Chapter 1
ONE
CARI
“This is bougie as fuck,” Kiana says as we climb the stairs to the jet. “I’ve never been on a private plane before.”
I giggle as I follow my teammate onto the plane. “I’ve only done it the one time. It was pretty cool, though.”
My brother Al and future brother-in-law Chuck sprung for the fancy digs.
Our brother, Tony, is marrying Chuck’s sister, Viv, this weekend.
There were so many people flying from Boston to Reykjavik, it made sense to “carpool.” This week is expensive enough.
Saving on airfare was a big help. I’d much rather chip in a few hundred bucks to cover my way than deal with commercial airlines and their notorious delays.
I settle into the plush leather aisle seat. Kiana’s grabbed the window, which is fine by me. I’d rather not look outside and see us plummeting to our deaths. Across the aisle from us are my teammates Andi and Grace, and they look just as shell-shocked as I feel.
A flight attendant leans over us. “Would you like anything to drink?”
Ki and I look at each other. We’re definitely not used to traveling like this.
“I’ll take a Coke,” she finally says.
“Me, too, thanks.”
The flight attendant nods and makes a note on her pad before moving down the aisle.
A distant buzz hums in the back of my ears, and I look up, and it’s like all the air has been sucked out of the plane.
Brody Donovan.
My brother’s best friend.
The best man.
Our eyes meet, and Brody’s lips curve up into a smirk. He nods at me, then drops into the seat diagonally in front of me.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
We’ve been doing this dance for the better part of a decade. He flirts, I flirt back, and as soon as I start to initiate anything, he shuts down. Hard.
He’s a serial monogamist, bouncing from relationship to relationship, but that’s never stopped the simmering attraction between us. We’ve simply never acted on it.
Last I heard, he was dating someone—surprise, surprise—but it’s not like I keep up with him. There isn’t a woman following him onto the plane. So maybe he didn’t bring her? It sucks to be at a wedding all by yourself, though. Epically sucks.
Especially when it’s a small, intimate destination wedding. Viv’s family, my family, and a dozen friends and former teammates. That’s it. Nobody else.
Do I talk to him? Acknowledge him? He’s been my brother’s best friend for fifteen years. He’s not some stranger.
The question is taken out of my hands when a big, burly hockey player stops in the middle of the aisle.
“Hey, Care-bear,” Chuck Gallagher says. He holds his arms out, and I roll my eyes as I stand and accept his hug.
“Thanks for the free flight, Charles,” I fire back.
He winces. “Why you gotta first name me like that?”
“Shut up and take it,” I tease.
Chuck and I have always had a friendly, familiar relationship.
He’s best friends with my brother—not the groom, the other one—and has welcomed me into his life with open arms. We chat regularly, gossiping about our extended family.
Over the last four years, we’ve gotten close.
I talk to him almost as much as I do my brothers.
His booming laugh fills the small plane, drawing attention from the other passengers. “That’s what she said.”
“Okay, pendejo. That joke isn’t tired enough already. It needs a nap. Permanently.”
Chuck tugs on my ponytail. “If you say so, Care-bear.”
I gnash my teeth at him, and he grins.
“We’ll chat later,” he promises. “I owe you a drink.”
“You owe me several.”
He snorts. “Okay, deal. Find me when we get to the hotel. We’ll tear up the town.”
“It’s a date.” I pat him on the chest. “Go sit down so we can get this show on the road.”
Chuck obediently moves down the aisle, and I retake my seat, buckling the belt again. A heavy weight settles over me, and I look up to find Brody staring directly at me, an inscrutable expression on his face.
Damn, he looks good.
I swallow, drinking him in. His light brown hair is shorter than the last time I saw him. It suits his face. He’s grown a beard, and he’s bigger and broader than ever. It makes sense, since he’s powerlifting these days.
His brow quirks, and I flinch, realizing I’ve been staring.
Brody makes his way down the aisle, pausing directly in front of me.
“Cari,” he says, his voice deep and gravelly. His familiar cologne fills the cabin, replacing the recycled air with something woodsy and rich.
“Hi.” Shit, did that come out as breathless as I feel? I twirl a strand of hair around my finger as I stare up at him. “Good to see you.”
He makes a choking sound. “Yeah, you too.”
There’s movement over my shoulder as Chuck settles into his seat behind me. I hold my breath when Brody takes the aisle seat opposite him—diagonally behind me.
Kiana raises her eyebrows, and I shake my head. I don’t want to get into it. Not with him so close. Not with Chuck, the busybody, in prime eavesdropping range.
A cheer goes up in the front of the plane, and I crane my neck to see Tony and Viv step aboard, hand in hand. I whistle and clap with the rest of them.
They’re so fucking happy, even with all of the travel stress.
“Kiss her!” Brody calls out.
From ten seats back, I can still see the way my brother rolls his eyes, but he grabs his bride-to-be into an embrace, dips her low, and kisses her. Viv clutches at Tony’s leather jacket, and when he brings her back up, she doesn’t want to let him go.
Al, our other brother, wolf-whistles. He’s at the front of the plane with his wife, Riley, and their two kids. I love my nieces, but I don’t want to entertain a three-year-old and a baby on a five-hour flight.
Filling out our crew are our parents and abuelita, Viv’s parents and the rest of her siblings, a few of our teammates, and a few of her friends from book club. All told, it’s about thirty people heading to Iceland for the wedding.
We have two days to explore before it’s time to get serious. After the rehearsal and the dinner after—which is essentially everyone on this plane—it’s time for the big day. The wedding itself will be small and intimate, and the next day, we have brunch and then fly home.
Tony and Viv are waiting a few weeks to go on their honeymoon. Between his graduating vet school, their move home to Boston, and her about to leave for the Olympics, they decided to wait a bit longer.
It’s the first time after three quads that she won’t be competing. Instead, she’ll be commentating while I’m on the field with Kiana, Andi, and Grace, and I can’t fucking wait.
But first: Iceland.
The wedding.
A week with Brody.
I groan, letting my head fall back against the plush leather seat back.
“You good?” Kiana checks.
Letting out a shaky laugh, I run my hand through my hair. “Never better.”
And it’s only half a lie.