Chapter 23
Nine Days Later
Blair
It’s finally official. Magnus signed a three-year-contract with the Crush today, and we’re celebrating with a dinner for his teammates and their families that Jules and I are hosting.
So far, it’s ... going.
“Where the fuck is the fucking tuna?” I say to Jules, giving her a panicked look.
“Tuna?” Suki looks from Jules to me. “Since when are we making tuna?”
“It’s a line from Bridget Jones,” Jules says. “Just something we both say when things are turning disastrous in the kitchen.”
“It’s not disastrous yet,” Suki says. “Is the meat thawed?”
I look through the microwave door at the rectangle of ground beef rotating on a thaw setting. “Eh. It’s getting there.”
My first mistake was trying to make brisket. It’s Magnus’s favorite, and I had visions of myself fielding compliments about how incredible my brisket is—people asking me how this could possibly have been my first time making it.
Instead, even Dong didn’t want any. I got impatient and turned up the heat because the internal temp had stalled out. When Suki FaceTimed her chef friend Harry, he said that’s probably what made it tough and dry.
Jules and Suki to the rescue. I know from Suki’s fondue party that she’s a born hostess. And my sister can do anything she puts her mind to. We searched the freezer for meat options and now we’re working on creating a taco bar.
“How’s the shredding going?” I ask Talia.
“Check out Mount Cheddar. I think this might be enough.”
I look over at the massive mound of cheese she shredded with the stand mixer, using an attachment.
“Wow. That’s a lot of cheese.”
“I’ll get it into serving bowls and start chopping onions.”
“The lettuce is done,” Lainey says. “And those bacon-wrapped shrimp are so good.”
“Thank you.” I give her a grateful look. “At least I didn’t screw everything up. Just the main course.”
Jules puts an arm around me. “Babe, it’s okay. Breathe. We can still order food.”
“I know, I just wanted to make all of Magnus’s favorite foods, and now we’re having tacos and Swedish meatballs, which is like ... obviously not a great combo.”
“It’s a perfect combo.” Magnus walks into the kitchen and comes straight to me, taking my face in his hands and kissing me. “You love tacos and I love Swedish meatballs, and this is our party.”
I nod and mouth “Thank you.”
“How are Mara and Leo doing?” Talia asks.
“They’re good,” Suki says. “Their manny is coming from nine at night ’til five in the morning so they can sleep.”
Mara delivered their son, Grayson John Abbott, almost a week ago. He has brown hair and looks exactly like Leo, who is the proudest father ever.
“She wanted to come today, but they’re being careful about exposing the baby to lots of people so he doesn’t get sick.”
“That’s smart,” I say. “We completely understand.”
“The taco shells are here,” Magnus says, looking at the notification on his phone.
We ordered a few groceries for delivery because we had enough meat and cheese, but nowhere near enough taco shells, taco sauce, and sour cream for twenty-seven people.
I check the pot of Swedish meatballs on the stove, making sure they don’t burn while keeping them warm.
Eli brings Hallie into the kitchen and opens the refrigerator, his Crush jersey with Magnus’s name and number on the back making my heart squeeze.
“Do you like apple juice?” he asks her.
“Sure.”
“I’ll get you some. You can use my cup.”
Jules and I exchange a look. Eli doesn’t share his purple plastic cup from a trip we took to Cedar Point amusement park. He was mad at Coop for two days because Coop touched it.
When I check the ground beef, it’s finally thawed enough to cook.
“I’m glad we got a keg,” Jules says, walking back into the kitchen from the basement. “The guys are really liking it. And it’s good we put down the tarp, because Isaac’s chugging it like a frat boy on a Friday night.”
“Oh, Isaac,” Suki says, sighing. “I don’t think he’s ever going to settle down.”
Her phone screen lights up on the island and she says, “Oh my gosh, it’s Mara! She’s FaceTiming!”
When she answers the call, we all gather around her to see the screen. Mara is sitting in a recliner, her son asleep in her arms. She’s beautiful, though she looks tired.
“Oh my gosh, he’s so sweet,” Lainey says.
“How are you, honey?” Suki asks.
“Good. My nipples are war-torn, but still attached, so that’s something.”
“You look so great,” I say. “And Grayson is just perfect.”
She smiles. “He really is. Will you tell Magnus we said congratulations? We’re so happy he’s staying. I tried to get Leo to go to the party, but he said he wants to be here with us.”
“As he should,” Suki says.
“With help at night, it’s actually not bad. The first few days, when I didn’t have help, are kind of a blur. But I can pump enough to get a block of sleep at night now, so that helps.”
