Ice Contact (Milwaukee Steel Riders #1)

43. Olivia

43

olivia

“ W hat are we doing here?” I whisper, confused by what we are doing at Button Bashers. “The sign on the door says they are closed for a private event.”

Hayes pulls open the door, his hand on the small of my back guiding me inside. “They are closed for a private event. Our private event.”

We take a few steps in the door, the lights flashing on the pinball machines around the room. My eyes dart around the room, beyond confused as to what the hell we are doing here. He said we were getting married tonight, right? Why are we at an arcade bar?

“Surprise!”

As I look around, I see all of our friends, family, and half the Milwaukee Steel Riders team clapping and shouting with huge smiles on their faces.

“Surprise, Liv!” Maggie yells as she tackles me with a hug. “Congrats! Welcome to your engagement/wedding party!”

“Maggie!” I scream, crying again . “Oh my gosh. How did all of this happen?!”

Hayes plants a quick kiss on my forehead, “I’ll let you two catch up for a minute. I’m gonna go say hi to the guys. Thanks for all your help Maggie,” he says with a sly smile as he saunters away towards his teammates.

“You snagged a hell of a guy, Liv. Hayes kind of stole my number out of your phone, and we’ve been working on this secretly for a few days. Along with some help from his mom, the Reeves, Boucher, and um…Vladi,” her voice trailing off as her gaze falls to the floor, before her eye catches on my new accessory. “He wanted to surprise you with a grand gesture. And this,” she grabs my left hand and brings it toward her face, “this giant pink rock is a grand fucking gesture. Holy shit, Liv, this ring is gorgeous!” She dances and jumps around as she hugs me again, her joy only adding to my own. I would have married Hayes with just he and I at an altar, but the fact that he arranged for my best friend to be here makes it even better. My breath catches, my chest tight as I realize the lengths everyone went to make this happen. For me. For Hayes. For us.

“There’s some other folks you may want to say hi to as well,” Maggie says as I turn to see two familiar faces.

“Walt? Johnny?!!! What are you doing here?” Tears continue to track lines down my cheeks. “Who’s manning the bar?”

“We decided to close up for the special occasion,” Johnny says as he leans in to hug me. My throat tightens, my lungs struggling for air at the kindness of their gesture. “Plus, we haven’t had a night off in damn-near twenty-years.”

Walt comes in to hug me next, shooting Johnny a look full of love. “I don’t know how I let this one convince me to close up shop, but I do know you’re worth it, honey. You found yourself a good one; we couldn’t be happier for you.”

“What about you, Maggie?” Johnny pipes up, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “There’s quite a few Riders here tonight. Got your eye on any of ‘em? Thanks to Hayes and Liv, they’ve been hanging out at Walt’s and bringing in a lot of business. Good men; I’m happy to put in a good word for ya,” he says with a wink.

I look to Maggie with a smile, but she doesn’t return it. Instead, there is a horrified look on her face, like someone just told her unicorns aren’t real. What is that about?

“Olivia!!” I hear a female voice calling my name from deep within the crowd somewhere.

“That’s my cue to get Walt and Johnny seated!” Maggie says, whisking the two gentlemen away, seemingly relieved to end this conversation. “Olivia, go greet your future mother-in-law!” I watch Maggie disappear into the crowd, unsure of what I just witnessed. I’ll be investigating this when I’m not about to walk down the aisle . Rolling my eyes at her dramatic exit, I’m quickly distracted by the sight of a sixty-something-year-old blonde woman barreling towards me.

“Kristi! Oh my God it’s so nice to meet you in person finally,” I say as Hayes’ mom pulls me in for a giant bear hug.

“Oh, my goodness. You are a good hugger! No wonder my son fell for you so fast,” she says with a smile, holding me at arm’s length. “And look at you. You are gorgeous. Nothing like that other girl he dated.” Her lip curls, a frown marring her face. “I could tell from the minute I met her she was no good for him. You, on the other hand, are perfect.”

Familiar arms wrap around my waist, Hayes’ presence surrounding me with a warmth I never want to be without. “I see you two found each other. This is not going to end well for me, is it?”

“Oh, for Pete’s sake, we just both love you and are worriers. Deal with it!” Kristi chastises him, hugging her son. “You did good, Hayes. She’s a keeper; I can tell.”

Warmth fills my heart seeing the sweet relationship these two have. I’m beyond excited to make Hayes my family. But with the non-existent relationship I have with my parents, my heart swells at the idea of having Kristi in my life as well. Standing here with them makes everything feel…complete.

“I should hope so; we are about to get married,” he gazes down at me. I swear his look makes me tingle in places I didn’t even know had the ability to tingle. “Well, fiancée, would you like to get married now?”

Heat blooms in my cheeks, my muscles aching from how big my smile has been since the studio. Hayes and I talked in the car on the way over. We’re going to have a more formal celebration during the offseason. As for tonight…is this the wedding I imagined as a little girl in a big church with a stunning white ball gown? Not even close. But it’s more perfect than anything I could have ever imagined.

My eyes trace every inch of the space. This bar and the people here to celebrate us, has my heart stuck in my throat. Walt and Johnny. Kristi and the Riders. Maggie. And, most of all, Hayes. The man who found me at one of my lowest points and turned it into one of the best moments of my life. The man who encourages me to live without fear, believes in me, and wants a future with me. The man who saw the broken pieces within me and painstakingly glued them back together.

“Hayes Larson, I thought you’d never ask.”