35. Chapter Thirty-Five #2
"I’m not sure Kevin’s fancy coffee maker will fit on the counter at my place upstairs, so yeah, I’m probably not going to be renewing my lease,” I say with a laugh.
"And can you imagine the smell? As bad as the wing sauce in your vents is, I can assure you skate stink is not for the weak. So, we’re in the condo together until we find the perfect house on the lake with a great backyard for the baby,” Kevin says, kissing my temple. “Should've done this months ago."
"You had some things to figure out first," Brett reminds him. "Like not getting traded to Vegas."
"Not getting traded to Vegas isn’t totally figured out yet," Kevin repeats firmly, his hand finding mine under the table. "But making Carl have all the reasons he needs to sign me is still the plan."
Liam stands up suddenly, tapping his beer bottle with a knife. The whole restaurant goes quiet again.
"Alright, listen up!" he announces. "Because I threw the best baby shower in the history of the Austin Stampede, Wing Wednesday just became a bachelor party. Sunshine's getting married, which means we're doing this right."
"Crash—" Kevin starts.
"Nope. Too late. Already decided." Liam's on a roll. "We're throwing you the best bachelor party Austin's ever seen. Right here, right now. Brett’s definitely telling embarrassing stories about freshman year at Denver."
"Oh fuck a duck, Crash," Kevin mutters under his breath.
"And Sarah—" Liam’s eyes scan the restaurant and land on Quinn, who's sitting at the bar reviewing something on her phone. "Quinn's gonna throw you a bridal shower."
Quinn's head snaps up. "I'm what?"
"Bridal shower. For Sarah. Right now. You're in charge."
"Liam, I don't—" Quinn looks like a deer in headlights.
"Come on, Quinn. You're good at organizing things. You organize our entire wellness program. This is just..." He waves his hand vaguely. "Wellness for relationships."
Quinn sets down her phone. "That's not how bridal showers work."
"Then explain it to me." Liam's already walking toward the bar. "Quinn, Sarah needs you."
I watch as he essentially coaxes her to the far end of the bar. They're talking — well, Liam's talking and Quinn's looking like she wants to murder him or maybe run away or possibly both.
"This is gonna be interesting," Paige murmurs next to me. “They haven’t really talked since…”
"Since he broke her heart two years ago?" Kevin fills in. "Yeah. Stay tuned. Anything could happen next."
From here, I can see Quinn's body language — arms crossed, shoulders tense. Liam's leaning against the bar like he belongs there, gesturing while he talks. Every so often Quinn responds, but it's clipped. Short.
Whatever happened between them isn't resolved. Not even close.
"You think they'll figure it out?" I ask Paige quietly.
"Eventually." She's watching them too. "They're both too stubborn to make the first move. But someone will. Someone’ll have to.”
"Why?"
"Because the way he's looking at her right now?" Brett raises one eyebrow, taking the scene at the end of the bar. "It’s not over for him. Not by a long shot."
I glance back at the bar. Liam says something that makes Quinn's jaw tighten. She responds with what looks like a very professional brush-off. But then he smiles — his real Liam smile, not his usual cocky Crash one — and for half a second, her expression softens.
A split second later, Quinn catches herself and goes back to crossed arms.
Yeah. There’s a whole story there. I haven’t known them as long as the rest of the group, but I’ve got eyes. Two years hasn’t changed whatever was left unsaid between them.
"So!" Aiden’s voice comes across a little too loud. He’s definitely trying to get the attention off his best friend. "When's the wedding?"
Kevin and I look at each other. We haven't actually discussed this part yet.
"Sooner rather than later. I don’t want to wait until the end of the season, because then the baby will be almost here and that seems too rushed. How about Christmas break?" He suggests. "We get three days off. How about December twenty-fourth?"
My mind starts spinning with thoughts of flowers and dresses and music and a tux for Ranger. He can’t wear his jersey to the wedding. “Kevin, that’s in less than two weeks. You can’t get more rushed than that.”
