20. Trey
“Aremy girls excited for the first game of the season?” I ask, pulling into my designated parking spot.
“Yes!” Gwen yells. “I don’t think I could have more Coyotes gear on if I tried. I’ve got my socks, my leggings, and my sweatshirt.”
“Don’t forget the logo on your cheek,” Maeve reminds her.
“Oh yeah.”
“Are you excited?” I ask Maeve.
She nods. “I am. I’m more excited that I’m spending the day with my two favorite people than about the game itself.”
We enter the arena through a special entrance reserved for suite owners, and take the private elevator up to the fifth floor.
“Swanky,” Maeve says.
I tap her nose. “I’ll show you all the finer things in life, Sunshine.”
She smiles at me. “You already have.”
My parents are already in the suite when we arrive, and Gwen rushes over to hug them.
“Maeve, honey, I’m so glad to see you,” Mom says. She walks toward her with her arms outstretched, and Maeve meets her halfway. I can tell how fond my mom is of her by the way she embraces her.
When Mom is moving toward me, I notice my dad is waiting for Maeve.
“My favorite boss is here,” Maeve says, loud enough for me to hear, then she hurries toward my dad.
He leans in for a hug, chuckling. “I’m never going to let my son live that down.”
“I don’t think you should,” she says like the vixen she is.
My dad comes over to shake my hand and pull me into one of his backslapping hugs.
“Who else is coming?” Gwen asks.
“No one. When you said you were bringing Gwennie, we figured we’d keep it simple.”
“This suite can get rowdy sometimes with our family and friends,” Mom explains to Maeve.
Spending the day with the entire Ledger family is a lot, especially when you’re all stuck in one room. They’re my family, and I love them, but they still drive me crazy sometimes.
Maeve moves to the bank of glass that runs from one side of the suite to the other, looking down at the shiny ice surface with the Coyotes logo painted dead center.
“You’re welcome to get comfortable.” I gesture to the row of chairs lining a large portion of the windows.
Gwen grabs her hand, tugging. “Sit next to me, Maeve.” She lets my daughter lead her to a chair. I smile as I watch them.
“Trey.” Mom calls me over to the other side of the room where the refrigerator is located. “Gwen seems to really love Maeve,” she says.
I nod. “She does. Almost as much as I do.”
My gaze swings over to find their heads bent close together as they talk, and it fills my chest with emotion.
“I’m glad that picture that was in the slideshow wasn’t the end of you two,” Dad says.
“Yeah, me too, but Maeve’s tougher than she looks. She’s the kindest person, but she’s got an iron will.”
“Did you ever find out how that picture got in there?”
“Yeah. I knew when it was taken because there was only one time I kissed her outside of my office. I reviewed the security footage, and it turns out it was taken by one of our employees, Randy Waverly. He had a crush on Maeve and wasn’t happy when she wouldn’t go out with him.”
“Did you fire him?” Dad asks.
“Hell yeah. Not for taking the picture, because we were in the wrong for kissing at work. But he went out of his way to add it to the slideshow, and for that, he had to go.”
“Good riddance,” Mom says. “He would’ve done something else eventually. It’s better that you removed the problem altogether.”
“That’s what I figured.” I grab two bottles of water and an iced tea from the fridge, then amble over to take the open seat next to Maeve. “Gwen, this is yours.” I hand over the lemon iced tea, and she thanks me. “And this is for you.” I pass one of the waters to Maeve.
“Thank you, Trey.”
I wrap my arm around the back of her chair. “You’re welcome.”
My parents take their seats on the other side of their granddaughter, and we wait for the game to start.
There’s a knock on the door before one of the serving staff wheels in a cart filled with a plethora of treats: chicken tenders, pretzel bites with beer cheese, nachos, and much more.
“Yay,” Gwen cheers when she sees all the choices. “Can I have whatever I want, Dad?”
“Within reason.”
Gwen fills her plate with more food than she’ll be able to eat, but I don’t say a word. She’s having fun, and that’s what matters to me.
“Your turn, Sunshine,” I whisper.
“I don’t know where to begin,” she says.
“The pretzels and beer cheese are my favorite, so don’t take any of those,” I joke.
“You made my mind up for me.” She snatches one of the salty bites and dunks it in the cheese before raising it to her lips. Her teeth tentatively dig into the dough, and her eyes snap open wide as she chews. “So good.”
“Here you go.” I set the platter on the ledge below the window in front of her.
“I can’t eat all of those,” she says.
