it. It’s almost been a year since Lily came into my life, and she will forever make me smile.
Rachel catches me staring and nudges me with her elbow, smiling. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Just thinking about how big of a deal this is.” I nod, glancing over at her. “This is a milestone for us. This trip counts as our first real family vacation, doesn’t it?”
She beams, her eyes soft. “Yeah, I guess it does.”
I clear my throat, adjusting in my seat a little, knowing that what I’m about to ask could be a hit or miss. “ I’m not trying to ruin the mood but can I ask you something?”
She looks back up at me, arching her brow slightly in curiosity. “Sure, anything.”
I don’t hesitate. I just throw it out there. “If we never ran into each other in Charlotte and the truth never came out, what would you and Lily have done for Elliot and Ziggy’s wedding? Knowing that I would be here.”
Her lips part as if she has a quick response, but then she presses her lips together tightly. There’s something vulnerable in the way she looks at me as she thinks it over, but not the type of way that she is upset or embarrassed of. Everything about her demeanor tells me that whatever her answer is will be the absolute truth.
“Honestly?” she says finally, her voice soft. “I have no idea. Avoided you? Even saying it out loud sounds so ridiculous. There is no way that would have ever worked.” She shakes her head, letting out a strangled chuckle. “I don’t have a good answer for you. But I’m very glad I never had to figure it out. It might not have felt that way at the time, but running into you was the best thing that could have happened. As messy as it was trying to figure it out, I’m so glad that it happened.”
Her words hit me hard. I don’t know what I expected from the question. Just the thought of her avoiding me to continue to hide the truth hurts, even now, when that is nothing but a distant nightmarish fantasy. Knowing that she genuinely is glad that I found out when I did does help force the painful what if’s from my head.
I nod, looking down at my hands for a moment. “Yeah. Me, too.”
Before I can say anything more, there’s a startling commotion from the bathrooms near our seats that grabs our attention. Elliot and Ziggy spill out of the tiny space, both looking way too guilty. Ziggy’s face is flushed, and Elliot’s got a stupid-ass grin plastered on his face. I don’t even have to ask to know what’s going on. I raise an eyebrow at Rachel, and she bites her lip, trying not to laugh.
“Are you kidding me?” I say, loud enough for them to hear. “Did they really just—?”
Rachel rolls her eyes, but her grin never falters. “Does that really surprise you? This is very on brand for them.”
“Don’t hate the players, man,” Elliot says, throwing an arm around Ziggy, who fails to suppress a giggle.
Rachel bursts out laughing, shaking her head as she mutters, “You guys are out of control.”
“What?” Ziggy says defensively. “It’s my wedding trip!”
Rachel crosses her arms over one another, the pointer finger of the hand on top wagging in Elliot and Ziggy’s direction as she pretends to be stern. “You know it’s bad luck to have sex before the wedding, right?”
Ziggy rolls her eyes while a look of pure panic takes over Elliot’s face. I burst out laughing. Ziggy huffs, crossing her arms. “You guys suck.”
“Hey Maria, that isn’t actually true, right?” Elliot taps Dr. Lyons on the shoulder as they walk past her seat.
She looks up from her tablet, my guess doing something work related. “Is what not true?” she asks.
“That Ziggy and I can’t fuck until after the wedding?” Elliot yells his question loud enough that most of the plane can hear.
“There is a child present,” I yell back at him, covering Lily’s delicate ears, still trying to hold back from laughing my ass off.
Elliot just shakes his head, holding his hands up in surrender, “Sorry, bud.”
Dr. Maria looks shell shocked, like we have scared her speechless somehow. She’s clearly not used to this kind of antics, and it’s throwing her off. There is a faint blush spreading from the tips of her ears down, her mouth still wide open. If this is too much for her, it’s going to end up being a very long trip because I know all of us, and we are just getting started.
“What? Um, no,” she finally says, sort of stumbling over her words. “Why would you think that? Wait, you know, never mind. It’s none of my business.”
Ford, who somehow finagled his way into sitting next to her, winks at her. “Those two don’t care whose business it is. And you are part of the group now Dr. Maria. I’ll make sure of it,” he says, flashing her a wide grin. He’s been consistently trying to woo her since the moment we got on the plane, and it’s starting to get painfully embarrassing.
