Page 129 of Hockey Boy
Scowling, Jackson steps back so he’s elbow to elbow with me, his focus turning to the dance floor. “That won’t be happening once I tell my daughter the deal is off.”
I will my heart to beat steadily and swallow past the lump in my throat. “Deal?”
He’s the one smirking now. He knows he has me. The man can smell the blood in the water. Fuck. His shoulders shake as he silently chuckles. “You think I don’t know this is all a sham? My daughter had no interest in marriage until I laid out the terms for her trust. Then, suddenly, she’s dating the ex she dumped without even a backward glance.”
The words hit me in the gut, just like he hoped, but I don’t let it show. “Or we reconnected and realized what a mistake we made. Realized that we don’t want to wait another minute to start the rest of our lives together.”
Jackson leans in close and clasps my shoulder. “I guess we’ll see which of us is right. I’ll let my daughter know she doesn’t have to marry you to get her trust. Have a good night.”
Anxiety twists my stomach so fiercely I worry I might throw up right here on my shoes. With a deep breath in, then back out, I focus on Lennox again. Before Jackson tells her she no longer has to marry me, I need to tell her why she does. And hope like hell that I’m enough for her.
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’swords 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 bethe 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. Bycrowd, 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.