Chapter 20 Sienna
TWENTY
SIENNA
Aiden: Big night tonight.
Gavin: Yeah. You have a game. That I expect you to win.
Aiden: Okay, COACH. I was talking about Sienna’s first official game day as CEO! Boss-bitch level.
Brooks: LOL. Congrats, Sienna.
Beckett: Sorry I can’t be there. Enjoy the game.
Gavin: Stop by the ice when you get here.
Gavin: And don’t be nervous. You’ll do great.
Me: I wasn’t nervous until you said that. I thought I was just watching a hockey game tonight.
Beckett: Sure. Right. Of course. Enjoy the game.
Me: Beckett. What did you do?
“This is wild, right?” I ask Millie as she steps out of the black town car.
If she hadn’t shown up with the driver, I wouldn’t have gotten in the car.
I still can’t believe I’ve agreed to do this.
Also, my stomach is tangled in knots. It’s nerves, yes, but it’s more than that.
I’m excited. For the first time in almost two years, I’m truly looking forward to something.
Millie holds out a hand to Vivi, who has already maneuvered out of her car seat and is waiting patiently.
She looks totally adorable with her brown curls in pigtails and her own Bolts jersey, with an eleven on her back and Langfield in bold letters across her shoulders. Millie’s wearing a matching one.
With two brothers on the team and a third coaching, I didn’t think it was right to go with a Langfield jersey.
There’s no way I could pick between them, so I chose a black turtleneck with black leather pants.
Millie tossed me a Bolts scarf when I climbed into the car, so I’ve donned that as well, though the fabric is scratchy, and I had to fight the urge not to tear it off every couple of minutes on the way over.
By the time we pulled into the private lot at the back of the arena, I’d decided that my first act as CEO would be to search out better fabrics for our merch.
I’m sure that’s exactly what my brothers were imagining I’d do when they put me in this position, and I’m nothing if not dependable.
Millie waves off my nerves. “It’s actually one of the more brilliant plans Beckett has ever concocted.”
“Uncle Becks.” Vivi spins in a circle, looking for my eldest brother.
“Sorry, bestie,” Millie says. “Uncle Becks is at home tonight, but we’ll go over and play with Deogi and Junior tomorrow, okay?”
My brothers all officially live on the same street these days.
It’s strange as hell. What’s even stranger is that control-freak Beckett is now the proud owner of a ginormous dog that slobbers on everything and a pet raccoon.
The raccoon had babies a couple of years ago, which he and Liv now share custody of with Liv’s three best friends.
Who also live on the same street.
Like I said, strange.
Junior, the raccoon, is actually ridiculously cute, and I’d trust her with my niece before Deogi. That dog would run her down and not even realize he did it.
With a deep breath, I scoot across the leather seat and force myself out of the car and into my new reality. Instinctively, I rub at my butterfly tattoo. In seconds, my nerves begin to settle.
There’s no reason to panic. This is just another beginning.
I’ve done it before. I can do it again.
“C’mon, Auntie. Let’s find Daddy.” Vivi clutches my hand and tugs me forward.
Inside, every attendant and employee we pass greets her by name, and she returns the greetings with high fives.
“We’ll sit up in the family box, but Gavin wants you to stop in at the players’ bench first so he and the team can welcome you officially.”
I side-eye her. “Right. Because you don’t normally pop in to see your husband when you get here.”
Her responding laugh is airy. “Well, yes, but still.” Curls bouncing, she leads me through the tunnels toward the ice.
With each step we take, the air grows colder, and as the smells coming from the food vendors are slowly replaced by the crisp scent of the ice, a calmness settles over me.
Growing up, I spent a lot of time at the ice rink while Brooks and Aiden played. I might not have always paid attention to what was happening on the ice, but this smell has permanently permeated my senses. It reminds me of home. Reminds me of family.
As we close in on the entrance to the player’s bench, Gavin comes into view and Vivi rushes him. “Daddy!”
“She’s so in love with him,” Millie says with stars in her eyes.
“Yeah, and he’s so in love with the two of you.” I loop an arm around her waist and rest my head on her shoulder. “I’m so happy you found each other.”
Her lips twitch. “I didn’t have to look too hard, considering he was my dad’s best friend.”
The snort that escapes me echoes off the cinderblock walls.
I love how she can laugh about their story.
Sure, it’s unconventional, but I’ve never seen two people more dedicated to one another.
They struggled a little with infertility, but Millie always stayed positive, and my brother was right beside her every step of the way.
