by L. P. Dover
Justin and I both laughed and I said, “We know how that goes. She’s been like that all her life.”
Dallas shook my hand and then started for the door. “See ya at the house.”
I threw on my clothes and listened to Justin’s phone beep the entire time he got dressed. “Is that Miranda blowing up your phone?” I asked.
Huffing, he rolled his eyes. “Yup. I can’t even take a shit without her wanting to know my every move.”
I burst out laughing. “That’s messed up. Maybe if you stop fucking her she’d get the point.”
He threw his arms up. “Believe me, I wish I could, but the media follows my ass everywhere. I can’t risk getting caught with another woman. I have to get laid somehow.” Frustrated, he texted her back. I didn’t feel sorry for him one bit. He was the one who picked the wrong girl.
Tossing his phone into his bag, he slammed his locker shut. “Let’s go.”
“I’m right behind you.” I couldn’t wait to see the look on Braeden’s face when I showed up.
Chapter 21
Lacey
It was strange being in the pool house with a panoramic view of the lake. It was definitely different from the bustling streets of New York. While the team practiced, I unpacked. Once Braeden was done at the rink, we were going to Callie and Dallas’s house to tell them the good news.
Braeden’s truck rumbled down the street and I watched him pull into the side of the driveway to the pool house. I placed my jewelry box on the dresser and hurried into the kitchen, just as he opened the door. He smiled and looked around. “Nice place.”
“Thanks. You ready to head to Dallas and Callie’s?”
He nodded. “Whenever you are.” When he brought me back after dinner, I planned to walk right over to Maddox’s house. I couldn’t wait to see him.
We hopped into Braeden’s truck and drove the couple of miles to Callie and Dallas’s house. It was going to be nice only being a few minutes away from my brother. When we pulled up, Dallas had just gotten the mail out of the mailbox. His eyes lit up when he saw me. Braeden parked and I jumped out.
“What are you doing here?” Dallas shouted, his grin so wide it made me smile. He held out his arms and I hugged him hard.
“Surprise.”
“Got that right.” He laughed and let me go. “What’s going on?”
“Is Callie inside? That way we can tell you both.”
He nodded toward the house. “Of course. She’s inside making enough spaghetti to feed a damn army. Why don’t you eat with us?”
I turned to Braeden and he shrugged. “Up to you.”
“All right, we’ll stay then.” I latched on to Dallas’s arm and we walked inside. The scent of garlic wafted past my nose and it smelled heavenly at first, but then the more I smelled it, the nausea came back.
“Dallas, who were you talking to?” Callie asked from the kitchen. When she turned the corner, her eyes widened in surprise when she saw me. We followed her back into the kitchen. “Oh my God, Lacey, what are you doing here?” Her eyes darted from mine to Braeden’s and over to Dallas.
Dallas leaned against the kitchen counter. “That’s what I want to know.”
Braeden nudged me in the side. “Tell them.”
Grinning wide, I looked at them both. “I moved to North Carolina!”
Callie squealed and slapped a hand over her mouth. “Seriously? Like already moved?”
“Yes,” I said, laughing.
Dallas burst out laughing. “This is fucking awesome.” He pulled me into his arms and squeezed me so hard I could barely breathe. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”
“Same,” Callie agreed. “But I’m happy you’re staying. Where did you move to?”
“Just a few miles from here. I’m renting a pool house from this really sweet couple.”
Callie’s eyes narrowed curiously. “I see. What about your residency?”
“I start at the hospital next Monday.”
Callie gasped. “With me?”
“Yep. There was a position available under Dr. Young. I told him not to tell you.”
Her smile brightened. “I’m so going to get him. I can’t believe you kept this a secret from me.”
“You’re not upset, are you?” I asked, directing it to both of them.
Dallas snorted. “Hell no. I’m glad you’re here.” He squeezed Callie’s shoulders. “You don’t mind if Braeden and Lacey eat dinner with us, do you? You made a shit ton.”