“You know, Dr. Maria,” Ford says smoothly, “this trip could be the start of something beautiful for us. Imagine this, Hawaii, a wedding, beautiful blue skies, maybe a very minimal bikini, a willing pool boy ready to rub sunscreen on you. I’m the pool boy, just so you know. It starts with sunscreen and ends with us together underneath the magic of the starlight, night skies….anything is possible.”
Dr. Maria glances at him, unimpressed. “First of all, I’m not interested. Second of all, you will need to learn to stop calling me Dr. Maria if, in some alternate reality, I wanted to go out with you.” I’m not here for that, Ford.”
“Damn,” Elliot says under his breath. Ziggy and Rachel exchange amused looks while I sit back, enjoying the circus unfolding around us. I glance over at Ford, who’s too stubborn to take the hint or just crazy enough to not give up on trying to impress Dr. Maria. She’s very resistant, but Ziggy swears there's something there.
The second we step off the plane, the warm ocean air washes over me, a very obvious reminder that we’re not in Atlanta anymore. Palm trees sway in the distance, and for a second, it feels like we’ve stepped into a movie or a postcard. I glance over at Rachel, who has a very confused Lily in her arms. Rachel’s eyes sparkle in the sunlight, looking more relaxed than she’s been in weeks.
As we make our way through baggage claims and out toward the shuttle, I catch sight of Ford standing by the door, a huge grin on his face and a flower lei in his hands. How the fuck did he get so far ahead of us? He’s just standing there waiting. Ignoring everyone but Maria. As she walks by him, he and his flower lei strike, his face all charm and optimism. "Welcome to paradise, Dr. Maria."
Dr. Maria raises an eyebrow but doesn’t stop him from laying the lei around her neck. She keeps a controlled but amused look on her face, still unswayed. “Thanks, Ford. This is...nice.”
Ford claps his hands together, looking stupidly proud of himself. “Only the best for the most beautiful woman on the island.”
I nudge Rachel with my elbow, pointing my head in his direction. "Oh, for fucks sake."
Rachel snorts, bouncing Lily on her hip as she whispers. “He’s got zero chill. Do you think Dr. Maria is going to buy it?”
“She seems totally uninterested, so he’s probably got a better chance of getting struck by lightning, but hey, it’s his funeral,” I chuckle.
Rachel shoots me a side glance, and I shake my head, trying not to laugh at how smooth Ford thinks he’s being. I think even Lily might’ve rolled her eyes if she were old enough to understand what was going on. We each take our seats in the shuttle and get comfortable for the rest of the ride to the resort. I fight off Lily’s small fingers, reaching out and trying to grab the lei around my neck. I rest my arm over Rachel’s shoulder, pulling her closer.
“I’m excited for all the relaxation we’re going to be doing on this trip,” I say softly, running my thumb along her shoulder.
Rachel smiles up at me, a soft glimmer in her eyes. “You’re delusional if you think we’re actually going to have relaxation time with Ziggy and Elliot in charge.”
Once the shuttle pulls up to the resort and we all file off, we step inside the resort, the place a flurry of activity. Our bags are stripped from us and disappear with the promise that everything will be in our rooms when we get up there. Before I can even finish checking in, Rachel hands me Lily and the stroller as Ziggy pulls her away. Over Ziggy’s shoulder, I can hear her saying, “There's not a second to waste,” before disappearing deep into the resort to handle whatever last-minute details, leaving the rest of us to fend for ourselves.
“Looks like it’s just us now,” Ford says, glancing at Dr. Maria with a mischievous wiggle of the eyebrows. “How about a drink by the pool?”
“Or maybe I’ll go with the girls to do anything else.” Dr. Maria suggests, clearly dodging the offer, and takes off down the hall after Rachel and Ziggy.
I watch Ford as he stares after Dr. Maria like a lovesick puppy. Maria, on the other hand, is completely unfazed by his efforts. I can’t help but laugh at him, shaking my head. Then, I look down at Lily, and she giggles at me, reaching for my face. I lean down, kissing her on the forehead.
