Chapter 26
CHAPTER
TWENTY-SIX
FARRAH
The guys arrive back from their away game this evening. They won, so now the second round begins, and they’re over the moon. Amber told me that when she spoke to Remy last night his mood seemed to have gone back to normal. Thank goodness. We can’t handle him and Nella having an attitude.
Everyone is having dinner here tonight, you’d think they’d all be sick of each other after traveling together, practicing together, and playing hockey together…but they’re too hyped up not to celebrate by having some good food—although, they’re on a strict eating regime now.
I haven’t seen Bruce since he came to my apartment a few days ago, but it feels like it’s been weeks. And seeing him tonight is going to be agonizing when I can’t even hug him in front of everyone.
Now that he and Remy seem good, bringing any attention to our budding romance would be the worst thing I could do.
I baked a special cake for tonight, it’s raspberry flavored with cream cheese frosting and has the D.C. Eagles logo decorating the top. Making it was how I distracted myself from my nerves about seeing Bruce tonight and not pouncing on him.
Remy arrives home with a big smile on his face. Amber, Nella, and Rose greet him at the garage door. Remy kisses Amber for a full minute, causing Nella to throw a tantrum because she’s not getting enough attention. He quickly pats Rose’s head then picks Nella up and kisses all over her face with his stubbly beard. The guys are officially growing out their playoff beards.
Bruce was clean shaven last I saw him, but I could tell from the footage of last night’s game that he has a short beard now. I’m unsure how it will feel to kiss him…if we even find a chance to kiss.
Nella giggles at the prickly kisses and finally burrows into Remy’s neck. He carries her into the kitchen where I’m prepping things for dinner and grins at me. “Hey, Farrah. It smells great in here.”
Amber bounces in, clearly in a good mood that her man is home. “We made lasagnas.” She pauses and adds, “with whole wheat pasta.” My brother nods approvingly and she continues. “Salad, and French bread!”
Remy arches a brow, knowing Amber isn’t much of a cook. “We?”
She sighs. “Okay, fine, it was mostly Farrah. But I did make the salad!”
She chopped lettuce. I made the dressing. I bite the insides of my cheeks to keep from laughing when my big brother gives me a knowing glance.
“Cake time!” Nella yells from her resting place on Remy’s shoulder. “Cake time!”
“No, sweetie, it’s not cake time yet,” Amber tells her daughter in a cajoling tone.
Nella’s face pinches in an angry scowl, and then she bursts into tears. “Cake time!” she wails.
Amber and I cringe in unison, and Remy frowns at the little girl in his arms.
“Can’t we just give her some cake?” he asks in a hushed whisper.
Amber shakes her head. “She has to learn to wait, even when it’s hard. And our guests aren’t even here yet.”
That’s a lesson I need to learn, too…to wait even when it’s hard. I remind myself again not to jump into Bruce’s arms the moment I see him.
“Nells,” Remy says, running a hand over her red curls. “How about an applesauce pouch instead? We have to wait for our guests to arrive before we have cake.”
She sniffs but nods, and he scrambles toward the pantry to get her a pouch.
Glancing at the clock on the stove, I calculate that everyone will be here in an hour, and I’m still covered in flour from baking bread and the cake. I’m pretty sure I have marinara sauce on my face, as well.
“I’m going to go change and get ready for tonight.” I smile and excuse myself.
Nella, still in Remy’s arms, uses one hand to squeeze her apple pouch into her mouth, but raises the other one in a wave. I laugh and wave back.
When I step inside my apartment, I’m instantly on the hunt for something that oozes sex appeal but doesn’t say trying too hard. If it looks like I’m trying to look hot for someone, that wouldn’t be good, because Bruce is the only other single person coming tonight.
Rummaging through my drawers, I select a pair of light-wash 90’s style shorts, since the weather has been warm all week. I decide to pair the shorts with some leather sandals and a simple, cropped grey top.
