Page 19

19

Taylor

I love the warmth of Elias’s hand on my back as we weave our way through the throngs of people. There’s a buzz in the air, an excitement that coils through me and I glance up at Elias. His face is serious, like he has something on his mind. Either that or he’s trying not to bump into anyone as he keeps his head slightly inclined to keep a low profile. We have somewhere to be, and while he loves his fans, he doesn’t want to be late.

“Right over there,” he says, glancing at me and nodding his head. I follow his gaze to see a sign announcing the Hart dinner. We make a turn and when the crowd clears, I see his family chatting by the door. As we approach, Grandma turns, her eyes twinkling with mischief before she opens her arms wide.

“There you two are.” Her first hug is for me. My stomach tightens as her warmth wraps around me, partly because I miss my own family and partly because I’m falling for this family that I’m lying to. The last thing I want to do is hurt any of them. God, was this a colossal mistake?

“Hey, what am I? Chicken liver,” Elias grumbles.

“If you were, I would have hugged you first. You know I love chicken liver, Elias,” she says with a wink, before pulling back to get a good look at her grandson. She squints dramatically. “Did you get taller?”

We all laugh, and Elias rolls his eyes and hugs her. “I think you’re the one getting taller, Grandma.”

“What took you two so long, anyway?” She arches her brow like she knows full well what we’ve been up to. I swear she’s baiting me, and even though nothing happened, I still can’t help but blush.

“Grandma,” Elias warns in a soft, loving voice as he shakes his head.

She hugs her small purse, her sharp eyes examining us. “I was starting to think you’d run off to elope.”

I nearly choke on thin air while Elias lets out a long-suffering sigh.

“Grandma,” he warns again, his voice laced with amused exasperation.

“Fine.” She shrugs. “The night is still young. We can hit the strip later, and see what kind of trouble we can get into. I might be able to sneak you into an Elvis impersonator wedding. I know a guy who knows a guy.”

“That is not happening,” Elias tells her. “And how do you know a guy who knows a guy?”

She lifts her chin, looking positively smug. “When you get to be my age, you either know people, or you are the people. If eloping isn’t your thing, I have an officiant on standby.”

“Grandma, you do not have anyone on standby.”

She shrugs and turns her attention to me. “You’re glowing, dear.”

“She’s blushing because of your teasing,” Elias corrects.

Grandma hums like she knows something we don’t. “It’s so warm in here,” I say quickly, and wave my hand in front of my face. “I need to adapt after coming from the cold.”

She scrunches her nose like she doesn’t believe a word, but lets it slide. I quickly turn from Grandma’s knowing eyes. “Cheryl, Randall. It’s so good to see you both.” Cheryl pulls me in for a hug and I might stay there a little longer than is customary, but her warmth sends me back in time, to when I used to fall asleep on my mom’s lap. I finally pull away and she hugs Elias as Randall wraps me in his embrace.

“Shall we?” Randall asks, and holds his arm out for Cheryl. She slides hers in and Elias does the same for Grandma and me. Grandma smiles up at him as he guides us into the room. Numerous round tables are set up and we search for our names. We finally find them and before I sit, Elias scans the crowd.

“Do you want to come meet Easton and Jenny?”

I nod, anxious to say hello. “I’d love to.”

“Be right back,” he says to his family and steers me through the crowd. It takes what feels like a decade to get to his friends as every five feet someone wants to stop him for a ‘quick’ chat. Apparently, Elias is the hometown hero, the guy who made it to the NHL.

I try to stand back to give him space, but he keeps his arm securely around me. Every time someone stops to say hello, he’s there introducing me, but most already seem to know.

Thanks, Grandma.

“Elias.”

A voice booms and we turn to see a guy with his arms out. I can only assume it’s Easton. Elias excuses us and we hurry over. The two guys embrace like they’ve just won the big cup, and I can’t help but grin. As they pull apart, Elias turns to me and introduces me as his girlfriend.

Girlfriend.

I almost choke. I mean, it’s a normal word. A fine one, and how else was he supposed to describe me. His plus one? No way was he getting away with that when Grandma has been making the rounds. But hearing it come out of his mouth to his childhood friend makes it feel so…real.

Easton turns to me, grinning. “Taylor, it’s so great to meet you.” He glances around the room, holding back a laugh as he searches the crowd. “I was talking to your grandmother, Elias, and she thought you two had eloped.” He arches a brow. “Any secrets you want to share?”

“No,” I say a little too quickly and when Easton cocks his head I laugh it off. “Grandma’s wishful thinking, but we’re not there yet,” I explain.

Or ever.

“Jenny,” he calls out, and a beautiful woman with long dark hair, dressed in a gorgeous emerald dress that matches her eyes comes toward us. “This is Jenny, my bride to be.” My heart jumps into my throat as he slides his hand around her back, an incredible loving smile on his face as he looks at her like she’s the only thing that matters in this universe.

Get out of my head, Grandma.

“Jenny, this is my buddy Elias, the guy I told you about, and his girlfriend, Taylor. Taylor is going to be a big Hollywood star.” I stumble a bit, a little surprised by that. He winks at me. “No secrets when Grandma is around.”

“Right.” I laugh. “Of course not. So nice to meet you, Jenny.”

“Dude.”

I spin to see a giant of a man barreling toward us like a freight train. His piercing blue eyes zero in on Elias, and they exude an incredible amount of warmth and admiration. Why does he look so familiar? I don’t know any of these people but he seems like a guy straight out of a movie, or a lumberjack romance novel.