“I can’t wait to snuggle him,” Jules says. “He’s a little Leo.”
Mara grins. “He is.” Grayson stirs in her arms. “Oh, I think he might be ready to eat again. I miss you guys; don’t have too much fun without me.”
We all say goodbye and she blows us a kiss before ending the call.
Suki helps me start cooking taco meat, which we have to do in several batches because it’s too much to thaw and cook all at once. Instead of a sit-down dinner, we end up with an informal meal people can make and eat whenever and wherever they want.
“Thank you so much for your help,” I tell Suki as we cook.
“Of course. This is a family, and Carter and I are so happy he’s staying.”
“Me too.”
“Carter says Magnus is so much happier because of you. He’s having fun playing hockey again.”
That warms me from head to toe.
“I’m happier because of him. I wasn’t unhappy before, not at all. But he’s just ... he’s the real deal, you know?”
“You and your kids deserve that. I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks.”
I wasn’t sure if Noel would come to the party, since he needs to maintain some professional distance from his players, but he did, and he seems to be having a great time. The upstairs and downstairs are louder and more alive than they’ve ever been.
Once everyone has eaten, Jules forces me to leave the kitchen. She and Talia are doing the cleanup, and they won’t let anyone else help.
It’s actually really nice to have a break after the stress of the day. I had a taco, broccoli casserole and a biscuit, and I was so hungry I didn’t even think about what an odd combo it was.
Magnus introduces me to some of his teammates I haven’t met yet; more people show up as the party continues.
Suki brought a huge, beautiful cake she had made by a local bakery.
The kids lose it when she cuts the first piece and they see the inside is a Neapolitan swirl of strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla.
I’ve never been with a man like Magnus, who holds my hand and proudly introduces me to people as his girlfriend. When he calls everyone into the living room, he asks me to stand beside him while he addresses the group.
“I’m grateful to be here,” he says. “There was a time when I didn’t know if I’d be able to return to hockey, and when I came back, I was so focused on staying back that I didn’t really let myself enjoy the game. But then I met Blair.”
My face heats as everyone in the room looks at me. Magnus’s eyes are warm as he looks at me, his slight smile bringing out the crinkles in the corners of his eyes.
“Blair, you and Eli and Coop are everything I didn’t know I needed. You and I are two halves of a whole. We’re a work of art. I’m the black-and-white outline. The sturdy framework. And you’re a thousand vibrant colors that bring that outline to life. I love you.”
“You love my mom?” Coop cries.
Everyone laughs, and Magnus waves Coop and Eli over. Eli stands beside me and Coop slides his hand into Magnus’s.
“Eli and Coop, I love you both, too. You’ve both been so kind, sharing your incredible mother with me and letting me get to know you.”
“I love you!” Coop throws his arms around Magnus’s waist, prompting several sweet murmurs.
Jules clears her throat. “Everyone, please raise your glass—or super classy Solo cup—to Magnus. We’re so thrilled you’re staying.
And on a personal level, I couldn’t be happier for my sister and my nephews.
Blair, you’re the best person I know and an amazing mom. You landed your number one. Cheers.”
Everyone drinks; Magnus’s teammates come up to him to congratulate him. Noel shakes his hand and says something in his ear before clapping him on the back.
When we finally get a moment alone, Magnus gives me a puzzled look.
“What did Jules mean about you getting your number one?”
“Oh, nothing. Just a figure of speech.”
He furrows his brow. “I know a lot of American figures of speech, and I’ve never heard that one.”
I look away, hoping to find something to distract him with.
“Why are you blushing?” he asks, even more interested now. “What did she mean?”
Fucking Jules. I love her, but I also want to punch her in the tit right now.
“It’s just ... a thing, from a while back. Not a big deal. I should—”
“Just tell me. Is it something about another guy?”
I laugh and say, “No. But it’s embarrassing. My sister was an asshole for bringing it up.”
“Is it something I’ll like?”
I roll my eyes. “Probably. But I already give you like a dozen compliments a day, isn’t that enough?”
“Blair. Tell me.”
His tone is playful, but I can tell he really wants to know.
After a sigh, I say, “It’s nothing. When she first got her job with the team, I made a spreadsheet of all the single guys on the team. It was for her, not me. And you were, you know ... the first one on it.”
His brows fly up, his grin amused. “I was your number one pick?”
“You look good on paper and in person; what can I say?”
He kisses me, still smiling. “I only hope I can live up to being your number one.”
I squeeze his hand gently. “You more than live up to it, Magnus Lundgren. Now let’s get back to our party.”