Chapter 3
Camden
“Inow pronounce you man and wife. Ryker, you may now kiss your beautiful bride.”
The guests erupt in applause as Ryker cups Madeline’s face and kisses her.
“That was a beautiful ceremony,” Sophie, Xander’s fiancée, says. I’m sitting next to them at this luxury rooftop venue overlooking downtown Denver.
Ryker and Maddy are standing under an arch wrapped in fluffy white flowers, overlooking the Denver evening skyline.
As they walk down the aisle together, hand in hand, I holler and whistle.
Xander grabs Sophie’s hand in his and drops a kiss to her mouth. “Soon we’ll be the ones getting married, gorgeous. I can’t wait.”
Her cheeks flush as she smiles up at him. He kisses her again, this time longer.
I roll my eyes and shake my head. “Get a room,” I tease.
Xander lightly shoves my shoulder while still kissing his fiancée.
Cocktail hour kicks off. Wedding guests mill around one side of the massive rooftop while sipping drinks and dining on appetizers.
On the other side of the venue is a single long dining table covered in flowers and candles, where we’re having dinner later.
There’s a photo booth in the corner where a bunch of people are taking photos. The backdrop is a neon white sign with Mr. and Mrs. St. George written in pretty cursive script.
It’s an evening wedding, and the nighttime summer sky is clear with a full moon. I smile and instantly think of Ellie.
When we were kids and lived next door to each other, the windows of our bedrooms faced each other. I’d always catch her staring out of her window on nights when there was a full moon. She said she read in a book that it was good luck to gaze at the full moon for ten seconds.
I snap a photo on my phone and text it to her.
Full moon tonight. Hope it’s bringing you loads of good luck :)
I still can’t believe we ran into each other last weekend after all these years. And what a dork I sounded like when I asked for her number.
Even thinking about it now, I have to fight a cringe. I sounded so uncool. But honestly? I was eager to get her number.
Catching up with her was a blast. It felt like we picked up right where we left off—it felt like that crush I had on her as a kid picked right back up too.
A giddy feeling loops through my chest when I think about how cute she looked in her Rapunzel costume, how much she laughed while hanging out with me and the guys. And how surprisingly cool she was when Ryker found that bra in my kitchen.
It’s weird, but if it had just been the guys seeing that, I wouldn’t have cared. But Ellie seeing it made me feel self-conscious for some reason.
Maybe because she was my childhood crush, and I didn’t want her to think I liked anyone but her.
I shake my head at myself. I’m reading too much into it.
Ellie just laughed it off, like it was no big deal, and everything was fine.
And then I went back to trying my hardest not to stare at her like a weirdo.
I lost count of the number of times I had to tear my gaze from her because I didn’t want to come off like a creep.
I couldn’t help it though. Ellie is stunning. Even with the costume makeup and wig she was wearing, she was beyond beautiful.
I felt like I did when I was eleven and we were hanging out in my treehouse or riding our bikes together. Excited and happy just to be around her.
We’ve been messaging back and forth this past week, almost every day.
I’m at the bar getting another beer when my phone buzzes with a text from Ellie.
Ellie: Would you believe I was staring at the moon the exact second I got your text?
Me: I would absolutely believe that since that’s what you always did as a kid
She texts a laughing emoji.
Me: What are you up to tonight?
Ellie: Walking dogs for some extra cash. Say hi to Gus.
She texts a photo of a cute Staffy mix.
Me: Okay, that’s the greatest dog name ever.
Ellie: Isn’t it? So adorable!
Me: So you’re a party princess and a dog walker?
Ellie: Yup. Those are just two of my many jobs.
Damn. How many jobs does Ellie have? And why does she need to work all the time?
I almost ask her that, but I hold back. That seems kind of personal to outright ask her that, and even though we’re old friends, we’re just now reconnecting. I don’t want to make things weird.
Me: So you’re a jack of all trades, it sounds like?
Ellie: Haha not really, I just work a lot. I nanny for my aunt and uncle sometimes. And I clean houses. And DoorDash and Uber Eats too.
Jesus. She’s working constantly.
Me: Wow. You’re amazing to work so much.
Ellie: Not amazing, just trying to save money to get my own place someday. And maybe start my own business.
Me: That’s pretty cool. What kind of business?
Ellie: Dog walking and pet sitting. Right now I go to people’s houses, but I’d love to some day have my own house with enough room to board pets too.
Me: You’d be great at that.
