Page 10

maggie

Seven months later

“ D o you think I need a balloon arch for the reception?” Olivia asks the group during our semi-weekly brunch. “I always pictured having one at my wedding, but now that we’ve booked an outdoor pavilion, is that weird? Hayes said I should get it if I want it, but I feel so bad spending more money.”

“Olivia, if you want it, get it. This day should be exactly what you and Hayes want it to be. If he’s on board, I say go for it!

” Kennedy says with a smile." Since our unconventional meeting, we’ve hung out quite a bit, and she even joins us for brunch when she’s home.

Kennedy fit into our group immediately, and I could tell she appreciated some consistency after her flights.

“After all, you only get married once. Well, wait…I guess you are kind of getting married twice.”

We all laugh, watching Olivia’s cheeks heat with embarrassment. After Hayes and Olivia raced to the altar just months after meeting each other, their destination wedding in Punta Cana is technically their second wedding.

“Besides, what’s a wedding without a bunch of latex filled with helium? To balloon arches!” I shout, raising my mimosa to the gals who’ve become like family these past few months, and they all clink their glasses with mine.

“Alright ladies, I better get going. The boy’s home with all four kids today, and the longer I’m gone, the bigger of a mess I’ll come home to.

” Kara Reeves stands up, grabbing her purse and giving Olivia a big hug before heading out.

Her husband, Zack, being the Riders’ captain makes her the unofficial president of the WAGs.

Not that I’m a wife, or girlfriend. Or that I’ll ever be .

The weight of the last few months sits heavy on my shoulders.

I haven’t been with anyone else, haven’t wanted to be, haven’t even wanted to date anyone.

Motherfucking goalie. I hate him, but I can’t move on from him either.

The gravity of it sinks like a lead balloon in my stomach.

Regardless, at this point I’m basically an honorary WAG since I started coming to all the games with Olivia, and they welcomed me into their group with open arms. Not to mention, Kara is a riot and privy to all Rider gossip, which I’m all about.

“I love that man, and he’s such a great dad, but he lets the rules go right out the window with Molly and Sophia. Thank God they make markers that wash off walls.”

“Yeah, time for me to head out too,” Kennedy says, standing to leave as well. “I’ve got some errands to run, and I just got a notification from the apartment complex that I have a package in the lobby. I sure as hell don’t remember ordering anything, so now I’m curious what it is.”

“Late night wine purchase? I’m quite familiar with those,” Olivia giggles, shaking her head at herself.

“No clue! I honestly order so much crap when I’m traveling for work, I never know what’s going to show up at my door some days. I’ll keep you posted!” she says as her and Kara head out arm in arm .

I take another drink of my mimosa, looking to Liv who is now giving me a very snarky look.

“What’s up with you?” I glance down, trying to see if I have syrup on my shirt or hot sauce in my hair. “Everything okay?”

“Everything’s great, Mags. But…,” her brows pull together, “now that it’s just the two of us here…

what the hell is going on with you lately?

” Shit. She’s been super nosy recently, and I know I need to tell her what’s going on.

But— “You’ve been acting so weird. And you were so awkward around Vladi when you helped Hayes and I move into the new house.

I’ve known you for almost ten years . I know when something’s up with you.

” Ice floods my veins at the hurt and confusion in her voice.

“Do you really hate Vladi that much? I know he seems like your typical grumpy goalie, but he really is a good guy.”

Good guy my ass.

“We’re just…” I mumble, pinching my nose, “we are frenemies, okay? And our best friends are married, so we get along when we have to. That’s it.”

Olivia scoffs, rolling her eyes. “That’s the biggest bunch of bullshit I’ve ever heard come out of your mouth…and that’s saying a lot.”

I flop down on the table, careful not to spill my drink. “I can’t tell you,” I whisper, hoping she won’t hear.

“Can’t tell me what?” Yeah, she totally heard me.

I sit up, my stomach churning as I internally debate what to do.

Olivia sucks in a sharp breath, her body scooting impossibly close to mine.

“Wait…Maggie Elizabeth James…did you two…tell me you didn’t…

” She doesn’t finish the sentence as she slaps her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide as she stares me down.

“Oh. My. God! You did. Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God! Where? When? Why don’t I know about this?

And why the hell can’t you tell me about it?

!” she whisper-yells, her voice catching the attention of the tables near us in the new brunch place we found.

We have to keep finding new restaurants because apparently our voices carry when we have mimosas, and we’ve gotten some dirty looks from both the patrons and the staff.

This is our fifth place this year. Clearly we have a problem.

I take a deep breath. It doesn’t help. Everything I’ve been pushing down is rapidly clawing its way out.

I can’t do this anymore. I need my best friend.

I’m not keeping that damn goalie’s secret anymore.

He doesn’t deserve the courtesy. “It was after the Bayview Bourbon Gala,” I quietly confess as I stare blankly at the woodgrain on the table in front of me.

“Maggie! That was months ago! We don’t ever keep secrets from each other. Especially one this juicy! W hy the fuck did you keep this from me?!”

Well, shit. We’ve had a middle name and a fuck from Liv. This is not going well . I sigh, picking at the edge of my napkin. I don’t even know where to begin.

“He asked me to keep it a secret,” I down the rest of my mimosa in one gulp, preparing to tell her what I really don’t want to. “He asked me specifically not to tell you.”

I watch as her nostrils flare, her face turning redder than it was from just the champagne blush we both have on our cheeks.

“What?! That damn goalie is a dead man. Hayes is going to murder him. And that’s only if I don’t get to him first,” her voice a little louder this time.

Slumping in my seat, I groan. Guess this is the last time we’ll be gracing this fine establishment with our presence.

