Page 179

FIFTY-SIX

AIDEN

“How do you lose a raccoon?” I grumble into the phone as I pull up to Beckett’s house.

“Slick is missing,” he says. “Not my raccoon. Junior is my raccoon.”

As I climb out of my car, he approaches, sporting a nice shiner.

“Liv pissed?”I ask, pocketing my phone.

He does the same, chuckling. “You trying to say my wife controls me?”

I grin. “You know she does. As Lennox controls me. Speaking of which, I have to meet her soon.”

Beckett smiles. “For your wedding.”

My heart skips at the sound of that single word. “Yeah, my wedding.”

It feels like a miracle that we’re still getting married today. The last two days have felt more like a lifetime. The birthday party, her father’s threat, her appointment with her family’s attorney, the shit show that went down at the arena, and then my confession to the world.

Needless to say, we’re still reeling, but she stood beside me, told me she loves me. And I can’t wait for her to be my wife.

“Bossman, he ran in here,” Finn hollers from across the street. He’s standing in front of a brownstone that looks almost identical to theirs.

“How’d he get over there?” I ask, trailing behind Beckett as he crosses the street, headed toward the house that Finn’s just disappeared inside. “And whose house is that? It belongs to one of Liv’s friends, right? Or did your kid just break into a stranger’s home?”

Beckett grumbles. “It’s not one of ours.”

The neighborhood is lined with trees, most of which are bare this time of year. The brownstones that stand side by side are standard red brick with black doors, and they’re all beautifully maintained. It hasn’t always been this way. Maybe my brother has formed an association that has imposed rules and compliance. It wouldn’t surprise me.

I follow him up the steps, and as he opens the door and walks in without hesitation, I wince.

“Nice house,” I comment. “Though it’s a bit bare.” There’s a fireplace in the corner, and on the floor in front of it, a blanket is laid out. Beside it is a champagne bottle stuck in a bucket of ice. Clearly, someone has plans to celebrate. Maybe they just bought it.

Beckett continues down the hall, his shoes clacking loudly against the hardwoods.

“Aren’t you worried someone is going to call the cops?”I call after him.

I take in the dark wood cabinets, the oversized island, the double fridge. It’s a dream, really, especially when I note the television hanging in the corner. It’d be convenient to watch ESPN or a rom-com while making dinner. Hell, a kitchen this big would be perfect for team dinners.

That gets my mind spinning. Would Lex ever consider a house like this?

When Beckett storms out the back door, I take off at a jog to keep up. Jeez, his legs aren’t any longer than mine. Must have big feet. And you know what that means.

I chuckle to myself as I open the door. I barely make it two steps down when a dog comes barreling toward me. Not just any dog. It’s a puppy. He’s white and bouncy, like his body is too small to contain all his energy.

At the sound of Finn shrieking “giddy up, Bossman,” I scan the yard. Beckett is running through the grass with Finn on his shoulders.

“What the—” I mutter as they disappear out the back gate. Where the hell are they going?

The puppy jumps up on my leg, distracting me from my thoughts. In its mouth is a piece of green fabric. It takes a minute for it to register, but when it does, my stomach bottoms out. “You didn’t,” I mutter as I tug at the Luigi costume. The last time I saw the racoons, they were dressed in costumes—Mario, Luigi, and a Princess Peach.

He wouldn’t. He didn’t.

“Duck.” I pull on my hair as panic races through my veins like ice. Finn is going to lose his mind. “ Duck .”

“Nah, his name’s Goose.”

I shriek like a teenage girl and jump a good foot in the air when Lennox pops out from behind the bushes.

“Holy shit, Lex. What the—what are you—” My jaw goes slack, and my tongue rolls out like a cartoon character as I take her in. With my jersey over a white dress, she is absolute perfection. “I thought…” I shake my head, at a loss, because I have no idea what I’m thinking.

Lennox lights up, breaking into a pretty smile. “What do you think of our puppy?”she asks as she saunters toward me.

Holding my breath, I study her face, trying to find the joke, but she seems sincere.

“Our puppy?”

“Yeah. And the house. It’s nice, right? Beckett mentioned that there’s a park around the corner. It’d be a great place for you to run around in. Ya know, to get the zoomies out?”

I nod, as if any of the words leaving her make sense.

“So what do you think?”

My heart stutters. “About the house with the dream kitchen and the puppy that I’ve always wanted?”

She grins. “And the girl of your dreams to come home to every night? What do you say, Hockey Boy? Never have I ever grown up. You want to do it with me?”

I lunge for her and pull her into my arms, holding her tight, like if I can bring her in close enough, this dream won’t disappear. Because that’s what this is. My wildest dream. A life with Lennox. Forever with Lennox .

I pull back and cup her face, staring into her pretty blue eyes. “I love you so much. Of course I want to do this with you. Did you really think that was a question?”

She shrugs and shows me her wrist. “I had a plan to get down on one knee and give this to you—” She slides a blue and white friendship bracelet over her hand and dangles it between us. “Marry me, Aiden. Not because of some trust, and not because you think it’s what I need. Marry me because you can’t imagine spending another day without me. Because I know I can’t imagine going another day without being your wife.”

“Oh, I’m going to marry the shit out of you,” I say, taking the bracelet from her. The beads spell out husband , coordinating perfectly with the wifey bracelet on her wrist.

“Made it with Winnie before I came over,” she says softly. “She’s really proud of you, ya know. Liv let her listen to the Hockey Report. She heard everything you said.”

“Yeah?” I smile, my throat going tight. At least I got that right. Hopefully she’s one of many kids who heard me. Who realize that it’s okay to not feel “normal” and that she’s comfortable talking about it, whether to me or her parents or a therapist.

“I got matching T-shirts for us too,” she teases, tugging the hem of her jersey up. It’s like those I’m with stupid shirts, with arrows that point to one side, but this one is emblazoned with His Last Kiss .

I drop my head back and bark out a laugh. The sound makes the puppy whimper at our feet. “I fucking love you, Lex.”

She leans in and brushes her lips against mine. “I love you. And full disclosure, I get the trust whether we get married or not. My father did offer it to me if I agreed not to marry you, but I turned him down. Then I discovered that my grandmother had the trust amended, removing the marriage clause. But with or without the money, I want to be your wife.”

My chest practically bursts with affection for this woman.“Lucky for you, your bank account balance is the least attractive thing about you.”

She grins. “Right back at you.”

“Did you really buy this house?”

She bites her lip and lowers her gaze.

My stomach dips with a disappointment I’m ashamed to feel. Of course she only used it for the proposal. Damn, I really did like it.

Tipping her chin up, she gives me a rueful smile. “It’s a wedding gift, actually.”

Brows pulled low, I frown in confusion. “From who?”

“Your brother. Though it comes with a few strings. I may have agreed that we’d watch the kids on Friday nights when we can.”

Laughing, I bring my forehead to hers. “Fucking Beckett.”

“Ducking,” she murmurs.

The dog yelps again, eager for attention, so I crouch down and pet his soft fur. “Goose?”

He barks like he knows his name.

She shrugs. “Beckett.”

I groan, annoyed that he came up with such a great name without me. “I can’t believe he named our ducking dog Goose.”

She smiles down at us. “I don’t know. I think it’s kind of perfect.”

Popping up, I throw my arm around her.

The puppy instantly darts into the house, streaking mud across the gorgeous hardwoods.

“Nothing’s perfect,” I say. “It might even be a disaster. But so long as I’m with you, Lex, it will be everything I’ve ever wanted.”