Page 33 of Hat Trick (Titans Hockey #1)

Chapter twenty-nine

Emily

W e drive an hour into wine country. The pastoral view of gently rolling green hills is breath taking.

Luca is breathtaking. He always looks good in a suit, but casual suit Luca?

Without the intensity of a game, is delectable.

It's always so easy with him - flirting, chatting, being together.

I always feel lighter around him. He's my breath of fresh air.

Carter's my home. And Gabe? After last night I'm not sure what Gabe is.

My biggest nightmare? My biggest fear? I'm terrified of the way he makes me feel, and of how I make him feel, apparently.

I'm terrified of what last night meant, of what changes now.

He's a storm, a wildfire. And it frightens me.

But tonight is all about Luca, so I push all thoughts of the others to the side and focus on him.

He fills me in about his large, extended family.

The wedding we're attending is his cousin Melanie's.

Melanie is younger than Luca by about five years, but Luca, Melanie, and a handful of other cousins, all grew up in the same neighborhood so they're thick as thieves.

We arrive at a huge estate and the driver parks in the round driveway.

The white palatial building must have been a private residence of someone very wealthy before it was sold as a winery and wedding venue.

It gives me The Great Gatsby vibes. Luca introduces me to a few uncles and cousins, and I immediately forget all of their names.

They're all welcoming and friendly enough, if not a little dismissive.

But I don't mind. They don't know me, and this is a family affair .

We take our seats and smile polite 'hellos' to the people around us.

The ceremony is blessedly short, the bride looks like a princess and her groom looks positively smitten.

Luca reaches over and laces his fingers through my own, holding our combined hands in my lap during the ceremony.

He presses his shoulder against me and I'm grateful for the grounding gesture.

We stand and clap and watch as the newlywed couple retreats, before joining the crowd milling around, waiting for dinner to be served.

There are several standing tables in a lawn to the left of the estate and a small bar manned by two servers in uniform.

Luca deposits me at one of the tables. "Will you be alright here if I go get us some drinks? No point in both of us waiting in line."

"Perfectly content." I smile up at him. God, he's gorgeous. He kisses my cheek before joining the line, shaking hands and patting the shoulder of I man I've never seen before. I close my eyes and tilt my head up, enjoying the warmth of the sun on my face.

"Do you mind if we join you? There aren't enough tables."

I open my eyes to find a beautiful blonde woman, flanked by two women with ebony hair. "No, of course not. Help yourselves." I smile at them. They rest their glasses on the table, but instead of chatting amongst themselves, the blonde engages me.

"How do you know the bride and groom? I'm not sure I've ever seen you before?"

"Oh, I don't know them. Not really. I'm here with Luca Tavares. I'm his plus one."

The blonde wrinkles her nose at me and says "Oh...I see." With barely hidden distain.

"You...see? "

"You're his flavor of the week. It's nothing to be embarrassed about, I'm just surprised he'd invite a puck bunny as his date."

Irritation bristles through me on Luca's behalf.

Fuck these people and what they think of him.

I understand he has a reputation as a player, but to immediately jump to that conclusion without any real proof of it grinds against my nerves.

The fact that his own family can't give him the benefit of the doubt is appalling.

Something fierce and protective sweeps through me.

Just like that night at the pub when the puck bunnies accosted him, I feel an overwhelming desire to protect Luca.

He's got six inches on me and easily 100 pounds, but if I can be his shield against these pathetic jabs, I'm going to.

"Oh. Flavor of the week? Have you told him that? Because he's been calling me his future wife now for months."

The leggy blonde gives a tiny gasp of indignation.

"Well how come we've never heard of you?"

"Oh, does Luca need permission to date? Or to marry? Who should I make the wedding invitations out to?"

"I'm Sarah. This is Tiffany and Melissa."

"And you are..." I should have checked to see if they were related to Luca before I insulted them.

The blonde frowns at me disapprovingly. "His cousins."

Shit.

Just then Luca slides up next to me, setting one of the personalized cocktails in front of me with a kiss.

"Hey babe, sorry I was gone so long."

"It's alright, sweetheart, your cousins were kind enough to keep me company." I caress my fingers over the back of his hand tenderly .

"Luca! You never told us you were engaged." The blonde admonishes, obviously hoping to catch me in a lie.

