Page 30

Chapter Thirty

STEVIE

“I s it weird I’m nervous for tonight?”

“Why are you nervous?” Bode wraps his arms around my waist and tugs me back into his chest. It’s my favorite place, being surrounded in his warmth.

“I’ve never hung out with the guys before.”

“You’ve hung out with Harper.”

“That was at the game,” I correct. “We had something to talk about and it made it easier. I don’t know the guys.”

Bode presses a kiss to my neck. “Then talk hockey. You won’t get them to shut up.”

“Easy for you to say. I want them to like me.”

Spinning me in his arms, Bode drops his hands on either side of me, caging me in. “Trust me, they will.”

“You sound so confident.”

“Because you’re an easy person to like.”

The softness on his face, the look of adoration, makes me weak in the knees. Who knew Bode Adams could make me feel so many things?

He’s been my rock this week. Through the barrage of comments and harassment I’ve gotten, I couldn’t have made it through without him. And with the endless cancellations at work, I’ve been twiddling my thumbs at the spa.

With no clients, there’s no money coming in.

It sucks, plain and simple.

Before I can say anything else, the front door opens and pattering feet carry themselves into the kitchen.

“Hi, Bode!” One of Marcus and Harper’s daughters comes running around the island. “Where’s Caleb?”

“What am I? Chopped liver?” Bode laughs.

“We want to play with him. We liked making him laugh.”

“He’s in the living room,” I tell them. “C’mon.”

Spinning her around by the shoulder, I lead her into the living room. Caleb is sitting in the pack ’n play we set up for him. “You’ve got some people that want to see you.”

Lifting him out, she immediately starts cooing over him. “He’s so cute.”

The guys filter in through the door, as Harper and the rest of her kids walk toward us.

“Hey, Stevie.”

“Hi. I’m glad you guys could come over tonight.”

“Even if we ended up bringing all the guys?” she says.

I laugh. “Bode didn’t want to leave them out.”

Harper shakes her head as Sadie comes over to us. “Can we all play together?”

“Yes.” She sets Jamie down on the floor next to Caleb. Now that he is crawling, we have baby gates set up in the living room to try and keep him contained. But with him pulling himself up, it’s only a matter of time before he starts walking. “Just make sure they don’t put anything they shouldn’t in their mouths.”

She nods and drops down onto the ground next to her siblings and Caleb. Watching Caleb’s fascination with them is sweet. It was like this at the hockey game.

Harper links her arm through mine and pulls me into the kitchen. “I cannot wait until they are old enough to babysit.”

Looking behind me, the two of them are pulling toys out and holding them out to the boys. “Think they’d want to come babysit Caleb?”

“Gladly.”

All of the guys are in the kitchen, and my nerves are kicking in. These guys are like Bode’s second family.

“I think it’s time I officially introduce you all to Stevie.”

“It’s nice to actually meet you.” Jasper sticks his hand out for me to shake. “Can’t believe you like this idiot.”

“Hey!” Bode scoffs.

I cough in my arm to cover my laugh. “I think he’s a keeper.”

“Jasper, be nice,” Dax chides, pulling the cork on the bottle of wine and pouring a few glasses. “You don’t want to scare her away.”

“Like you saying that is any better?” Noah smacks him on the back of his head. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too.”

“I’m Noah’s boyfriend, Graham.”

“Hi.”

I don’t think I’ve ever been surrounded by so many attractive men before, but none of them hold a candle to Bode.

“I hope you guys want burgers, because I bought enough to feed a small army,” Bode tells them.

“Sounds good to me,” Jasper tells him, grabbing a beer from the fridge. I take one of the wine glasses from Dax.

“Why don’t you go start dinner?” Harper asks them.

“Can’t we visit before?” Marcus asks.

“No,” she says matter-of-factly. “You see each other almost every day. Go talk outside. I want to talk about you guys with Stevie.”

I blush as they all balk.

“Shoo,” Harper commands and they all obey immediately. Bode grabs the plate of burgers and heads outside, sending a wink my way.

“We’ll be back.” Marcus drops a kiss to her lips and follows the rest of the guys outside.

The low sounds of a cartoon drift into the kitchen with the giggles of the kids. With them entertained, Harper wastes no time bringing up the elephant in the room caused by the news breaking of me and Bode being together.

“Bode says you’re having a hard time with things.”

I blow out a breath, pulling my sweater tighter around my front. “I swear, hockey players are bigger gossips than my Nan.”

