Chapter 59
Felix Fornier
The Engagement Party
"Granny Franny, thank you but I’ve got it."
I am a patient man. I have had my patience tested by each and everyone of the men I shepherd through the season as their captain. I’ve had to be patient with coaches. With women.
But it might just be a spry, Scottish, octogenarian who does me in.
Granny Franny is an absolute menace.
A trail of toppled decorations trails behind her, sullying the stunning venue, because she refuses to take off her eye patch.
She insists it elevates the puffy shirt and leather culottes outfit.
Don’t get me started on the chicken she tried to bring in on her shoulder in lieu of a parrot.
"Aye, but the sign is crooked." Granny Franny says with a tilt of her head in the opposite direction of the sign.
"It’s supposed to be. They’re Shipwrecked."
"I still don’t get it." She grouses as she lifts the eyepatch but still keeps the eye under it squeezed shut.
"Yeah Cap, wouldn’t ‘Crossing Swords’ have been a better theme?"
"That I understand." Granny points to Bryson.
"No, that’s not romantic."
"You know he didn’t get Rhys a ring for his finger right?" Bryson leans in and whispers.
"I’m aware. And it’s part of my struggle to keep this event elevated."
Duncan told me before the playoffs began that he was going to ask Rhys to marry him at the end of the season and I needed to start planning the engagement party.
He connected me with Granny Franny and she connected me with Rhys’s mother, Nicola.
We’ve been planning via text throughout the entire playoffs.
I managed to keep my head in the game enough to lead us to victory.
Besides the fact I’ve got my own shit to plan.
Maybe part of my irritation with Granny Franny is that I feel like I’m being pulled in a thousand different directions.
No matter the cause, I refuse not to commemorate Duncan locking down one booty for the rest of his life.
Actually, he would have loved that theme.
The Reid family has opened their home to us and we’ve all been staying at the estate for the last week.
It’s been a really good break for us. Winning it all is amazing, but it takes it out of a man. Luckily Bryson seems to be handling it better this time around. And Crosby played the entire series like he didn’t care about the results even with his dad somewhere in the stands.
I guess that’s what happens when your entire world exists off the ice.
Looking around the room I can confidently say each Big Gun is living their best life.
Aiden is using this trip as a kick off to spending the rest of the off-season in Europe with Harper for a babymoon.
Emmett has finally let himself be with the woman he loves, even if she works for the team. Although I’m still a little miffed about what they did this past All-Star break.
He’ll get his party though, one way or another.
I’ll be heading back to D.C. when the party is over. Retiring from hockey at the end of this season was always the plan. What I didn’t plan for was how much being team rookie Gabe Houston’s host would drain me.
I learned a lot about parenting in the last eleven months; to children of all ages.
Nicola waves to me.
Felix! Do you have everything you need?
I smile wide. Of course I do Nicola. You and your staff have made planning this party a breeze.
I’m just so happy to finally be meeting you all. Will you also be planning their wedding?
I shrug. When they set a date, possibly.
She nods and gives my arm a squeeze.
My British Sign Language is by no means perfect but Rhys’s parents have been wildly understanding with me as I stumble my way through. When Rhys and Duncan reconciled their relationship I began taking the classes.
Behind me a crash sounds and even though Nicola can’t hear it, she must see it, because her eyes grow wide.
I’m going to check on Granny Franny. She signs with a point over my shoulder and I close my eyes for a centering moment before turning around.
I might have needed a second centering breath.
Granny Franny is standing on the back of a sofa holding up the netting I planned to use as decor with an antique painting at her feet.
"What?" She challenges me when she catches me looking at her with my hands on my hips. "The theme is shipwrecked. So, I’m wrecking the ship."
Thank you. Nicola signs before she guides Granny off the sofa.
No sooner than her foot touches the floor, Stella bounds into the room chasing after a chicken.
Granny Franny’s chicken.
I’m too old for this shit.
The women jump up onto the sofa and out of the way and I try to predict where they’re going to run next as Crosby comes barreling into the room too.
"Stella!" He calls but the dog just keeps tearing a path through the room.
"Hey Cap?" Emmett calls out. “Where do you want these?“ I turn to him and he has a gigantic plastic bag filled with plastic flamingos in each hand.
"Outside!" I call to E.T. who nods, watches Stella dart back and forth for a moment before backing out of the room.
The chicken must find a spot to hide because Stella stops at the edge of the sofa Nicola and Granny are standing on. The golden ball of fur is laying on her belly scratching at the empty space under the sofa.
I cross over and help the women down to the floor as Crosby grabs Stella’s collar and hauls her away. Duncan’s sister, Delilah rushes into the room with a towel and she handles swaddling the bird and getting it back outside.
"Shiver me feathers!" Granny Franny chuckles with a shake of her head.
"That was fucking awesome!" Bryson laughs.
"That’s it… everyone out!" I yell.
Bryson winces, Granny Franny straightens her spine. Nicola reads the room and goes along with them as they head out to the corridor.
