Page 116 of Hockey Boy
He smiles. This time he mouths his response, letting me know it’s just for me. “I know. I measured your finger while you slept.”
I snort. “Stalker.”
He shrugs. “A friendly one, though.”
Pulling me in close, he kisses me again, this one soft and languid. The crowd is watching, and the cheers around the arena are deafening. Though Aiden has created a giant spectacle, none of it feels like it’s for them. This is for us. As he releases my mouth and drops his forehead to mine, I study my ring. He absently strokes over the band with a thumb, like he just needs to be reminded that it’s there.
“Is this real?” I whisper, still shocked.
Cupping my cheeks again, he ducks down and locks eyes with me. “This is whatever you want it to be, Lex. You have me, in whatever capacity you want, forever.”
My heart swells as the gravity of his words hits me. “You’ve got a game to win, Hockey Boy.”
He nods and presses another kiss on my mouth.
Sara taps on my shoulder and directs us to smile at a photographer who’s appeared out of nowhere. We take picture after picture, the team even getting in on some. Then, still lost in a whirlwind of emotions, I follow Sara upstairs to the owner’s suite.
“Holy shit,” Sara breathes. “You’re gettingmarried.” She spins and takes me in, wearing the biggest smile I’ve ever seen. “We’re marrying brothers. We’re going to besisters.”
My chest splits open then, and I swear butterflies pour out. “Holy shit. That’s wild.”
“Brooks has always been my favorite, for obvious reasons but Aiden just nudged him out of first place.”
I snort. “You realize that we also have Brooks to thank, right? He’s gotta marry you in order for us to become sisters.”
Her eyes darken. “Are you trying to insinuate there’s a world in which he changes his mind and doesn’t marry me?”
“No. Definitely not.” I grip her arm and stretch my hand so she refocuses on the sparkly ring and not dark thoughts. “Come on, we need a picture of our hands together.”
“We do,”she squeals. Then she’s pulling out her phone and throwing herself into the task. Fifteen hand pictures later, we head into the suite.
When we step inside, the whole Langfield crew is here, along with our friends, cheering and clapping and rushing me.
Then, with a glass of champagne in hand, I watch my guy play one of the best games of his life. Between the second and third periods, Beckett appears by my side. “I take it Aiden hasn’t made a terrible roommate?”
I bite my lip. “He’s been very respectful of my space.”
Beckett nods, though his gaze remains trained on the ice, like he’s actually interested in watching the Bolts mascot skating around and making a fool of himself. “He wants a dog, you know.”
“Huh?” I shift in my seat and scrutinize the incredibly confusing billionaire. He’s known as a demanding grump to the press and his employees, but I’ve never seen that side of him.
He gives me a calming smile. “Not now. But eventually. There’s a brownstone on my street. Plenty of space for a dog to run in the yard. Kids in the neighborhood. It’s not for sale yet, but it will be by the end of the year.”
My heart lodges itself in my throat. I’m thoroughly confused by this cryptic conversation. “Okay?”
“Liv tells me that Josie’s party was incredible. And Ava mentioned that she could use some help with charity events for Langfield Corp.”
I nod, chest growing tighter, still confused about where this is going.
“Is that something you’d be interested in?”
I peer over my shoulder, searching for who could be putting him up to this. Sara is preoccupied with Millie and Vivi, dancing in front of the glass and pointing down at the mascot. Liv isn’t even in the room. She and Winnie dipped out to use the bathroom. Winnie has been withdrawn all night again, despite the festivities. No one else is watching us, so I turn back to the peculiar Langfield brother. “Did Aiden put you up to this?”
Crossing his arms over his chest, Beckett frowns. “What? I don’t run business decisions by my brothers.”
“This seems like a stalker thing Aiden would do. A way to get me to his away games like Brooks has with Sara.”
Beckett scowls. “I assure you, I have nothing to do with my brother’sstalkerplans.” He clearly doesn’t get the implication in that word. Thank god. Even so, my cheeks heat. “You’d actually be very busy. The events are all held in Boston, so you’d rarely have to travel, and you definitely wouldn’t be accompanying the team. You’d be planning parties for sponsors and investors. Sometimes players, I suppose, but those would all be local. The charity work we do would be a large part of it.”