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37

JESS

The Knights’ wives, girlfriends, and I are bonding around an outdoor table with the heat lamps on, sipping homemade soda Gracie brought and eating personalized pizzas thanks to Redd’s wood fire grill skills. Ted, one of the retired defensemen, is here with his wife Harlow and their family to watch a Finals game. The guys treat him like a celebrity and haven’t stopped yakking it up.

Ella says, “Have any of you tried one of those woodland nature sounds alarms?”

“Like to wake up in the morning?” Cara asks.

“Jack insists on using the app on his phone and then repeatedly hits snooze … for an hour. I die a little each morning.”

I’m about to comment that at least she sleeps, when I realize I have been sleeping with thanks to Liam. Something about him being next to me must destress me or soothe whatever has kept me locked in insomnia.

Delaney looks around and then whispers, “Hayden recently started watching sports highlights at top volume. He was there. At. The. Game. Does he need to feel like the commentators are yelling at him when he’s at home?”

We all laugh.

Gracie says, “Perhaps he wants you to come watch too, so he can show off and tell you how awesome he was at the game.”

“Like a mating call?” Delaney laughs.

Whit steeples her hands. “Redd and I have our show. Watch a new episode every Thursday night when he’s home. Then that sneak had to go and watch one without me when he was on the road. He slipped up and spoiled it for me. He should’ve kept it a secret.”

“Would you really prefer that?” Margo winces while eyeing Beau over by the bonfire. She clears her throat. “As someone who may have accidentally skipped ahead to the next episode of a certain show Beau and I watch on Tuesday nights, keeping it to yourself is not the better option.”

There’s a collective gasp.

“I thought he was watching it at the hotel. Maybe.” Margo wrings her hands. “I mean, we were left on a cliffhanger and I couldn’t wait two weeks to find out what happened.”

This must catch his eye because, like a wall of hockey brawn, they all saunter over while I’m blabbing about how I’ve been struggling with the way Liam reloads the toilet paper roll. “Open side out, am I right?”

“At least he replaces it,” Harlow asserts as Hayden, Robo, Pierre, Jack, Beau, Grady, Mikey, ‘Bama, Liam, a few others, and even Vohn surround us.

Redd plants his hand on his hip. “What do we have here? A gripe session?”

“Are the ladies really complaining after we wowed them with pizza and awed them with our handsome firelight silhouettes?” Pierre asks.

A few of the guys groan because the man cannot help but grandstand.

“We weren’t complaining, we were comparing,” Whit says.

“Sounds like Jess was taking issue with the way our man Ellis loads the toilet paper roll,” Jack says with a smile and a wink.

I wave my hand. “Pfft. No, I love the way he sometimes only gets the little springy thing halfway into the holder and then it flies out at me in the middle of the night.”

He frowns. “At least I put the toilet seat down.”

The guys clap as if that’s amateur hour.

I jut my chin. “And I love the way you leave the soaked sponge in the sink.”

He shrugs. “So, I forgot to squeeze it out once or twice.”

“All the times. Do you realize how many germs sponges can harbor? You set it in the cup on the side to dry.” If I had a sponge right now, I’d toss it at him.

“One point to Liam. Two for Jess,” Hayden says.

Delaney elbows him. “No taking sides.”

“Tell us what you love about your bride, Ellis,” Ted asks.

Liam’s expression darkens. “Uh, how her hair is all over the sink. All over the house.”

“Robot vacuum,” Jack says.

“Hey, my hair does not get all over?—”

Jack pulls Ella into his side. “I love your hair and I love that it’s everywhere.” He kisses the top of her head.

“Any other words of undying affection?” Beau asks. “Speak now or forever hold your peace.”

He and Margo exchange a knowing glance.

Liam steps closer to me so we’re toe to toe. He towers over me and says, “You leave water glass ghosts all over the house. Use a water bottle and stick to it.”

I cross my arms in front of my chest. “Maybe you’re afraid of ghosts because you leave every light on in the loft.”

“It’s so no one stumbles.”

“Weak argument,” Robo says.

I snort a laugh.

Liam adds, “Also, I never said I was complaining. Maybe I like seeing the half-empty glasses on the table, counter, bookshelf, everywhere.”

I poke him in the chest. “They’re half full, Mr. Meanie.”

His lips ripple. Our gazes slide together and spark. Something crackles between us. I almost don’t realize I’m doing it until it’s happening, but Liam laces his fingers through mine. I squeeze his hand and cast him a smile. His eyes brighten as if to say that he didn’t realize what was missing from his life until now.

The space between us shrinks as I gaze at his lips and his heavy eyes drop to mine. As my pulse disappears and my senses heighten, I lose my sense of time and place.

From somewhere nearby, one of the guys says, “Ahh. Married life.”

Liam and I seem to snap out of whatever haze we were in.

Robo says, “Figured you two would still be in the honeymoon period. Sounds like you’ve sped past that.”

“Watch out for the seven-year itch,” Ted says.

Panic rushes toward me. “Is that like a rash?”

Everyone laughs.

This is going to be harder than I thought. My gaze drifts back to Liam’s, afraid of what I’m going to see there. But the corners of his lips curl ever so slightly upward. Maybe he’s amused, making fun of me and how I shed and can’t keep track of my water glass. Or perhaps these grievances are grave and he’s considering kicking me out, exposing our lie.

We have skillet cookies with ice cream for dessert, hang out some more, and then say goodnight with Gracie offering to host the next gathering.

On the ride home, Liam says, “About how you unload the groceries?—”

I pout. “Oh, right. You forgot to mention that to everyone.”

“No, I wanted to tell you that I realized why you do it that way.”

“Oh,” I say, not sure where he’s going with this.

“Having plenty means more to you than say, someone like me who might take it for granted. You really do look at life with the glass half full. It’s a good thing, Jessica. Really good.”

This time, I don’t argue. I never thought of it quite that way, but he’s right.

The streetlights alternately brighten him and then cast him into shadow as he says, “It’s going to take us some time to get to know each other and get used to each other.”

“I don’t mind all that stuff I said.”

“I know. In fact, you said you loved it.” Liam’s lips press together as if he’s holding back a smile.

“Ha ha,” I say dryly.

Then something else I said that first sleepy night in Brookking Sound slides into my mind. My heart somehow gets in an extra beat.

As we pull into the parking garage, I say, “I’m no longer your employee. I’m your spouse. We have to work together. But I’ll clean up my stray hairs.”

“And I’ll squeeze out the sponge.”

“You’re a team captain. We can figure out how to work together. I’ll still do the regular things, but I draw the line at the socks. They stink. Also, I don’t want the puppy chewing them, he’ll get bad breath.”

He rumbles a laugh. “He already has bad breath.”

“He has puppy breath.”

I pout, offended on the dog’s behalf, but the warmth in his eyes shows so much affection I know he’s not truly annoyed.

“The kind only a mother could love. But fair point and noted. From now on they go in the basket. From now on, I’ll make the effort. For you and because I don’t want holey socks.”

“Thank you.”

He cuts the ignition and glances over at me. “Thanks for coming tonight.”

“Wouldn’t have missed it.”

“For the record, you fit right in.”

“They’re really nice women. Plus, Cara is my bestie and she’d fill their lockers with shaving cream if they picked on me.”

“You women and the cream—shaving cream, whipped cream …”

“I’m joking.”

“I’m not.”

“About what?” I ask.

His lips quirk and the little lines around his eyes smile. “You looked really pretty tonight.”

My little love and affection-starved heart eats up those words and they taste even better than cookies or cake.