thirty-seven

MIRA

Wedding planning consumes my days while Griffin is on the road for their latest away series, and I hardly have time to miss him.

After a serious heart-to-heart where Isla apologized repeatedly for Maddy’s meddling and her not stopping him, I’ve helped Isla pick out flowers, centerpieces, a photographer…

Hell, I even went cake taste testing with her because she and Maddox couldn’t seem to make it work between their schedules.

Today, we’re shopping for bridesmaids’ dresses.

“Okay.” Isla claps her hands, silencing the group of women around her.

Lexi and I share a grin, while Isla’s best friends, Jess and Nevaeh, beam at my future sister-in-law.

And they deserve to beam at her. After all, the two of them are the reason she met my brother.

Isla puts her hands on her hips and smiles.

“The wedding colors are cream and sage, so your dresses will be sage. They’ve pulled a handful of different style options for you to choose from by the same designer. Pick whichever one you like the best.”

A consultant wheels a rack of satin, sage-green dresses out.

They’re all floor length, but some have spaghetti straps while others have draped bodices or sweetheart necklines.

The color will perfectly offset Isla’s pretty red hair, and I love it.

The employee waves Nev over first, and we all sip champagne and enjoy the mini fashion show.

One by one, each of the bridesmaids tries on dresses until only I remain. It’s been fun, spending the day with these women. I’m so happy I’ll be able to call Isla my sister-in-law in a couple of short months.

“Hey,” the woman in question says softly. She places a palm on my hand to get my attention and leans in. “I just wanted to say sorry again.”

“You have nothing to be sorry about. I know my brother’s heart was in the right place.

But I’m an adult, and I don’t need him to butt into my life anymore.

He doesn’t have to save the day or fight my battles for me.

It was sweet when we were younger, but now I need him to trust that I know what’s best for me. ”

My sweet, soon-to-be sister-in-law nods. She studies me a little too intently. “He does. Whenever you have someone important to introduce to him, I hope you know he’ll support you. As long as you’re happy, he’ll be happy.”

“I sure as hell hope so,” I mutter.

Isla cocks her head to the side and the faintest smile twitches at her lips. “He will be. Even if it requires some adjustments on his part.” That smile of hers finally slips free and grows.

I’m opening my mouth to ask her what she means by that—because that’s an oddly specific thing to say—when the consultant calls my name and waves me toward the dressing room. “Right. We can finish chatting about this later.”

“I’m all ears whenever you want to chat ,” she says. “About anything.”

Right. That feels… Does she suspect something?

Not allowing myself to go down that rabbit hole, I follow the employee back to the dressing room, where she has my top three choices hanging and ready for me.

As I change into the first one, I can’t help thinking about Griffin.

All this wedding planning makes me a little sad that he and I skipped right over this part.

I was never the girl who spent time actively dreaming about her wedding, but I did always assume I’d have one.

Getting married by a young Elvis in Vegas was never a thought that crossed my mind.

The first two dresses are okay, but the third is perfect.

It’s got a simple, classic design that makes me look tall and curvy in all the right places.

The neckline has a drape to it, the straps are thin, and there’s a slit that goes halfway up my left thigh.

When I leave the dressing room to show Isla and the girls, they all cheer and clap.

Isla’s eyes tear up, and she clasps her hands in front of her chest. “You look so beautiful. I can’t believe I’m going to have a sister, let alone one so hot!”

I laugh at that, even though I’m tearing up too. I couldn’t have asked for a better sister-in-law, and I’m so glad my brother got his head out of his ass. Part of me was worried he’d never find someone after the way a couple of his exes treated him, but I’m happy to be wrong.

We all pay for our dresses and make appointments for alterations. It’s a quick timeline, but with Maddy’s career and the time the Rogues spend out of town, they only have a small window where they can get married and go on a honeymoon without having to plan around hockey.

After we settle everything at the dress shop, we go out for mimosas and brunch.

Conversation flows so easily, and not for the first time, I’m filled with gratitude that things with Jared didn’t work out.

If he and I had stayed together, I never would have left Chicago.

I would have missed out on this time with Isla and my brother, I never would have become friends with Lexi, and I never would have wound up married to the sweetest man in the entire world.