I pinch the bridge of my nose, center myself on a shaky breath, and turn my focus to the gantt chart I’ve put together for the production of this event.
***
The last parties I had to plan were Bryson and Jo’s engagement party in Colorado, and Crosby and Laila’s shower in D.C.
Either I’m out of practice or everyone has decided to level up their chaos in the year and a half since.
Baby Maya threw up on Laila who then went to change instead of helping me roll silverware into the antique map printed napkins. Crosby couldn’t even take over because Greta was found pulling plants out of the kitchen garden and he had to go parent that situation.
To help make the party feel more special, I told Duncan and Rhys to spend the day away. They said something about a Yes Day and polishing wood and high tailed it out of here.
The rest of my men, while physically present, haven’t been anything near helpful.
Bryson keeps getting distracted by the live stream of Jo’s double header during the mid-season tournament.
Aiden is almost too attentive to Harper’s needs and has insisted she simply sit with her feet up.
And E.T. is in a deep conversation about the estate’s history with Rhys’s father via a tablet where they each type out their side.
As overwhelmed as I feel by the remaining tasks, I smile at the adorable blonde who tagged along with me as she chats with Harper. Over and over again I am reminded of what truly is important.
The people we surround ourselves with.
"Awwww, Cap! You did all of this for me?" Duncan’s voice booms through the room and everyone turns in his direction.
I glance down at my watch, a gift from the boys for my retirement. "You’re early."
"Try as I might, my fiance refuses to be late. He just couldn’t wait to come."
Rhys blushes slightly and I see his hand squeeze Duncan’s a little harder.
"Well, either way, things aren’t totally set up yet but we can’t wait to celebrate you two." I gesture for them to head into the room.
I pull up my text thread with the estate’s staff and tell them to bring the cold appetizers around and to put the warm ones in the oven. I learned from Bryson and Jo’s that anything temperature controlled couldn’t be served until the couple arrived.
The party begins and I step back to observe while checking what on the list still needs to be done.
A pink manicured hand gently lowers my tablet from view. "You know there’s a party, right?"
"Yes ma’am." I grin, place a quick kiss to her forehead, and lock the screen. I slide it to a cocktail height table we had brought in for the event. We make our way to the bar and pick up a Pirate Punch cocktail.
Drink in hand, I make my way over to where Rhys and Duncan are speaking with his parents. I get Rhys’s attention and he nods before letting loose a sharp wolf whistle.
"I’d like to propose a toast." I clear my throat as Rhys signs the words next to me. I form the signal for thank you and he smiles and nods. "This party is to celebrate Duncan and Rhys not just putting a label on it, but making the biggest commitment a person can make to another."
"Unless you ask someone to help you bury a body." Granny Franny supplies.
"Granny you said you wouldn’t tell!" Michael, Duncan’s dad whisper-shouts and the room delves into chuckles. I understand where Duncan gets it.
"Right, well that too." I gather my composure. I’m used to being interrupted by rowdy locker room antics. This moment feels all at once familiar and, somehow, final.
I shake my head and blink back emotion as I glance at Duncan and Rhys. Today is about them, I can’t go getting all sentimental.
But I’ll miss this barnyard-esc chaos.
I raise the glass full of coral-pink punch. "To the groom and groom! Slàinte Mhath!"
The room echos my cheers and wishes for good health. Before conversation resumes, Duncan reaches across Rhys to get my attention.
"Cap? Can I say a few words?"
"Of course.” I gesture for him to take center stage and step to the side to join a group at the small cocktail table where I left my tablet.
"Well, first of all, me, my family, and my teammates would all like to give a hearty thank you to Nicola and Andrew, and everyone here at Bonn na Cnoc for hosting us and to Felix for organizing everything." He glances over at Rhys lovingly. "Ready, boys?" He asks the room.
I see a few of the guys cracking their knuckles.
Oh, no. What is he planning?
Did he organize a flash mob?
I don’t have the space in this room to move furniture for a dance floor.
I suppose we could move out to the entry hall.
I swipe open the floorplans on my tablet and only pay half attention to my boys around the room stepping forward.
Aiden is probably my best bet for getting this moved to a better location so I try to get his attention as he comes to stand right next to Duncan.
But instead of breaking out into dance, I watch in horror as Duncan lifts his hand and signs fuck you straight at Rhys’s parents.
What the fuck?
I can’t contain my gasp and when I glance over at Rhys’s parents they’re a little stunned.
"Duncan! What the fuck are you doing?" I hiss as I cross back up to him and push his hands down to his sides.
"What? I was saying thank you!" Duncan defends. "I taught the sign to the boys."
"You absolutely were not saying thank you." I grimace at Nicola and Andrew who seem to have recovered and are smiling good naturedly. "Where did you even learn that sign?"
Duncan narrows his eyes and turns to Rhys.
Rhys pulls his lips together between his teeth and shrugs quickly.
"Rhys Reid," I scold using his full name. "Did you teach a vulgar sign to Duncan as a trick?"
"Yes."
***