My hands are jittery as I move toward the bathroom, so I grab my phone and turn on some music—Chappel Roan. Not the best for calming nerves, but a fun distraction. I don’t know if Pink Pony Club inspires the sparkly eye shadow and berry-pink lip-gloss I put on, but I’m looking pretty good.
Picking up my phone, I check the time. Everyone should be arriving any moment. I type out a text to Bruce before heading back downstairs.
Farrah
Hey! If you’re early at all, you could stop by my apartment before we head to the big house for dinner.
I worry my bottom lip…was the wink coming on too strong? I chuckle at myself…this is Bruce we’re talking about. There’s no coming on too strong for him.
Bruce
Hi, this is Jackson. Bruce made me read and respond to your text. *Face palm emoji* I’m staying with him tonight, kind of a last-minute thing. He had to come pick me up, so we’re running late.
I grimace. Okay, the wink was a bad idea.
Farrah
Okay, no problem! Excited to see you both.
I slump down on my tiny sofa, feeling slightly deflated. No pre-dinner canoodling with my goalie. Okay, my goalie might be taking it a little far. We’re just really good at kissing each other. We’re enjoying this thing . We’re having fun. No labels.
But I am excited to see Jackson again, and for him to meet the whole gang.
Hearing a few car doors slam from outside, I peek out my small window and see that Mel and West just pulled up, and also Mitch and Andie. I smile and head down to the big house.
Thirty minutes later, the food is ready, the table is set, and everyone is here—minus Bruce and Jackson.
I’m trying so hard not to glance at the front door every five seconds, and it’s difficult. I’ve missed Bruce, I’m dying to see him…and we haven’t been together at all since we decided to start seeing each other.
“Farrah, what is with you tonight?” Remy comes up beside me with a quizzical expression. He points to my sandaled foot, which I didn’t realize I was tapping on the marble floor. I immediately stop.
“Oh, sorry. Had too much caffeine.”
“Aw, I miss caffeine!” This comes from Mel, who comes up on my other side. She turns her attention to Remy. “Remy, should we wait for Bruce, or get started? I’m starving.” Mel pats her belly, which is just barely starting to poke out. If you didn’t know she was pregnant, you’d probably just think she had a large meal.
“Yeah, let’s get started,” Remy answers. “I just texted him, and he should be here in ten.”
A smile tugs at my lips, but I force it away.
Remy gets everyone’s attention and gets them seated at the large table off the kitchen. It’s a table long enough to fit everyone when they’re here, minus the kids. There’s a place setting for Noah and Jackson at the island, and Nella is in her highchair. It’s almost her bedtime, and her eyes are looking watery and tired. To be honest, the girl is on the verge of a meltdown. I walk over where Amber is seated beside her and crouch down, so I’m face to face with my precious niece. I need something to do with my hands, and I know Amber is exhausted from Remy being out of town, so I hold my hands out to Nella.
“I’ll take her while you guys get food.”
Amber kisses her daughter’s cheek. “Are you sure? Aren’t you hungry?”
“I’m good; I can wait. I wanna hold this one before she goes to bed.”
Nella grins at me and lifts her hands in the air. I unbuckle her and pull her out of her chair, squeezing the little drama queen close and enjoying the weight of her in my arms. Nella has always had a calming effect on me, which is the opposite of what I anticipated. She’s healed something inside of me. Loving her has brought me a joy I can’t express. And right now, when I’m nervous and anxious about seeing Bruce McBride, it’s no different. A wave of calm serenity moves over me. Nella lays her head on my chest, and I nuzzle my chin into her soft hair.
“Cake time?” I hear her ask, which makes me laugh.
“Almost. Let’s eat some lasagna first.”
She whines, and I pat her back to soothe her.
When I notice everyone is seated at the table, I tiptoe toward the cake that’s on the kitchen counter. Noah, who’s seated at the bar and digging into his lasagna, studies me as I move. I bring my free hand to my mouth in a plea for him to stay quiet. He smirks and keeps watching as I cut a tiny sliver of cake and grab a fork.