“Bring it in,” he bellows, and it’s clear the two have been lifelong buddies. He scoops Elias up like he weighs less than a feather, and spins him around. I can barely stifle a laugh.

“My younger, but much bigger brother, Rip,” Easton explains with a smirk, shaking his head, but I can see the adoration in his eyes. “I love him, but sometimes he can be a little over the top.”

“A little ,” Jenny says as she laughs, but she too holds that same adoration as she glances at Mr. Lumberjack.

Rip, still grinning like a gentle giant on steroids, turns to me, his gaze mischievous. “So you’re the new wife. Grandma said you eloped.” He lifts me off my feet in one swift motion and spins me around.

“We didn’t,” I say, dizzy from the spin.

After he sets me down, his playful gaze goes back and forth between Elias and me. “No? So you’re free?”

I give a weird nervous laugh. “I wouldn’t say free.”

He snorts and glances at Elias. “What I really want to know is why you’re with a guy like that when you could be with me?”

“Rip,” Easton warns as Jenny puts her hand on my arm.

“Be happy Elias doesn’t have any younger brothers,” she teases and I already love her.

“Hey, you know you love me,” Rip says, and Jenny laughs. Rip turns back to me with a grin that says he’s clearly not done teasing. “So, what was that you said about later? You. Me. Elvis?”

“I…uh…”

“Don’t listen to him, Taylor.” Shaking his head, Elias drags me to his side in a possessive way, but there’s no doubt we’re all amused by Rip, who suddenly looks horrified.

“Why would she ever listen to a guy who used to eat bugs?” He nudges me. “I use the words ‘used to’ lightly.”

“What?” I ask with a laugh as I turn to Elias, who looks exasperated. “You ate bugs.” I can’t contain my laughter now.

“No, I did not eat bugs. I was on my bike one time, and I, uh, accidently ate a June bug,” he clarifies as his face turns a bright shade of red. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Elias embarrassed and I have to say it’s adorable.

“Bad luck,” Easton deadpans, trying to stifle a laugh.

Rip pipes up. “The first time, sure, you were unlucky. But I caught you circling the block at night, like some kind of insect-eating vampire. You liked it.” He rubs his stomach, looking rather pleased with himself. “You thought it was yummy.” He says those last words in a sing-song voice.

“No, I…” Elias gives up, shakes his head again, and throws his arms up in the air, defeated. Playing into Rip’s antics, he concedes. “Okay, fine. I developed a taste for them. Sue me.”

We all lose it, howling with laughter, and I have to say, I like who Elias is around these old friends.

Not done yet, Rip leans toward me. “Taylor, for the love of all that is holy, stay clear of the chapels here. You don’t want to marry this guy. The month of June will be nothing but a torturous bug feast.” He puts his fingers to his mouth, and makes exaggerated slurping noises. But then he stops, his eyes wide like he just had an epiphany. “Hey, I know, next game. Taylor, if we win, you go on a date with me. If you lose, you stay with the bug eater.”

“Jesus, Rip. She’s not dating you.” Elias turns to me, serious and protective, and maybe a bit…worried. “Did I mention that Ripley plays for Chicago? We’re going to obliterate them next game. So even if you take that insane bet, you’ll have nothing to worry about.”

I snap my fingers, pointing at Rip. “That’s where I know you. I’ve seen you play. I couldn’t quite place you, seeing you out of context.”

Rip puffs his chest out, looking entirely too smug. “Look at that. She noticed me.”

“You’re not hard to miss, dude,” Easton says. “You’re fucking Paul Bunyon without the plaid.”

I nod emphatically, and Elias narrows his eyes. “I was thinking the same thing. You could be a romance cover model.” A sound rumbles low in Elias’s throat. Is that jealousy?

“Yeah, I could.” Rip gives a little head bob, and polishes his knuckles on his shirt like he’d just been knighted. “I’m kind of a big deal, Taylor. You might want to take that bet.” Rip winks at me, and smooths his hand down his perfectly tailored gray suit. “For the record, I’d look just as good in plaid.” Blue eyes focus on Elias, and he gives him a devilish wink. This lumberjack is definitely charming. “So it’s on then? Winner of next game takes this beauty out?”

“She’s not some trophy to be fought over,” Elias grumbles.

“I won’t be fighting, dude. I’ll be winning. And look at that, Taylor. He doesn’t think you’re a trophy. But I do.” He jabs his thumb into his chest. “I’ll prove it when we kick some Boston ass next week.”

“Hey, where’s the love? Bring it on.”

We all turn to see Roman approach, his arms spread wide. Rip pulls him in. “Hey Romeo,” Rip says, calling him by his nickname, about time you got here.”

Roman runs his fingers through his hair. “Had to look good for the ladies.” He glances around and when he flashes a grin toward the table with the bridesmaids, they all swoon.

Elias leans into me. “Roman and Rip were best friends growing up.”

I laugh. “That tracks. They’re a lot alike.”

Roman pats Rip on the shoulder. “When are you coming to play for Boston?”

Something passes over Rip’s face, and I get the sense that maybe a trade is in his future. Damn, I do hope he comes to Boston. I remember some of his plays. He really is a kick ass D-man.

As the two talk, Elias puts his hand on my back. “We should get back to our seats.”

Before we walk away, Roman glances at us, a smirk on his face. “Hey, I heard you two eloped.” He gives a low slow whistle. “Let me know when you tell Kalen. I want to be out of town.”