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FIFTY-TWO

LENNOX

All I want is for you to be happy. To choose joy. To chase it, really. Do me a favor. Think of the last time you felt true joy. Do you have it? Do you remember? If I’m right, and I think I am, you know what you need to do.

My grandmother’s words swirl in my head as I stand in the middle of a party filled with miserable people. I could practically feel the tension radiating off Aiden as we walked in tonight. We’ve been going nonstop for the past few days. Between games and practices, he hasn’t gotten a break. We have to survive the rest of this party, then endure the game against New York before we head to the courthouse to make this marriage official.

Typically, Aiden takes it easy the night before a game. If not for this party, he would have gone to practice today, then holed up in our apartment watching movies. He needs that downtime to preserve his energy. So he can be the Aiden Langfield the world expects him to be, on and off the ice.

Instead, we spent the afternoon getting ready for the party, and now we’re here. He hasn’t complained a single time. All because he loves me. I know it with every fiber of my being, and I can’t wait to tell him I love him too.

I’m not sure what’s held me back. Maybe it’s the not knowing where this was going. Or how the marriage would work. And then it morphed into wanting to do something epically special for Aiden, since he’s always the one doing epic things for me. I’ve talked the moment up so much in my head that now I’m nervous about uttering the words. What if the simple phrase is a letdown for him?

“You okay?” I ask, even though I know he’s not, and hold out my hand.

He squeezes it and gives me his dopey grin. The expression isn’t genuine. I know him well enough to see it. He’s placating me, tiptoeing since this is my birthday celebration, and he wants me to enjoy it. It makes my chest ache to look at him like this.

When Aiden’s stressed—when he’s truly uncomfortable—there’s no hiding the rapid pulse in his neck.

I press my palm there and step up close so that I’m all he can see. “Let’s have one more drink, then I’ll feign an illness, and we can go.”

Cupping my face, he drops his forehead to mine. “Princess, you are the belle of this ball. No one is going to allow you to leave, least of all me. It’s your night. I’m here. I’m good, I promise.” He kisses me, easing my worries, which is exactly the opposite of my plan.

Dammit, the man is too perfect.

“What do you want to drink?” he asks as he holds up a hand to signal to the bartender.

Beckett, Gavin, and their wives have just said their goodbyes, and the crowd on the dance floor is getting rowdier. By crowd , I mean Sara. She kept me dancing for almost an hour while Aiden hung back with his brothers. After we’d worked up an appetite, we sat with our guys and had dinner. The guests all sang “Happy Birthday” as the caterers brought out a boring white cake. It’s late enough now that most of my parents’ friends are filtering out, leaving only the drunkest of people. With the Bolts playing tomorrow, Brooks and Aiden really should be heading out soon.

“I’ll have one more prosecco, then bed.”

Aiden taps my ass. “Go dance. I’ll bring your drink to you.”

Sara is already hollering for me and making a scene, so I give in without a fight. As I make my way toward her, Ava is heading off the dance floor.

“No way,” I say, clutching her arm. “If I have to go out there, then so do you.”

Ava throws back her head and groans. “I have to be up early for the charity breakfast. Take pity on me.”

With a shake of my head, I pull her along. “Hey,” I say, tilting in close so she can hear me over the music. “Beckett mentioned that firefighter fundraiser. Should we get together this weekend to plan?”

Beckett’s brother-in-law is the fire chief in a town where a string of fires has destroyed multiple businesses, as well as depleted a lot of the fire department’s resources. Apparently, the town is known for their Christmas celebrations, and since his brother-in-law won’t accept straight-up donations from the Langfields, Beckett has tasked us with coming up with an event that will include Bolts players and firefighters. An auction or something along those lines. He’s left the details up to us. I’m thinking a calendar with shirtless firefighters and hockey players would make a killing. Not sure how Beckett will feel about that, though.

“Yeah, he mentioned it. Millie mentioned that since Lake and her father live in that town, she can probably get Mel to come and sing at it too.”

I grasp her arm, grinning. “Now we’re talking.”

