Page 23

maggie

S tumbling my way across the beach, my legs are wobbly as hell.

Partly due to the uneven sand beneath me, but mostly because of fucking Vladimir Volkov.

I thought my plan of walking by the gym would make him jealous as hell.

Damn, was I ever right about that. But I never in a million years thought it would end with him grunting like a caveman and dragging me down the one alley that exists in paradise to tell me I’m the only thing he sees.

My heart is still pounding from him calling me a goddess, then catching me completely off guard with that kiss.

What the Bachelor in Paradise is happening here?

I feel less like I’m walking toward my friends and more like I’ve just washed ashore as a piece of an emotional shipwreck.

“Maggie, you’re here!” Kara Reeves jumps up from her chair and rushes to give me a giant hug.

“Kara! Sorry we didn’t get to talk much at dinner last night. I was exhausted from the damn plane ride, but you and Zack seemed to head out pretty fast too.”

Her eyes spark, a smirk creeping up her cheeks. “Yeah. We’ve been enjoying some… kid-free time, if you know what I mean. With four kids at home, and Zack’s travel schedule, we’re trying to make the most of a room all to ourselves for a few days.”

“Damn, Kara, good for you! Are you guys trying for number five this week?”

“Hell no! Listen, I love my children and would do anything in the world for them, but four is plen-ty. Zack actually got the ‘snip snip’ right after the season ended, so we’re done with adding to the Reeves family hockey team.

Here, we saved you a chair!” she says, pointing to the chair on the other side of Liv.

“But, aside from all that, I’m also ready to spend some quality time on the beach with my besties.

I’m still bummed Kennedy couldn’t make it this week! Damn pilot schedule.”

“Right? She can’t just be all fancy flying private rich people planes—she has to be even more of a total badass and be in the Air National Guard too.

And apparently the government won’t just let you skip mandatory guard duty for the wedding of the year,” I say, rolling my eyes as I walk to my beach lounger.

“Wow, Mags!” Olivia gushes as I lay my beach towel down.

“Haven’t seen you bust out that bikini since we went to Cancun a few years ago.

You had so many guys buying you drinks at the swim-up bar, you said you were going to take it out of commission.

You acted like you were going to hang it at the top of MKE Arena like a retired jersey. What made you wear that today?”

“A lot of pro athletes come out of retirement, Liv. They miss the thrill of the game.”

“They do, huh? And what game would you be playing with that suit? Anything to do with your…roommate?”

I glare at her, catching Kara peeking over Liv’s shoulder from her chair on the other side.

“Yeah, what’s happening with you and Vladi?” Kara asks .

I shake my head, not quite knowing how to respond. “Nothing. He’s…he’s… God, he’s infuriating.”

They both snort out little laughs, trying to cover them up with half-assed coughs.

“Laugh all you want! He was flustered when he saw me in this, especially when I paraded by the gym with nearly the entire team in there. So, my plan worked.”

Olivia looks at me with so much horror in her eyes, you’d think I just told her I just smashed her grand piano. “Mags, tell me you didn’t. You paraded by the guys in…in that ?!”

“Don’t be such a prude, Liv. You bet your ass I walked by them in this little getup. He got me all flustered last night, so I decided to return the favor.”

“What the hell did he do last night?!” Kara shouts, practically leaping out of her chair, racing over to sit on the end of Liv’s, her attention fully on me.

I half-ass glare at her. I don’t know if her eyes could be any wider. “You want some popcorn while I tell this story, Kara?”

“Girl, I sit around watching Miss Rachel with my kids all day. No matter what happened, it’s got to be better than her asking me where my ears are. Now, tell us what the hell happened!”

I groan, trying to figure out where to start. “I woke up in the middle of the night and, sort of, walked in on him while he was, you know, tuning up his Russian missile—” Both of their eyes slowly expand like a balloon about to burst out. “-with a pair of my underwear around his wrist.”

“WHAT?!” they scream in unison.

I just nod and lean back in my chair to enjoy the breeze blowing in off the beach, my nonchalant attitude doing a stellar job of hiding the hurricane tearing through my chest.

“Maggie! Oh my holy lord ,” Kara screeches. “What did you do? ”

I keep my eyes on the water, my suit suddenly damp. “I told him to finish.”

