Chapter 37
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
WRAPPED UP IN WHITE
TULLY
The wind off Lake Superior cuts straight through my jacket. It’s the kind of dry December wind that sneaks through all the layers and makes your eyes water.
Windy Harbor earns its name this time of year.
I tuck my chin into my scarf and walk into Elm & Echo. The whole restaurant glows. Strings of white lights hang from the ceiling beams. The tall glass windows reflect the lights so everything inside looks doubled—soft gold bouncing everywhere against the dark winter outside.
It’s perfect.
I’ve missed some of the chaos of trying to turn Camden’s restaurant into a wedding venue, but not much, because he kept the restaurant open until the night before last. I finished up my home games and then did some heavy lifting yesterday afternoon to make up for my absence.
Chairs are in neat little rows facing the windows, most of the tables cleared out to seat only the family attending, and gorgeous flowers spill over the center of every table.
The whole place looks like it belongs in a winter movie. I just left Camden in his office. He asked me to make sure that everything is in place and everyone is here before we start the ceremony.
Grayson runs around the place, and Noah catches him when he runs past.
“Can you try to rein it in, buddy?” he asks. “We’re about to start the wedding, and you can’t be running laps or you’ll miss it.”
“Okay, Dad,” Grayson says, bending over to catch his breath. “I was seeing how fast I could run around all the tables, but I’ll stop.”
“Thank you, son. I’d appreciate that.” Noah chuckles.
Dad stands by the bar with Uncle Hal and Papa Hector, and I catch Uncle Hal winking at Grandma Nancy. She tsks and keeps walking.
God, I love these people.
I’m exhausted, but I’ve never been happier. Lola’s here, and she’s here to stay.
“What are you smiling about?”
I turn, already smiling, and my eyes widen when I see Lola. She’s wearing a long, sleeveless, dark purple dress with a little furry wrap that she shrugs off her shoulders.
“Because I couldn’t wait to see you in that dress,” I tell her. “I was getting impatient.”
“Were you?” She grins.
“It was worth the wait. You look incredible.”
“So do you,” she says, straightening my tie. “Tully Whitman in a suit and tie is doing things to me.”
“Yeah?” I grin, pulling her against me. “You’re doing things to me in that dress.”
She tangles her fingers in my hair and gazes up at me. “I can tell,” she says, laughing quietly.
“Mmm, this is gonna be a long night, trying to keep myself from tugging you into the bathroom and”—I lean and whisper the rest—“doing all the filthy things you’re imagining right now.”
“I’m gonna make you wait,” she says, smirking. “Then you’ll know how I feel watching you out on the ice. Your warm-ups are enough to make me”—she stands on her tiptoes and whispers in my ear—“come on the spot.”
She lowers back to the ground, and I groan. “Enough of that talk, or I’m gonna come right on the spot, right here, right now.”
She steps away, and I tug her back.
“Cover me,” I say, and she giggles.
“You look happy,” I say.
Her hands find my hair again. I fucking love it when she plays with my hair.
“I’m so happy, Tully.”
“I am too, Trouble. I’ve got my girl back. I’m the happiest man in the world.”
Movement to the side of us catches my eye, and I turn to see Ava and Erin walk in. They’re the last to arrive.
“Okay, we’re ready to start.” I kiss Lola lightly. “Are you ready for a wedding?”
“So ready.”
I stare at her for a moment, wondering if she meant that the way it sounded…
I shake myself and kiss her one more time before going to tell Camden it’s time.
My brothers, Milo, Jackson, and I all gather around Camden. A tap on the door sounds, and Dad pokes his head in.
“Sorry it took me so long to get back here. Looking like a million bucks, son,” he says.
“You’re just in time for our shot, Dad,” Dylan says, pouring everyone a shot.
We each take a glass, and the smell is so minty, my nose stings.
“What is this, mouthwash?” Camden laughs.
“So your breath isn’t too bad when you kiss Juju,” Dylan teases.
We all lift our glasses.
“To Camden and Juju,” Dad says.
“To Camden and Juju,” we all echo and slam our shots back.
“Whew, the burn,” I say, my eyes squinting.
“Lightweight,” Dylan says.
“It’s not too late to back out,” Noah tells Camden, smirking.
