Chapter 24
twenty-four
INDIGO
I can’t tell if the butterflies in my stomach are because I finally get to see Sebastian in person again after our very sexy phone calls while he was on the road, or if it’s because I’m about to spend a few hours with his teammates’ wives and girlfriends.
What if they don’t like me?
They all seemed really cool when I met them before, but I won’t have Bash as a buffer this time. And now that we’re kind of dating, it matters if they hate me.
“Girl, relax. It’s going to be fun. You’ll charm the tits off them, and soon I’m going to be fighting a bunch of beautiful women for my bestie’s attention.
” Lola bumps her hip against mine as we walk toward the arena.
She knows me so well. I didn’t even have to tell her why I was stressing, because she knows how my brain works.
“You’re the charming one. I’m the awkward one.”
“Oh, please. You are not. I mean, sure, if you’re comparing yourself to your parents or something, but they’re literal movie stars with endless media training.
” Lola rolls her eyes, and I scan the crowds around us to make sure no one heard what she said.
Luckily, it doesn’t seem like anyone was paying attention.
“Lola, shhh. Can we not talk about my parents in public?”
“Yeah, yeah, sorry. I’m just saying, you are way too critical of yourself.”
Not nearly as critical as the rest of the world, I think. But Lola would kick my ass if I said that out loud. Probably literally. She’s done it before. Delivers a swift kick to the butt, then she runs away, cackling like a weirdo.
“But seriously. Not only are you a beautiful badass who’s smart and funny and kind, but you’re also a secretly famous author. Any of those women would be lucky to call my bestie a friend.”
“Lola.”
She rolls her bright blue eyes again, an impish grin curving her lips. “No one is paying any attention to us. They’re too busy trying not to run into anyone else.”
Mercifully, we have to do the same as we approach the entrance to the arena, so it shuts her up. We show our digital tickets to the people at the door, then follow the directions Sebastian texted, telling us how to find the family box.
When I hesitate at the door, Lola grabs my arm and gives me an uncharacteristically serious look. “No one in there is going to judge you. And if they do, I’ll kick their asses.”
I’m laughing when the door opens and a pretty redhead greets me with a broad smile that makes her eyes crinkle in the corners.
“Indie, Lola, hi! We were just about to get your number from the guys so we could come find you.” Isla, Maddox’s wife, grabs our hands and drags us into the posh-looking box.
Lola grins at me in a silent I told you so, which I return as Isla pulls us toward an animated group of women who are all wearing matching black jackets with the names and numbers of their partners embroidered in metallic gold thread on the back. “Indie and Lola are here.”
The women turn their attention to us, and the hollow, sharp feeling in my gut eases when we’re met with bright smiles and open arms. Suddenly, we’re being hugged as if we’re long-lost friends or something.
It’s overwhelming in the best way.
“Yay, you made it!” Griffin’s wife, Mira, says as she pulls me into a crushing hug. “We have jackets for you.”
“I have them.” Logan’s girlfriend, Blair, holds a jacket in each hand.
One says Navarro on the back with his number, 2, and the other simply says Rogues.
She smiles as she hands Lola the Rogues jacket and beams when she gives me mine.
“I am so happy you’re here. We all kind of knew Bash was waiting for someone, and meeting you, it makes sense. ”
My heart swells until it’s almost too big for my chest. “Oh. I… Thank you?”
The beautiful woman laughs, throwing back her head and making her brown curls bounce. “Come on. Let’s get you two a drink.”
“Hell, yeah,” Lola chirps. “It’s definitely wine-o-clock.”
Everyone laughs, and I breathe a little easier at the easy acceptance they offer.
Maybe this will work. Maybe I’ve found a place I can fit in.
“Woo! Look at your man go,” Lola shouts after Sebastian blocks another shot attempt. They lost the second game in the series by one, so I know he felt the pressure going into tonight.
He takes every loss personally.
I’m on my feet cheering and shouting like he’ll be able to hear. He’s only let one goal through, while Dallas’s goalie missed three. At the top of the third, it’s looking good for the Rogues, but hockey is a fast-paced game, and a lot can change in twenty minutes.
“Go, baby, go!” Mira screams as Griffin gains control of the puck and goes flying down the ice, past the neutral zone, and into Dallas’s defensive zone. He passes to Maddox, who taps it over to Logan. It’s like a dance. Logan takes a shot, but the goalie blocks it.
“You’ll get it next time,” Blair’s little brother, Reed, shouts.
“So, Lola, Griffin tells me he’s trying to set you up with one of the Lightning players.” Mira grins at my best friend and does a little eyebrow waggle. “I think he has one of their wingers in mind, but he’s waiting to hear back from her.”
