24. Lennox
TWENTY-FOUR
LENNOX
Do you remember that little gelato shop in Positano?
You forced me to go there every day while we were in town.
And while the flavors were dream-worthy, don’t think I didn’t catch you staring dreamily at the little chapel in the square, watching bride after bride marry her sweetheart.
When I asked if you’d ever thought about your own wedding, you looked me dead in the eye, chin held high, and told me you were never getting married.
Despite your defiance and the fire in your eyes, I saw beneath the mask.
I saw the hurt girl who couldn’t imagine marrying anyone but the boy whose heart she broke.
I fold up my grandmother’s letter again and stick it in my purse as Millie steps out of the dressing room to a chorus of oh my god s.
My heart aches at the sight of her. Millie Hall was meant to be a bride.
She’s more beautiful than every one of those brides my grandmother and I saw in Positano.
Millie is only trying on wedding dresses, makeup free and her curly hair pulled up in a bun, and yet she outshines even my most bittersweet memories.
“This is the one ,” Sara squeals as Liv, Beckett’s wife, fixes the train. The sight of the three of them chatting has my throat burning. Each one is married or engaged to one of Aiden’s brothers, and they’re incredibly close, just like the guys are.
Millie only invited the three of us today.
She said her mother would only make it about her.
I’m proud of her for knowing her boundaries and implementing them when it comes to the toxic people in her life.
I’ve been keeping my parents at arm’s length for years, yet Millie seems more at peace with her decision than I’ve ever been with mine.
Maybe I’m still hoping that one day, my mother will change.
That she’ll be more like my grandmother—a woman who cared more about me than what I could do for her.
I’m here because I’m Millie’s wedding planner, but I wish she’d invited me because I was truly one of the Langfield girls like Sara and Liv. Isn’t that a crazy thought, though? They’ve been nothing but inclusive, and yet I’m on the outside, harboring this sense of longing that makes me want to cry.
“Hockey Daddy is going to lose his mind when he sees you,” I say, standing up and swallowing all my insecurities.
Liv laughs. “Hockey Daddy?”
“You don’t call Beckett Baseball Daddy?” I tease.
Sara and Liv fall into fits of giggles.
“Could you even imagine?” Sara shakes her head.
Liv twists her lips to the side, her dark eyes dancing. “He prefers Mr. Langfield in the bedroom.”
“Oh my god!” Sara screams.
A maniacal laugh bubbles out of me, and Millie shakes with laughter in her gorgeous dress.
Liv merely shrugs. I love how obsessed Beckett is with her. Like me, she’s got curves for days and if anyone so much as glances at Liv’s, the man looks ready to tear their eyes out.
“What about you, Sar? Does Brookie have a preferred name?” I tease. “Maybe glitter dick?”
Her eyes gleam in challenge. “I don’t know, Lex . Have you taken Aiden’s bedazzled appendage for a ride yet?”
Asshole, using not only Aiden’s nickname for me but also taunting me over what has now become my obsession. A bunch of the guys on the team have sparkly peens, and it’s killing me not knowing whether that includes Aiden.
Though trepidation over what’s going on between Aiden and me swirls with curiosity over the peen situation, I sniff and play it cool. “We’re brand-spanking new, and I’m not a hussy, so no, I haven’t seen Aiden’s anything yet.”
Sara eyes me. “He gave you an orgasm, though, didn’t he?”
I suck in a harsh breath.What the fuck?
“With his fingers.” She beams, so damn proud of herself.
Squealing, Millie bounces, the fabric of her dress rustling. “Oh my god, she’s using your magic against you.”
She most certainly is. How, though? I possess a special talent that involves sensing the details of my friends’ sex lives. It’s weird, but I’m irrationally proud of it and annoyed that Sara has turned it on me.
“In public,” she adds in a damning tone.
That bitch.
Liv laughs. “What is happening?”
Sara tosses her blond hair proudly. “Oh, just giving my bestie a taste of her own medicine. Was I right?”
With a roll of my eyes, I look away.
“Oh my god, she was? Tell us everything,” Millie prods, hopping off the raised platform in front of the mirror.
And that’s how I end up telling the three Langfield girls (that’s what I’ve nicknamed them, so deal with it) the story of how Aiden gave me the best orgasm of my life and then refused to let me return the favor.
“This is weird,” I whisper as Sara practically drags me up the steps of Liv and Beckett’s brownstone.
After Millie said yes to the dress and we all teared up, the four of us went for cocktails down by the seaport.