That makes sense. Buying a house is expensive for sure, especially in the Denver area. So is starting your own business. But with how much she’s working, I bet she’ll be able to do both soon.
Ellie: So what are you doing this fine full moon evening?
Me: I’m at Ryker’s wedding.
Ellie: Oh, right! That must be so fun!
Me: It’s pretty cool so far. Open bar.
Ellie: Haha nice. Have a Malibu with rum for me!
Me: No way. That’s a girlie drink.
Ellie: Duh. I’m a girl lol
I smile at my screen.
“Damn, dude. You gonna eye-fuck your phone the whole night?”
I look up and see Blomdahl standing next to me at the bar. He orders a Scotch and takes a sip.
“You’re glued to that thing,” he says.
“Who’s glued to what?” Xander asks when he walks up to us.
“Connors is glued to his phone,” Blomdahl says. “Which is making him oblivious to all the attention he’s getting from the ladies at this wedding.”
I look up and see a woman at the other end of the bar flashing a suggestive smile at me before she walks off.
Another woman walks up to the bar and grabs a napkin. She plucks a cherry from her drink glass and licks it, holding eye contact with me the entire time. Then she winks at me.
I give her a small smile before looking back down at my phone. Out of the corner of my eye, I see her walk off.
“You’re not going after her?” Xander asks.
I shake my head while texting Ellie.
“Wow. That’s a first.”
I slide my phone in my pocket and take another sip of my beer. “You make it sound like all I do is prowl parties for women to hook up with.”
They both stare at me.
“That’s exactly what you do,” Xander says.
I open my mouth to speak, but I don’t say anything. Because they’re right. That’s what I’d be doing normally. But right now I’m having a good time texting Ellie while just hanging out.
Honestly, I wish she were here. It would be fun to see her.
Both Blomdahl and Xander chuckle when I don’t say anything. I just roll my eyes.
“Did I miss something funny?”
I look up and see Alanna, head of the team’s public relations department, standing at the bar with a glass of wine.
“We’re just stunned that Connors gave up the chance to chat up a woman who was giving him ‘I want to sleep with you’ eyes,” Blomdahl says.
Alanna rolls her eyes before giving me a pointed look. “Maybe that means you’re turning a corner.”
Alanna isn’t my biggest fan because of my behavior off the ice. I can’t say that I blame her. When I’m not playing hockey, I like to have a good time, which means partying. A lot of partying. And I get a little wild sometimes.
Like that pool party I attended a few months ago for a TikTok star’s birthday. I ended up skinnydipping with two dozen people, mostly women. Photos of me naked ended up all over social media and gossip websites.
And that one time I was caught making out with two women at a new upscale bar in the city last year. Pictures of me that night went viral when it came out that one of the women was the wife of a major league baseball player.
A pang of regret hits me. I had no idea she was married. She wasn’t wearing a ring and didn’t mention she was taken. I wouldn’t have fooled around with her if I had known.
“You’re not still mad about that body shot thing, are you?
” I joke, pushing aside how awful I feel for hooking up with a married woman.
Earlier this year, the Bashers team owner, Greg Macer, held a charity gala.
Late into the night, things got a little wild, and I was filmed doing body shot off one of the bartenders.
Alanna’s annoyed frown doesn’t budge. “Of course I’m still mad. So is the team owner.”
“Someone offered to donate ten thousand dollars if I did a body shot. How could I say no? It was for charity,” I say in a lighthearted tone.
Alanna’s frown sharpens, unfazed by my charm. I tug at the collar of my dress shirt, feeling the heat of how embarrassing a lot of my behavior has been.
She requests a shot of tequila from the bartender, then downs it. “You’re my full-time job, Camden,” she mutters before wiping her mouth with a napkin and turning to Xander.
“I heard the big news from the coaching staff. Congrats, Captain.”
Xander grins. “Thanks.”
Blomdahl pats his shoulder in congratulations. I raise my glass.
“I honestly never thought I’d be team captain,” Xander says. “Never thought I had what it takes.”
“You do, man. We all think that,” Blomdahl says. I nod along.
“Coach Porter certainly thinks you have what it takes,” Alanna says.
“Or maybe he’s pulling the nepotism card. You’re about to be his son-in-law, after all,” Blomdahl jokes.
Xander shoves his shoulder, but he’s smiling. His fiancée Sophie is the daughter of our coach and the team doctor.
“I’m just giving you shit,” Blomdahl says. “We all know Coach Porter isn’t like that. He’s probably gonna be the hardest on you now that you’re captain, actually.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything else from him,” Xander says.