Epilogue
(Five years later)
“ A lright. No, I understand. I hope you feel better. Thank you.” I hung up and released a breath.
“Harp,” I called from the living room. My wife just started getting ready minutes ago after I convinced her everything was going to be fine and she had nothing to worry about. What ended up being a twenty-minute argument I won—only for the babysitter to cancel.
“Come here, buddy.” I lifted Sebastian off the playmat and whispered. “You want to go to a high school reunion with mommy and daddy?”
My two-year-old gave me a dirty look and shook his head.
I chuckled and held him close. “Yeah, neither do I, to be quite frank, but I really want this for Mommy,” I whispered. “She didn’t have the best send-off the last time all these people got together, so I want to make sure tonight is perfect for her. Like it should have been ten years ago.”
I heard her footsteps and she pulled the bedroom door open, stepping out. “Did you call me?”
I turned, my mouth dropping as I took in my already beautiful wife in a stunning red dress, matching red lips, and her golden hair blown out to even silky waves falling just over her shoulders.
“You look beautiful,” I breathed. Even Seb was drooling, looking at his mother.
She cocked her head. “You were with me when I bought this dress. Remember? I wanted black. You insisted on this one.”
It was true. I was not about to let Harper face the entire senior class again in an absent color.
I set our son down on the mat and walked over to her. “Thank you for agreeing to go. It’s important to me.”
“I still don’t understand why. Everyone already knows I’m married to the second captain of the Brooklyn Blades.” She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me then pulled back and rubbed the smudge on my lips. “And now there’s proof.”
I glanced at Seb. “Well, we’re about to have even more proof because Tanya canceled.”
She beamed and I held up my hand. “Not so fast. I’m finding backup.”
There was a knock on our door before it was pushed open.
Harper rolled her eyes. “Oh hey Troy, won’t you come in.” She brushed a hand over my chest. “Let me know. I’ll go reapply. Be right back.”
I reached for my phone while Troy grabbed Sebastian from my hands, his grin wide. “Hey dude, you miss me? When you gonna start calling me daddy?” he joked.
Like mother, like son, Sebastian had no problem telling us apart.
I shook my head and dialed Ryan, who, besides being my teammate, had become one of my best friends over the last few years. He and his wife Alice owed us a few babysitting favors.
We had a nanny, but she didn’t travel often with us. Harper and I bought a house upstate to be closer to her dad after we were married, but we kept my apartment in Brooklyn to stay in the city for most of the hockey season. Which worked out well for Harper since it was a busy season for her too, having been published by nearly every sports magazine and newspaper in New York.
I hung up when it went to voicemail.
“What’s wrong?” Troy asked.
“Sitter canceled.”
My brother bounced Seb on his lap and raised a brow toward the bedroom. “Awesome, I’ll stay with him tonight. I didn't want to go to this thing tonight anyway.”
I scoffed. “Thanks, but Harper will never go for it.”
Harper came back out in heels, her head tilted as she worked an earring.
“Why not? I can take care of my nephew. How hard can it be? You feed him, burp him, bounce him up and down and tell him to go to sleep.”
“No, we’ll find someone,” Harper assured. “Hey, why don’t I try Nic?” she said, reaching for her cell phone.
Troy stayed silent while we tried a few more people. I watched him with a light smirk on my face, pure fondness and affection as he held my little boy. But that didn’t qualify him as a babysitter for what would be no more than three hours, including travel.
Harper set her phone down, clearly having as much luck as I did. Then muttered something about packing a bag for Seb if he were indeed coming with us tonight. Then disappeared into the bedroom.
Troy waited until she closed the door. “Yeah, you’re probably right. I should go. Besides I’ve already got a date.” He reached for his phone. “Hey, I’ve got an idea. Why don’t I just tell Gina to meet me here and we can double? Fun times huh?” He nudged me as I glared at him.
“Gina Malone?”
“Yeah, I mean, the girl’s been chasing me for ten years. Figured I’d throw her one, if you know what I mean.” He straightened his tie.
My glare intensified and I started feeling it in my chest. “You’re not fucking serious,” I hissed. Harper may not have given two shits about who Troy was throwing bones to, but I wasn’t taking any chances that she would have to relive that night.