I stab a bite and bring it to Nella’s face. She gasps and smiles. “Cake time,” she whispers, somehow knowing to stay quiet. That’s the funny thing about children—no one has to teach them to be naughty; it’s an innate sense they’re born with.
She gobbles up the bite quickly and rubs her little belly. “Yum!”
Noah and I snicker and peek at the dining table to make sure no one is watching. I give her another bite and she reacts just as excitedly for the second bite.
Amber strides into the kitchen, still chewing. “Okay, I’ll take her now! I’m done eating,” she says this with food in her mouth. When she notices the frosting on her daughter’s mouth, she rests a fist on her hip. “Seriously? You just can’t say no to her, can you?”
I scrunch my nose and shake my head. “It’s really difficult.”
Amber laughs and scoops Nella into her arms. “It’s okay, aunt privileges.”
I’m laughing and watching her carry Nella back to her highchair when a devastatingly handsome blond man swaggers into the room and takes my breath away. His focus goes straight to me, looking me up and down with a predatory gaze and a grin growing on his face. He winks and starts walking toward me, when he notices Noah for the first time and stops in his tracks. Noah glances between the two of us, his brain clearly working.
He points to Bruce and then to me. “Whatever I just saw, I don’t think I was supposed to see it.”
Bruce winks and grabs his wallet. He pulls out a twenty and tosses it to Noah. “Hush money.”
Noah shrugs and pockets the cash.
Jackson, who’s been standing behind Bruce until this moment, pushes the big oaf to the side. “Hey, Farrah.”
“Jackson, glad to see you! Want some lasagna?” I ask him, trying to stay focused on him and not the hunk standing a foot away from him.
Jackson shrugs. “Lasagna sounds good.”
“Jackson, this is Noah,” Bruce explains. “He’s a good kid, great hockey player, and I’ve heard he’s excellent at keeping his mouth shut.” He shoots Noah, a look of reprimand and Noah has the good sense to look mildly intimidated.
Noah’s eyes move to Jackson, and he nods. “How’s it going?” Noah says in greeting. “It’s nice to have another person here who’s not old.”
“Hey!” I say in mock offense.
“Nella’s not old,” Bruce offers.
Noah’s eyebrows raise. “Yeah, but she’s violent. I still have bruises from playing hockey with her.”
“Aw, did little Nella kick your ass?” Bruce pokes his bottom lip out in a pout, and I remember how it felt to bite down on that lip.
“Keep that up and your secrets will no longer be safe, my guy.” Noah arches a knowing brow.
Bruce clears his throat. “Right. I’m really sorry about your bruises, man.”
“Is that Bruce?” Remy yells from the dining room before standing up and crossing the space separating us.
“Hey, Cap’n,” Bruce tells him with an easy smile.
It’s nice to see things back to normal between the two of them. I don’t know what made the stick that was up Remy’s butt finally come out, but I’m not going to question it.
Remy and Bruce do that half handshake-half hug thing that men do, pounding on each other’s backs and then pulling away.
“Grab some food and join us,” Remy says. “You too, Farrah.”
Remy heads back to the table, and Bruce follows me to the lasagna that’s still sitting on the stove top. I grab a plate, and he reaches for one at the same time, on purpose. His hand eclipses mine and he allows it to linger there for a moment. The warmth of his skin and the hungry look he’s giving me sends a shiver throughout my body and I want nothing more than to lean back further and press my body to his.
Bruce notices the shiver and leans in close and whispers. “Are you cold, Farrah?”
He presses closer, his front brushing against my back. “This…lasagna…looks delicious,” he says it low and slow, and he’s not looking at the food. He’s looking at me.
Can lasagna be an aphrodisiac? Is this what people mean when they say talk dirty to me ? Probably not. But it’s working.
“If you two are trying to be discreet, you really suck at it.”
We jump apart at the sound of Noah’s voice, both of us looking over our shoulders to see Jackson and Noah watching us closely. Jackson rolls his eyes and Noah shakes his head.
