Chapter 33
thirty-three
BLAIR
“Get your coat on, angel.”
After spending a few hours relearning each other’s bodies, Logan and I finally showered and changed after refueling with some sandwiches and apple slices. He had extra clothes in a bag he keeps in his car, and I’m in jeans and a hoodie.
“Where are we going? Can’t we just be lazy all day?”
Logan chuckles, gripping my hips with his large hands and pulling me close enough that he can slant his lips over mine and kiss me languidly. “I have a better idea.”
“Better than staying in my private apartment, where we can get naked and have sex whenever we want?” I arch one eyebrow at him and smirk.
He has to think about that for a moment, and it makes me giggle. “I’m not sure anything would be better than that, but we’re still going to do it.”
“What is it, exactly?”
Logan grins mysteriously. “You’ll see.”
“Fine. I’ll get my coat on, and we can go outside in the frigid cold.”
“Oh, baby, this is nothing. Just wait until it’s the middle of January.
That is cold. This is just the preseason for winter.
” Logan smacks my ass as I turn with a groan, and we leave the warmth of my apartment building.
The back of my neck prickles when we hurry to where he parked in the back corner of the lot, but I brush it off.
There’s no one around except some random woman across the street, and she only gives us a passing glance.
Soon we’re sitting in his car, heated seats blasting.
I wish my car was nice enough to have heated seats.
“So, where are we going?”
“You’ll see. So impatient.” He reaches across the center console and links our fingers before tugging my hand to his lips and pressing a kiss to my fingers.
He’s acting like we’re going somewhere exotic or special. So when he pulls into the parking lot of a paint store, I’m extremely confused. Staring at the sign on the exterior of the unassuming building, I frown. “We’re going to a paint store?”
Logan laughs as he gets unbuckled. “Where else would we get everything we need to paint your apartment?”
My mouth opens, but no words come out. He wants to help me paint my apartment?
“Come on, angel.” Grabbing my hand, he tugs me out of the car and across the lot as another car pulls in and parks in the corner. “Do you think Reed will want to paint his room?”
“I… I’m not sure. Probably?”
“Can you give me his number? I’ll text him to see what color he’d like, and I can take a picture of some paint chips for him.
” Logan says all of that like it’s completely normal and not at all mind-blowing that he wants my thirteen-year-old brother’s number so he can text him about banal things like paint colors.
Paint colors that he’s apparently going to help us put on the walls.
Like he’s not a rich professional athlete who’s probably never painted a wall by himself in his life.
When I don’t answer right away, Logan looks at me with a little crease between his eyebrows. “Unless you don’t think it’s appropriate for me to have your brother’s number? I swear I’m not trying to be weird.”
“What? No, I don’t think it’s inappropriate.
You’re not a weirdo. Here.” I hold out my palm, mind still reeling about this entire situation.
Logan unlocks his phone and puts it in my hand without hesitation, and I enter Reed’s number.
We’re still standing outside the paint store, and I shiver.
It really is cold in Minnesota in late November.
People stroll down the sidewalks around us, the hustle and bustle of the holiday season in full swing now that Thanksgiving is over. We get a few looks, and when I notice a pretty blonde eyeing Logan with a little too much recognition on her face, I tug him into the store.
He’s obviously used to being recognized—the looks and growing attention he was getting outside doesn’t even seem to register for him—and he may have asked me to be his girlfriend, but I can’t forget that the person who had my job before me was fired for her relationship with one of the players.
So, boyfriend or not, I need to keep things between us on the down-low until I have time to do a deep dive into our employee handbook.
I absolutely cannot get fired for dating Logan, or we’ll lose our apartment.
And the security deposit when I can’t afford to repaint the walls Logan is about to colorize with me.
An older gentleman greets us when we walk inside. He asks if we need any help, but we decline. I wander over to the wall of paint chips, already overwhelmed by all the choices. I’m browsing pretty sage greens while Logan types away on his phone, most likely texting my brother.
He chuckles, takes a few photos of paint chips, then goes back to texting. “Reed says he wants blue. Gray blue. Like this one.” He plucks a paint chip off the wall and holds it out to show me. It’s a nice color, and it’s very Reed. “Do you think two gallons is enough?”
“I have no idea.” I’ve never actually painted a house or apartment. My parents had everything decorated so nicely in our house growing up that there was no way I was going to change anything after they died, and the college rental Noah and I shared had rules against repainting the walls.
Logan shrugs, looping an arm around my waist. “We can always come back for more. What about you? See anything you like?”
“Maybe this sage for the living room?” It’s a calming color, and it should go with everything we have. Even though everything is a hodge-podge mess of contrasting styles.
“And for your bedroom?”
“Oh. I… I don’t know. I guess I hadn’t really thought about that.
” And I’m not sure I can afford it. The paint place Logan brought us to isn’t cheap.
Sure, their paint is supposed to be high quality, but we’re existing on a mid-level-at-best quality budget.
Getting the paint for the living room and Reed’s bedroom is going to set me back, and this is an expense I wasn’t planning for.
I guess I really am going to have to start doing some gig work. It can’t be that bad to deliver food to people, right?
“What about this color?” Logan pulls a gorgeous shade of purple off the wall. It’s a muted dusty mauve. Somehow, this man picked a color I’d happily choose, like it was nothing.
“That’s really pretty. I honestly love it.”
“See anything you like better?” He studies me while I study the wall of paint chips.
“No, I really don’t.”
