Page 38

THIRTY-EIGHT

MADELINE

Piper

I saw a video of that clinic you and Amelia put on in New York last week, Em. You are a QUEEN.

Me

Lucy had me download ESPN+ so we could watch, and I’m in awe of you.

Lexi

Badass women are my favorite kind of women.

Maven

I’m still geeking out that the official NHL Instagram page shared all your content. You’re paving the way for the next generation of female hockey players. That is so freaking cool.

Emmy

Wow. So many nice things, and it’s a change from getting my ass kicked in practice by the boys. Thanks, you all. It was fun, and I’m honored I get to play a small role in the future of the sport.

Me

Is anyone free tonight? I could use some advice on something that happened to me recently.

Emmy

I’m in.

Piper

Me too!

Maven

Wait. Am I free on a night you all are? And do I actually get to meet Madeline? I’ve been convinced you’re not real.

Me

I’m very real, but don’t get your hopes up. I’m not that exciting.

Lexi

I’m meeting a Tinder hookup tonight, but you all take priority over Beaumont.

Emmy

Beaumont? I just gagged.

You all can come here. Maverick has a meeting with Coach Saunders. With it being almost March, I bet they’re talking about trades they could make before the deadline.

Me

Does that happen a lot?

Emmy

Oh, yeah. It’s ruthless. I’d say the franchise players are safe, but I’ve seen what happens in the NBA. These GMs don’t give a shit about loyalty. They’ll get rid of anyone and everyone if they think it’ll help them win.

Lexi

It’s a cutthroat sport. I love it!

Me

Hey, hockey guy.

Blond Bombshell

What’s up, KG? I’m heading back from the arena in a few. Need anything from the store?

Me

I did a grocery run this morning, but thanks for asking!

Could you watch Lucy tonight? I’m going to go over to Emmy’s for girls’ night.

The calendar said you’re free, but if not, I can bring her with me!

Blond Bombshell

I’d love to hang out with her. We’ll have some pizza and ice cream. Top tier nutrition.

Me

So much for that chicken on the menu.

Just kidding. That sounds like a fun night to me!

Blond Bombshell

Unrelated, but I know we haven’t really had a chance to see each other since the other night. I’m leaving tomorrow morning on a three-game road trip that’s going to take me away for a week, but I want you to know I’m thinking about you.

Me

Is there something in particular you’re thinking about?

Blond Bombshell

The way your eyes wrinkle when you smile. How your laugh sounds when you’re tired. The noises you make when you come.

Me

Sounds like you’re thinking about me a lot, hockey guy.

Blond Bombshell

Here and there.

Me

I’m thinking about you too. I’m sorry we won’t get tonight together, but I’m excited for you to get home from your trip.

Blond Bombshell

Me too.

I curl my feet under my legs and spread pimento cheese over a cracker. “I love that you all get together so often. When I was in Vegas, I worked so much, I didn’t have time for a social life.”

“It helps we all have similar schedules.” Piper takes a bite of her cracker and grabs a napkin. “It’s nine months of absolute insanity, then things calm down.”

“And when it’s not insane, I’m wishing it was.” Lexi swirls her wine around her glass then takes a sip. “Sometimes I can’t believe this is our life.”

“I can’t believe you’re meeting a guy named Beaumont . What a stupid fucking name.” Emmy snorts. “Sounds like it belongs to a golfer.”

“I think it’s nice,” Maven Lansfield says, and I’m glad I finally met her. She’s the perfect addition to the group I’ve found myself a part of, and her hug told me she’s someone who is kind and special. “I bet his dad owns a country club.”

“You’re biased because you’re married to a man named Dallas ,” Lexi challenges. “The only reason I’m meeting up with him is because his dick is going to rearrange my insides, and with how many guys on the team are having aches and pains these days, I could use a little relief from my workload. The last thing we need during this stretch of the season are multiple players on the IR.”

“IR?” I wrinkle my nose. “What does that stand for?”

“Injury report,” Piper supplies. “It’s the list of players who might be out for the night with an injury. It lists their status as day-to-day or out for an extended period of time.”

“I really need to get better about learning these hockey terms.” I look down at my glass and grin. “Especially if I keep kissing Hudson.”

Piper screeches. Lexi pumps her fist in the air. Emmy grins, and Maven claps enthusiastically. You would think I just brought on world pace, not that I told them I had my first physical interaction with a man in goddamn years .

“I beg your fucking pardon?” Piper takes my wine from me and sets it on the table next to a bowl of olives. “You better start talking right this second, Madeline Galloway.”

I laugh. I like how warm I feel right now. How it’s almost like I’m back in high school and having a sleepover with my closest friends where we talk until the sun comes up. It’s easy and fun and it makes me want to spill all of my secrets.

“We’re going to need the whole story,” Lexi says.