When talk turns to men, and Isla grills Jess and Nev about their dating lives, I am so close to spilling the beans and blurting out that Griffin and I are in a relationship. That we’re married, and the sex is earth-shatteringly amazing. But I don’t. I can wait for another week. I can.

I wonder what would have happened if we’d come clean about everything that first morning in Vegas? How different would things have been?

But it’s pointless to consider what-ifs, because I can’t go back in time and change anything.

And I’m not sure I would. The months we’ve spent married in secret have given us time to grow closer and let our relationship evolve without any pressure or outside input.

And I think we needed that, even though I know Griffin has hated keeping this a secret.

Just another week. I can wait another week.

“I miss the hell out of you.” Griffin sighs as he flops down onto a hotel bed, his hair still wet from a post-game shower.

“I miss you too. You look tired.”

“I am. It was an intense game. I swear they had the refs on the payroll for this one.”

The Rogues won tonight, but barely. It was an intensely physical game, and I shouted at the television more times than I could count. Especially when one of the opposing players checked Griffin so hard into the boards that he looked slightly dazed afterward.

“I’ll give you a massage when you get home.”

Griffin perks up at that. “A naked massage? Because that would definitely help me feel better.”

“Yeah,” I say, chuckling. “A naked massage.”

“Hell yeah. You can oil up your tits and rub them all over me.” His expression goes dreamy. “I miss your tits.”

Rolling my eyes, I arch an eyebrow at my husband. “Only my tits?”

“Yep.” Griffin’s eyes sparkle with mischief. It’s such an achingly familiar expression, and one I love so much.

Shit. I love him. I’ve fought it, but there’s no point in denying it any longer. I love Griffin Wright.

“Well, my tits miss you too.”

“They should come out and say hi, then.”

I lose the fight with my laughter, and it comes spilling out of me as I tug my shirt up and flash Griffin my boobs.

“Ladies,” he drawls, “so lovely to see you.” He blows my tits a kiss before turning his attention back to my face with a huge smile. “How was your day, baby? Did you have fun with Isla and the girls?”

“I did. You’ll love the dress I picked out. And lunch was great. It was hard not to tell them about you, though.”

He nods. “I know. I’ve had to stop myself from blurting it out to Bash at least half a dozen times since we got on the plane.”

“I swear, Isla suspects something. Has Maddox been acting weird? You don’t think she’s said anything to him, do you?”

Griffin’s head tilts to the side and his eyes narrow as he considers it.

He’s so handsome, it makes my heart beat wildly in my chest. I miss him.

I wish he was here so I could curl up in his arms and surround myself with the rich scent of his cologne and the light musk that’s all him.

“I don’t think so. He hasn’t tried to kill me, so seems unlikely. ”

He says the words lightly, coated in his typical humor, but his eyes tighten enough that I know there’s some real hurt there.

Griffin is truly worried my brother won’t accept our relationship, and that he’ll lose his best friend.

I wish I could say I didn’t share at least some of that worry, but I have to believe Maddox will pull his head out of his ass and see how happy Griffin makes me.

“He’ll be happy for us,” I say, keeping my voice soft. “He loves you, and he knows that you’re one of the best men in the world. Just wait. I think he’ll surprise you.”

I hate the doubt I see flickering in Griffin’s eyes as he forces a smile. I hate that we’re hours away from each other. There’s nothing I want more in this moment than to wrap my husband in my arms and reassure him.

“Yeah, I’m sure you’re right.”

“I’m always right.”

He chuckles. “You could be. We’d just have to file the paperwork.”

“You’re incorrigible.”

“No, babe, I’m Griffin. You should know my name by now. I mean, shit, we’re married.”

I bark out a laugh. “I miss you.”

“I miss you too. Can’t wait for our trip. You’re going to kill that meeting with U of M.”

“And you’re going to lock that sponsorship deal down.”

“I’m just excited to spend time alone with you. The sponsorship is just a bonus.”

I feel exactly the same. My heart settles in my chest, content and hopeful. Maybe we didn’t have a conventional start to our relationship, but it’s real, and amazing, and so much more than I could have hoped for.

I’ve never been happier.