Callie’s eyes went wide. “Uh…” A knock sounded on the door and Justin’s voice echoed through the house. He wasn’t alone. Braeden tensed beside me just as Justin and Maddox walked into the kitchen, and the tension skyrocketed as they saw Braeden and me. My eyes instantly locked with Maddox’s. If Braeden wasn’t there, it wouldn’t be so bad, but I didn’t want them brawling in the kitchen.
Swallowing hard, I chuckled nervously. “We can eat dinner another time. I don’t want to impose.”
Dallas scoffed. “What the fuck are you talking about? We’re basically all family here. You’re staying. Nobody minds at all.”
“Exactly,” Maddox spoke up. “We don’t mind at all.” Of course he didn’t.
* * *
—
I was too nervous to eat. By the smug look on Maddox’s face, he knew he was pissing Braeden off. It didn’t help that he kept touching my leg under the table. Granted, I loved it, but he was playing with fire.
“How do you think you’ll do at the game this weekend?” Callie asked.
The guys all looked at each other, and Justin was the one who spoke first. “I think it’ll be a good one.”
“Me, too,” Dallas agreed. “The morale is back.”
Throughout the whole dinner, I could barely eat. My stomach still wasn’t back to normal after the virus I had. I spent most of the time trying to think good thoughts and not throwing up all over the table. Maddox did pretty good keeping my mind off it, even if he did test my patience by bothering Braeden. I loved Maddox to death, but he enjoyed stirring trouble, especially when it came to proving his claim over me to Braeden.
“You didn’t eat much,” Callie said, focusing on my plate. “Was it not good?”
I wiped my mouth on my napkin. “It’s delicious. It’s just I ate a huge lunch. I’ll definitely be taking some home.” That made her smile.
“Speaking of home,” Maddox blurted. “I heard you moved down here. Hopefully, you’ll like being in North Carolina.”
Braeden clenched his fork. “I’m sure she will. She has lots of friends to keep her company.”
My heart stopped and I held my breath. Maddox smiled, but the stare he gave Braeden promised trouble. “It’s too early to tell, but I’ll let you know,” I cut in quickly.
Callie cleared her throat. “Now that everyone’s done with dinner, didn’t you want help moving that furniture in the other room?” she said to Dallas.
He finished off his beer. “Yeah, you’re right.” His gaze landed on Braeden and he nodded toward the hallway. “Mind helping me, brother?”
Braeden’s jaw clenched as he looked from Maddox to me. “I’ll be right back.”
Once he disappeared down the hall with Dallas, I grabbed my plate and took it into the kitchen. Maddox joined me. “He’s testing my patience. And believe me, I have none.”
I nodded and turned around. “I know.”
Callie and Justin both looked at each other and then moved into the living room, leaving me alone with Maddox. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure they were gone before closing the distance between us to steal a kiss. “He wants you, doesn’t he?”
Looking into those blue eyes of his, I knew there was no way I could lie. “Yes. And he knows what a hothead you can be. If you run your mouth, it’ll make things worse for us. Just let it go.”
He shook his head. “I can’t. It’s just not possible.”
“Maddox, he’s my best friend.”
Huffing, he grabbed my hands. “I know. But you’
re my wife, Lacey. Nothing is going to change that. People are just going to have to deal with it and move on, including your cocksucker of a friend.”
Callie peeked her head around the corner. “Might want to wrap it up.”
Maddox pulled my hand back up to his cheek and kissed my wrist, but not before Braeden walked in and cleared his throat. “Sorry to interrupt.”
Jerking around, Maddox stepped up to him. I grabbed his arm and he backed away. “Maddox, don’t.”
They glared at each other, and of course, Maddox couldn’t keep his mouth shut. “She’s mine, Wallace, not yours. I suggest you back off before I do something about it.”
Braeden scoffed. “I’d like to see you try.”
Justin hurried in and grabbed Maddox’s shoulder. “Come on, dude. It’s time to go.”
