Page 92 of Hockey Boy
I straighten and look up into his beautiful brown eyes. Maybe it’s the magic of the day, or the lighting from the movie screen, but they’re glowing with happiness. “What do you mean,it is now?”
With a secretive smile, he presses a kiss to my lips. “I brought peanut M&M’s for you. But I’m keeping all the blue ones.”
A movie night on the lawn. Dancing under the stars. M&M’s.
“Aiden, why does it feel like we’re inThe Wedding Planner?”
He ducks his head, burying it in my shoulder.
“Aiden—”
His chest rumbles as he laughs. When he pulls back, his smooth smile steals my breath. “Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answer to.”
“Did you?—”
He silences me with a kiss, though I’m pretty sure I already know the answer.
Aiden Langfield spent the day trying to get me to fall in love with this city. And tonight, he recreated one of teenage Lennox’s favorite movies, a movie we’ve quite literally been living for the last month.
I can’t help but wonder, if what we’re doing is all still fake, why would he go to all this trouble?
And if it’s all still fake, why do I love every moment of it so much?
Me: Who came up with the puffin idea?
Beckett: I made it happen.
Brooks: LOL. Of course Matchmaker Beckett is to blame.
Beckett: Haha. Laugh all you want. You’re all happy because of me, and now we have puffins walking down the aisle. I’m clearly the best man in this group.
Gavin: Why do I have a feeling I should have picked you as my best man?
Me: Who me?
Brooks: Definitely me.
Gavin: Honestly, either. It would surely be better than listening to Beckett drone on about how amazing he is.
Me: I can switch boutonnieres and be in the groom’s suite in five. Just say the word.
Gavin: Aiden, I need you on bird duty. Brooks, can you make sure Sara knows not to let Vivi touch the puffins? Avery says they’re friendly, but I’m not taking any chances.
Dammit.I push my hair back and head down the beach toward Christian Damiano, the Boston Revs’ infamous pitcher, and his fiancée, Avery, also his coach’s daughter, who are guarding the little penguin-like birds. Damiano is crouched beside one, having a full-on conversation. When he finishes speaking, I swear the bird fucking nods. Then Damiano pats the thing on its head.
Strange.
“Hey, guys. I’ve been told to hang with the puffins.” I hold a hand out to Damiano.
Instead of shaking it, he stares at it and grimaces like it’s diseased. I know the guy is a germaphobe, but he literally just touched one of those birds, and now he’s worried about my hand?
Avery takes my hand instead, side-eyeing her fiancé. “Hi, Aiden. The birds are ready. Don’t you worry.”
Her eyes are lit up with infectious excitement. It’s exactly the vibe I need. I’ve been nervous all day. Not because my brother’s getting married—and definitely not because of the puffins, though the way one is looking at me right now, like he might be hungry, has me keeping one eye on him as I talk. No, I’m nervous because this is Lennox’s first solo wedding, and I want it to go well for her. I want her to be confident in herself. I want to make sure she’s happy, content, settled, before I’m forced to make hockey my primary focus for the next month.
The last few weeks with her have been perfect. Lunches out, hangouts with my family, double dates with my brothers and their women, more nights like the one we had in the park, watching movies from the early 2000s, likeFever Pitchand13 Going on 30—some of our old favorites.
Now, though, it’s almost time for Gavin and Brooks and me to shift our focus. If Lennox is confident in her business, content in this life, maybe I won’t fail her again.