“That’s the dream,” Lola says, splitting her attention between Mira and the game. “I’m feeling a little left out of the club, here. I want a hockey player of my own.”
Mira laughs. “You know they stink, right?”
“Oh, yeah. But they’re also hot.”
“Well, some of them,” Mira replies. “Some of them have had their noses broken a few too many times. Though I guess the ladies don’t tend to have that problem, since they wear helmets with full face cages because they’re smarter than the guys.”
Isla snorts. “Right? We went to one of the Lightning games, and when I asked Madds why they don’t wear cages, he just shrugged. Didn’t even try to give me a good reason.”
“Because there’s not one,” Lexi replies. She rolls her eyes so hard, I’m surprised they don’t get stuck in the back of her head. “Boys are dumb.”
“Agreed.” Lola flashes her brightest shit-eating smile, and I can’t stop my laughter.
The whole night has been like this. Everyone teases each other, the laughter flows freely, and there’s never a dull moment. It’s been amazing.
“At least the goalies wear a full cage,” Blair says. “But I guess that’s more important when you have pucks flying at your face at a hundred miles an hour all game.”
“Seriously. I don’t know how he doesn’t spend the whole time flinching.
” I wince sympathetically. “One summer when we were sixteen, he tried to teach me how to play goalie. Got me all dressed in his pads and gear and lobbed soft shots at me, and I still wanted to curl up in a ball. I couldn’t do it. ”
Our conversation is interrupted by cheers from the crowd as the Rogues’ offense makes another push toward Dallas’s goal.
Everything else fades away as we turn our attention back to the ice and the men who have our hearts.
And as the period goes on, I’m overwhelmed by how accepted I feel.
How much I’m enjoying the company of these women. How easy this all is.
Why was I so scared going into tonight?
Maybe things are finally falling into place. Maybe this could really work.
I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but it’s hard not to imagine a life spent with Sebastian and the people around me.
It would be so full of laughter and joy.
And a life here, like this, would be so far removed from the bullshit I’ve always had to deal with in LA that the possibility is like a siren song.
When the Rogues win, all of us in the family box jump up and down in a big group that mirrors the players’ celebration on the ice. One big unit. A happy family.
Could I have this?
“Hell, yeah! Celebration at Chasers?” Lexi asks the group.
“Definitely,” Mira agrees.
Reed grins and looks at his big sister. “What do you say, Blair-Bear? Can we?”
Blair cocks her head like she’s considering it, but she can’t keep the act up for long. She laughs and ruffles Reed’s curls. “Obviously.”
They all turn to me and Lola. It’s Isla who speaks. “What do you say, ladies? It’s kind of a tradition.”
There’s a part of me that’s worried about being recognized, but it’s quickly drowned out by the louder part of me.
The one that wants all of this. The part of me that’s ready to grab ahold of something good.
Something I’ve always dreamed about. Besides, no one recognized me the last time we went.
I glance at Lola. She’ll defer to me, but I can see how much she wants me to agree.
So, I do.
“We’re in.”
“Yeah, we are,” Lola agrees, beaming at me like a proud mama.
I float through the arena as we move in one big matching group.
People stop and look, whispering about our jackets and the names on the backs, but I don’t feel the same sense of panic I do when I get attention in LA.
Because this attention isn’t about me or my perceived inadequacies.
It’s about the name and number on my back and being part of this group of gorgeous women.
“I’m proud as hell of you,” Lola whispers once we’ve filed into the family room where family members wait for their respective players. “Look at you, grabbing happiness by the balls.”
I chuckle at my best friend’s aggressive imagery, but the fact is, I’m kind of proud of myself. “Thanks, Lols. You know I wouldn’t be here without you.”
“I like to believe you would be, but I’ll also take my flowers.”
Laughing, I pull her into a hug. “I’ll buy you some this week.”
“From an actual flower shop, please. None of that grocery-store trash.” She tilts her chin up and sniffs condescendingly.
“Of course. Only the best for you.”
“Only the best for both of us,” she replies seriously.
And a short time later, when Sebastian emerges from the locker room and wraps his arms around me from behind, I have to agree.
Only the best for both of us. And when he holds my hand as we walk from the arena to Chasers, guides me into the booth with his hand on the small of my back, and wraps an arm around me once we’re situated, I think I’ve finally found it.
Or rather, I’ve found it again.
And for the first time in as long as I can remember, I’m completely at ease in a big group of people.
I laugh, tease, and joke around with everyone, and if anyone outside of our group is looking our way or whispering about me, I don’t notice, and I don’t care.
Because my best friend is beside me and Sebastian is staring at me like I’m the best thing he’s ever seen.
Everything else is background noise.