Not even for a second.
Harper stepped out, carrying a loaded bag. “Okay, diaper bag is packed. Frankie said he’ll watch him but we need to bring him over.”
My jaw flexed as Troy cocked his head and flashed me a wide grin.
I gritted my teeth, feeling like my twin was threatening me. “Actually, Troy is going to watch Sebastian tonight.”
“What?”
I turned away from my brother’s smirk as he reached for the kid again and went to Harper, lowering my voice. “Yeah, he’s only in town for the weekend, I think it would be good if he spent some time with his nephew.”
She grunted in response and glanced at the baby monitor as if to ensure it was in place—good sign.
“They’ll be fine, Harp.” I didn’t doubt Troy’s abilities with a toddler—and it was worth keeping him far away from Gina Malone tonight—of all nights.
He’d been completely sober and now in his second year playing for the Chicago Icers after huge improvements to his game in minors.
With a sigh, she walked around me. “Okay, this is very simple, Troy. His dinner is in the fridge, just heat it up and give him the first two spoonfuls, he should do the rest himself. If he doesn’t finish, give him a cup of milk before bedtime, which is seven-thirty.”
“That’s only an hour from now,” Troy whined. “Nah, we stay up late when Uncle Troy’s in town, right buddy?”
“Can you be serious for a minute?” I snapped.
“This coming from someone who named their kid after a crab.”
Harper pointed to the monitor. “I’m watching you. His pajamas are on the bed. Call us if anything.”
“Gotchya. Say hi to—”
I shot him a warning glare.
“Everyone,” he finished with a grin.
I practically pushed Harper out the door and into the elevator with an exasperated breath.
It couldn’t be tonight and certainly not in front of Harper—but a conversation with my brother was definitely in order for even thinking about connecting with Gina again.
I could have sworn he’d grown up by now.
“You going to be alright tonight?” I asked, starting to have doubts myself about bringing her back there.
“Hmm? Oh yeah, and I know you’re worried about Gina, don’t be. That girl’s not stalking Troy or you for that matter. She’s all about me now.” She rolled her eyes.
“What?”
“Yeah, she’s been lurking around me now, messaging me on Instagram and trying to connect with me. Ever since Troy started putting up pics of me and then the three of us…she’s trying to act like we were besties in high school,” she laughed.
“Is she trying to get the scoop on Troy, or something?”
“No. Gina’s married. Two kids. Pretty sure her husband is coming tonight.”
I shook my head. “Wait, what?”
The elevator bell dinged before opening and Harper stepped out. “Seriously, what kind of girl chases a guy for ten years? She moved on a while ago.”
I paused at the door.
“What’s wrong?”
I chuckled. “I think I’ve been swindled.” I looked up as if I could see Troy up there with our son through nineteen flights.
“He try to tell you he was going to hook up with her tonight if you didn’t let him babysit?”
I dropped my head in shame and she burst out laughing, tugging on my shirt. “I couldn’t care less. I’ve got everything I need right here.” She pressed a hand on my chest and kissed me. “But I’ve got to hand it to him…” She nodded appreciatively.
“Yeah, this is going to bother me for a while. I’m supposed to be the smart one.”
She twisted her head to look back at me, the hourglass shape of her body in that dress making me rethink going anywhere but our bedroom right now. She shrugged and winked. “Blinded by love, I suppose.”
I gripped her hips and bent to kiss her neck as we walked to the garage. Yeah, blinded by love and protection.
Five years ago, Harper took a chance giving me her heart again, and I vowed never to break it again. Internally, I vowed never to let anything or anyone hurt her again. I vowed to fill her life with so much joy, freedom, pleasure and affection that her heart would never feel that void again. The emptiness and loneliness after losing her mother, her friends, and yeah, even my brother for a while there.
And now, the life and the family we were building completed us both. We did eventually start a new list after we were engaged. It consisted of all the places we wanted to travel to, restaurants we wanted to try, swimming with dolphins, seeing the northern lights, basically anything we could think of.
The list went on for pages… and there wasn’t a doubt in our minds that we would cross off every single one.
Thanks for Reading Wrong Twin !
Want more hockey hotties? Flip to read the first chapter of The Runaway, a runaway bride hockey romance.