“I was just serving him some lasagna,” I say, my face hot and likely very red.
I quickly grab Bruce’s plate and plop a serving of lasagna on it. “There’s salad over there.” I point to the area of the island where there’s a little salad bar set up.
Bruce nods, allowing his bright blue eyes to hold mine for a sweet moment. “Thank you.”
Once we both have food, we head to the big table where conversation is loud and lively. There are two spots left, right beside each other at the head of the table on the opposite end that Remy and Amber are sitting at.
I take my seat, avoiding eye contact with Andie, who’s on the other side of Bruce. She seems to see everything and sense everything and it creeps me out. There’s no way I can look at her without her immediately knowing that I’m thinking of dragging Bruce McBride up to my apartment and stripping his gigantic clothes off. Where does a man even purchase clothing so large?
What has gotten into me?
I don’t have to touch my ears to know they’re on fire right now. And I can feel Andie’s knowing gaze on me. Hopefully she’ll think I’m coming down with a cold or something.
When Bruce takes his seat next to me, he conveniently bumps his chair, so it scoots closer to mine. I hear Andie clear her throat but refuse to look up. Instead, I focus on the delicious lasagna I made. Yummy!
Colby, who’s sitting on my opposite side, begins to laugh at something my brother said from the far end of the table. “Yeah, so we convinced the hostess to give us Bruce’s hotel key, wanting to surprise him.”
All the guys start laughing together, and my head snaps up to better listen to the conversation since it’s about Bruce.
“But he was shirtless, and laying on the bed all sensual-like,” Colby continues, waggling his dark eyebrows. Noel glances from her husband to Bruce, probably searching for his reaction to them telling this story to everyone. Noel is perceptive in a different way than Andie. Noel is all stealth and silent observation, where Andie has more of a honey badger style of communication.
“And he was talking to a woman?” West asks, turning to Bruce. “When do we get to meet the mystery woman, man?”
I carefully glance over at Bruce, not wanting to draw attention to myself. For a split second, I think he was talking to a woman who wasn’t me, until I remember our Facetime and how he was lying on the bed. They’re right, he did look very sexy…and it was all for me. This realization calms me instantly, and I remind myself that Bruce isn’t Connor. Not that my ex cheated on me—that I know of—but more of a reminder that Bruce cares about me and wouldn’t treat me like I was disposable like that. That’s not how he treats people.
Bruce’s neck is turning redder the longer the conversation continues, and usually he would relish being the center of attention. But he knows he’s on thin ice with his captain, and that the woman he was actually on the phone with is the one woman he’s not supposed to be with. So, both of us are sitting here with tense spines and our blushes creeping up.
And Andie is still staring at us.
I look down at my food again, poking the lasagna and placing a bite in my mouth. It tastes like nothing. All I can hear, see, and taste, is the uncomfortable story unfolding around me.
“He was in a big hurry to get rid of us,” my brother says with a chuckle.
“Yeah, he probably was going to do a strip tease for her. Too bad we missed it!” Colby laughs and stands up, acting like he’s going to rip his shirt off. Noel grabs the back of his shirt and forces him back down in his seat.
“So, who was she? Is it serious?” West asks.
I freeze with my fork midway to my mouth.
Bruce laughs, but it’s not his big, hearty laugh. It’s a forced one. “Nah, it’s not serious. You know me.”
Remy swallows the bite of food he was chewing. “But you haven’t dated in over a year, man. It must be someone special.”
“Yeah, don’t lie. Where’d you meet her?” Colby asks.
Bruce pulls his bottom lip into his mouth, looking deep in thought. “All right, all right. We met at a bar. She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. But more importantly, she’s kind and funny and a great cook.”
He pauses for dramatic effect, and all the wives glance at me, their expressions worried. I’m sure they’re thinking about me admitting my crush the other night and wondering how I’m handling this news.