"But come on Sarah, a Christmas Eve wedding?" Tyler lights up. "That's perfect! So romantic!"
"Momo’s right. It’s perfect. You have to do it." Paige’s entire face lights up like holiday decorations. "And the Winter Classic is here on January second."
"Right..." I'm not sure where she's going with this.
"Don't you see? You could have a Winter Classic wedding!
Get married over Christmas, do the whole Austin Stampede brand thing, Ranger as ring bearer...
And then we tie in to the Winter Classic with some feel-good stories and content.
" She's already planning it in her head.
"Ohhh… This is perfect. Lindy, are you following me? "
Lindy's nodding, already typing notes into her phone. "Winter Classic wedding content is going to be so perfect."
"We're not making our wedding a publicity stunt," Kevin says firmly.
"Not a publicity stunt," Paige corrects. "A celebration. For the team, for the fans, for everyone who's been rooting for you two since the Super PawMart launch."
"People have been rooting for us?" I ask.
"Sarah." Lindy looks up from her phone. "You have no idea. The Instagram comments on any post with you two? People ship you so hard."
"Ship us?"
"Want you together," Tyler translates. "There's literally fan accounts who comment on every post with Ranger or Sunshine. It's adorable."
I look at Kevin. He shrugs. "I mean, I've been rooting for us since last Spring’s Paws Across Austin festival. So, I get it."
"December twenty-fourth it is," I say. "And if Paige wants to call it a Winter Classic wedding, I'm not going to stop her."
"Yes!" Paige pumps her fist, then immediately winces and holds her stomach. "Ow. The baby does not like sudden movements."
“Speaking of the baby,” Lindy says, leaning in. “Have y’all got any real name ideas yet that aren’t hockey equipment?”
Paige nods. “There’s now a legit list. I want Hayden if it’s a boy or a girl. I love a name that could go either way. Brett’s still not convinced.”
“I like Hayden.” I throw a little moral support Paige’s way since she’s basically just planned the whole theme of my wedding.
“What about y’all? Any name ideas?”
Clearly, Kevin and I need to talk more. We were caught off guard with the wedding date question a few minutes ago and we haven’t talked about names yet either.
But I have thought of one name. I haven’t run it by Kevin yet, but I know he won’t object.
“I think we should name the baby Cameron. Girl or a boy.”
Kevin’s silent for a second and he looks at me, the corners of his mouth curling up. I think I see a tear in the corner of his eye. “Cameron would be perfect.”
He brings my hand to his lips, kissing right next to the engagement ring, and just holds it there for a moment. When he looks at me again, his eyes say everything his voice can't.
“Absolutely perfect,” Brett echoes.
"To Cameron," Aiden raises his beer. "And to Sunshine and Sarah."
"To Sarah and Sunshine," everyone echoes.
I look around the corner of this crazy room, listening to the chirping between the guys and the chatter between the girls. Tyler’s shouting above the voices, showing everyone the photo of Kevin next to the giant Ranger poster.
Kevin laughs and points, directing my attention to the screen on Tyler’s phone.
I don’t see just an Instagram post. I see my heart.
I knew Ranger was special the day I rescued him from the kill shelter in the county. I knew I could change his life. Find him a fur-ever family.
I had no idea that meeting Ranger would change my life. But in finding him the perfect home, he found me Kevin.
And Kevin is my home.
And our little Cameron’s home.
I look back toward the bar and see that Liam and Quinn are headed this way. There’s carefully measured space between them, and she’s got a thread of steel in her gaze. I can tell exactly what she’s thinking.
She’s determined to make this spur-of-the-moment Wing Wednesday bridal shower work for me — because I’m her friend — not because Liam asked her to.
I owe her big. To call this uncomfortable for her is the understatement of the year.
But that’s what friends do. They do the hard things when it matters.
Then some friends become family.
And sometimes, your best friend becomes the person you want to create a family with. Forever.