They’re the definition of soulmates, and honestly, if a love isn’t that big and all-consuming, then I don’t want it.
Not that I believe in that stuff anymore.
But if I did…
“How you feeling, Peaches?” With Vivi in one arm, Gavin approaches and presses a soft kiss to his wife’s lips.
When he settles his palm on her bump and strokes a thumb across it, I practically melt.
“And how about you, little guy?” he murmurs, crouching a little. “Being good for your mama?”
“I’m good and he’s fine.” Millie waves him off. “Just extra hungry for dessert. It’s all he wants.”
Gavin chuckles. “Oh, that’s what he wants?”
She lifts her chin. “Yup.” She pops the p. “Oreo brownie sundae, to be exact. He’s very demanding.”
“I’ll make sure someone from concessions brings one up.” He presses another kiss to her cheek, then turns to me. “You ready for your first night on the job?”
I laugh awkwardly. “I don’t have the first clue what I’m supposed to be doing, but sure.”
“Half the job for any of us is being seen in public and making a good impression. Gotta keep the family name spotless, you know.”
I fight back a wince. The family name isn’t anywhere near spotless after my giant mistake. But I have too much to worry about to allow those intrusive thoughts into my mind tonight.
“Just enjoy yourself,” Gavin says, giving me a sympathetic smile. “Watch the game. Eat a sundae or two with my wife. We’ll get down to the real business tomorrow.”
I shrug, trying my hardest to affect an easygoing attitude I haven’t felt in months. “Whatever you say.”
Vivi talks Gavin into taking her over to the bench so she can say hi to the guys, and instantly, she charms them all.
One by one, they skate to the boards and give her fist bumps before heading off to continue warming up.
When Brooks sees me, he pulls off his helmet and blows me a kiss.
Aiden practically hauls himself over the boards and then bangs on the glass to say hello.
“Always the dramatic one,” I mutter to my sister-in-law. “So who else will be upstairs?”
“Lennox, maybe. She sometimes sits down here. She’ll deny it, but she loves when Aiden acts a fool for her.” Millie rolls her eyes, but there’s no hiding her smile. “With Sara out on maternity leave, she’ll probably be in the suite. Hannah is bringing Mav and her nephew tonight, I think.”
I met Hannah at Brooks’s wedding. And since then, she married Millie’s twin brother. From the sound of things, she’s close to my brothers’ wives, and if I remember correctly, she used to handle PR for the Revs. Though since she had her little boy, I’m not sure she’s still on staff.
If she’s married to Daniel Hall, then she doesn’t need to work to live a comfortable life, but if she’s as close to my sisters-in-law as it seems, then she’s probably just as independent and strong as they are.
Every one of these women is married to a man who makes boatloads of money, yet every one of them has a career of her own.
A thread of sadness dampens my mood. I used to have that kind of passion. God, I miss it. With any luck, this new job will give me some semblance of that.
“Ava and the kids may be here as well. Though if Brayden has a game, she may be watching him tonight.” Ava married Tyler Warren, the team’s captain.
Their story is one I know. Most people are familiar with it after the media circus surrounding them two years ago.
They got married so Tyler could adopt the children in his care.
Fortunately, the drama died down, and as far as I know, the adoptions have been finalized.
And now they have another child as well.
“Okay, so Lex, Hannah, Sara, and maybe Ava. Plus their kids?”
She laughs. “I know it seems like a lot, but you’ll love the girls. When Gavin and I reconnected, they welcomed me into their little circle and seriously changed my life. They’re all incredible. You should come to brunch with us on Sunday. It’s our thing.”
“Your thing?”
She breaks into a grin. “You’ll get it when you come.”
Before I can respond, movement on the ice catches my attention. All the guys on the team are on their hands and knees and…
I blink. Are they—
Yes, every one of them is thrusting their hips.
“What in the hell is happening over there?”
Thank god Aiden and Brooks are chatting with Vivi. That means none of the men out there share DNA with me. Because what they’re doing is not appropriate for a sister to be watching. It almost feels inappropriate to watch, no matter who the men are.
“They’re, like, humping the ice.”
Millie nods, her lip caught between her teeth. “It’s hot, right? Don’t tell your brother I said this, but 69 out there”—she juts her chin—“is my favorite. Look at the hip action on that one.”
My mouth goes dry. Holy shit. The way he rolls his knees in circles and thrusts his hips toward the ice is erotic.
The move is weirdly familiar.