Little do they know my heart is about to leap out of my chest. The frenzy inside me grows faster and faster the more he goes on about me. But I’m the only one who knows he’s talking about me. I shoot Amber a small smile, letting her know I’m fine.
“Honestly?” he continues, holding everyone’s attention—including mine. “I’m pretty serious about her. It took me a long time to convince her to give me a chance.”
I glance briefly to my left, giving Bruce a friendly, neutral smile. Something that I hope everyone in the room is reading as me being happy for him and not at all bothered.
The girls are all shooting me quizzical looks, likely surprised Bruce met someone when they thought he was so into me . Suddenly, it feels wrong to hide this thing brewing between Bruce and me. But I never thought it would get so out of hand, that we’d have to lie this much, and that we might hurt some of our favorite people in the process.
I force my focus back on my food again, picking up some salad with my fork, when I feel a warm hand rest on my thigh under the table. Bruce squeezes gently and I release a breath and relax into my chair. Everything will be okay. We’re in this together.
“When can we meet her?” Remy asks.
Another squeeze from Bruce’s hand on my thigh. “As soon as she’s ready.”
Remy nods, seeming to be fine with that answer.
Finally, the subject is changed, and soon everyone’s done eating. The group of friends shuffles inside the kitchen for dessert and Remy excuses himself to put Nella to sleep.
Needing a moment to regroup and compose myself after holding it together all throughout dinner, I make sure Amber is fine cutting the cake for everyone and head to the guest bathroom downstairs. It’s just a half bath with a small cabinet, countertop, sink, round mirror, and toilet. It used to be bare, but Amber recently decorated it in golds and pinks.
I close the door and rest my back against it, inhaling a deep breath and closing my eyes. I startle when a soft knock comes from the other side.
I wait for a moment, and another knock comes. “Busy!” I say.
A deep throat clears. “Farrah, it’s me.”
Opening the door, I find Bruce. He pushes inside the small room and closes the door and locks it, pinning me quickly against the door. He leans in, kissing me roughly, like he’s been waiting years for this moment.
He hums, a deep sound in the back of his throat that sends goosebump along my arms. “I missed you, Yeux bleus.” His lips move away from mine, but only to run along my jaw and then down my neck.
“I missed you too. But we can’t both be in here; it’s too obvious.” I give a very weak attempt at pushing him away and he doesn’t budge.
But I didn’t really want him to.
He kisses my neck, tasting my skin. My hands stop pushing against him and instead grip his T-shirt tight to bring him closer. Bruce’s mouth comes back up to tangle with mine, and we’re lost in each other for a glorious moment until the door handle rattles.
I gasp, my eyes widening and searching Bruce’s. “Oh no, what are we going to do?”
Bruce brings a hand up and presses a finger against my lips. I refrain from dipping my tongue out and licking it. That wouldn’t help our current predicament one bit.
Bruce clears his throat. “This bathroom is occupied.”
“Hurry up,” Noah grumps from the other side. “I have to pee.”
Bruce rolls his eyes and reaches down to hold onto my wrist, then tugs me behind him. He cracks the bathroom door open and looks out. Determining it’s safe, he opens the door wider, and we both step out.
Noah eyes us with keen judgment, making him look much older and wiser than his thirteen years of age.
“Wow,” he says dryly, holding a hand out. “Your ass is mine, McBride.”
Bruce growls and grabs his wallet, pulling out another twenty and slapping it into Noah’s ready palm.
Noah shakes his head like a father who’s disappointed in his children. “I’ll never have to work a day in my life at this rate.”
Bruce rolls his eyes as Noah disappears into the bathroom.
“That was close,” I whisper. “Too close.” I sigh heavily. “I’m going back to the kitchen, but you should wait at least five minutes. Then no one will know we were both back here.”
“Except Noah.”
I grimace. “You think he’ll tell anyone?”
He shakes his head. “Nah, all he cares about is playing hockey.”
I nod, then start walking back down the long hallway into the main area of the house. But before I get too far, Bruce gently grabs onto my hand and brings it to his lips for one final kiss.