Grant
FIFTY-FIVE
FEbrUARY, TWO SEASONS AGO
Puck Kings
Mavvy
Did everyone finish the book club book? Meeting is tomorrow night, children!
Huddy Boy
Finished it last week.
Easy E
Overachiever.
Mitchy
I finished it too!
Connor
I’ll have it done by tonight.
Me
I finished, and I have THOUGHTS.
Easy E
There aren’t enough motorcycles in it.
Sully
That’s because it’s a cowboy romance, Richardson.
How many cowboys do you know that ride motorcycles?
Easy E
Yeehaw, Goalie Daddy! I do!
Huddy Boy
We can save the debate about the logistics behind cowboys riding motorcycles for tomorrow.
Easy E
Good, because I also have thoughts.
Mavvy
Murphy will be in attendance, by the way. The conversation can’t be too vulgar.
Me
She’s barely a month and a half old.
Easy E
Can I introduce her to the world of glizzys yet?
Huddy Boy
She can’t have anything besides milk for the next few months. The hot dogs are going to have to wait, E.
Easy E
Dammit.
Spending time with Mav and Emmy’s kid has me wanting one lol.
Sully
Hell will freeze over before you become a parent, Richardson.
Me
Hey! Feels like I haven’t talked to you in weeks. What’s up, sis?
Hannah
That’s because you have hockey and I have coaching duties.
Hello, brother of mine.
Me
Coach has been in a great mood lately.
That must mean things are going well with his daughter?
Hannah
Things are going very well!
Me
Are you free for dinner tonight? I have book club until 8, but after?
Hannah
Sure :)
Me
Cool. I’ll text you later!
“Ethan. Put down the gavel.” Hudson takes the plastic toy from Ethan with a sigh. “There’s a baby, and I don’t trust you with any object that could turn into a weapon.”
“But Maverick is allowed to use it? Doesn’t seem fair.” Ethan huffs and crosses his arms on the couch. “Favoritism, I tell ya.”
“It’s okay, dude.” I pat his thigh. “I’ll get you your own gavel that you can use.”
“This is why you’re my favorite, G.”
“Evening, folks.” Maverick stands at the front of the living room. He holds Murphy in one hand and a bottle in the other. “Sorry for the delay. I had to get Murph’s food warmed up.”
“Can I ask a question about breastfeeding?” Ethan chimes in.
“No.” Liam doesn’t bother to look up from his book. “You may not.”
“Guess everyone is going to attack me tonight.” Ethan rolls his eyes and taps the paperback sitting on Liam’s lap. “The story was fine.”
“Fine?” Riley asks. “It was phenomenal. I don’t normally like second chance romances because they’re never believable, but I believed this story.”
“Agreed. The way the two characters came back into each other’s lives was beautiful,” Hudson adds. “It felt natural. They would make it as a couple after the epilogue, for sure.”
“I liked the story, but I’m worried about two years down the road,” I say.
“They don’t want the same things. I mean, sure, they love each other, but he wants kids and she doesn’t.
She loves the small-town life and he lived in the big city for a couple years.
Can a relationship withstand those fundamental differences? ”
“For the person you love? Yes,” Liam says, and I blink at him. “Why are you looking at me like I have three heads, Everett?”
“You said something incredibly insightful, and I’m caught off guard.”
“I’m an incredibly insightful person,” he throws back, and Ethan snorts.
“Incredibly insightful at being a dick.”
“Our focus should be the book.” Maverick lifts Murphy in the air, changing her position so she’s leaning over his shoulder. He pats her back then kisses her forehead. “Not who may or may not be an insightful dick.”
“It’s a good question, Grant, but Liam is right. I always wanted to get married, but Madeline doesn’t. She’s divorced, and it’s not something she wants to go through again. I accepted that, because I’d rather be with her and not married than married to anyone else,” Hudson says.
“And people change.” Maverick shrugs. “Look at me. Look at Sully. He never used to talk to anyone. Now he does interviews like it’s no big deal.”
“Piper,” Liam grunts. “I do interviews with Piper. No one else.”
“This book made me want to live in a small town,” Connor says. “Having everyone know your name sounds fun.”
“The downside is everyone is in your business,” Riley challenges. “You can’t keep any secrets.”
“I can keep a lot of secrets,” Ethan boasts, and I roll my eyes.
“Please. You’d fold under pressure in a heartbeat,” I say.
“Like you’d be any better! You’re a pushover, G-Money. Someone would ask where the treasure was hidden, and you’d spill the beans without any interrogation.”
I tuck my chin to my chest.
He’s so wrong.
Not a single person in this room knows Amelia spent the night at my house. No one knows I kissed her until her lips were swollen, and they definitely don’t know I got her off with my fingers and my mouth more than once.