“Great.” Logan smiles brightly and waves the associate over. They talk about how the size of the rooms, paint finishes, supplies we’ll need, but I’m not really listening. I’m too busy stressing about how I’m going to pay for all of this.
“Awesome. Thanks, man. Here you go.”
I blink and look over as Logan hands the man a black card.
“Wait, what are you doing?”
My Viking looks confused. “Paying? Stores frown upon just grabbing what you want and walking out with it.”
“But why are you paying for it?”
He cocks his head to the side, still looking adorably confused. I want to be irritated with him, but his expression makes that hard. “Because this was my idea, and you agreed to be my girlfriend, which means I get to spoil you now?”
I’m completely speechless. I’ve been his girlfriend for all of a few hours, and he’s confused about why I’m not comfortable with him spending hundreds of dollars on paint and supplies? “Logan, I don’t need you to pay for stuff. And I certainly don’t expect it.”
“I know.” He pulls me closer, his stubbled jaw twitching into a smile. “But you’re going to let me do it anyway because it makes me happy.”
“I…” I have no idea how to respond to that.
“Exactly. Now, quit trying to fight me on this. Let’s go watch him use the paint-shaking machine. It’s kind of fun.”
An hour and a half later, and we’re back in my apartment, putting down tarps and taping off doorframes.
And it’s not just us. There are four other giant hockey players and three very excited women filling up every inch of space as they all laugh and banter among themselves while pouring paint into trays and unwrapping paintbrushes.
How is this real life?
“I like this color,” Griffin says as he eyes the sage green I chose for the living room. “Maybe we should paint a room this color, wifey.”
Mira smiles at her husband indulgently. “Sure, babe.”
They’re so cute together. It’s obvious how much Griffin adores his wife. The same goes for Maddox and Isla and Ryder and Lexi, for that matter. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such happy couples. Could that really be Logan and me?
“So,” Lexi says, sidling up beside me. “This is a fun impromptu painting party. I’m glad we were all free.”
“Yeah, thank you for coming. It was definitely a spur-of-the-moment thing.”
“For sure. Ryder was surprised to get the call from Logan.” Lexi emphasizes Logan’s name just enough that I know she’s looking for an explanation. If I’m aware of Logan’s previous attitude toward dating, I can only imagine how much of a curiosity this whole situation must be to them.
Do the guys even know we’ve been spending time together? They must, right? They’re closer than some brothers I’ve known.
Clearing my throat, I try to figure out what to tell her when Isla and Mira join our little huddle. “Yeah, it was his idea… I didn’t know he was going to call you all.”
“And how, exactly, did he end up at a paint store with you?” Isla smiles at me as though we’re all in on some big secret.
I guess we kind of are.
I sigh. “Because he fell asleep on the couch with me last night, and after Reed left this morning, he apparently decided that he needed to help me with projects around the apartment?”
“He fell asleep on the couch with you last night and didn’t leave before you woke up?” Mira’s eyebrows rise to her hairline. “Was he blackout drunk or something?”
Lexi giggles. “No, that’s not it, is it? Because he would have run screaming this morning if he hadn’t meant to stay.”
The thing is, I don’t think he meant to stay, but he sure wasn’t upset about it. And now, here we are. Dating. And his friends are taking up all the available space in my tiny apartment to help me paint.
How is this my life?
“Just come out and ask me,” I say, trying to hide my smirk. “I know this is killing you three.”
“Are you two…together?” Isla asks, leaning forward like all of this is some big secret we have to keep from the guys.
As if they aren’t having the same whispered conversation with Logan right now in the kitchen.
Because I know they are. They’re not being subtle about it.
Griffin has looked back at me at least five times in the last minute.
“We are,” I say, drawing out the word.
“But like, how together?” Mira asks. “Like, sleeping together because the sex is great, together? Or like pick out his and hers towels together?”
There must be a story there, because that was a very specific example of togetherness.
“Um, like he asked me to be his girlfriend together?”
“Shut. Up,” Lexi whisper-shouts. She exchanges loaded looks with Mira and Isla, then the three of them turn to gape at Logan with their mouths open. At almost the same moment, Ryder, Griffin, Sebastian, and Maddox turn to look at me with equally shocked expressions.
Right. Totally normal reactions to two people dating.
Griffin’s shocked expression glitches, and his mouth twitches up into a broad smile. He looks at Logan, then me, then Logan again before he slaps Logan on the back and chants, “One of us, one of us!”
Logan pinches the bridge of his nose and shakes his head, but he can’t hold back his laughter. “You’re an idiot.”
“Now we just need to find someone for Bash.” Griffin gives the goalie’s shoulder a squeeze. “Have any single friends, Blair?”
I laugh, because all of this is so surreal. “I just moved here. You all are pretty much my only friends besides Bryson and Adrienne, and they’re together.”
Logan’s face does something funny before smoothing out in a relaxed smile. Did he not know they’re an item?
“Well, we’ll find someone, right, guys?”
Bash fights a smile, but his eyes are sad. “I’m good, Griffin. Thanks, though.”
“Bullshit, man. You’re the best of us. Your perfect woman is out there, somewhere. Or your perfect man. Love is love, dude.”
Sebastian chuckles. “I’m sure she is out there somewhere. But that doesn’t mean she wants to be found.”
“I don’t know,” Logan says, his eyes on me. “I never thought I’d find someone, but here we are. You’ll find her, Bash.”
The sweet goalie shrugs. “Maybe. Now, let’s quit wasting time and paint your girlfriend’s apartment.”