Maddox looked at me one more time and said, “I’ll see you in a few,” before turning and following Justin out the door. I didn’t realize I’d been holding my breath until I gasped for air. Callie walked into the kitchen and smacked Braeden on the arm. “What the hell are you doing? You’re getting into the middle of a place you don’t belong.” Braeden huffed and then stormed out the door. Placing a hand on her chest, she blew out a sigh. “Girl, what is going on?”
Groaning, I ran a hand over my face. “Got a few minutes? This might take a while.”
Her eyes widened. “I want to hear all about it.”
Chapter 22
Lacey
Waking up in Maddox’s arms was the best feeling in the world. All I wanted was for time to stop. While he was at practice, I unpacked more of my stuff and hung out at his house, waiting impatiently for him to return. Luckily, the confrontation between him and Braeden didn’t ruin our time together last night.
Maddox walked through the door and tossed his keys onto the counter just as I slid my purse off the kitchen chair. His gaze raked down my body and he whistled. “You look sexy as hell in that yellow dress, sunshine.”
I twirled around. “Glad you think so. You can help take it off me when I get back.”
He opened the refrigerator and grabbed a beer. “You’re damn right I will. Where are you and Callie going for dinner?” After I told Callie everything that was going on, we decided it was time for a girls’ night out.
“We’re going to Mason’s steak house.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “Lucky. I’ll be here eating leftover spaghetti.”
Wrapping my arms around his neck, I kissed him. “You’ll be fine. I noticed you left a little early this morning.”
“Yeah, I wanted to get in some extra workouts. In bed, all I could think about was you naked and wrapped around my cock.”
I burst out laughing. “You could’ve woken me up.”
He shook his head. “You tossed and turned a lot last night. You needed your sleep.”
Now that I recalled, I remembered feeling restless. “Thanks. I think my legs were cramping. I was so tired I can’t remember. How did practice go, by the way?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Same as always. Although I have to say that Wallace gave me a lot of go to hell looks today. He’s obviously still pissed.”
“He’s just looking out for me,” I said with a heavy sigh. “I don’t want you two fighting. Unfortunately, he’s making it difficult.”
Maddox snorted. “It’s unavoidable, sunshine. No matter what, a fight is bound to happen. Whether it’s a week from now or six months. The guy’s going to say the wrong thing one day.”
My heart sank. “I’ll just pray it doesn’t come to that.” I looked out the kitchen door and Callie pulled into the driveway. “Do you think you can go with me to find a car this week? I need one before I start work. I have no clue what I should get. I figured you’d know what cars are good.”
Maddox grabbed an apple from the fruit basket and bit into it. “You can drive one of mine.”
I shook my head. “They’re sports cars and too expensive. I want something a little bigger.”
“You haven’t looked in my garage, have you?”
“No, why?”
Chuckling, he pulled out his phone and scrolled through his pictures. Inside his garage was an Infiniti QX80. “When did you get that?”
A mischievous grin lit up his face. “Guess you can say I took a page out of Dallas’s book. I knew you needed a car so I went out and got you one.”
Slapping a hand over my mouth, I stared at the brand-new, shiny silver SUV. “It’s amazing. You didn’t have to do that. I could’ve bought my own car.”
He slid his phone away and pulled me to him. “What’s mine is yours, sunshine. Let’s just say it’s a wedding present.”
“Thank you,” I gushed. “You have no idea how much I appreciate it.” Looking out the window I saw Callie pull into the driveway, so I kissed him goodbye. “I’ll see you in a couple of hours.”
Callie stepped out of her car and waved when I opened the door. “Hey, girl. I was just about to come in and get you.” Maddox stood behind me and she brightened. “Glad to see you two are finally together. I’m sorry I’m taking her away from you tonight.”
Maddox waved her off. “She’s with you. At least I know you’ll bring her home safe.”
Callie put her arm around me. “Of course. I won’t get her too drunk.” Giggling, I waved at Maddox and got into her car. Callie stared at me and laughed. “You are positively glowing. I love the dress.”
“Thank you. I’m incredibly happy right now.”