They both let out an audible gasp. “Holy shit, Mags!” Olivia screams. “Wait. Did he…” Olivia pauses, obviously embarrassed to be talking about this, “… did he…” She clears her throat, “ finish?”

I cross my legs, placing my arms behind my head. “Yep,” I say, popping the p.

Kara leans in closer, glancing around the beach to make sure no one’s listening. “Okay, but did you watch?”

I just smile, still not looking at either of them.

“Oh my God, you did !” I see Liv covering her mouth as she realizes I so did.

“Then what happened?!” Kara asks, very flustered at my lack of explanation and anxious to hear every detail. “I mean…is it as big as the rumors? All the guys talk about how big his wang is.”

“Kara!” Liv smacks her playfully on the arm.

“What?! Hayes has never brought that up to you?” Kara blinks, a slow, sly smile lifting her cheeks. “They make jokes about how he hardly ever gets scored on in the five-hole cause he has an extra stick down there.”

We all burst into a fit of laughter, the visual too good to pass up.

After I catch my breath, I respond, “I can neither confirm nor deny those rumors.”

“Holy shit— it’s true . Oh my Lord, I’m not going to be able to look at that man the same again.”

Jealousy hits me out of nowhere, goosebumps peppering my skin as I think about Kara, or any other woman, looking at him like that.

Or even thinking about him. I mean, I know my two girlfriends are both happily married, but the thought of anyone laying their eyes on him makes me want to go back to the room and lay my claim to him. My breath catches. Does he want that ?

“How did you two leave things after that?” Liv asks, resting her chin in her palm.

I look at my best friend, a slight glimmer of hope in my voice. “He actually apologized. For everything.”

“Wait…everything? What am I missing here?”

Liv turns to Kara, grumpy impatience tightening her shoulders. “I’ll fill you in later, but basically, these two hooked up months ago, and Vladi kinda ghosted her.”

I see the same rage on Kara’s face I saw in Liv’s when I told her. “I am going to kill that damn goalie! He better pray he has nine lives like the number on his jersey, ‘cause he’s about to lose one.”

“I appreciate it, but it’s okay,” I snort, reaching over to Kara. “His apology was… surprisingly sincere. I’ve never seen that side of him before.”

“I told you, Mags. He’s a good guy. He’s just got some issues from his past. But, if he apologized to you, I would say that’s a sign he’s trying to work on them.”

I let Olivia’s words sink in, a flutter sparking behind my ribs, Melissa curiously peeking out of her little box. Between that and the fact that he just told me he didn’t see the sun or the ocean, only me, makes me want to believe it. “I just wish I knew what these issues were.”

“Have you asked him?” Kara pipes in. “I know it’s easier said than done, but you guys have done the physical part.

Being married for ten plus years,I can tell you the talking part is way harder.

Zack and I got married super-fast after we met.

Well, not as fast as Olivia and Hayes—but still, we’d only known each other for six months.

We knew we were always going to be together, but we still brought a lot of baggage with us.

Sometimes it just took him asking me why I had a problem with something or me asking him why he was suddenly closed off.

” Her eyes glaze over as she stares at nothing past us, clearly remembering something difficult between her and Zack.

“Guys are different than us, especially someone who blocks off their emotions like Vladi. And to echo what Olivia said, he really is a sweet, kind-hearted guy. I think he’s just scared. ”

“Shit, Kara. You need a podcast. You shouldn’t be giving this kind of advice for free.” Even if it’s advice I don’t want to hear.

“Okay, so girl code…you cannot tell your husbands about me walking in on Vladi last night. Swear?”

“I swear to God, Mags,” Olivia replies, drawing an ‘x’ across her chest.

Kara and I look at Olivia with raised eyebrows, neither of us able to keep a straight face.

“Funny how you swear to God you’ll keep a secret, yet Zack somehow wasn’t surprised by his birthday present I told you about.”

Liv looks at the ground, her cheeks heating. “That was one time.”

“How about the time you told Hayes that Vladi and I slept together hours after I asked you not to?”

“Okay, two times! But I swear, guys, I’m gonna keep this a secret. I swear I’ll keep this to myself!”