“Never happening,” Camden replies.
“I saw Juju. She looks like a dream,” Dad says. “Absolutely stunning.”
“Let’s get out there so I can see her.” Camden grins. “I love you guys. Thanks for helping us pull this off so fast.”
“No one’s complaining. I think you’ve got us all thinking about cutting our engagements short,” Milo says, lifting his glass again.
Dylan points at him. “Yes.”
It seems like they all turn to me as one.
“So…anything we’re gonna be hearing from you anytime soon?” Camden asks.
I laugh. “Come on. Let’s get you married. Your bride’s waiting.”
We walk out, and the room is full of all of our family and close friends. Music plays softly from the speakers. And suddenly, the whole place shifts into quiet anticipation.
Camden swallows.
“Okay,” he says. “Let’s do this.”
Then he and Noah walk toward the front.
Dylan and I slide into our seats next to Lola and Dahlia while everyone turns to face the aisle. The lights overhead glow warm against the windows. Snow has started falling outside, soft flakes drifting past the glass.
Goldie walks down the aisle looking beautiful. She winks at Milo when she walks past and finds her way to the front. Grayson and Chloe are next, looking adorable. Once they’ve made it down the aisle, they come sit in the two chairs right in front of us.
The music changes, and everyone stands. Juju appears at the back of the room with her dad. And the entire room collectively melts. She looks unbelievable. I’ve known Juliana Fair since we were five years old, and I’ve never seen her smile so bright.
I glance back at Camden, and he’s absolutely losing it. He presses his lips together, and I swear to God I see tears. Dylan leans toward me.
“Five bucks says he cries.”
“He’s already crying.”
“Ten bucks then.”
I snort.
Juju walks down the aisle slowly, her hand in her dad’s arm, smiling at everyone she passes. When she reaches Camden, he stares at her like he can’t believe she’s real.
The Fairs’ pastor from St. Paul is the officiant, and he says something about love and family, but I’m distracted by Lola’s arm and the side of her thigh pressed against mine.
Grayson whisper-shouts, “Uncle Tully!”
“What?” I whisper quietly, hoping he’ll get the message.
“I have to pee.”
There are titters of laughter from everyone who’s close enough to hear.
I bite my lip so I don’t laugh out loud. “You need some help?”
“No, I got it.”
“All right. It’s okay to go out, just go that way.” I point him in the right direction as Camden and Juju say their vows.
“You make everything feel like home,” Camden is saying quietly.
The entire room just sighs, and Uncle Hal gives his nose a good blow.
Chloe turns back to Dahlia. “Mom,” she whispers. “I gotta go too!”
We all crack up again. Dahlia motions for Chloe to follow her, and they walk out. Someone will have to give me the highlights of what I missed during the ceremony, but I see some of the good stuff too.
“You may kiss the bride.”
Camden doesn’t even hesitate. He pulls Juju into a kiss like he’s been waiting his entire life for this moment. The room explodes, everyone cheering and clapping.
Grayson comes back in time to shout, “YAY!”
I’m on my feet with everyone else, clapping like an idiot while Camden and Juju laugh into each other’s shoulders. I glance down at Lola, and for a second, it feels like the entire world narrows down to us.
“I want that to be us soon,” I whisper, leaning in to kiss her.
“Me too,” she whispers back.
Dad walks over while I’m at the bar, waiting for drinks. We stand there leaning against the counter, and he glances at Lola across the room.
“I really like her, son,” he says. “She’s a beautiful person.”
“Yeah,” I say, smiling in her direction. “She is. And she really likes you too.”
We stand there for a moment in the comfortable quiet.
“How close are we getting to shutting down Daniel?” he asks.
“Marcus thinks a few more weeks.”
“Good. That’ll be a relief. And even better would be some resolution with Bruce.” He picks up his drink. “Keep me in the loop, okay?”
“For sure.”
He squeezes my shoulder before going to sit down.
When I take our drinks to the table, Lola leans over. “Grandma Donna just asked if I thought she’d look good with a tattoo on her shoulder.”
“What did you say?”
“I said absolutely.” She presses her lips together to keep from laughing.
I snort and look at my adorable little grandmother with her tight curls and buttoned-up sweater. “Did she say what she’d want?”