“Yeah…I’m pret-ty sure that’s the exact reason he asked for secrecy,” I say, trying to soothe the murderous look in her eyes. “We were drinking bourbon, and I had a shitty day, he had a shitty day, and it…it just… happened. ”

She raises her eyebrow, looking at me with a weary but inquisitive look. “What exactly did happen? ”

I shift in my seat, my stomach in knots as I bite the inside of my cheek. Here goes nothing.

“When you and Hayes left after the fuckery with Cayden, Hayes specifically told Vladi to make sure I made it home safely. And he delivered on that promise. Multiple times. When we got to my place, before we did anything, he asked if we could keep it between us. He said ‘he doesn’t do relationships’ and ‘didn’t want Larsy pissed at him.

’ Probably because I’m your bestie. And…

” my body flushes, my core feeling depressingly empty as I remember literally the best fucking I ever received, “I couldn’t say no to him in my damn apartment after a night full of alcohol and a hell of a lot of flirting and sexual tension.

Not to mention his tight ass in that tuxedo. So, I said fine.”

“Wait…you agreed to this?” Her brows narrow, obviously as confused as I am about this whole situation.

I twirl my empty mimosa glass around, wishing for more alcohol to evict Melissa permanently. “Yes. Just one night. Just between us. Nothing more.”

“Mags, I feel like there’s more to this. I mean, was he horrible in bed or something? Is his weenie deformed? Was he mean to you? I swear, if he was the slightest bit mean, I will kill him.”

I chuckle, easing the nerves threatening to overwhelm me. “No. Nothing like that. It was unbelievable, Liv. He is not only a Russian hockey god, he’s a god in bed. And let me tell you, the size of his goalie stick doesn’t begin to compare to what’s between his legs.”

Liv chokes on her mimosa. “I guess him and Hayes have that trait in common. So, it was good? I’m still failing to see the problem here.”

I flag down a server for another mimosa hoping it will give me the courage I need to get through this conversation.

“Liv. It was more than just sex. It was the best I’ve had.

Ever. He was a beast that couldn’t be tamed until he had me every way possible.

It was like a marathon sexcapade, and he just kept going and going…

the man has, like, a five minute recovery window.

How the hell is that possible? And why is it so damn hot? !”

“I’m not sure I can look Vladi in the eye anymore,” she mumbles, looking down to the floor as if that’s going to erase the thought of it from her memory.

“Olivia, you’re a grown-ass woman. I know you and Hayes are humping like rabbits all damn day, and if I have to know that, you have to know this.”

“Okay, fair. So why the hell is it so awkward then?”

“Because … fuck . He got in my damn head. Telling me I was perfect and calling me some damn name in Russian. I thought my vajay-jay would be in control, but my damn heart decided she needed to be a bitch and get involved. God…what am I? A fucking sap all of a sudden? I know how to do one-night stands. It’s a good time, then everyone moves on.

But he’s just…fuck!” I take a deep breath, ready to admit what I’ve been trying to push from my mind every day since then.

“He’s…he’s everything I’ve ever wanted in a man.

But, I fell asleep at some point and when I woke up, he was … gone. No note. No goodbye. Nothing.”

“What?!” Olivia yells, louder than she normally does. She’s usually the quiet one at brunch, but her anger is now full force again. “He just left?! I am going to cut the net off his goal and strangle him with it.”

“Trust me, I know that feeling.” A soft smile peeks out beneath my anger knowing my bestie has my back. “Even worse when I see him now, even though I try to avoid it, he acts like nothing happened. Like we are two random people who met at the gala and know each other through mutual friends.”

Olivia sits stunned, her mouth slightly parted, looking like she wants to say something but can’t quite put the words together.

“Say it, Liv. I needed to spill my guts about this for months, and now that it’s out, I need you. Dealing with this without my bestie has been the hardest part of all this.”

“So, what I’m hearing is—you got attached.” She looks at me, the slightest bit of pity in her expression as she takes a deep breath. “And he didn’t.”

I slowly nod, biting the inside of my cheek. What is it about besties that makes them able to hit the nail on the head about all your issues?

“Shit, Maggie. That sucks.”

“Understatement of the year.” I interlace my fingers with hers.

“I’m sorry I’ve been so weird lately, and I’m really sorry I didn’t tell you about it.

He asked me not to say anything, and I don’t know why I was keeping that damn guy’s secret.

I’ll find a way to get over it. And listen, I will behave at the wedding.

This is about you and Hayes. Not my drama with that jackass. ”

“Maggie, you do realize you’ll literally be walking down the aisle together, right? You’re my maid of honor and he’s Hayes’ best man.”

I sit up in my chair, bile rising in my throat. “Oh, fuck me. Seriously?”

“Seriously. What did you think was going to happen?”

“Well, at your quickie wedding at the arcade bar, there wasn’t a processional, so it really hadn’t dawned on me. Or maybe I was blocking the idea out of my mind,” I grumble, knocking back another drink. “Listen. I will be on my best behavior. I promise. But Liv…swear to me you won’t tell Hayes.”

“Mags, I cannot keep a secret from that man. He reads me like a book! The other day I bought him an early wedding present and he knew the instant he walked in the door I was keeping something from him. So, I gave it to him because I was too damn excited to see his face when he opened it. And he loved it, of course, which led to...well… you know . But now I’m going to have to buy him another wedding day gift… it’s like Christmas all over again!”

“Olivia Marie Larson.” I squeeze her fingers in solidarity. “I believe in you. You are strong. You are a vault. You can do this.”

She knocks back the rest of her drink, almost missing the table as she slams her glass down. “You’re right. I’m a brick wall. I can totally do this.”

She’s gonna crack like the Liberty Bell the minute she gets home. And Vladi’s gonna be pissed . I smother the smirk threatening to show. Dammit…it’s about time.