Harper lays a warm hand on my forearm. “He only brought it up to Marcus because he’s worried about you.”

“I don’t think I realized how cutting people can be. The number of times I’ve been called a bitch and a home-wrecker this week? It’s exhausting.”

“I wish I could tell you it gets easier, but you learn to block out the noise.”

“Really? Because it seems like the noise is going to crush me. I never thought it would affect my job. I mean all these canceled appointments? Do they really care that much about my personal life?”

“You’ve really had that many?” Harper asks.

I nod. “Almost all of my appointments have been canceled. At the rate I’m going, I’ll be fired within a week.”

“That’s strange.” She gives me a studious look. “I get Bode is in the limelight, but that’s weird.”

“I thought so too, but I don’t know if I can keep dealing with this.”

The number of messages I’ve gotten over the last week has increased tenfold. When Bode said things would get worse before they get better, I didn’t think they’d get this bad. I never knew women could be so bitchy. Bitch and home-wrecker are the nicer of the comments. I haven’t told Bode about the bad ones.

What’s the point of getting him worked up? I don’t want him to spout off in anger and make things worse for himself.

“Look, Stevie. Bode is going to be in the limelight for a long time. He’s still in the prime of his career. Can you handle it? I know some wives who get messages from strangers saying they wish they could have a night with their husband and offer ungodly sums of money.”

My jaw hits the ground. “Are you serious?”

She nods, sipping her wine. “You don’t have to worry about most people. They’re respectful and, if they see you out and about, might ask for a selfie and autograph. But there are some that don’t have boundaries and have zero shame telling you what they think.”

I sip my own wine, letting the warmth of it try to calm my anxious cells. How do I figure out how to deal with Bode’s job?

The worst of the attacks have been the ones asking me how Bode could go for anyone like me and wondering how I could tread on another woman’s life and steal her man.

Ugly.

Hideous.

A slut.

Only with Bode because of his money and good looks.

It hurts. All I want to do is help make others feel beautiful in their skin. To have these words thrown at me is rocks at glass. I’ve worked hard to insulate myself from letting harsh words and actions affect me. But when they’re coming at me from all directions every minute of the day? I can only do so much to let it roll off my back.

And even worse, I hate burdening Bode with these emotions.

“Listen, I don’t want to cause you any more worry, but if you ever need to unload about it, I’m here for you,” Harper tells me, bringing me out of my thoughts.

I give her a half-smile. “I appreciate it. Sometimes it feels like I’m out here on an island all by myself.”

“Not by yourself. You have me and Bode. And the rest of the guys. Your grandma. We’ll help you figure this whole dating a hockey star out.”

“Stevie! Look, look!” One of the girls calls out and I’m flying out of my seat, almost knocking my wine over.

“Is everything okay?” I rush into the living room, my heart in my throat.

“Look!”

They point to Caleb. He’s standing on his feet in the middle of the living room and takes two hesitant steps before falling.

“Oh my God. Holy shit! Bode. Get in here!”

“What?” He rushes into the kitchen with a spatula in hand, the rest of the guys falling in behind him. “What’s wrong? Is it Caleb?”

“Caleb is walking.”

“What?” Now Caleb is sitting on the floor between the girls. Jamie is unbothered with the commotion, continuing to watch the show.

Bode thrusts the spatula at Dax and walks into the living room and bends down next to the girls. “Caleb. Are you walking? Can you walk to Daddy?”

Caleb looks like he’s deciding before he pushes himself up. Fishing my phone out of my jeans pocket, I turn the video on, hoping he’ll take another step.

“C’mon, Caleb,” one of the guys encourages from behind. “You can do it.”

“Go, Caleb, go!” the girls cheer in unison.

He’s looking around the room at all the people staring at him.

“You can do it,” I tell him.

It’s not like he can understand me, but I want Bode to see this. With his schedule, there’s no telling if he’ll be home the next time it happens.

“Show everyone what you just did,” Bode tells him. “You can do it.”

Then Caleb takes one step and then two more before he starts to fall and Bode scoops him up.

“My kid is amazing!” He holds him up, peppering his face in kisses. “Way to go, buddy!”

“All kids—” Jasper starts, but he can’t get a word in edgewise.

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence,” Harper hisses next to me.

Tears well in my eyes at seeing how happy Bode is. It’s the sweetest moment seeing Bode experience this.

Things might be hard right now, but getting to be with Bode during this milestone? Being with Bode?

It’s worth all the hard.