“Wasn’t his wife royalty or something?”
A snap sounded by my side. “Shit, you’re right. Forgot about that.”
I purposely avoided mentioning that you needed tons of space with five kids. That would only reopen wounds my best friend was struggling to let heal.
Stepping up to the double doors at the entry of the home, I knocked, but after a few minutes, no one answered. I could hear the hustle and bustle inside, so I cracked one side of thedoor open hesitantly.
No wonder no one had heard my knock. There were people everywhere, talking over one another.
Opening the door wider, Jenner took a peek and chuckled. “I don’t think they’ll even notice if we slip inside.”
Our hosts were nowhere to be seen, so we crossed the threshold and stepped into the gathering of guests to witness a beautiful display of love later in the evening.
I had to hand it to the Slates; they knew how to throw a party. Not only was their house magnificent but they had cater waiters passing through the crowd, offering hors d’oeuvres and champagne, with small standalone bars set up throughout the space.
Despite the rivalry between our two teams, the Speed and Comets mingled. Braxton might be the common denominator tonight, but many of these guys had played together in the past or currently trained together during the offseason. But you’d never know it when our teams clashed on the ice.
Jenner clapped me on the shoulder. “I’m gonna grab a drink. You want anything?”
“Yeah, a whiskey neat is fine.” I would never admit it out loud, but the drink would forever remind me of Bristol and our first night together, and tonight, I wanted to feel close to her.
Stepping through the crowded room, I nodded to a few Comets players I knew, chatting with those from the Speed. While I was usually more social, there was one woman in attendance I needed to find. I could sense her presence, and until I laid eyes on her, I wouldn’t be able to breathe.
I fully expected Bristol to be socializing with Dakota and Braxton’s tight-knit group—the same group that had saved my ass the night of the fight at Pipes—so I stopped short when I spied her sitting alone on a large sectional, bouncing a baby in her lap.
Dressed in a cream sweater and black faux leather leggings, she was stunning. But if I was being honest, she always was.
Leaning against a pillar separating the living room from the kitchen, I watched her interaction with her tiny companion. Bristol’s face was visible from her seated position, and the expression of pure joy as she held the baby high over her head before bringing it back down to the sound of giggles, had my heart threatening to burst. She was a natural.
Kids had never been on my radar. Hell, settling down, period, hadn’t been. Not until now. Not until her.
Bristol walking into my life changed everything I thought I wanted.
Suddenly, I could picture her with a little redheaded baby in her arms instead of the blond one she held. I was guessing it was a boy from the blue overall set it wore, but you could never be sure. Most guys wanted a miniature version of themselves, but I couldn’t think of anything better than having a tiny version of Bristol looking at me like I’d hung the moon, like I was her hero.
A glass was pressed into my hand, and I assumed Jenner had returned with my whiskey. Paying him no attention, I brought it to my lips, my brows furrowing when I tasted scotch instead.
I was just about to turn around and roast him for getting a simple drink order wrong, but the voice that spoke did not belong to my best friend. “It’s scary how your life can flash before your eyes when you meet the right woman, isn’t it?”
Jaxon Slate stepped up beside me, nodding his head in the direction of Bristol.
“Is it that obvious?” I asked, wondering if the entire room could see my thoughts written on my face.
He chuckled. “Only to someone who has been exactly where you’re standing now. I knew the moment I saw Natalie that she was meant to bemine. It didn’t matter that she was married or had a baby already. I could justfeelit, you know?”
I sucked in a breath, rubbing across the ache in my chest. “Yeah, I do.”
“So, why are you standing here watching her when you could be over there? You have an advantage I didn’t have. She’s available, and from what I can tell from when we came to Indy, she’s got feelings for you.”
Sighing, I sipped my scotch. “It’s complicated.”
“Love usually is,” Jaxon remarked. “But it’s always worth fighting for.”
“Even if we didn’t work together, people will think she’s too young for me.”
Shrugging, Jaxon replied, “If I cared about what people thought, I would never have taken on a single mom. ‘People’ don’t have to live your life. They can have an opinion all they like, but as long as the two of you are happy? Screw everyone else.”
He had a point, but I still had hang-ups. Well, more accurately, Bristol did.