Spilling the beans?
I’m keeping our relationship safe inside a goddamn vault. I’m taking it to my fucking grave because it’s what she wants, and there’s not a thing Lia could ask for that I wouldn’t bend over backward to give her.
“You’re right, E,” I say. “I am a pushover. Secrets don’t stand a chance with me.”
“Circling back to the book, because that’s why we’re all here, I liked the male main character,” Hudson says. “My favorite parts were when he washed her hair when she wasn’t feeling well and made sure she ate after a long day of work.”
“You have a strong love of food,” I point out. “Makes sense why you liked those scenes.”
“Hair washing is boring. Let’s talk about the sex.” Ethan grins. “I never thought a hay bale would have so many uses, but damn. Those two made it work for multiple positions.”
“I don’t understand the logistics with the hay.” I tap my cheek. “Was she kneeling?”
“This is my moment to shine. Let me provide a demonstration.” Ethan jumps to his feet and drags the ottoman to the center of the room. He climbs on it, placing his knees and palms on the furniture. “She was on all fours like this. Gives the guy a great angle to get nice and deep.”
“Jesus Christ. If I had known I was signing up for a sex show, I wouldn’t have come.” Liam buries his face in his hands. “Do we really need a reenactment, Richardson?”
“I find it incredibly helpful.” Riley smirks. “Thank you for bringing that visual to life, E.”
“I’m in hell,” Liam grumbles.
“It’s never too late to learn things, Goalie Daddy,” Connor says, and Liam launches a pillow at him.
“That position only works if everyone is the same height. It would be too low for me, since I’m the tallest on the team.” Maverick kisses Murphy again and puts her in her bassinet. “If there were three bales of hay? Now we’re talking.”
“You are not the tallest on the team,” Hudson says, and Maverick gapes at him.
“Are you kidding me? I have an inch on you, Hayes. At least. Don’t make me get out the tape measure.”
“The problem with three bales of hay is the stability,” Riley counters. “The higher you get, the more likely the bales are to tip over if they’re not perfectly aligned.”
“When did you become a physicist, Mitchy?” Connor asks. “It’s a shame we don’t have more ottomans to see how high E can get before he falls over.”
“If I push him, he’s not going to make it any higher,” Liam says. “And I’m tempted.”
“No violence, please,” Maverick says. “We just had the walls painted, and I don’t need Emmy pissed at me because they’re chipped already.”
“I like the color.” I look around the room and take in the light shade of blue. “Hey! It matches our jerseys!”
“We wanted it to represent where we first met, so we went with the DC Stars blue. Whoever wins the next Stanley Cup gets to decide the dining room wall color. We can’t come to an agreement.”
“A Stanley Cup win for the Sea Crabs might happen sooner rather than later with Amelia Green starting in Baltimore next season,” Riley says. “I’m excited to see how she does, and it’s awesome she and Emmy get to team up.”
“She’s going to be great,” I blurt. “Emmy mentioned their last coach could barely get through a practice without breaking a stick. At least Lia—A-Amelia—doesn’t have anger issues.
The Sea Crabs were smart to hire her. She knows the game better than anyone, and she has two Stanley Cups under her belt.
Just, you know.” I shrug. “Casual observation.”
“I think she’s going to be great too,” Hudson adds. “I read an article about Baltimore’s owner, and she has some big plans. It’s inspiring. Green will have a lot of tools at her disposal to make the best possible team.”
“Damn. You all are making me want to keep up with the other teams in the league so I can be a part of this conversation.” Ethan looks over his shoulder on the ottoman. “As long as the Sea Crabs don’t beat us in the East, I’m happy.”
“We’re not going to let that happen,” I say, but it might be fun to wager a bet with Amelia when our teams play each other.
“If you’re finished with your demonstration, E, I’m going to head out.
I’m getting dinner with Han, and she’s a lot more enjoyable than whatever this is.
” I wave to the position he’s still in. “But you all have fun.”
“Tell your sister I think she’s hot,” Ethan calls out. “And if she wants to go to dinner, my door is always open.”
“I will literally mess up your face if you put a finger on my sister,” I answer, pulling on my coat and shoving my beanie on my head. “Go hit on someone else, Richardson.”
I send Hannah a quick text to let her know I’m on my way and hop in my car. The drive is short, the roads are quiet, and I find a parking spot out front. She’s waiting for me at a table along the wall when I make it inside, and she waves as I meander through the crowded room.
“Hi,” I say. “Sorry I’m late. Book club took a turn like it always does.”
“Do you guys actually talk about books? Or is it code for something else?” she asks.
“We try to talk about books, but the conversations always go off the rails. Tonight involved ottomans and Ethan acting out bedroom positions on imaginary bales of hay.”