Luca looks at me and simply beams. I plead with him with my eyes to maintain the ruse. He laces his fingers through my left hand and lifts it to kiss my third finger.

"We didn't want to steal the thunder from Melanie and Andrew. We haven't told anyone, really. Snookums here is a very private person."

I wince. Snookums? Good God man.

"But Aunt Alice never told my mom! There's no way she would have kept that a secret."

"Well, we wanted to tell mom in person and haven't had the chance yet."

"Your mom's never even met her?" The shock and astonishment should be comical, but all I can do is regret opening my big mouth.

Luca simply looks at me with a tender smile.

"No. Not yet. But I knew I'd marry her the first day I met her.

I guess when you know, you know." And my mouth suddenly goes dry.

He's not lying. Not a word out of his mouth is teasing, or silly, or exaggerated.

He's genuine. He actually believes that.

I stare up at him, a little slack jawed.

"In fact, you know what. Let's go find my dear mother and introduce her to my fiancé."

My stomach plummets towards my toes. Oh my God, no. I give the mean cousins a tight smile before Luca pulls me away.

Luckily, he pulls me behind the large tent set up for the reception and not directly to his mother. He spins me, pulling me towards him and holding me close.

"We're engaged, are we? "

"Well best-friend's-nanny, roommate, and sometimes-fuckbuddy seemed like a mouthful." I tease, a little breathless.

He nuzzles against my neck and goosebumps erupt over my upper body and I give an involuntary shiver.

"Well, fiancé is on the way to wife."

"They were calling you a player and I couldn't stand for it, so I said you've been calling me your future wife for months. Which isn't lying. I just hated that they assumed you are still what you were. I wanted to put them in their place. Oh God, what have I done?!" I gasp in a panic.

I'm so fucking stupid. Of course, his cousins would tell his mom, and then what? We have to pretend to be engaged? And what happens when this ends? We come up with a story about how we broke up? I'm suddenly sick to my stomach.

I take in Luca's handsome face. It's...bothered. He's upset. Oh God, I read everything wrong. He doesn't want to marry me. He's always been teasing, playful. I pull back from him.

"Oh, God Luca. You don't want me. I've told your family we're more than we are. Oh my God, I'm so sorry." I'm in a full-on panic now. Me and my stupid big mouth.

His gorgeous blue eyes snag mine and flare. He grips my arms hard and pulls me against his chest. The fire, the intensity in his eyes and his body is one I've only ever seen before a game.

"I do want you. How many times do I have to tell you you're mine?

I'm upset because I don't have a ring on your finger.

I'm upset because I can't legally call you mine and let you legally claim Gabe and Carter.

I had planned to bring you here and introduce you to my parents as my girlfriend tonight.

But fuck if I don't love the sound of fiancé better. "

Tears prick my eyes as I reach up and rest my hand on Luca's cheek.

"God, Luca. Any woman would be so lucky to call you hers.

You're so goddamn sweet, and funny and thoughtful and caring.

Your heart is the size of Texas, and you love completely out loud.

I envy you. I'm so afraid of the opinions of others I can't hardly function. "

Luca reaches out and cups my face the way I'm holding him. "If other people didn't exist. If the boys were good with it and no one else would judge us, would you? Would you marry me?"

I think about it for a moment. An alternate universe where Luca isn't a famous hockey player, and I'm not so plain. Where we could just live, be ourselves, and love each other without the opinions of others.

I nod. "Yes. Yes, I would. I would be so lucky."

He rests his forehead against mine. "Luck has nothing to do with it. You are amazing. You're everything I could ever hope for in a wife. I wasn't lying when I said I've thought of marrying you from the moment I met you. You're it for me, sweetheart. You're the one."

A small sob breaks free from my chest. His beautiful words, the feeling behind it, and the loss, knowing that I can never have it, wrench my heart in two.

He seems to know exactly how I feel, because he kisses me and says, "For tonight. Just for tonight, we have this fantasy. No one knows who I am, no one will judge us. We're just one man and one woman...in love."

I gasp, looking up at him behind watery lashes. Could I do that? Could I pretend? Just for tonight? I bite my lower lip before nodding.

"Yes," I whisper, afraid if I speak too loudly it'll break the spell.

He kisses my lips again, before palming the back of my head and dragging me to him so he can kiss my forehead .

"Great. Let's go meet the parents."