“Well, Lily Goose,” I say, bouncing her gently, “looks like we’re in for one hell of an adventure.”
One of my best friends is about to get married, and instead of having a rowdy bachelor party, here we are. Just a group of guys babysitting a one-year-old on a beach. What could possibly go wrong? By the time we get down to the sand and set up our beach gear, Bryce and Nolan have arrived. Bryce pulled some major strings to be here because football season is quite literally right around the corner. I know Elliot is happy that he can be here too.
So now we have a full motley crew and Lily sitting on a big beach towel with a sunhat way too big for her head. We all stand in a circle around the big beach blanket, looking very unsure about what to do. Well everyone except Elliot, who is attempting to put sunscreen on Lily. It’s not going well. She’s squirming away from both him and the sunscreen like a tiny, slippery fish.
“So…this is the plan?” Nolan says, looking very skeptical, eyeing Lily like she’s about to explode.
Bryce chuckles, leaning in. “Man, this isn’t your first time around a kid or even Lily. What are you so worried about?”
“Yeah, every other time, there has been a responsible adult around. Now it’s just us,” Nolan gives him a deadpan look. “Plus, I’m used to crying hockey players, Bryce. They’re a pain in the ass, but at least I know where I stand with them.”
Elliot finally manages to slather some sunscreen on Lily’s arms, legs, and nose, and she gives him a serious scowl. One that looks exactly like Rachel, which makes me chuckle. “Hey! Between all of us, we are at least one and a half adults, maybe even two. We’ve got this.”
As the perfect period on the end of his declaration, Lily blows a giant sunscreen filled bubble in Elliot’s face, and we all burst out laughing.
“I mean, I’m her father, so I’ll be fine,” I say, glancing at Bryce and Nolan. “I know neither one of you has ever babysat.”
Bryce shrugs, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “I mean, I babysit my teammates all the time. That counts, right?”
“No,” Nolan says very matter of factly.
“Okay, so here’s the deal, we’ve got a few hours to keep her entertained,” I reply flatly, though I can’t help but laugh.
Nolan pulls his sunglasses down the bridge of his nose, peering out over the top of them, clearly not thrilled about the prospect of babysitting. “Sure, but how exactly?”
Elliot grins mischievously. “Let’s just tire her out with ocean and sand activities. We’ll all nap like champs after that.”
We all look at Lily, who is now gnawing on a corner of her sunhat. Tiring her out sounds good in theory, but I doubt it's going to be that simple. And she certainly isn’t on board with the plan so far. She’s staring at us like we’re idiots, which, in this scenario, might not be far off.
“She’s judging us, bud,” Elliot mutters, squinting at me. “She knows.”
“She’s very smart. She knows we’re in over our heads,” Ford replies, shaking his head. “What do you want to do, kid?”
As if on cue, Lily points her chubby little finger at Nolan, babbling excitedly. I glance at Nolan, who is holding up his palms, shaking his head, “Oh, no. No, no, no. Don’t point at me.”
“She wants you to hold her,” I say, grinning.
“You think she’s ready for that?” Nolan raises an eyebrow.
“Only one way to find out,” I say, chuckling softly. “And I don’t think she is the one we need to be worried about.”
Nolan takes a deep breath before bending down and picking up Lily. Her eyes light up as she pulls at the sunglasses on his face. He stands there overly still, grumbling as Lily’s excited babbling turns to high-pitched shrieks as she points at the water.
“Oren, what is she doing?” he hisses, giving me a panicked look.
“She wants to go swimming.” I say with an evil grin. I turn and head toward the water, motioning everyone to follow behind me, “Come on, let’s get going.”
Nolan comes up to stand next to me, Lily in his arms. “Ok, what now?”
“Just hold her so that her toes are in the water and let’s see how she likes it.” I say with a shrug, acting like I’m calm, cool and collected, but in reality I also have no idea what to do, either.
“Go for it, man. I’m here for backup,” Bryce squats down where the waves crash on the sand like he is ready to swoop in if needed. “If she cries, we’ll know she hates it.”
I shoot him a look. “Helpful, Bryce. Real helpful.”