“So we can give you the best course of action,” Maven adds.

“Bullshit,” Emmy interjects. “We just want to know how he is in bed.”

I dive into the story about New Year’s Eve. I mention the other night in the kitchen where I was the one to initiate contact and the swift way he lifted me onto the counter. I turn bright red when I talk about the way he touched me, when I talk about the way I came on his hand.

I leave out the part where he finished in his pants while he watched me fall apart, the secret something I’m keeping close to my chest.

God .

It was electric. Every touch singed my skin. Every kiss was the sweetest thing I’ve ever tasted. Seeing him on his knees, looking up at me with nothing but admiration and lust in his eyes, was almost too much.

I felt beautiful. Wanted for the first time in forever.

As if I was the most important person in the world.

“In the kitchen ?” Emmy asks. “My god. I knew that boy had game. It’s always the quiet ones.”

“What do I do now?” I ask. “Hooking up with someone is so out of my wheelhouse. And so is living under the same roof as him. I’m clueless.”

“You fuck him, obviously,” Lexi supplies, and I choke on a laugh. “What? You can either fuck him, or you pretend like it never happened. But if it’s happened twice, it’s going to happen again.”

“Do you want it to happen again?” Piper asks, and it’s an easy question to answer.

I stopped caring about the possibility of our working relationship suffering the minute Hudson treated Lucy like she is part of his family. If I’m going to spend time with anyone, I want it to be with him.

“Yes,” I say. “I do.”

“Is this a boyfriend/girlfriend thing?” Lexi looks at me. “Or a physical friends-with-benefits kind of thing?”

“He told me he doesn’t do one-night stands, so I’m not sure how a strictly physical relationship could work. But I’m not sure about a serious relationship, either. I have baggage, but I like kissing him. Is there some middle ground that lets us keep doing that without the big, messy emotions that come with dating?” I ask.

“I think there’s always an emotional component when it comes to sex,” Maven chimes in. “You can pretend like it doesn’t matter, but eventually, someone starts to care more than they should.”

“Well, shit.” I laugh. “That complicates things.”

“Maybe it doesn’t have to be complicated. Why not go with the flow and see what happens along the way?” Piper asks. “You know he’s not going to break your heart—Hudson is a one-woman man. No one else is going to have his attention.”

I want to kiss you because I’ve been thinking about it for weeks .

Weeks .

His words on New Year’s run through my mind. So do the message requests in his Instagram inbox he’s ignored, choosing to spend time with me and my daughter over hanging out with anyone else.

“I’m for whatever lets you keep having sex. You said it’s been how long since your last hookup?” Lexi asks, and I hide my face in my hands.

“Six years,” I admit. “And it wasn’t a hookup. It was my ex-husband. A little different.”

“My god, woman. How many sex toys have you gone through?”

“An alarming amount. My poor vibrator’s batteries get replaced every few months.”

My phone lights up on the arm of the couch. I bite my bottom lip to hold back a grin when I spy Hudson’s name. I tap the screen, and a selfie of him and Lucy pops up.

They’re both smiling at the camera. There are clips in his hair and a smudge of lipstick on his cheek. He’s holding up bunny ears behind her head, and she’s poking his side. It looks like they’re mid-laugh, having the time of their lives, and then a message comes through.

Blond Bombshell

Hope you’re having fun with the girls.

We decided to have a girls’ night too. Even got my fingernails painted.

Me

Wow. You look really pretty. My daughter has a future in hair and makeup.

Blond Bombshell

Look out, Broadway.

Me

I’ll be home in a bit.

Blond Bombshell

I’ll try to stay awake until you’re back.

Lucy misses you.

I miss you too.

My heart almost explodes out of my chest. My cheeks hurt from smiling so hard as I type out my reply.

Me

I miss you both. I’ll see you soon.

“Why are you smiling like that?” Piper asks, and when I blush and dip my chin, showing off the photo, she laughs. “Oh, you’re so into him.”

“Is that a bad thing? To be into him?”

“If you’re going to pick a guy to spend your time with, Hudson is one of the best ones. He’ll be gentle with you,” she says.

I know where things go when you spend time with someone. Feelings get deeper, you become more involved. For as reluctant as I’ve been to even consider a relationship with someone, I can’t deny how drawn to him I am.

The subconscious part of my brain that’s actively shot down the idea of dating must feel safe with Hudson. I wouldn’t have kissed him like that if I wasn’t curious, if I wasn’t interested in testing the waters of something serious, something permanent.

“Hopefully not too gentle when you finally get him in bed.” Emmy smirks. “Women who are mothers have needs to.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Maven says, and we all laugh.

I hand over the bottle of wine and pour her another glass. I don’t have everything figured out yet. I don’t know where these feelings for Hudson might take me, but I do know one thing.

If I’m going to give anyone a chance, there’s no one better out there than him.