“She mentioned Orion, said he was a river otter who frequently visits. She said Goldie’s talked about him for a long time, but she’s only recently gotten to know him better since being at the Friendship Bench more often.”
I chuckle. “That’s great. Does she want the knitted version of him?”
We laugh about that.
“Have you ever seen him?” Lola asks.
“No! For a while I thought Goldie was making the whole thing up, but then Milo saw him too, so…I can’t believe even Grandma Donna has seen him. Enough to want a tattoo of him on her shoulder.”
We lose it at that all over again. It isn’t that I don’t think tattoos are age-specific, it’s just…you gotta know Grandma Donna. The thought is hilarious.
“I so hope this happens,” I say, wiping my eyes.
Lola’s phone lights up, and it’s Isla. She lets it go to voicemail, but then it rings again. When it happens a third time, Lola picks up. “Isla, I’m at the—”
Whatever Isla says makes Lola go still.
“Send it to me,” she says.
They hang up, and she nudges me to look as she opens the link Isla sent. I read it over her shoulder.
The headline is from a popular gossip outlet with a large enough following to do real damage.
The headline is: NHL Star Tully Whitman’s New Girlfriend Has a Type—And It’s Always Famous.
The story underneath is three hundred words of implication and anonymous sourcing.
“Sources close to the situation…”
“Those who know Donavan say…”
A carefully assembled suggestion that Lola has a pattern—a history of pursuing athletes and men with public profiles, that the relationship with me is the latest iteration of something deliberate, and that she is, the piece implies without quite saying, using me.
There are photos of us in Colorado, at MSP, and at a restaurant in Minneapolis. Her tattoo Instagram account is pictured and captioned with something about building a brand that makes her work sound like a prop.
The implications and framing from anonymous sources, combined with real photographs, have been constructed by someone who knows exactly how this kind of story spreads.
Lola is not moving.
I take the phone from her hand gently and put it face down on the table. Her jaw is set, and she’s blinking fast.
“Hey,” I say.
“This is Daniel, right? For a second, I thought it could be Patrick, but I don’t think he’s capable of this. He’s a jerk sometimes, but he wouldn’t go this far.”
“No, I don’t think he would either,” I say.
She looks at me. “It makes me sound really slimy—” She stops. “People are going to believe it.”
“People who don’t know you, maybe,” I say. “Not the people who matter.”
“My clients matter. My following matters. I built that, Tully. That’s mine, I built it from nothing, and he just—” She presses her lips together.
Her phone lights up again. Even though it’s face down, we can both see the screen illuminating over and over.
She takes a deep breath. “I am not going to let this ruin my night. It’s your brother’s wedding. We are going to have fun.”
I lean in. “I love you. I promise you, no one here believes you’re after my wealth. They’ve seen the way you look at me in a suit.”
A laugh breaks free, and I’m relieved that I made her laugh.
“Want me to hold on to this?” I ask, picking up her phone.
She nods. I pick it up, and as I do, she gets another call. This time, it’s her dad.
I show her and she takes it, answering the call.
“Hey, Dad,” she says softly, then listens for a minute. “What? He called you?” Her voice lifts. “Yeah, I never told you all of it. It seemed like you didn’t want to know. How much does he want?”
My veins go cold.
When she gets off, I wait.
“Daniel called my dad. He’s threatening to go to the public and tell them my dad took money from him years ago.
He’ll make it sound like I was a woman who went to her boyfriend’s agent and negotiated a price for my exit, rather than a scared twenty-one-year-old who was being blackmailed into leaving the man she loved. ”
“What did your dad say?”
“He said he had no idea I’d been blackmailed. He couldn’t believe I didn’t tell him.”
“I’ll call Wade and let him know what’s going on.”
She nods, and I make the call, laying it out for Wade. He says what I was hoping he’d say.
“We’re narrowing in on him.”
“Enough to keep this from coming out?” I ask, squeezing Lola’s hand.
“I’ve got an eye on him right this minute, and I’ll call the journalist who’s listening to his bullshit…offer them a story that’s more enticing than this one.”
I nod. “Okay. I like that.”
“I know this is shitty timing, but try to enjoy your brother’s wedding. I’ve got this,” Wade says.