While we were there, Beckett texted Liv, informing her that his brothers had come over to hang with the kids while we were out and they were now ordering dinner.
Of course it was a given that Sara and Millie would head over, but me?
I planned to go home, but Liv insisted I come.
So now here I am, about to walk into my fake boyfriend’s brother’s house, to spend a Sunday night with his family.
I need another cocktail. Or ten.
“Will you stop being weird?” she mutters. Without giving me even a second to collect myself, she throws the front door open and strides in, expecting I’ll follow her.
“Hands up! And no quick movements.” A kid sporting a fro points a Nerf gun at me as I cross the threshold.
“I’ll protect you,” Aiden booms as he flies through the air in front of us, coming to rest at my feet. He blinks up at me from the floor, face sweating and eyes filled with wonder. “Hey, Lex.”
“Finn, my man, let’s try to keep my star player from getting hurt before the season starts, please,” Gavin groans as he appears in the hallway carrying his nine-month-old daughter. He ruffles the rambunctious kid’s hair and assesses Sara and me. “Where’s Peaches?”
I can’t help the smile that forms. “Missing your bride already?”
“Always,” he says, not even trying to hide his affection for her.
Aiden tugs on my ankle and hits me with a devilish grin.
My core clenches as an image of him looking up at me the other night as he put my shoes on hits. And when a memory of how he touched me last night surfaces, my heart takes off. Shit. I haven’t seen or spoken to him since, so I’m glad to see he’s still acting so… hmm how is he acting?
Flirty? Yeah. He seems back to normal after his jealous insanity.
Not that I exactly hated the fallout from the jealousy.
A teasing smile stretches across his face. Clearly, I’ve been making googly eyes at my fake man friend for too long. “You gonna help me up, Princess?”
That nickname does it again. My core clenches, and I silently scold my kitty, warning her that she’ll be having no playtime. The bitch needs to stand down.
Instead, she purrs and arches her back. The ole girl wants more attention.
I wiggle my foot out of his grasp. “Pretty sure you can help yourself, Hockey Boy.”
Aiden grins like he can read all my dirty thoughts. Ass.
“Didn’t think I’d see you so soon, Lex. Miss me so much you’ve taken to stalking me?” He jumps up like a human Gumby, practically swaying to his feet.
He’s wearing his typical Bolts blue shirt and a pair of jeans. It’s unfair how good this man wears a shirt. The perfect way it stretches across his muscles makes me dizzy with need.
“I’m not stalking you. I was dress shopping with the girls when Liv got the call from Beckett, and then she invited me.”
He tilts in close, causing the curls on top of his head to fall forward. The urge to yank them is irrational, but I fist my hands to keep from acting on the insanity.
“I’m glad you’re here.” Then, without warning, his lips are on mine.
When I stand, frozen in place, and don’t return the kiss, he bites my bottom lip.
“Relax,” he murmurs against my mouth. “We’re supposed to be a couple, remember? Play with me, Princess.”
Right. I’m allowed to kiss him. Allowed to want him. Okay, maybe not the last thing, but no one has to know how much I’m truly enjoying this fake relationship, right?
So I kiss him back. And I enjoy it. Melding my lips to his. Licking at the seam of them until he opens and kisses me deeply, making my toes curl and my kitty pulse.
“That’s not Auntie Jill.” The words are like a record player scratch. I immediately pull back and suck in one harsh breath after another.
Wearing that damn infectious smile of his, Aiden wraps an arm around me and spins me so I’m facing the pint-sized troublemaker. He’s lowered his Nerf gun to his side and is studying us with skeptical brown eyes.
“You’re right. It’s not. This is Lennox. My girlfriend. Lex, this is Liv’s son, Finn.” There’s no hesitation, no sugarcoating. Aiden’s voice is strong, and he doesn’t squirm, even as the little guy tilts his head, clearly preparing his next zinger.
Fortunately, Millie opens the door behind us, and Finn’s attention is diverted. “Princess Peaches is here.” He runs straight for her at an unnatural speed.
Millie must be used to this kind of welcome, because she drops down and holds out her arms an instant before the kid crashes into her.
Like he’s been summoned with a cowbell, Gavin reappears and steamrolls past us all. As he approaches Millie, he holds out his hand, and she grins at him from the floor.
She straightens, and then she’s reaching for Vivi.
Gavin grabs her chin and forces her attention to him. “Missed you, Peaches.”
She winks. “Missed you too, Coach. Was she good for ya?”
He leans in, presses a kiss to her lips, then replies quietly.