We’ve almost made it to the dance floor when my mother sweeps in and stops us. “Lennox, I’d like you to meet someone,” she says.

I offer Ava a shrug, but she merely smiles, probably happy that she can make her way back to the bar where her boyfriend is waiting.

Xander is quiet and seems to make Ava happy. That’s all that really matters to me, though he gives off a vibe I’m not sure I love.

“You remember Kara’s son, Thomas,” my mother says, bringing me back to the present.

I force a smile at my mother’s “friend,” a woman from the club that I’ve encountered a few times at events like these, and yes, I remember her son. He’s made a comment or two under his breath about my weight.

“How could I forget Thomas? Your hair is looking spectacularly thin tonight.”

The man who’s always running a hand through his dark, wavy hair grins like the comment hasn’t quite sunken in.

My mother, on the other hand, hisses. “Lennox!”

I shrug. “Sorry, mother. I gotta go.” I point toward the dance floor and book it in Sara’s direction. When I get to her, I snatch her by the arm, then grab Hannah too and rush toward the front door. I need a little fresh air, and slipping out will help me avoid any more run-ins with my parents and their “friends.”

All night, my father was trying to have a serious conversation with me, catching my eye from across the room and popping up everywhere I go. But Sara has stayed on me like peanut butter on jelly, so he hasn’t had the chance to ruin the night.

“Everything okay?” Hannah asks as we step out into the cool air. Fall is in full effect. I can practically see my breath.

“Yes, just had to get away. I swear my parents are getting extra desperate with my wedding creeping up.”

Sara sticks her bottom lip out. “I still can’t believe you won’t let me throw you a bachelorette party. Tomorrow is your last night of freedom.”

I fold my lips in to stifle a giggle. “Doesn’t feel like that at all. I honestly can’t wait to be his wife.”

Hannah rubs her arms aggressively, already chilly. “Leave her be. She’s in love.”

“Yeah, me too,” Sara says with a shrug. “But I don’t get the rush. Are you hiding something?” Her eyes dip to my stomach.

This time, I don’t hold back my laughter. “I’m not pregnant, you psycho. I’m just excited to be Mrs. Aiden Langfield. He makes me happy, and we don’t want to wait.”

“If you say so,” she mutters, giving me another once-over.

I shove her to the side, making her teeter on her heels. “Stop staring at my fat!”

“You’re not—” Both girls are hissing at me, but their words are cut off when a van pulls up in front of us, the tires screeching to a halt.

“What the?—”

The back door swings open, and a handful of men in masks jump down and rush us.

“Holy shit ,” Sara screams.

My throat has closed up, surprise leaving me speechless. When a pair of strong arms circles my waist and lifts me with little effort, I suck in shallow breaths.

Don’t scream. Don’t draw too much attention . Maybe then everything will go as planned.

We’re shoved into the van carefully, and as the door slams shut, we’re shrouded in darkness.

“Oh my god,” Hannah cries. “We need to bang on the doors. Make as much noise as we can before we get too far from the city.”

She crawls to the back of the cargo area and pounds her fists against the door.

While she wears herself out, I slump back against the leather seats. “It’s a fancy van for a kidnapping,” I muse.

Hannah turns around. “What are you doing? Help me.”

Across from me, Sara’s features are barely visible. She looks perplexed, but not panicked.

“The way the tall one grabbed me,” I whisper. “So hot.”

“ Lennox ,” Hannah hisses over her shoulder.

“This is hardly the time,” Sara mutters.

“Don’t get your panties in a wad. I’m sure Saint Brooks’s bat signal is going off as we speak. And you.” I point at Hannah. “You write stalker romances. You know this is hot.”

“I don’t write stalker romances. I write men who are obsessed.”

Tilting my head, I blink at her.

With a sigh, she slumps against the seat. “Fine, stalker romances can be hot. Real-life kidnappings are not.”

Sara moves closer to Hannah. “Wait, you write books?”