Nolan lets Lily down toward the shallowest part of the waves, her legs kicking with excitement as the waves run over her toes. Elliot and Ford settle into the wet sand nearby, building some sort of sand blob, while I observe Bryce and Nolan carefully.
“She loves it!” I shout as she squeals with delight, “Give me my child back,” I tell Nolan. Holding onto her hands, Nolan very willingly pulls free and steps back to squat on the other side, where Bryce is crouched. Lily adjusts so that her fingers grip onto mine, and I let her walk into the waves, leaving only the stabilizing support of her grip on my fingers to lift her up if a big wave comes in.
Elliot and Ford finally join us in the water, and quickly we’re all laughing as Lily shrieks happily, splashing water everywhere. Even Nolan cracks a smile when Bryce falls face first into the water after the smallest of waves knocks him off balance. It’s pretty great watching these guys, my brothers, all rallying around my daughter, the tiny human who’s completely stolen my heart.
By the time we head back to the chairs, Lily is exhausted. She’s yawning and rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. I lay her down on the blanket, and within minutes, she’s out like a light.
“We did it!” Bryce whispers, looking victorious. “We tired her out.”
Nolan plops down into a chair, nodding in agreement. “I’ll admit, that went better than expected.”
“We are great at this,” Elliot says, grinning, as he lies back on a towel.
“Don’t get cocky,” I laugh, taking a seat beside Lily. “She’ll wake up soon enough.”
We sit in comfortable silence for a while. This might not be how any of us expected today to go but that didn’t matter to any of the guys. They were right here with me each step of the way. Rachel and Ziggy saunter toward us, arm in arm, both of them smiling.
“How’d it go?” Rachel asks, looking around at the peaceful scene.
I grin, looking down at Lily, who’s still sound asleep. “Easy.”
Rachel raises an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. She leans down to kiss Lily’s forehead and I can tell that she is impressed.
“Good job, boys,” Ziggy teases, giving Elliot a playful nudge.
Elliot stretches his arms out and yawns. “See, I’m a natural.”
And just like that, the five of us passed the ultimate test, surviving the afternoon.
The rehearsal dinner the next night is beautiful. String lights hang from the surrounding palm trees, casting a warm glow over the beachside table. I can hear the waves crashing against the shore, only adding to the overall vibe that makes the evening feel like something out of a dream. Rachel sits beside me, her hand resting on my thigh, and I’m left feeling nothing but lucky. The entire evening is full of laughter and conversation flowing like fine wine. Lily’s being passed around like a little queen between everyone—Ziggy, Maria, and Ford, who I’m pretty sure is using his way with Lily to impress Maria. At one point, even Nolan holds her, bouncing up and down subconsciously and carrying on a conversation with those around us.
I glance over at the bride and groom to be. Elliot looks like he’s about to burst with excitement. I don’t blame him. Tomorrow, he’s marrying the love of his life in a Hawaiian paradise. I feel like if the roles were reversed, I couldn’t wait to marry Rachel. I look over at Ziggy, who looks just as blissfully happy. But right now, I’m distracted. Every time Rachel leans in to laugh, fingers tighten against my thigh, and I’m getting more and more distracted by what I really want tonight—her.
The later it gets, the fussier Lily gets. The trip is starting to catch up with her, and that gives me the perfect excuse to go back to our room.
“Hey,” I whisper into Rachel’s ear, my lips brushing down to her neck. “What do you say we call it a night? Get Lily to bed?”
She looks up, her eyes filled with the same heat. “You think we’re really going back just to put Lily to bed?”
I smirk, placing my hand over hers still on my thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Fuck no.”
We say our goodbyes to everyone, laying it on thick that we need to get Lily down for the night. Which isn’t a lie, but nobody buys it. Elliot winks at me while Ziggy waves us off with a grin. “Don’t get into too much trouble tonight. Tomorrow’s the big day,” she teases.
Rachel chuckles, and we head back to our room. The heat between us builds the short walk back to the room. The second we get inside and close the door behind us, I take a deep breath. Lily’s still awake but barely. She started to nod off during the walk. We get her settled in the crib the resort provided. It is tucked into a corner of the living room that gives her some quiet space but close enough we can hear her if she cries out. Before we know it, she is out.
