Chapter 38
Ellie
“Bella! In less than forty-eight hours, you’re going to be a married woman! Can you believe it?” Ingrid squeals.
Bella grins wide, her gold-brown eyes bright. “I know!”
She swipes her long, brown hair over her shoulder and holds up her cocktail, then yells, “Woo!”
We all do the same, laughing when everyone at the crowded speakeasy bar looks over at our table.
Madeline pulls Bella into a hug. “You’re gonna be a wifey, just like us.”
She smiles at Sophie, who’s sitting next to me. The three of them chuckle.
“I honestly can’t believe it. I never thought I’d get married, ever,” Bella says.
“Really?” I ask.
She nods. “Yeah. Right before I met Braden, I had sworn off relationships forever.”
“How come?” I ask.
“I had a terrible breakup before I met Braden. My ex was also a hockey player. Who cheated on me. A lot.”
I grab Bella’s hand. “I’m so sorry.”
She waves a hand, an easy smile on her face. “It’s okay. It all worked out for the best. And honestly, going through that shitshow with my ex led me to Braden. If he hadn’t broken my heart, I would have never moved back to Denver and ended up living next door to him.”
I beam. “That’s such a beautiful way of looking at it. Almost like it was meant to be.”
Ingrid chuckles. “Can you believe Bella and Blomdahl didn’t like each other when they first met?”
I gasp. “No way.”
Bella just laughs. “It’s true. We met when he left his music blasting in his apartment, and it woke me up from a dead sleep early in the morning. I yelled at him and told him off.”
I can’t help but laugh. “That sounds straight out of a romcom.”
“You wouldn’t believe how many of us didn’t like our guys when we first met them.” Bella gives Madeline a knowing look.
I smile at her. “You too?”
Madeline nods. “Yup. Ryker and I couldn’t stand each other, which made working together unpleasant for a while.”
She explains that she was his skating coach assigned to work with him while he recovered from an injury last season. She thought he was grumpy and arrogant. He thought she was spoiled because she’s the team owner’s daughter.
“But as obnoxious as he was, I couldn’t deny how hot he was,” Madeline says.
I chuckle. “So that’s what hooked you, huh?”
She lets a smile break free. “That and the fact that he’s a big softie on the inside.”
Sophie playfully elbows Madeline. “He’s so soft for you. The way he calls you Maddy when everyone else calls you Madeline. So adorable.”
A pink flush paints Madeline’s cheeks as she smiles.
Sophie turns to me. “You know, I didn’t like Xander when I first met him either.”
I gasp. “No way. But you two are so sweet and lovey-dovey together.”
Sophie chuckles. “We are now, but the night we met, it was a different story. He thought I was a stripper.”
I choke on my cocktail. “What?”
She tells me that the night they first met was when she was working her first game as the Bashers team doctor. Xander came into the medical room to get treatment for an injury to his nose after being checked into the boards by Del, who was playing for a different team at the time.
“One of guys on the team jokingly told Xander that they got him a stripper for his birthday,” Sophie says. “And Xander thought that since I was young and attractive, I was the stripper.”
My jaw unhinges. “You’re kidding.”
She laughs and shakes her head. “Nope. I was so mad in the moment, but then I got to snap his nose back into place. That felt pretty good. And then later on, when he realized his mistake, he apologized to me. It was clear he felt so bad about it. And now look at us. Married.”
We all laugh.
“I couldn’t stand Theo when I first met him,” Maya says. “He got drunk and crashed my twenty-first birthday party. His first words to me were, ‘Holy fuck, you’ve got nice boobs.’”
I have to grip the table, I’m laughing so hard.
Ingrid bumps her shoulder. “I mean, can you blame my cousin? You do have nice boobs.”
Maya rolls her eyes and chuckles at her best friend.
“Not all of us fell in love at first sight like you and Del,” Maya teases.
Ingrid shakes her head. “I don’t believe in love at first sight.” The corner of her mouth quirks up, and her expression turns teasing. “I do believe in lust at first sight, though.”
Bella raises her glass. “Amen to that.”
Dakota makes a face. “Excuse me while I throw up at the thought of you lusting after my big brother,” she says to Ingrid, who just laughs.
“And then there’s Dakota, who has the most wholesome love story, next to yours, Ellie,” Sophie says.