“Don’t worry, I’ll help.”
“What if your parents want some?”
“My mom doesn’t eat cheese very often, therefore my Dad doesn’t eat it in front of her.”
Sometimes she makes an exception. Like when she made lasagna for Maeve.
She laughs. “I bet retirement is going to be a lot harder than he thought.”
“Absolutely,” I say, adding some food to a plate and then pushing the cart over to my parents. “This is for both of us, so help yourself to whatever you want.” She eyes the mound of food and reaches for a chicken tender.
“Not that one,” I say. She pulls her hand back, and I laugh. “I’m just messing with you.” She rolls her eyes and plucks a golden tender from the top. I do the same before placing the plate on the ledge.
Another server appears with a drink cart. “What would you like?” I ask Maeve.
“I’ve got water.”
“I’m the one driving.”
“Good point.” She taps her finger to her lips. “May I please have a margarita?”
The server nods. “Salt or sugar on the rim?”
“Salt, please,” she says.
“You’re salty enough already.” My teasing earns me an elbow to the ribs. “Vicious too.”
She turns her head, surveying my face with a cool stare. “Only when provoked.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” I wink. I like salty Maeve, so cue the provocation. But then again, she doesn’t have a bad side—literally or figuratively. I’ve come to realize just how deeply in love with her I am.
The server hands me the margarita and I pass it to Maeve.
“Thank you,” she says.
“We’re all set,” I tell the server, and he moves over to serve my parents.
Maeve takes a sip from the glass and then licks the salt from her lips, humming at the taste. She moans. “Yum.”
My dick twitches. “You did that on purpose,” I say.
She laughs mischievously and shrugs.
Shifting my weight, I lean forward and focus on what’s happening on the ice. The game’s about to start. We’re playing a division rival that always gives us a tough run. Getting this win is important if we want to begin the season off on the right foot. Plus, as the new owner, I don’t want my first game to be a loss.
Maeve scoots forward on her seat, setting her drink on the ledge. She snatches a pretzel from the platter and dips it in the smooth cheese. She bites it in half and notices me watching her. She offers the remainder up to me as she chews. Closing my lips around her fingers, I take it, flicking my tongue against her skin. She gapes at me, and I snicker.
“Consider that payback for the moaning.”
Her eyes flash a warning. “Behave.”
“Behaving is overrated, Sunshine.”
And damn near impossible when she’s near.
If we were alone, I’d show her how fun misbehaving can be. I could be between her legs, thrumming my tongue against her clit while she watches the game, and no one would be the wiser.
How do I get rid of everyone and make that happen?
My dick grows harder at the thought. Trying to be discreet, I adjust myself, urging it down. She has a power over me I’m still not used to. But how does one become accustomed to getting the wind knocked out of them? That’s what happens when I look at Maeve, and it’s not just because she’s so fucking stunning. I love everything about her, and I know I always will.
When the game starts, we all have our faces pressed to the glass as we watch. The first two periods pass, and with both teams playing tentatively, there’s no scoring. Things pick up in the third with Kaiden scoring a goal, but then one of the opposing players slips the puck past Murphy.
“Dang,” Gwen yells.
“It’s okay. There’s still plenty of time left,” Maeve reassures her.
My eyes jump to the game clock. With two minutes remaining, there’s plenty of time to score another goal.
Maeve grabs my hand and bounces in her seat. “I’m so nervous. I don’t usually watch the games.”
“That’s going to change, Sunshine.”
“Yeah, but I never had an owner’s box to sit in before. It doesn’t get better than this.”
As the clock ticks down, my heart races faster. Niall strips the puck away, sailing it across the ice to Ryder. “Come on, guys,” I mumble to myself. “Get the job done.” And like they can hear me, Ryder passes the puck to Darius, and he slaps it right past the goalie and into the net with less than ten seconds left on the clock.
Maeve and I leap to our feet. Wrapping my arms around her, I lift her up and spin around. When I set her down, I move over to Gwen and whirl her around too. I put Gwen down and step in front of my mom. “Are you ready for your turn?” I ask, holding my arms out.
She laughs and shakes her head. My dad stands. “I’m ready,” he says, holding his arms out. He doesn’t expect me to take him up on the challenge, and when I do, the surprise on his face is worth the effort it takes to lift his two-hundred-twenty-pound frame up and spin him around.
When I set him down he laughs and wraps his arms around me. He hugs me tightly. “Congratulations, son. You and your team are off to a great start.”