Rachel turns to me, her eyes full of desire, and I can’t wait any longer. “I’ve been thinking about your body all night,” I admit, pulling her close, my hands sliding down to the small of her back.
She grins, looking up at me, teasing. “Oh yeah? Tell me more about that.”
I lean in, capturing her lips in a deep, hungry kiss. She melts into me, her body molding perfectly to mine as my hands roam over the curve of her ass. “This,” I whisper against her lips.
I pull her outside to the private pool; the warm tropical air is thick with humidity, and sweat already starts to form on my skin. But none of that matters. Nothing but Rachel standing there in front of me matters, her nipples pebbling through the fabric of her dress, the straps slipping off her shoulders, her skin begging me to reveal more in the moonlight.
She slips the fabric down her body slowly, teasingly, before stepping into the pool, asking me to join. The light of the moon makes the shallow water shimmer around her as she moves. It does nothing to hide her body from me. I follow, stripping my stuffy suit off, unable to tear my eyes away from her and the way her body glides through the water. Everything about her is mesmerizing. I wade to meet her in the water, towering over her and pulling her close, my hands sliding around her back, pressing into her.
Our lips meet in the middle again, our kiss slower this time, savoring every second, wanting to draw out the moment, neither of us rushing. The water splashes with our movements, creating a rhythm of its own. I grip her hips, lifting her up and letting her wrap her legs around my hips. My movements are slow and deliberate as I slowly thrust into her. I walk us to the edge of the pool, pressing her into the pool wall, moving in and out of her slowly, lovingly and passionately. I lose myself in making love to her with the water surrounding us, the stars shining down over us, and the night sky the only witness to Rachel coming apart in my arms, her tight cunt gripping me so tightly.
But we’re not done. Far from it. I pull out gently as she comes down from her orgasm and lift her to sit on the edge of the pool. I press her thighs open and dive into her delicious pussy. I lap at her arousal, drinking her in, urging another orgasm from her body, her inner muscles tightening again. Once she is spent and shaking around my tongue, I scoop her back up.
I carry her from the pool, both of us dripping wet and quietly sneak into the bedroom. I set her down in the walk-in shower, both of us laughing between breathless kisses. I crank up the hot water, letting it cascade over us. I explore every inch of her slick skin with my lips, my tongue, and my fingers. Rachel moans softly, her hands tangling in my hair as I kiss her neck, her collarbone, anywhere and everywhere I can reach.
“God, I love you,” I murmur against her skin.
“I love you, too,” Rachel moans as my fingers slip inside her sensitive pussy. “Show me how much you love me by filling me up with your cum.”
And who can say no to a request like that? After getting her squeaky clean, I’m ready to get filthy with her again. We stumble out of the shower and to the bed, still dripping wet, leaving a trail of water behind us. I lay her down, taking my time as I kiss my way up her body, desperate to make the night last as long as possible. I take my time spreading soft kisses across her inner thighs before moving up her body and settling my hips between her thighs. I thrust into her hard, working in and out of her.
Rachel is my biggest weakness. She makes me desperate and needy, and I don’t think that will ever go away. Unable to control myself any longer, I start pounding into her. With one hand, I hold her wrists above her head, pressing them into the bed as I continue pounding her into the mattress, watching her tits bounce with every thrust.
“Fuck, Rachel. I love watching your gorgeous tits bounce as you take my cock,” I growl, my movements becoming more erratic.
It's getting harder for me to hold back my impending orgasm, “play with your clit, sweetheart.”
Rachel slides her hand between us, circling her sensitive clit, her inner muscles immediately taking notice of the additional sensation. She starts to scream, so I press my other hand over her mouth to keep her quiet. She bites into my palm as her muscles constrict, her orgasm triggering my own. I groan out my release as my cum spills into her until my balls are completely empty.
Judging on how neither of us can move, we’re both exhausted, but completely satisfied. Rachel shifts, pressing me to my back and sliding into the crook of my shoulder, molding her body to mine as we catch our breath.
Rachel looks up at me, her hair a mess, her lips swollen from kissing. “That was…”
I grin, kissing her forehead softly. “Yeah, it was.”
As we drift off to sleep, I feel an overwhelming sense of peace that I’m never letting go of.