I smile at Dakota. “Really?”
Her tan skin flushes as she grins. “Sam was Del’s best friend since college and had a crush on me, but he didn’t ask me out because he didn’t want to ruin his friendship with my brother.
But after my last relationship ended in flames, I moved into his spare room.
And all that time living together made it hard to just stay friends.
I had a crush on him too for all those years.
We just didn’t know we liked each other. ”
I rest my hand on my chest. “That’s so freaking cute.”
“Not as cute as two childhood friends falling for each other,” she says.
Tingles fly up my chest as I bite back a smile.
Bella leans over the table and grabs my hand. “Okay, I have to know. Are the rumors true? Is Camden really that good in bed?”
Ingrid’s blue eyes go wide as she gently smacks Bella’s hand. “Bella. That’s personal.”
Bella just shrugs. “What? Oh, come on. We’re all wondering it.”
Ingrid looks at me. “Bella gets a little loose-lipped when she’s had a few drinks. You don’t have to answer that,” she says gently.
I let out a flustered laugh and tuck my hair behind my ears.
“I think she’s already answered it, judging how much she’s blushing.” Bella wiggles her eyebrows at me.
I fight a smile as heat crawls up my chest and neck. I’ve never been in a setting like this before, surrounded by open-minded friends who are cool with talking about sex so freely. I’ve always wanted that.
I glance at them and nod. “It’s true.”
They all squeal and make giddy noises. I can’t help but laugh.
I hold up a hand. “I don’t want to go into details. I want to respect his privacy.”
They all nod like they understand.
“But, um, I don’t think he would mind me saying that he’s good. Like, really, really good.”
Bella claps. “I knew it!”
Madeline shakes her head and chuckles. “We all know Camden is a cocky as hell. He’d love for the whole world to know that he’s amazing in bed. And that he’s huge and can go forever,” she jokes.
I try and fail to hold back a cheesy grin.
Madeline’s expression turns amused. “Okay, well, I was kidding, but I think we all just found how big Camden is. And how impressive his stamina is.”
I cover my face, unable to stop giggling.
“Oh my gosh, you guys, you’re going to make her pass out,” Sophie says through a laugh.
When I finally sit up, Bella eyes me. “Blink once if Camden is over eight inches.”
My eyes go wide before I quickly shut my eyes.
“Oh my god!” they all screech.
I can’t stop laughing. When I finally catch my breath, I notice everyone’s glasses are almost empty. I stand up and head to the bar to order more. Sophie hops up and comes with me to carry the glasses.
“Could I get another round of Palomas, please?” I ask the bartender.
I turn to Sophie while we wait for our drinks. “You guys are really cool. I love how you let each other talk about anything, and you don’t judge.”
A warm smile tugs at her face.
“I just…I’ve never had a group of friends like this before.
So welcoming and understanding and supportive,” I say.
“I’m not sure how much Camden told you, but with how sick I used to get as a kid, I was never able to maintain friendships long term.
I was always in the hospital or home sick and being pulled out of school. ”
Sophie grabs my hand. “I’m sorry, Ellie. That must have been so hard.”
“It was,” I say softly. “That’s why it means so much that you guys have welcomed me like this.”
She squeezes my hand. “Of course. We’re all so happy you want to be friends with us. Especially when we talk about such outrageous things.” She laughs.
“No, it’s awesome,” I say. “I never thought I’d feel this comfortable talking about sex so openly. It’s so fun. And freeing.”
She grabs my hand. “I’m so glad! And hey, I had a hard time making friends when I was a kid too,” she says, her voice soft.
“I skipped grades and tested out of school often. And because I went to college so young, I didn’t have very many friends as a teenager.
My only friend for a long time was Dakota, and that’s because we grew up together. ”
“I had no idea you went through that too,” I say. “I guess I should have. I mean, you’re a genius. You’re a doctor at such a young age. You were probably surrounded by people older than you. Of course it would have been hard for you to make friends.”
She glances back at our table and smiles. “It was. But this group of ladies is amazing. Totally worth the wait.”
She turns back to me, a shy smile on her face. “And just so you know, I used to feel really embarrassed talking about sex stuff too. I, um, was pretty inexperienced before I met Xander.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I dated one guy in medical school, but he was a jerk. And not very good in bed.”