“Oh my god, that isn’t what’s important right now! What is wrong with the two of you? We’ve been kidnapped. They probably want ransom money because she’s a Kennedy. Or maybe because you’re both marrying Langfields. It’s all well and good for you. No one kills the ones worth money. But me?—”

I can’t help but giggle. If they don’t realize that the boys are our kidnappers, I’m not going to ruin it.

“Why are you laughing?” Sara demands, her brow creasing in confusion.

I arch a brow at her. She has to know. Even if she didn’t immediately recognize Brooks’s body, there’s no way he didn’t whisper something in her ear to let her know she was safe. He’d never scare her.

“I laugh at inappropriate times. You know this about me.”

As the van comes to a smooth stop, I tap my Manolo Blahniks in anticipation. I can’t wait to see what Aiden has up his sleeve.

The van door swings open, startling us. I almost feel bad when Hannah grips my hand with all her strength.

“You girls ready for your surprise?” Aiden asks, his smooth voice sending a shiver down my spine.

“Oh my god,” Hannah screams. “I am going to kill you guys.” She shoves me off her. “And you? You knew ?”

There’s no use trying to temper my laughter as I scoot down the leather seats.

When I’m close enough, Aiden pulls me into his arms and settles my feet on the ground. The cold immediately hits me like an arctic blast. “Come here, Princess. I’ve got a blanket for you.”

I feel bad leaving Sara and Brooks to placate a fuming Hannah, but when Daniel and Camden head in her direction, I relax and let Aiden lead me to the front of the van. Hannah has a major crush on Daniel. There’s no way she’ll stay mad once she realizes he’s here.

Aiden pulls a pink chenille blanket from the floorboard and wraps it around me, then pulls me to his chest. “You all right?”

“You know I am.”My cheeks hurt from smiling. “You kidnapped me,” I whisper.

Aiden presses a kiss to my lips. “My kinky girl loves it, doesn’t she?”

I angle back and clutch his lapels. “I’m so wet.”

“Come on, Lex.” He spins me around, then grasps my hand. “Walk with me.”

“Don’t you want to take me home and benefit from how turned on you’ve made me?” I tease.

He tugs me to his side and drapes an arm over my shoulders, leading me away from the group. For the first time, I take in our surroundings. “Where are we?”

“You don’t recognize it?” he muses.

I focus harder, noting the trees on either side of us and the heavy moon that hangs above us. None of it registers until we get to a clearing, and the carousel comes into view.

“ Aiden, ” I whisper, emotion making it come out as a rasp.

“In two days, we’ll be married at the courthouse, but I wanted to do something a little more fitting for you and me. Tonight we had the party, and tomorrow, I have to play, and—” He takes a deep breath. “Lex, you deserve the wedding you imagined for us. Even if marriage isn’t what you want, I’d like to stand in front of that tree over there and pledge my love for you, and then I’d like to take a ride on the carousel together. Just like you planned.”

Tears well as I envision the wedding I described the day we met here. The wedding where we’d finally get our happily ever after. I dreamed of it even when I had no right. Even when he belonged to someone else. Only the truth is, Aiden has always been mine, and I certainly have always been his.

His face blurs in front of me as the tears crest over my lashes and keep coming. “Aiden, it’s closed, baby. But the sentiment is beautiful. We can still get a picture.”

Like magic, the carousel comes to life. Bright lights in the middle of darkness, followed by “Crazy in Love” blasting from the speakers that typically stick to cheerful carousel tunes.

“Sure about that?” he teases.

“ Aiden .” I bury my face in his chest. “What did you do?”

“I did what I had to do to make you happy. I always will. Come on, Princess.” He tugs me toward the carousel. “Never have I ever ridden a carousel at night with my future wife.”

An airy laugh bubbles from my chest as I let go of our past and spring into the future with this man I love so much. Our friends join us, and although the guys are having a blast jumping from one horse to another, Aiden remains by my side the entire time. We take pictures that I can’t wait to frame and hang all over our apartment. We laugh. We kiss. And I experience a joy I never thought was possible.

Then, under the light of the moon and in front of our friends in the middle of the park, Aiden pledges to love me for the rest of his days.