“I bet,” she said, laughing. She had on a light green top that looked great on her golden skin. Every time we went out together, people thought we were sisters. Basically, we were, considering she married my brother.
We headed out and I couldn’t stop grinning. “Maddox and I are just keeping everything on the down low for another couple of weeks.”
“I don’t blame you. Let’s get you acclimated at the hospital before you take over the Internet. People are going to go crazy when they find out you and Maddox are married.”
“Oh, I know. In a way, I’m ready to get it over with. I just don’t want to be followed by the paparazzi. They love Maddox.”
“That they do.”
It didn’t take long to get to the restaurant. We got out and the valet attendant parked the car. It was so hot outside I already had beads of sweat dripping down my back.
The hostess led us to a table and we sat down. She pushed her glasses up her nose and smiled. Her chestnut hair was boy short, but it looked good with her angelic face. “Would you like something to drink? I’ll go ahead and get those out to you. Your waiter will be over soon.”
Callie smiled. “I would love a glass of Riesling, please.”
The hostess grinned at me. “And for you?”
“Water.”
She nodded and went about her way. Callie lifted her brows. “Water? You always start dinner with a glass of wine.”
I shrugged. “Not feeling it tonight for some reason. I still haven’t felt right from when I was sick.”
“Are you pregnant?”
I laughed. “I thought I was at first, but the test came back negative. I don’t know what my problem is right now.”
“So strange. You might want to get Dr. Young to check you out next week.”
I shook my head. “Not a chance. I don’t want to come in my first week of work with problems. Besides, I’m a doctor, too. I’ll be fine.”
“Okay, whatever you say,” she said, snickering. “So how are things with you and Braeden?”
The hostess came back with our drinks. I lifted my glass and gulped down a bunch of water. “Okay for the most part, I guess. I haven’t talked to him since that debacle last night. I’m kind of pissed at him.”
Callie sipped her wine. “Can’t blame you there. I know you two are close, but you’re married now. He has to respect the boundaries.”
“Exactly. I’m sure he will in time. I threw everything at him so fast. I know it was a lot to digest.”
The
waiter came over and we gave him our food order. I settled for filet mignon, asparagus, and a baked potato. If anything, I could eat a few bites of meat and the potato and I’d be fine. Hopefully.
“I’m going to the rink tomorrow to skate. Want to go with me? You can keep me company. It’ll be during public skate time so they’ll be a lot of people there. Plus, I know Kristen would love to see you.”
“Will the guys be there?” I asked.
“Nope. They should be gone. Maddox will probably stay if he knows you’re going to be there. Then again, so might Braeden.”
“Great,” I said sarcastically, “but I’m not going to skate. The last thing I need is to break my leg before starting my new job.”
Callie snorted. “You’re an excellent skater. You’ll be fine.”
I was, but I didn’t want to take any chances. “We’ll see,” was all I could say. The waiter brought out our food, and the smell made my stomach clench.
I ate a bite of my steak and it tasted heavenly. Breathing a sigh of relief, I tasted the baked potato, all covered in butter, sour cream, and chives, and it, too, went down smoothly.
Callie and I made random chitchat and it was nice being able to be myself. For the first time in years, I was genuinely happy. I had my family, friends, Maddox, and an amazing job waiting for me. I felt on top of the world.
My dinner went down fine, and it felt like it was going to stay down until the aroma of seafood wafted past my nose as the people at the table next to us received their food. Swallowing hard, I tried keep everything down, but it wasn’t going to happen.
I shot up and made a beeline to the bathroom. Luckily, there was no one in there. I held my hair back and watched my dinner flush down the toilet. When I opened the stall door, Callie was right there with her arms crossed over her chest.
“You’re not drinking wine and you just threw up your dinner. Are you sure you’re not pregnant?”
I stood and looked at myself in the mirror. It’d been weeks and I still hadn’t started my period. Time had flown by and I really hadn’t thought much about it. Gasping, I jerked around and faced her. “Oh my God, Callie. What if I am?”