I stare at her, surprised at how similar we are. “That was my experience too. I had one ex, and he was terrible.”
Sophie’s brow lifts. “No way!”
I nod.
“Let me guess: selfish in bed and didn’t bother to prioritize your pleasure,” she says.
“Yeah. Unfortunately.”
“We’re like soul mates through our terrible exes,” she jokes. I laugh.
“But our guys are making up for it now,” she says.
Sophie wags her eyebrows at me, and I chuckle. She doesn’t normally drink alcohol, but tonight she’s had a cocktail and a glass of wine, so I notice she’s joking around more and being more open.
“Like, okay, I never thought I’d be into throat fucking, but I love it with Xander,” she says excitedly.
“Same. I honestly didn’t like giving head to my ex, but I love doing it with Camden.”
“And multiple orgasms! I had such a hard time having even just one orgasm with my ex, but with Xander, it’s the opposite. I have so many, I could pass out.”
“That’s me with Camden too. For the longest time, I didn’t think I could orgasm. But with him, it happens so easily.”
She leans closer to me. “And dirty talk. I never thought I was the kind of girl who would be into that, but oh my gosh, when Xander talks dirty to me, it turns me on so much.”
“Oh my gosh, same! It’s so hot when Camden growls all the filthy things he wants to do to me. His voice gets all low and rough. It’s so sexy.”
She squeals right as the bartender drops off two trays of drinks. She grabs a tray and walks back to our table, while I tip the bartender and grab the other tray.
When I turn around, I almost bump into someone. “Oh, sorry. I…”
I trail off when I see Damien, standing there, glaring at me.
My stomach plummets to my feet. “Damien.”
He glowers at me for a long moment.
“What are you doing here?” I finally say.
“Work trip,” he mutters.
We stand there for a tense second and say nothing. The whole time, I wonder how in the world we ran into each other at this random speakeasy in downtown Victoria. The universe must be playing some sick joke on me.
“What are you doing in Victoria?” he finally says.
“A friend is getting married here this weekend.”
Another beat of tense silence. This is so awkward. “Okay, well, I guess I’ll see you around.”
“So you like fucking now, huh?” he says.
I lean back, shocked. “Excuse me?”
“I overheard your little gossip session with your friend.”
I glare at him. “You were eavesdropping on us?
“You were pretty loud. I couldn’t tune you out if I wanted to.” He steps closer to me, his glare sharpening. “So you can give it up to your new hockey guy, but you wouldn’t give it up for me, huh?”
I clench my jaw, angry that he would say something so gross. Does he seriously think I owed him sex? After how terrible he was to me?
“Who I choose to be intimate with is none of your business, Damien.”
A bitter laugh falls from his mouth. “Unbelievable. We dated for almost a year. I let you live with me, and not once did you ever give it up. Guess that’s what happens when you’re too nice, like I was.”
My blood boils. I guess he conveniently forgot about the times I tried to have sex with him, but he made me so uncomfortable that we never made it very far.
“That’s not what happened, and you know it,” I bite. “Don’t you dare try to rewrite history.”
“I guess all you needed to open those legs of yours was a pro athlete with a fat bank account.”
I swallow hard, noticing the glazed-over look in his eyes. He’s had too much to drink.
“I’m not going to talk to you when you’re like this.”
He frowns, like he’s offended. “Like what?”
“You’re drunk and saying cruel things about me that aren’t even true.”
He rolls his eyes.
“You are, Damien. I tried to have sex with you. Multiple times. But you always got mad at me. You always got angry that you couldn’t just stick it in and pound away. Did it ever occur to you that maybe that wasn’t the biggest turn on for me?”
I’m careful to keep my voice low so no one else can hear me, but the anger in my tone is clear as crystal.
Damien leans his face closer to mine. “Maybe I wasn’t rough enough for you. It sounds like throat fucking and dirty talk are your thing. Maybe I should have just held you down and done what I wanted with you,” he taunts.
My stomach lurches. I feel like I’m going to be sick.
I move to step around him, but he grabs my arm. I almost spill the tray of drinks I’m holding.
“I’m not done talking to you,” he mutters, his tone dripping with anger.
Just then, I hear footsteps behind me.
“Get your fucking hands off my wife.”